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The Government of Burkina Faso is developing an Adaptation Communication (AdCom) following an evaluation of its 2015 National Adaptation Plan (NAP). This initiative aims to increase the visibility of adaptation efforts, balance adaptation with mitigation, and contribute to the 2023 global stocktake on adaptation in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the Katowice climate package.

The policy brief examines the long-standing tension between the World Trade Organization's (WTO) focus on trade liberalization and the need for environmental protection. It highlights the failure of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) to produce recommendations and the persistence of harmful subsidies in agriculture, fisheries, and fossil fuels. The author argues that the WTO must integrate science-policy interfaces and prioritize sustainable development to support the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting recent member-led initiatives on plastics and climate as potential paths forward.

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) has called on the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) to address concerns regarding its lack of transparency and potential financial ties to the fossil fuel and arms industries. SGR requests that ASEE disclose investments over $5,000, phase out ties to companies not aligned with the 2°C Paris Agreement goal, and adopt a formal environmental policy. The letter highlights a broader trend of divestment among other professional bodies and universities in the US and UK, such as the American Geophysical Union and Harvard University, as evidence of shifting expectations for climate governance.

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) critiques a draft guidance document for companies purchasing tropical forest carbon credits, primarily arguing that the draft implicitly supports 'offsetting'—which CMW deems scientifically inaccurate when substituting fossil carbon with biological carbon. CMW demands the removal of the word 'consensus' from the title, as the draft does not reflect the views of many NGOs and CSOs. The response emphasizes the need for mandatory transparency regarding how much revenue from credit transactions actually reaches indigenous peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) versus intermediaries. CMW also insists that 'corresponding adjustments' under the Paris Agreement must be mandatory for any claims of emission reductions to prevent double counting.

The briefing explains that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires no new oil and gas field development after 2021, as existing production declines at a rate similar to the required drop in consumption. It argues that this conclusion is supported by IPCC scenarios and suggests the IEA's scenario may be conservative due to its reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS), which faces significant commercialization challenges.

The document assesses the role of 'Say on Climate' resolutions in corporate governance, highlighting their utility for financial actors needing climate data to meet reporting requirements and net-zero commitments. While these non-prescriptive votes can rally more shareholders and avoid legal conflicts with board competencies, the author warns of significant greenwashing risks, citing TotalEnergies' 2021 AG where a deficient plan received 92% approval. To ensure credibility, the text urges shareholders to demand annual votes based on exhaustive criteria that allow for the evaluation of alignment with a 1.5°C trajectory and to vote against incomplete or non-aligned plans.

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022 finds that most of the 25 major global companies assessed have net-zero pledges that lack integrity, with aggregate emissions targeted for reduction by only 40% at most. While 15 companies report interim targets for 2030, the average reduction commitment for full value chain emissions is only 23%. Scope 3 emissions average 87% of total emissions, yet only 8 companies provide moderate detail on addressing them. The report notes a heavy reliance on unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs) and contentious offsetting plans, particularly nature-based solutions, while suggesting that 'climate contributions' without neutrality claims are an emerging alternative.

Analysis of 19 Winter Olympic host cities shows an average February warming of 4.8 °F since 1950, with some cities like Oslo warming by 9.8 °F. A University of Waterloo study indicates that under a high-emissions scenario, only one host city (Sapporo) would reliably provide safe and fair outdoor snow sports conditions by the 2080s. The Paralympic Games face higher risks due to their typical March scheduling, which coincides with warmer temperatures and a higher probability of rain.

The document explains the Global Stocktake (GST) as the Paris Agreement's "ratchet mechanism" to assess collective progress on mitigation, adaptation, and finance. It argues that for climate action to be effective, it must be guided by human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, gender equality, and intergenerational equity. The briefing details the GST's three-phase structure—information collection, technical assessment, and consideration of outputs—concluding at COP28 in November 2023. It provides a framework for stakeholders to align their submissions with the GST's guiding questions to address critical gaps such as fossil fuel phase-out, land tenure rights, and loss and damage.

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022 assesses 25 multinational companies, finding that most 'net zero' pledges are ambiguous and lack deep emission reduction commitments. The report highlights a systemic reliance on low-quality carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs) that often fail to provide additional climate benefits. While a few companies demonstrate leadership in renewable energy procurement and value chain engagement, the overall integrity of corporate climate strategies remains low, with many targets falling short of the 1.5C Paris Agreement goal.

