Search Climate Insights Directory

The document outlines a proposed MEL system for Liberia's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2020-2030, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It details a four-step process for monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting, and proposes a three-year operationalization plan. The framework emphasizes inter-agency coordination, the need for USD 1.5 million in resources, and a pilot phase in the agriculture sector to refine data collection and indicator tracking.

The report finds that Carlyle and NGP have significant exposure to transition risk, with a large portion of their planned capital expenditure for upstream oil and gas projects incompatible with the Paris Agreement's goals. It argues that Carlyle's 'net zero' target is insufficient because it excludes Scope 3 emissions and minority investments, and warns that continuing to expand fossil fuel production risks creating stranded assets as global demand shifts toward renewables.

The report finds that The Carlyle Group and NGP Energy Capital have significant exposure to transition risk, with a large portion of their upstream portfolio's planned capital expenditure incompatible with the Paris Agreement's goals. It argues that Carlyle's 'net zero' targets are insufficient because they exclude Scope 3 emissions and minority investments, while its investment strategy continues to favor production expansion despite IEA warnings that no new oil and gas fields are needed for a 1.5°C scenario.

The document argues that current understandings of policy coherence for sustainable development are overly technocratic and ignore political drivers like vested interests and ideologies. To address this, the author introduces a framework centered on 'ideas, institutions, and interests' to analyze how these factors influence policy coherence across different stages and actors. The paper demonstrates the framework's utility by examining the coherence between the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030, suggesting the model can be applied to empirical data at both national and global levels.

The document outlines the role of Coal Transition Mechanisms (CTMs) in accelerating the shift from coal to clean energy, particularly in emerging markets. It highlights the challenge that 93% of coal capacity is shielded from market pressures by regulation or contracts, necessitating blended finance and CTMs to manage early retirement. To address reputational risks—such as the appearance of financing coal or failing to protect workers—the authors propose a framework focused on assessing moral hazard, ensuring Paris-aligned emissions savings, supporting just transition provisions, and maintaining transparency through public disclosures.

The briefing highlights a viral video by John Stossel featuring Mark Mills that spreads debunked claims about EV battery mineral requirements and their impact on global oil consumption. It notes the video's high engagement across YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and links the content to funding from Koch foundations. The document counters these claims using data from Argonne National Laboratory, IHS Markit, and the Union of Concerned Scientists to affirm that EVs generally emit less carbon over their lifespan than internal combustion engine vehicles.

The letter asserts that the Energy Charter Treaty's modernisation process is insufficient, as it maintains investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms and protects fossil fuel assets for at least a decade in the EU and UK. It notes that several EU Member States, representing over 70% of the EU population, have already announced their withdrawal. The authors urge the European Commission to facilitate a coordinated EU withdrawal to avoid legal limbo and prevent fossil fuel investors from hindering climate action.

The report assesses the current state of climate target-setting among the world's largest financial institutions, arguing that portfolio-level net zero targets are insufficient for achieving 1.5°C. It highlights that 'universal owners'—large asset managers with global exposure—possess significant but underutilized leverage to influence the real economy. The document identifies three primary channels for influence: exclusion, divestment, and engagement, noting that current adoption of climate-relevant exclusion and divestment policies remains low among the top 50 asset managers and owners.

The document contends that treating natural gas as a 'bridge fuel' and funding its proliferation in the Global South through climate finance would jeopardize the 1.5°C warming target and the Paris Agreement. It highlights three primary risks: supply dependency on a few countries, extreme price volatility—exemplified by the 2022 energy crisis in Europe—and the high warming potential of methane leaks. The author argues that renewable energy is a more secure and cost-effective alternative, citing the scaling of wind and solar in Brazil, China, Vietnam, and India.

