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The policy brief introduces the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs) framework to resolve the impasse between climate mitigation and the right to development. It proposes a system where climate obligations are based on a 'Responsibility and Capacity Indicator' (RCI), which excludes income below a development threshold of USD 20 per day. The analysis suggests that to keep warming below 2°C, Annex 1 countries must take responsibility for emission cuts exceeding 100% by 2025, combining deep domestic reductions with financial and technological support for the South. The brief recommends that Annex 1 countries lead the transition and fulfill unmet financing commitments before expecting legally binding commitments from non-Annex 1 countries.

The document examines China's balancing act in climate negotiations, where it seeks to maintain economic growth and energy security while transitioning toward a low-carbon economy. While China has implemented ambitious domestic policies to reduce energy intensity—driven largely by a need to decrease dependence on oil and coal imports—it remains cautious about committing to binding international targets that could undermine its development goals or subject its internal affairs to international verification. The briefing highlights the critical role of the US-China relationship and the necessity of financial and technical support from developed nations to accelerate China's emission peak.

The document examines the role of carbon offsets in climate policy, highlighting their ability to reduce mitigation costs and provide sustainability co-benefits. However, it identifies significant risks including additionality, permanence, leakage, and quantification errors. Through a 'road test' of various protocols, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) demonstrates that the amount of offsets credited for the same project can vary by a factor of 2 or more. The brief recommends that offsets be used as transitional tools and that protocols be standardized to ensure consistent calculation of emission reduction credits.

The document argues that achieving the 2030 Agenda requires a shift from 'business as usual' to a transformative approach where research serves as a key driver. It identifies three primary roles for research: providing diagnostics (identifying problems and monitoring goals), providing solutions (accelerating technical and social innovation), and acting as a societal institution (serving as a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue). The author emphasizes the need for transdisciplinary approaches, increased involvement of humanities and behavioral sciences, and a move away from short-term funding to support long-term sustainable environments. For Sweden, the paper suggests aligning national research priorities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maintain industrial leadership while transitioning to climate neutrality.

TESS supports the revised draft Ministerial Statement for the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP), noting its evolution from identifying issues to agreeing on voluntary international cooperation. The statement emphasizes the need for trade-related capacity building for developing members, including LDCs, SVEs, and SIDS, and suggests that the DPP's work should complement the negotiations for a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. TESS also promotes its own policy research on standards, single-use plastics, and waste management technologies to inform the dialogue.

The document argues that the existing UNFCCC monitoring system requires a significant retrofit and new processes to meet the more specific MRV obligations envisioned in the Bali Action Plan for a post-2012 agreement. It highlights that MRV is essential for the credibility and effectiveness of commitments regarding mitigation actions by developed and developing countries, as well as the associated technology, finance, and capacity-building support.

The document examines the role of technology as a pillar of the Bali Action Plan (BAP) and analyzes UNFCCC Party submissions to determine how an international agreement can support clean technology through funding, capacity building, and monitoring frameworks.

The document details the 'who, what, when, and where' of ex-ante finance information under the Paris Agreement. It specifies that developed country Parties must provide biennial communications on projected public financial resources to assist developing countries, including quantitative and qualitative data on programs, policies, and mobilization efforts. The process involves a cycle of Secretariat synthesis reports, in-session workshops, and high-level ministerial dialogues starting in 2021. It also outlines how this information links to adaptation communications, the Enhanced Transparency Framework, the Global Stocktake, and compliance mechanisms.

The ACT 2015 Consortium proposes a legal framework for the 2015 Paris Agreement that integrates mitigation, adaptation, and support through five-year cycles of continuous improvement. Key recommendations include phasing out greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in the second half of the century, establishing a long-term adaptation goal, and ensuring equity for least developed countries and small island developing States through flexible commitments and targeted financial support.

The paper identifies key elements for enhancing technology transfer and development and evaluates major country positions on these issues. It finds convergence across these positions, specifically identifying four recurring institutional types: central bodies, dedicated funds, regional institutions, and coordinating committees. The author concludes that a combination of these institutional structures is the most effective way to meet the functional needs of a technology agreement.

The document outlines the need for a new financial agreement under the UNFCCC to overcome technology barriers in developing countries, noting that annual mitigation investments of USD $200 to $210 billion will be required by 2030 to stabilize global GHG emissions.

The analysis argues that equity is essential for achieving consensus in international agreements and should be addressed through both the differentiation of commitments and the design of supporting institutions. Key recommendations include using objective criteria for negotiating differentiated obligations, allowing for the timing of obligations to vary based on capacity, and prioritizing facilitative compliance over sanctions for developing countries. The paper emphasizes that equity requires not only financial support but also technology access and country ownership of implementation strategies.

The report argues that the proliferation of multilateral climate funds has led to overlapping roles and inefficiencies. It proposes a two-stage reform process: short-term specialization of fund mandates to improve the division of labor, and long-term consolidation or closure of certain funds to streamline the climate finance architecture. The analysis is based on literature reviews and interviews with over 50 stakeholders, focusing on five UNFCCC-linked funds and the Climate Investment Funds.

The document examines the Bali Action Plan's role in addressing greenhouse gas mitigation responsibilities, costs, and accountability. It specifically focuses on how developing countries frame mitigation actions and the necessity of a measurable, reportable and verifiable (MRV) framework for technology, financing, and capacity-building to ensure an environmentally effective international agreement.

The document identifies seven key principles for water adaptation: gender, equity, and social justice; inclusion of Indigenous and local knowledge; participative and bottom-up engagement; access to appropriate technologies; adequate finance; effective water governance; and strong political support. It emphasizes that climate change impacts are primarily experienced through the water cycle, manifesting as more frequent and intense droughts, storms, and flooding, which threaten health, food security, and political stability.

The Paris Rulebook is designed to transform the Paris Agreement into a functioning system by establishing tools and processes for national climate action. It focuses on creating a cycle of planning, implementing, and reviewing progress through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Key areas of negotiation include common timeframes for NDCs, transparency in reporting emissions and financial support, and the mechanisms for the global stocktake to assess collective progress toward temperature and resilience goals.

The document outlines how the Paris Rulebook transforms the Paris Agreement into an operational system by defining rules for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), transparency reporting, and progress reviews. It details the 'ambition mechanism'—a five-year cycle of planning, implementation, and review—and highlights key negotiation points for COP24, including common timeframes for NDCs, accounting for mitigation measures, and the operationalization of flexibility for developing countries in reporting.

The document describes the Paris Rulebook as the essential set of tools and processes required to transform the Paris Agreement into a functional system for global climate action. It details the cycle of planning, implementation, and review, focusing on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), transparency frameworks, and the global stocktake. The briefing outlines specific areas of negotiation for COP24, including common timeframes for NDCs, accounting for mitigation measures, and the provision of predictable financial information from developed countries to support developing nations.

The report analyzes China's transition from a low-carbon technology importer to a major manufacturer, focusing on supercritical/ultrasupercritical (SC/USC) coal-fired power, onshore wind energy, and blast furnace top gas recovery turbine (TRT) technology. It identifies key building blocks for success, including long-term government commitment, direct R&D funding, and the improvement of businesses' technological absorptive capacity. While China has bucked the trend of slow technology deployment in lower-middle-income countries, the report notes tensions regarding intellectual property rights (IPR) and the risks of prioritizing localization over global industry integration. It concludes that effective domestic policy and clear government signals are essential for the market to embrace low-carbon technologies.