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The briefing outlines five strategic pillars to integrate health into the climate and energy transition agendas for COP 31. These include shifting from a narrow energy transition to a systemic transformation, centering health as a primary result of the transition rather than a co-benefit, accounting for the full fossil fuel value chain (including petrochemicals), aligning fiscal policy with health costs, and closing evidence and communication gaps.

The report examines how the petrochemical industry serves as a 'Plan B' for fossil fuel companies, creating physical and economic lock-in that threatens global decarbonization efforts. It highlights the rapid growth of plastics and ammonia production, the environmental and health costs of these chemicals, and the use of 'transition narratives' to justify new fossil infrastructure. The authors propose five strategic levers—financial strain, market uncertainty, greenwashing, human health impacts, and just transition frameworks—to curb this expansion and enable a full fossil fuel phaseout.

A joint statement by industrial, research, and civil society organisations urging the European Commission to broaden the scope and ambition of the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act to better stimulate demand for low-carbon industrial products in Europe.

The report details how petrochemicals, primarily plastics and nitrogen fertilizers, drive fossil fuel demand and contribute to a 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It highlights the significant health risks to workers and communities, particularly in Europe's Trilateral Chemical Region, and criticizes EU policy for prioritizing industry 'competitiveness' and speculative technologies like carbon capture over a phasedown of production.

The statement asserts a link between plastic-related chemicals—including flame retardants, phthalates, and heavy metals—and breast cancer, noting that racialized populations in Canada face disproportionate health burdens. It calls for the Canadian government to implement stronger domestic regulations and prioritize the removal of toxic chemicals during Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.

The petrochemical industry is a growing driver of global oil demand and greenhouse gas emissions, with nitrogen fertilisers and plastics as primary contributors. Rapid capacity expansion, particularly in China, is projected to increase emissions beyond 1.5°C warming limits. While technical solutions and recycling are proposed, the low cost of virgin plastics and the limitations of 'downcycling' hinder progress, suggesting that policy should prioritise reuse and the reduction of single-use materials over simple substitution or recycling.

The oil and gas industry is pursuing a "petrochemical boom" to offset losses from the clean energy transition, focusing build-outs in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Appalachian regions. This expansion threatens to lock in fossil fuel demand, increase carbon emissions, and exacerbate environmental racism in low-income and minority communities. Earthjustice is actively fighting these projects, such as the Formosa Plastics complex in Louisiana, through legal challenges and policy advocacy to reduce plastic production and pollution.

The report advocates for low-carbon procurement in China's heavy industry to reduce transition costs via economies of scale and shared green premiums. It outlines a five-part implementation framework and identifies five priority value chains: steel-automotive, steel-construction, cement-construction, aluminum-automotive, and plastics-consumer goods.

The report argues that Canada cannot reach its 2050 net-zero goals through energy transitions alone, as material extraction and processing account for a significant portion of global emissions. It identifies key opportunities in the steel, cement, plastics, and organic waste sectors, emphasizing that reducing primary demand and extending product lifespans offer greater emission reductions than recycling alone. The document highlights the lack of comprehensive national circularity plans in Canada compared to leaders like Japan and the EU, and recommends implementing digital product passports, carbon pricing, and updated building codes to accelerate the transition.

The report details CAPE's 2023 efforts to reduce toxic exposures in Canada, highlighting the passage of Bill S-5 to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the launch of the Place-Based Power Project focusing on extraction impacts in Northern B.C., Alberta, and the Northwest Territories.

The author contends that health issues such as endometriosis, PCOS, and breast cancer are linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and xenoestrogens found in plastics, pesticides, and cosmetics. The text criticizes a medical and social narrative that places the onus of prevention on individual lifestyle choices, arguing instead that corporate profit and inadequate regulation drive exposure. It calls for healthcare professionals to acknowledge these environmental links and urges support for strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) via Bill S-5.

The statement highlights the intensifying toxification of Earth and the creation of 'sacrifice zones' that disproportionately impact children and future generations. It references three United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolutions: the establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel on Chemicals, waste and pollution prevention; the sound management of chemicals and waste (including updating science on endocrine disrupting chemicals); and the mandate for a legally binding instrument on the full life cycle of plastics. The authors call for the phase-out of toxic additives, specifically endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and the active participation of youth in treaty negotiations.

A joint statement by five NGO networks providing policy recommendations for the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), focusing on the phase-out of free allowances, expanded scope, support for vulnerable nations, and the rejection of export rebates.

The document argues that Green Public Procurement (GPP) can leverage the significant purchasing power of governments to stimulate demand for low-carbon materials in energy-intensive industries. It focuses on hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and cement, noting that five basic industrial materials account for 20% of global CO2 emissions. The brief, produced by UNIDO and the Leadership Group for Industry Transition, aims to provide methodologies for GPP design to help reach Paris Agreement targets.

The document highlights the necessity of public-private collaboration to decarbonize heavy industry, which contributes approximately 30% of global CO2 emissions. It identifies the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), launched by Sweden and India, as a key arena for international cooperation toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The brief examines specific policy tools such as green public procurement, carbon contracts for difference, and carbon border adjustments, while referencing implementation experiences in countries including South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and the UK.

The World Resources Institute outlines ten priorities for President Biden to address the climate crisis, centered on the principles of inclusive prosperity, focusing on carbon-heavy sectors, and supporting subnational action. Key recommendations include committing to a 45-50% emissions reduction by 2030, passing a $2 trillion climate-smart stimulus package, and phasing out new passenger vehicle sales of polluting cars by 2035. The plan emphasizes a 'whole-of-government' approach combining standards, investments, carbon pricing, and environmental justice to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

A study by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio finds that the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM) has not resulted in efficiency gains for the region's industries. Despite significant tax expenditures—reaching R$ 27.8 billion for ZFM, Western Amazon, and Free Trade Areas in 2015—both energy and productive efficiency levels in the ZFM remained similar to the national average from 2003 to 2015. This lack of impact persists even in the most representative sectors, such as two-wheel vehicle production and audio and video, where tax benefits are most concentrated.

The document evaluates the proposed Northwest Innovation Works methanol facility at the Port of Kalama, arguing that its greenhouse gas emissions are significantly underestimated and that it is unlikely to reduce global emissions. It proposes a 'climate test' for new industry to ensure projects do not lock in high-carbon technologies or become stranded assets in a transition to a low-carbon economy.

ClientEarth argues that the European Commission's Roadmap on the Strategy on Plastics in a Circular Economy incorrectly treats the elimination of hazardous chemicals as a secondary issue or a trade-off against recycling, rather than a cumulative goal for human health and environmental protection.

The report proposes 'Inclusion of Consumption' (IoC) as a way to ensure carbon prices are reflected in the cost of materials like steel and cement, which are currently shielded by free allowance allocations in emissions trading schemes. By adding a charge to the consumption of these materials based on benchmarks, the IoC aims to incentivize material efficiency and innovation without harming competitiveness. The authors argue that IoC is administratively feasible, compliant with WTO law, and qualifies as an environmental regulation under EU law.