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The document outlines how forests influence climate stability through four non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. It argues that ignoring these effects leads to an undervaluation of tropical forests, as tropical deforestation contributes 50 percent more to global warming than carbon-only metrics suggest. The authors propose six specific mechanisms for UNFCCC Parties to integrate these effects into official processes, including GHG inventories, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), REDD+ reporting, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), the Global Stocktake, and the IPCC's 7th Assessment Report cycle.

The policy brief highlights that forests influence the climate through four key non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. It argues that focusing solely on carbon underestimates the cooling value of tropical forests and ignores local temperature spikes caused by deforestation. The authors propose six specific ways for UNFCCC Parties to integrate these effects into national greenhouse gas inventories, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), REDD+ reporting, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report (AR7).

The briefing explains how forests influence climate through non-carbon biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—and proposes six specific mechanisms for the UNFCCC to integrate these effects into national reporting, NDCs, REDD+, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and IPCC assessments.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone when biophysical effects are included. These effects—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—regulate local temperatures and regional rainfall. Deforestation disrupts these processes, leading to decreased crop yields (e.g., a 12% drop in soy productivity in Brazil) and increased heat stress for workers. The authors urge companies and investors to move beyond reputational goals and address these material risks through jurisdictional collaboration, improved spatial analysis, and stricter financial disclosures.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone due to biophysical processes like albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. These non-carbon effects cause local temperature spikes and regional rainfall disruptions, leading to direct productivity losses in commodities such as soy and impacting worker safety through heat stress. It calls on companies and financial institutions to move beyond reputational risk management and address these material operational risks through jurisdictional cooperation, improved spatial research, and stricter portfolio alignment.

Initiative 20x20 is a regional partnership in Latin America and the Caribbean designed to restore degraded landscapes through reforestation, agroforestry, and silvopasture. The initiative has surpassed its initial goal of 20 million hectares and has earmarked US$2.4 billion for project financing. The program addresses the fact that at least 200 million hectares of land in the region are severely degraded and that 49% of regional emissions stem from land-use change, forestry, and agriculture.

The WRI Results Framework establishes a structured system to plan and evaluate programmatic progress across three primary human systems: food, land & water; energy; and cities. It sets specific global targets for 2030 and WRI intervention targets for 2027, focusing on outcomes such as reducing agricultural land demand by 100 Mha, increasing the share of zero-carbon electricity by 9% in target geographies, and improving urban climate resilience. The framework integrates Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and utilizes a tiered approach of global, intervention, and country-specific targets, supported by impact indicators for people, nature, and climate.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) analysis reveals that a significant portion of the world's shale resources are located in water-stressed or arid regions, posing risks to energy development and local water security. The report highlights that 38% of shale resources are in areas of high water stress or aridity, and 386 million people live above these plays. It provides specific assessments for 11 countries and recommends that companies and governments implement water risk assessments, increase transparency, and adopt corporate water stewardship to mitigate conflicts with other water users, particularly in irrigated agriculture.

The document highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon emissions alone suggest due to biophysical processes like albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. These non-carbon effects cause immediate local and regional climate disruptions, such as increased temperature extremes and erratic rainfall, which directly threaten crop yields and worker productivity. For example, deforestation in Brazil is linked to a 12% loss in soy productivity, and Amazonian deforestation is plausibly linked to a 2017 drought in Argentina costing the economy approximately $4.6 billion. The authors argue that while many companies have made deforestation-free commitments to manage reputational risks, they often overlook these material operational risks. To mitigate these, the report recommends that companies and investors increase coordination through coalitions, leverage nature-related financial disclosures, and engage in jurisdictional-scale conservation efforts that extend beyond their own direct supply chains.

The report assesses G20 countries' efforts to meet their Paris Agreement commitments, noting that while all have taken concrete actions, progress and ambition vary. Key highlights include India's aggressive solar targets, China's integration of environmental stewardship into its 13th Five-Year Plan, and Indonesia's peatland restoration efforts. However, challenges remain, such as Turkey's planned expansion of coal power and Saudi Arabia's lack of a formal 2030 GHG target.

