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The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) advocates for a managed, financed, and equitable fossil fuel phaseout during the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia. CIEL proposes a binding Fossil Fuel Treaty to fill governance gaps and argues that states have a legal obligation, supported by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to phase out fossil fuels. Key priorities include dismantling Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, ending offshore oil and gas licensing, halting petrochemical expansion, and rejecting carbon capture and geoengineering. The document emphasizes that the transition must be funded by the largest cumulative polluters and grounded in human rights and Indigenous leadership.

The document asserts that private finance continues to bankroll the fossil fuel industry despite net-zero alliances, which have largely collapsed or been gutted due to industry backlash. It calls for regulators to mandate climate transition plans, exclude fossil fuel assets from central bank collateral frameworks, and pass legislation to choke off funding for fossil fuels. While some progress is noted in coal restrictions and specific European institutional investor pledges, the author maintains that binding regulation is essential to ensure private capital accelerates rather than obstructs the global energy transition.

The Forest Declaration Assessment recommends that the COP30 Presidency focus on four systemic levers to meet 2030 forest goals: aligning national ambition and planning, securing land rights and governance, reforming trade and real-economy incentives, and transforming financial systems. Key proposals include integrating deforestation targets into NDCs, ensuring 30% of forest finance reaches Indigenous and community organizations, repurposing harmful agricultural subsidies, and implementing mandatory nature-related risk disclosures for financial institutions.

The document examines 58 active fossil fuel production restrictions across 25 countries and 27 subnational jurisdictions, noting a sharp increase in such policies since the 2010s. It highlights that while these measures are expanding, they remain politically fragile and susceptible to rollbacks during high energy price cycles or government changes. The analysis emphasizes the role of subnational governments as early adopters and the importance of strong legal anchoring to prevent repeals.

The report analyzes how high debt-service obligations and fossil fuel reliance create a structural trap for Global South nations, where fiscal pressures force governments to prioritize short-term liquidity and fossil fuel extraction over long-term renewable energy transitions. Through case studies of Colombia, Egypt, Guyana, Jordan, and Sri Lanka, it demonstrates that this nexus is systemic, often reinforced by the conditionalities of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the interests of multinational corporations. The document advocates for comprehensive debt cancellation, the end of fossil fuel finance, and a global transition framework based on 'extraction equity' to dismantle these structural barriers.

The report argues that subnational governments are critical to the global energy transition because extraction facilities and workforces are located within their territories. It presents a toolkit of financial, regulatory, and enabling tools to help these governments phase out production, reduce environmental impacts, and diversify local economies. The authors categorize subnational regions into four types based on their production status and reserves, noting that early movers can reduce transition risks and attract low-carbon investment. Key recommendations include developing time-bound, sequenced, and financed roadmaps and avoiding diversification into carbon-intensive downstream activities like refining or petrochemicals.

The document introduces investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) as a mechanism allowing foreign investors to bring claims against host states before international tribunals. It highlights that the mining sector is one of the most frequent targets of such claims, which can result in large monetary awards and delay regulatory reforms. The brief details how consent for ISDS is established through investment treaties, domestic laws, and contracts, and notes a growing trend of claims linked to the demand for critical minerals. It concludes with recommendations for governments to manage ISDS risks through inter-agency coordination, thorough documentation, and legal coherence.

The report analyzes 23 regulatory instruments from various countries to identify common features of greenwashing policy, such as the use of consumer protection laws, the role of non-binding guidance, and the necessity of scientific substantiation. It highlights a gap between high-level regulatory principles and the practical ability of smaller producers to provide verifiable data, suggesting that voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can bridge this gap if regulators establish clear recognition criteria.

The report analyzes the integration of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) into trade policies to enhance market access for developing countries. It identifies two primary forms of integration: direct mandatory compliance and voluntary influence on national policies. Through case studies in Mozambique (cotton), Namibia (horticulture), Suriname (fisheries), and Vietnam (forestry), the report highlights that while VSSs can improve product quality and reputation, implementation is often hindered by high certification costs, limited institutional capacity, and market volatility.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues that South Africa's Public Procurement Act (2024), specifically sections 30 and 31, provides a statutory mandate for civil society to monitor procurement. To translate this into practice, PARI proposes piloting civic observers for high-risk contracts, expanding community-led social audits for local service delivery, and adopting the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) for machine-readable transparency. The paper emphasizes that these measures shift oversight from retrospective audits to real-time risk mitigation and suggests that National Treasury can begin implementation using existing powers under the PFMA and MFMA even while the new Act is challenged in court.