The document contends that the current energy crisis is a "natural gas market crisis" caused by fossil fuel price volatility, specifically citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and post-pandemic recovery. It argues that natural gas is incompatible with the 1.5°C and 2°C Paris Agreement targets, noting that global gas emissions rose 23% between 2010 and 2019. The briefing highlights that solar and onshore wind are now cheaper than gas for two-thirds of the global population and that new gas projects face significant stranded asset risks, such as a USD 13 billion risk in the UK by 2050. It dismisses Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as an effective solution, noting that only 27 of over 260 projects undertaken between 1995 and 2018 were completed. Finally, it argues that for Africa, renewables are the fastest and cheapest way to expand energy access, as gas costs are projected to be double those of solar and wind by 2030.

The report examines legal obligations beyond Article 12 of the Paris Agreement to ensure governments carry out public engagement activities related to the UN's Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), arguing that legal consequences are necessary to prevent government inaction.

In 2021, MDB climate finance to developing countries reached a record $58.9 billion (UNFCCC definition), hitting a collective 2025 target of $50 billion four years early. However, the report highlights significant failures: private sector co-financing rates fell to 25 cents per dollar of public finance, and the share of funding for the most vulnerable countries (SIDS and LDCs) dropped to 19% from 22% in 2020. Additionally, MDBs provided $4.6 billion in fossil fuel financing in 2021, including a $4.5 billion loan for oil and LNG imports from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. The author urges MDBs to increase adaptation finance, which reached $17.6 billion but remains far below estimated annual costs of $70 billion, and calls for independent verification of self-reported data to improve transparency.

The report warns that massive LNG expansion and a lack of ambitious national climate targets are jeopardizing the 1.5°C warming limit. It highlights that current 2030 targets lead to 2.4°C of warming and that LNG capacity under construction could increase emissions by over 1.9 GtCO2e per year by 2030 above Net Zero scenarios. While some policy progress is noted in the US, China, and the EU, international climate finance remains insufficient, and the phase-down of coal is largely being ignored by major emitters.

Recourse argues that the MDBs' COP27 Joint Statement is a disappointment because it ignores the 1.5°C warming target and obscures the fact that MDB support for fossil fuels exceeds their financing for renewables. The organization highlights a lack of transparency regarding Paris Agreement alignment methodologies and calls for the MDBs to rule out fossil gas and LNG as transition fuels.

The LAC campaign urges South Africa to advocate for climate reparations and a non-fossil fuel development vision for Africa at COP27, while domestically accelerating the transition to renewable energy and phasing out coal by 2040.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) reports that between September 2020 and August 2022, five major oil companies—BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Aramco, and Chevron—spent $23.7 million on US Google Search ads, with $10.9 million dedicated to greenwashing. The report highlights a discrepancy between these companies' public sustainability claims and their internal documents, while also noting that Google continued to accept $421,000 from the Competitive Enterprise Institute for climate denial ads despite promising to stop doing so.

The document advises journalists to avoid cynicism when covering COP27, urging them to humanize and localize stories while holding powerful actors accountable. It emphasizes the critical nature of the 1.5-degree-C target and the central role of 'loss and damage' payments from rich to poor countries as a matter of climate justice.

The authors contend that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis, citing the 2022 Pakistan floods as an example where the right to life, housing, food, education, and health were severely impacted. They argue that wealthy industrialized nations and corporate actors bear the primary responsibility for these harms but have neglected the duty to provide effective remedy. The document calls for COP27 to establish a needs- and rights-centered Loss and Damage Finance Facility and to operationalize the Warsaw International Mechanism and Santiago Network in a rights-compliant manner.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance argues that climate change is a critical health crisis causing millions of avoidable deaths. The organization calls for the complete phase-out of fossil fuels as a public health imperative and demands that wealthy nations fulfill the $100 billion global climate finance goal, with half dedicated to adaptation and increased investment in health systems. The statement emphasizes that health is both a prerequisite and a driver for climate resilience and economic productivity.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance calls for the integration of health metrics into global climate frameworks and the immediate phase-out of fossil fuels to prevent millions of avoidable deaths. The statement emphasizes that wealthy nations must meet the $100B climate finance goal, with half allocated to adaptation and significant investment in health systems. It highlights that the healthcare sector contributes 4-5% of global emissions and must be part of mitigation efforts while becoming more resilient to climate shocks.