The document explains that forests influence climate stability through four non-carbon biophysical processes: albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols. It highlights that tropical deforestation contributes 50% more to global warming than carbon accounting alone suggests and can increase local peak temperatures by over 7.6°C. The authors propose six specific actions for UNFCCC parties to integrate these effects into national GHG inventories, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), REDD+ financing, adaptation planning, the Global Stocktake, and the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report.

The document explains the methodology of 'extreme event attribution' to help journalists avoid common errors, such as ignoring climate change or attributing an event to it as a sole cause. It details how scientists use climate models to compare the modern world with a pre-industrial one to determine if an event was more likely or intense due to global warming. The guide provides specific scientific consensus and limitations for heatwaves, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy snowfall, droughts, and wildfires, emphasizing that while some connections are robust (e.g., heatwaves), others are more complex and depend on regional data and human vulnerability.

The study concludes that anthropogenic climate change made the record-breaking early season heat in northern Argentina and Paraguay approximately 60 times more likely. The analysis focused on the 7-day average of daily maximum temperatures, finding that the 2022 event was an exceptional occurrence that would have been unlikely without human-induced warming. The report also highlights the region's high vulnerability due to urban heat island effects, informal settlements lacking electricity, and the timing of the heatwave before populations had acclimated to summer temperatures.

The study finds that while the 2022 drought in Central South America was primarily driven by natural variability and La Niña conditions, human-induced climate change exacerbated the event by increasing temperatures, which reduced water availability through higher evapotranspiration. The drought caused severe agricultural losses in Argentina, including a projected 25-50% decrease in soy yields and a significant drop in wheat production, while limiting potable water access for over 75,000 people in Uruguay.

WWF has created a Deforestation and Conversion Free (DCF) Implementation Toolkit to assist companies in moving from commitments to action, specifically for beef, soy, and leather sourced from the Amazon, Cerrado, and Gran Chaco. The toolkit aligns with the Accountability Framework and provides a three-step process: assessing current practices, planning milestones, and executing actions using a technical reference catalog. It is designed for various value chain actors, including brands, financial institutions, and traders, and has been utilized by BRF S.A. for its soy supply chain.

The report positions leather as a circular byproduct of the beef and dairy industries, arguing that leather purchasers have a unique economic lever to incentivize deforestation-free production. It highlights the environmental risks of both cattle-driven deforestation and plastic-based leather alternatives, while noting that the leather industry currently lags in forest protection commitments. The text emphasizes the importance of full traceability to the farm level, the role of emerging EU and UK legislation, and the potential for industry collaboration through groups like the Leather Working Group to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and habitat loss.

WWF and Fundación Vida Silvestre are piloting a deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) beef and leather system in Argentina's Santa Fe province. The initiative involves integrating DCF attributes into existing traceability systems, engaging meatpackers and tanneries, and developing a carbon calculator with Blonk Consultants and INTA to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change and cattle rearing. The project aims to meet increasing demand from European markets and explore financial incentives through banks like Banco Nación, with a national rollout evaluation planned for late Q2 2023.

Argentina is uniquely positioned to lead the global market in deforestation and conversion-free (DCF) beef due to its existing national traceability systems and strong market position, particularly with China. By integrating its cattle movement monitoring with the Forest Law's satellite-based Early Warning System, Argentina could provide credible DCF exports. This approach would help the country meet Paris Agreement commitments, attract trade finance from European and Chinese markets, and protect critical ecosystems like the Gran Chaco. While challenges include the lack of price premiums for DCF products and the need for an interoperable data platform, the model offers a scalable alternative to fragmented company-led sustainability commitments.

A proof of concept conducted by WWF and partners in Argentina's Santa Fe province successfully traced beef and leather from birth to export, ensuring they were deforestation-free based on a December 31, 2020 cut-off date. The project issued 30 certificates for meat and 22 for leather, facilitating exports to the European Union and China. Alongside this, a carbon calculator was developed to measure cradle-to-export carbon intensity, incorporating land use change and farm-level data. While the system is robust, challenges were identified regarding georeferencing gaps in the SENASA database and the technical difficulty of tracing hides after ear tags are removed. The project led to the creation of the 'Santa Fe Process Verified Program (SFPVLA)' and provides a model for national scaling in Argentina and potential application in Brazil and Paraguay.