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The document argues that human rights-based climate action is a legal obligation under the Paris Agreement and is more effective, as confirmed by the IPCC. It provides a comprehensive checklist for NDCs, emphasizing the need for a 1.5°C warming limit, the phase-out of fossil fuels, and the exclusion of carbon offsets and 'false technological solutions' like carbon capture and storage (CCS). The checklist details requirements for inclusive public participation, gender equality, the protection of indigenous peoples' rights—specifically free, prior and informed consent—and the implementation of a just transition. It also calls for debt-free international climate finance and robust monitoring systems that use disaggregated data by gender, age, and disability.

The document explains that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are national plans submitted every five years under the Paris Agreement to show progress toward global climate goals. It argues that human rights-based policies are the most effective form of climate action and that all Paris Agreement parties have obligations to respect and protect human rights, gender equality, and a just transition. The guide urges civil society to act by contacting governments, participating in official drafting processes, reviewing NDCs using a provided scorecard, and holding governments accountable through advocacy or legal action.

The document argues that human rights-based climate action is more effective and a legal obligation for all Parties to the Paris Agreement. It provides a comprehensive checklist for the preparation and evaluation of NDCs, covering mitigation ambition, participatory planning, gender justice, indigenous rights, just transition, adaptation, and accountability mechanisms.

The document argues that the UNFCCC has reached a 'critical breaking point' due to systemic failures in delivering climate justice and the undue influence of the fossil fuel industry. It proposes a shift from consensus-based to majority-based decision-making to prevent a few nations from blocking progress. The authors demand a strict Conflict of Interest Policy to exclude polluting industry lobbyists from official spaces and a 'rightsizing' of COPs to end their transformation into 'global trade fairs'. Additionally, the statement calls for enhanced compliance mechanisms for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), greater transparency in negotiations to end 'closed doors' meetings, and the protection of human rights for participants. It suggests strengthening international climate governance by aligning the UNFCCC with the other Rio Conventions and pursuing complementary legal pathways, such as the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Global Plastics Treaty, to achieve a full fossil fuel phase-out.

The document argues that WTO rules do not prevent the implementation of an ambitious plastics treaty, as multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) can restrict trade without violating trade law. It highlights that GATT Article XX provides general exceptions for measures necessary to protect human, animal, or plant life and health, or the conservation of exhaustible natural resources. To avoid trade challenges, the brief recommends that the treaty use precise, science-based obligations, ensure non-Party trade measures mirror those between Parties, and explicitly articulate the links between plastic pollution and public health and biodiversity.

The document analyzes different national implementation mechanisms for multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to provide recommendations for the negotiations of a plastics treaty. It distinguishes between National Action Plans (NAPs), which are typically broad and voluntary strategic documents, and National Implementation Plans (NIPs), which are precise, legally binding road maps for meeting treaty obligations. The authors argue that NAPs often suffer from a "lack of performance" and "insufficient ambition," whereas NIPs are more effective at identifying gaps and mobilizing resources. The brief specifically warns against adopting the NDC model used in the Paris Agreement, stating that unilaterally determined targets are "woefully inadequate" and should not be used for the plastics treaty. Instead, it recommends a hybrid approach combining NIP and NAP characteristics, supported by clear language, effective monitoring, and technical and financial assistance, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The green bond market experienced rapid growth between 2013 and 2016, with total emissions reaching USD 81 billion in 2016. The market is increasingly dominated by the private sector, with corporate and bank emissions rising from less than 1% in 2010 to 66% in 2016. While mitigation projects—specifically clean energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon transport—receive approximately 75% of funds, financing for adaptation grew from less than 1% in 2011 to 5% of total emissions, driven largely by US municipalities. China emerged as a leading market, projecting to be the largest globally. To support the Paris Agreement, the Climate Bonds Initiative targets annual green bond emissions of USD 1 trillion by 2020. The document recommends that governments implement national capital mobilization plans, apply international standards like the Green Bond Principles and Climate Bonds Standard, and develop national verifier networks to reduce market friction and prevent greenwashing.

The document outlines how sovereign green bonds can signal a country's commitment to low-carbon growth, diversify investor bases, and mobilise private capital. It provides a seven-step guide for issuance—from stakeholder engagement to monitoring—and details specific examples from France, Poland, Belgium, Nigeria, Fiji, and Indonesia, highlighting the inclusion of indirect expenditures like subsidies and tax exemptions.