The report evaluates the implementation of results-based forest finance, noting that while billions have been committed through REDD+ and international development finance, significant barriers remain. It highlights the growth of voluntary and compliance carbon markets and the emergence of public-private initiatives like the LEAF Coalition, while emphasizing that insufficient funding and high technical requirements hinder many countries from moving beyond the readiness phase to receiving actual payments.

In 2021, China's coal-fired power construction reached its highest level since 2016, with 33 GW of new capacity starting construction. Despite carbon neutrality targets, investment in long-process steel remains high, with China accounting for 85% of global new long-process capacity. The report warns that these investments lock in coal dependency and risk creating stranded assets valued at hundreds of billions of dollars. While there is growth in electric arc furnace (EAF) steel and renewable energy targets, the scale of new fossil-fuel infrastructure continues to outpace the transition needed to meet Paris Agreement goals.

The document reports a surge in China's coal power construction and coal-based steelmaking investments in 2021, contradicting the country's carbon neutrality goals. It highlights that 33 GW of new coal power plants started construction in 2021 and 74 million tonnes of coal-based steelmaking capacity were approved. The report warns that these investments risk creating billions of dollars in stranded assets and lock the sectors into coal dependency, while noting a simultaneous but insufficient scale-up of clean energy.

The report identifies that four major Canadian fossil fuel-producing provinces provided at least CAD 2.5 billion in subsidies in FY 2020/21 and 1.5 billion in FY 2021/22 (up to December 2021). These subsidies, consisting of royalty reductions, tax exemptions, and direct transfers, are described as incompatible with 1.5°C goals and a hindrance to Canada's Paris Agreement obligations. The authors highlight a lack of transparency in provincial budgeting and a trend of using fossil fuel support as a COVID-19 recovery strategy. The report recommends that provinces increase transparency, align with federal targets to phase out subsidies by 2023, cease creating new subsidies, and collaborate with the federal government.

Three lawsuits were filed in Argentina against the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to stop offshore seismic testing by Equinor. The cases raised concerns regarding the protection of the Southern Right Whale, climate impacts, Argentina's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, and procedural rights under the Escazú Agreement. On 11 February 2022, the Federal Court of Mar del Plata ordered a halt to exploration based on the precautionary principle and violations of the rights to information and public participation, though it did not cite climate concerns. However, on 18 February 2022, a different court allowed activities to continue pending an appeal.

The report finds that most French financial investors have inadequate climate engagement policies, characterized by vague objectives, a lack of rigorous escalation strategies, and poor transparency. While many claim to use engagement to support corporate transition, the analysis suggests this often functions as a 'greenwashing' tool to avoid divestment from fossil fuels. The document recommends that investors define precise greenhouse gas reduction targets, implement clear sanctions for non-compliance, and systematically integrate climate criteria into their voting decisions.

Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager, faces significant contradictions between its sustainable finance ambitions and its actual investment practices. The report highlights three primary challenges: the growth of passive management which bypasses coal exclusions, a weak shareholder engagement policy that fails to sanction coal developers, and continued investment in oil and gas expansion, including high-risk projects in the Arctic. Despite joining the Net Zero Asset Manager Initiative, Amundi's policies are described as vague and insufficient to align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.

RMI proposes a decentralized, open-source technical architecture to replace static, estimate-based carbon accounting with a blockchain-based system. The proposed system focuses on the exchange of primary emissions data at the product level, using 'digital twins' to track embodied carbon from source to sale. This approach aims to improve the veracity of Scope 3 emissions reporting and enable more informed procurement decisions to drive industrial decarbonization.

The report examines the alignment between DFI funding and national strategic priorities in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya. It finds that while national plans are generally aligned with SDGs, DFIs often operate based on internal strategies rather than national plans. The analysis identifies specific sectoral gaps where DFIs could provide financial additionality, particularly in ICT and healthcare, and proposes a four-step framework for DFIs to better align investments with country-level strategic sectors.

The document identifies a governance gap in managing Transboundary Climate Risks (TCRs), where climate impacts in one country create risks in another due to global connectivity. Using the Brazilian-German coffee supply chain as a case study, it analyzes five governance pathways: transnational governance, development cooperation, international diplomacy, global markets, and domestic policy. It concludes that while transnational governance is the dominant discourse, it is often insufficient, and suggests that the UNFCCC and international traders should take a more active leadership role in operationalizing adaptation strategies across borders.