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The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) issued a call for concept notes in 2023 to fund projects led by African organisations that use Indigenous and local knowledge to drive inclusive, locally-led climate-resilient action.

The report finds a general lack of integration of women's economic empowerment in economy-wide low-carbon transitions, with mainstream 'green economy' and 'just transition' narratives often remaining gender-blind or biased toward male-dominated industries. While feminist literature has historically focused on climate adaptation and vulnerability, sectoral practice—particularly in agriculture and forestry—shows more advanced integration of women as agents of change. Some national climate plans, such as those of Nepal and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, are identified as role models for embedding gender equality into mitigation strategies. The authors argue that current global economic recovery efforts following the Covid-19 pandemic have failed to connect decarbonisation with gender equality, risking further marginalisation of women in low- and middle-income countries.

The 2023 CleanAir NDC Scorecard reveals a significant gap between national climate pledges and the integration of air quality and health. While most NDCs mention air pollution, few quantify health impacts or set forward-looking targets. Low- and middle-income countries generally score higher than high-income nations, though many still face high air pollution mortality rates, highlighting a need for increased international finance to translate commitments into action.

The document outlines a framework for a Just Transition (TJ) in Colombia, emphasizing the need to manage the shift toward a low-carbon economy without exacerbating existing social inequalities. It identifies the mining and fossil fuel sectors as the most vulnerable due to their significant contribution to exports and employment. The guide recommends strengthening governance through a dedicated TJ Committee, improving social dialogue, reforming the labor market to address high informality, and diversifying regional economies. It also highlights the necessity of mobilizing financial resources to close the funding gap for Colombia's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

The report identifies a significant financing gap for Colombia's climate goals and argues that a just transition (JT) requires dedicated investment in socio-economic mitigation, such as re-skilling and regional diversification. While 67% of climate finance currently comes from public sources, the report notes that the 2023 national budget is not yet aligned with JT priorities. It suggests leveraging private green portfolios, international aid, sovereign green bonds, and carbon tax revenues to bridge this gap, while recommending the creation of a social taxonomy to ensure investments are socially responsible.

The document outlines a strategy for Colombia to manage its transition to a low-carbon economy while addressing high levels of poverty, inequality, and labor informality. It identifies the mining and fossil fuel sectors as the most vulnerable, representing 71% of exports and 500,000 formal jobs. The toolkit recommends establishing a Just Transition Committee within the Intersectoral Commission for Climate Change, enhancing social dialogue, and reforming the labor market to support workers' mobility and reskilling. It emphasizes the need for economic diversification in fossil-fuel-dependent regions and the mobilization of financial resources to close a funding gap estimated at 1.04% of GDP annually to meet NDC objectives.

The report finds that global methane abatement finance reached USD 13.7 billion in 2021/22, yet remains far below the estimated annual need of USD 48 billion by 2030. While the AFOLU sector saw a 77% increase in funding, the fossil fuel sector—which has the highest mitigation potential—received less than 1% of tracked finance. Private sources provided 70% of total funding, primarily through debt and equity, while public finance declined by 10%. Geographically, East Asia and the Pacific, the U.S. and Canada, and Western Europe are the top recipients, leaving a significant support gap in Latin America and South Asia.

The Centro de Movilidad Sostenible (CMS) is a non-profit technical partner providing expertise in transport decarbonization across Latin America and the Caribbean. The organization focuses on public policy development, electrification roadmaps, and technology evaluations for fleets and infrastructure. CMS manages several high-profile international projects, including the GEF 7 Electric Mobility Programme's LATAM platform, the ZEBRA initiative in Chile, and the Drive Electric campaign. Its technical capabilities include big data analysis for vehicle modelling, emission inventories, and the design of fuel economy standards.

The report analyzes how different audiences perceive the intersection of climate change and health and evaluates the effectiveness of various communication frames. It finds that framing climate change as a public health issue, particularly by emphasizing the health benefits of solutions (gain framing) and the harms of air pollution, can increase public engagement and reduce political polarization. The document highlights health professionals as highly trusted messengers who are generally willing to engage in advocacy but face barriers such as lack of time and specialized knowledge. It also notes that public officials exhibit varying levels of awareness and face institutional barriers to prioritizing climate-health issues. The report concludes with a research agenda calling for more diverse geographic data, better integration of equity in messaging, and the expansion of climate-health curricula in medical education.

The report argues that nature-based solutions (NbS) and carbon offsetting schemes often serve as a facade for corporate polluters to continue emitting while facilitating land grabbing and violating human rights. It provides numerous case studies across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, highlighting systemic issues such as inflated carbon baselines, lack of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and the failure of projects to deliver promised climate or social benefits. The document specifically critiques REDD+ projects, industrial tree plantations, and soil carbon programs for their lack of 'additionality' and their role in undermining food sovereignty and indigenous land rights.