The document provides a scientific and legal basis for the European Court of Human Rights to assess State due diligence regarding climate change. It emphasizes the urgency of limiting warming to 1.5°C to avoid irreversible damage and tipping points, noting that current global emissions trends are insufficient. It highlights severe health risks in Europe, including heat-related mortality, and argues that under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC, States have a 'best efforts' obligation to pursue the highest possible ambition in emissions reductions. ClientEarth asserts that failure to meet international climate commitments constitutes a prima facie violation of human rights obligations, and that adaptation measures cannot substitute for necessary mitigation.

ClientEarth advocates for the implementation of comprehensive framework climate laws (FCLs) to bridge the gap between political ambition in NDCs and domestic action. The brief highlights that current climate commitments are insufficient, with a projected temperature rise of 2.4°C to 2.6°C even if existing NDCs are met. It calls on countries to submit science-driven NDCs by February 2025 and to enshrine these in binding national laws by COP30. The document also details recent international legal precedents from the ICJ, ITLOS, and ECHR that strengthen the legal obligations of states to protect human rights and the environment from climate harm.

The report advocates for the use of legal frameworks to bridge the gap between climate ambition and action following the COP28 Global Stocktake. It calls for the enactment of comprehensive national framework climate laws by COP30, the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund with a human rights focus, and a legally mandated phase-out of fossil fuels. ClientEarth emphasizes the role of international courts in clarifying state obligations and suggests adopting demand-reduction strategies for fossil fuels similar to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to combat greenwashing.

The document calls for Parties to the Paris Agreement to submit ambitious NDCs 3.0 by February 2025 and to operationalize these targets through domestic Framework Climate Laws (FCLs). It emphasizes that while NDCs are not legally binding, FCLs can provide the necessary statutory framework, parliamentary oversight, and financial allocation to achieve 1.5°C pathways. The authors outline specific benchmarks for robust NDCs, including economy-wide targets and carbon budgeting, and propose five guiding principles for the next generation of FCLs, focusing on human rights, alignment with the Paris Agreement, and progressive strengthening over time.

A joint contribution by ClientEarth and other NGOs proposing structural reforms to EU trade policy to align it with the European Green Deal. The authors argue for binding sustainability obligations, independent ex-post monitoring, the introduction of sanctions for non-compliance, and enhanced roles for Domestic Advisory Groups and civil society in the negotiation and enforcement of Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters.

The document details how the climate crisis and fossil fuel combustion drive severe health outcomes, including 8 million annual premature deaths from air pollution and extreme risks for 1 billion children. It advocates for 'healthy NDCs'—Nationally Determined Contributions that integrate health into energy, transport, and agriculture sectors—noting that every dollar invested in climate adaptation can yield four dollars in economic and health benefits. It specifically calls for health professionals to advocate for these policies ahead of the 2025 NDC 3.0 submissions.

The Healthy NDC Scorecard evaluates national climate commitments (NDCs) based on climate ambition, health impacts, and governance. It categorizes outcomes ranging from 'Paris Agreement compliant' and 'Science aligned' to those that are 'Catastrophic for human health', specifically tracking temperature trajectories from 1.5°C to over 4°C.

The document highlights a significant financing gap for climate-resilient health systems, noting that adaptation finance for developing countries fell to US$26 billion in 2023. It argues that climate and health financing currently operate in siloes, with fewer than half of costed National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) quantifying health adaptation estimates. The briefing recommends increasing grant-based public finance, integrating health strengthening into climate frameworks, and expanding fiscal space through debt relief and fossil fuel subsidy reform.

The CLEANAIR NDC Scorecard evaluates the alignment of national climate commitments with clean air goals, categorizing countries by air pollution mortality rates and scoring them across health impacts, air pollutants, source sectors, and economics and finance.

The document outlines the severe health vulnerabilities of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region due to climate change, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. It calls for a transition to sustainable food and energy systems, the strengthening of primary healthcare, and the implementation of climate justice to protect the right to health.

The Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health identifies the region's high vulnerability to extreme weather and climate-sensitive diseases, exacerbated by structural inequalities. It argues for the integration of health into national climate policies (NDCs and NAPs), the strengthening of primary care, and the application of climate justice for marginalized communities. The document highlights significant gaps in health sector adaptation planning and a lack of health-specific indicators in climate finance, specifically noting that only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund projects in the region include explicit health benefits. It calls for a fair transition to a fossil-fuel-free economy and increased international support for regional health capacities.

The document outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), emphasizing that while the region contributes only 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it faces profound vulnerability. It details how extreme heat, floods, and shifting disease patterns—such as a 54% increase in dengue transmission potential—disproportionately affect marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples and the urban poor. The position paper demands the integration of health into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the decarbonization of health systems and food production, and the implementation of the Belém Action Plan. It calls for a 'just transition' that protects human rights and incorporates ancestral knowledge, while urging the international community to provide financial and technological transfers to strengthen primary health care and climate resilience in the region.