The document highlights a paradox in the energy transition across Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico: while renewable capacity grew by approximately 29% between 2020 and 2023, social barriers and a continued reliance on fossil fuel investment hinder a just transition. It emphasizes that technical success does not guarantee social license, citing non-binding participation mechanisms in Chile and territorial conflicts in Mexico and Colombia. The report calls for a shift from mere 'socialization' to 'real participation' to prevent community displacement and ensure energy justice, including clean cooking and affordable tariffs.

This fact sheet presents data to justify a transition away from fossil fuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizing the risk of stranded assets and the region's high vulnerability to climate impacts. It highlights a contradiction where the region possesses the world's cleanest electricity grid yet continues to increase fossil fuel production and consumption. The document calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies—which totaled USD 52.8 billion in 2024—and the implementation of a 'Just Transition Mechanism' following COP30 to support labor reconversion and community sovereignty.

The report argues that investing in climate services for health (CSfH) provides high economic returns, ranging from US$3.60 to $68.40 per dollar invested, due to the modest cost of implementation relative to the high value of lives saved. It defines CSfH through seven key activities—including early warning systems, disease surveillance, and resilient infrastructure—and estimates that a median-sized developing country requires an annual investment of US$12 to $18 million. Despite these returns, the study finds significant barriers to uptake, including a lack of integrated meteorological data in health surveillance systems and poor cross-agency collaboration between meteorological and health institutions.

The Kuala Lumpur Declaration demands that developed countries fulfill their climate debt through grant-based finance, including an estimated USD 5.1–6.8 trillion by 2030. It advocates for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty, the rejection of 'false solutions' like carbon removal and nuclear power, and the dismantling of restrictive intellectual property regimes to accelerate technology transfer. The declaration further calls for tripling adaptation finance by 2035 and scaling the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

The Colombian electrical transmission sector faces a structural lag as generation capacity is projected to reach 38.9 GW by 2030. The National Interconnected System (SIN) is nearing operational limits, with less than 5% transport capacity available and 90% of substations expected to exhaust short-circuit interruption capacity within five years. Execution is a critical failure point, with 55% of the 20 active transmission projects delayed, including the Bacatá-Norte and Sogamoso Norte-Nueva Esperanza projects. These delays are attributed to socio-environmental factors, licensing difficulties, and poor coordination between national energy planning and land-use instruments. To address this, the 'Plan Maestro de Modernización y Expansión de la infraestructura de Transmisión Eléctrica' proposes 98 strategic works, 44 of which could resolve over 149 operational restrictions by 2037. Additionally, the UPME adopted the 'Modelo de Relacionamiento Territorial' in 2025 to better integrate socio-environmental and cultural criteria into planning.

The 60th meeting of the IAI Executive Council addressed the critical financial impact of the United States' withdrawal from the institute, which could lead to a two-thirds decrease in operational resources. The Council decided to form an ad hoc advisory committee to develop restructuring recommendations and scheduled an Extraordinary Conference of the Parties for March 9, 2026. Despite these challenges, the Directorate reported progress in diversifying funding through agreements with development banks like CAF and FONPLATA, and advancing research on climate-induced migration, the climate-environment-health nexus, and forest-related projects.

The document outlines the climate and social risks associated with the expansion of data centers, highlighting their massive energy and water consumption. It warns journalists against uncritically accepting corporate claims about job creation and investment, urging them to investigate local resource competition, 'digital sacrifice zones,' and extractivist dynamics in the Global South.

The briefing examines the limitations of North-South Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), specifically regarding funding, local ownership, and equity. It proposes South-South cooperation as a complementary approach that leverages peer learning and context-specific solutions to integrate local development needs like energy access and job creation. Using the experiences of South Africa and Colombia, the text identifies specific areas for collaboration, including mine closures and green industrialization, while noting that institutional support and inclusive participation are necessary to achieve transformative development goals.

The document examines the role of the proposed UN Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) in addressing corporate impunity for environmental and human rights abuses. It argues that existing voluntary frameworks, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, are inadequate because they lack enforceable obligations. The LBI is presented as a mechanism to turn the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (RtHE) into actionable obligations, including strict liability for parent companies and extraterritorial jurisdiction. The text highlights specific cases of corporate harm in Uganda, Chile, Senegal, India, Brazil, Colombia, Serbia, Iraq, and the 'Lithium Triangle' to illustrate the need for binding regulation. It also discusses how recent Advisory Opinions from the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights reinforce the necessity of state-led regulation of private actors to prevent climate and environmental harm.

The report examines a diverse array of transition mechanisms, including Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), national sectoral processes in countries like Germany and Chile, and first-mover alliances such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance. It highlights the necessity of national ownership, structured social dialogue, and blended finance to overcome political gridlock and ensure a just transition. The analysis reveals significant gaps in international support, particularly a shortfall in grants and concessional finance for Global South countries and a lack of coordinated global guidance for designing transition roadmaps.