The document argues that nature-based solutions (NBS) and carbon offsets often serve as a distraction for 'Big Polluters' to continue emitting while facilitating land grabs and violating Indigenous rights. It provides detailed evidence of inflated carbon baselines, lack of additionality, and social harms across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Key examples include REDD+ projects in Zimbabwe and Gabon that overestimated carbon savings, and soil carbon initiatives in the US and Kenya that threaten food sovereignty and traditional livelihoods. The report also critiques improved cookstove offsets for using flawed accounting to generate 'fake emission cuts'.

The document argues that carbon markets and offsets are 'false climate solutions' that fail to reduce emissions, allow major polluters to continue emitting, and facilitate land grabs and human rights violations, particularly in the Global South. It details the mechanisms of the UNFCCC's Article 6, various voluntary and regional trading schemes, and provides a strategic framework for civil society to oppose these markets through policy advocacy, legal tactics, and community solidarity.

The document argues that carbon markets and offsetting mechanisms are ineffective 'false solutions' that allow major polluters to continue emitting while causing harm to ecosystems and communities, particularly in the Global South. It details the mechanisms of the UNFCCC's Article 6, various regional and national carbon pricing initiatives, and provides strategies for civil society to resist these systems through advocacy, legal action, and community mobilization.

The document argues that carbon markets and emission offsets are ineffective at reducing emissions and instead serve as a distraction for major polluters while enabling extractivism and neocolonialism, particularly in the Global South. It details the mechanisms of the UNFCCC's Article 6, including the cooperative approaches of 6.2 and the UN-managed market of 6.4, as well as various regional and national systems in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The guide concludes by offering strategies for opposition, such as policy advocacy, community awareness, and legal challenges, while providing resources for tracking carbon projects.

The document outlines sustainability standards for the mining and processing sectors, such as the ICMM Mining Principles and IRMA Standard, which emphasize biodiversity conservation and the mitigation hierarchy. It provides financial estimates for forest protection, noting a global need of USD 45–460 billion annually to meet Paris Agreement goals, while contrasting this with 'gray finance'—including agricultural subsidies estimated between USD 378 billion and USD 635 billion per year—that may risk deforestation. Additionally, it identifies the emergence of green taxonomies in the EU and Colombia and risk assessment frameworks in countries like Brazil and Malaysia to align financial flows with nature preservation.

This document consists of two annexes. Annex 2 lists sustainability schemes for the mining and processing sectors, such as the ICMM Mining Principles and the ResponsibleSteel Standard, focusing on their requirements for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Annex 3 analyzes forest finance, estimating global needs between USD 45 billion and 460 billion annually to meet Paris Agreement goals, while contrasting 'green finance' (e.g., REDD+ funding) with 'gray finance,' including agricultural subsidies estimated between USD 378 billion and 635 billion per year and private finance to forest-risk commodity supply chains totaling USD 343 billion from 2010-2022.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that global finance for forests is severely inadequate, with 'gray' finance (subsidies driving deforestation) vastly outweighing 'green' finance. Public green finance averages USD 2.2 billion annually, less than 1% of estimated needs. Private financial institutions continue to provide trillions in financing to high-risk companies, while the voluntary carbon market faces declining demand and pricing due to integrity concerns. The report highlights a critical funding gap for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who receive only 3% of the finance needed for tenure reform.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that while global protected area coverage is increasing, significant gaps remain in the legal recognition of Indigenous and local community lands, with 1.375 billion hectares still unrecognized. The report highlights a sharp contrast in Brazil, where political leadership under President Lula da Silva led to a 42% drop in Amazon deforestation in early 2022, while other regions face high risks of illegal logging due to corruption. It notes the emergence of demand-side measures like the EU's Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) and a global rise in climate litigation to protect forests. However, environmental defenders remain the most targeted human rights defenders, with 194 killings recorded in 2022.

Global Witness reports that at least 177 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2022, with Latin America accounting for 88% of these cases. The report highlights the extreme danger faced by Indigenous peoples, who represented 36% of those killed, and identifies the Amazon as a critical hotspot where 22% of global killings occurred. It specifically examines the role of illegal gold mining in Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru, and the impact of the 'green transition' mineral boom in Southeast Asia. The document argues that impunity for these crimes is systemic and calls for stronger corporate accountability, specifically through the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

In 2022, Global Witness documented at least 177 killings of land and environmental defenders, with 88% occurring in Latin America. Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico accounted for over 70% of these deaths. The report highlights a critical situation in the Amazon, where 22% of global killings occurred, often linked to illegal mining and agroindustry. It also details the 'criminalization' of activists as a non-lethal strategy to silence dissent. The document advocates for the EU's proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive to hold companies accountable for human rights and environmental abuses in their global supply chains.