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Average annual climate finance reached nearly USD 1.3 trillion in 2021/2022, nearly doubling from 2019/2020 levels, though this remains only 1% of global GDP. Growth was primarily driven by mitigation finance in energy and transport, with significant concentration in China, the US, Europe, Brazil, Japan, and India. Adaptation finance, while reaching a record USD 63 billion, remains severely underfunded compared to the USD 212 billion annual need for developing countries by 2030. The report highlights a critical investment gap, noting that annual needs will increase to between $8.1 and $9 trillion through 2030, and over $10 trillion annually from 2031 to 2050.

Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. The report identifies the residential and transportation sectors as the primary sources, with China and India as the largest emitters. It highlights a 'triple win' of reducing BC: slowing global warming (particularly in the Arctic and Himalayas), preventing millions of premature deaths, and avoiding trillions in economic losses. Key recommendations include scaling clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, retrofitting diesel engines with particulate filters, regulating shipping fuels, and incorporating BC into national climate plans (NDCs).

The briefing contends that fossil fuel extraction in Africa has failed to provide energy access, with 600 million people remaining without power while resources are exported. It highlights that Africa possesses 39% of the global renewable energy potential but lacks the investment and technology to harness it. The document proposes a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on non-proliferation, fair phase-out, and a just transition to provide the international framework needed to shift financing from fossil fuels to renewables and ensure a just energy transition for the continent.

The briefing contends that fossil fuel extraction in Africa has failed to provide universal electricity access, with 600 million people still lacking power, while most production is exported. It highlights that Africa possesses 39% of the world's renewable energy potential but receives only 2% of global renewable investments. The document proposes a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on three pillars: non-proliferation of new infrastructure, a just phase-out of existing production, and financial/technical support for a global transition to renewables.

The document critiques the global hydrogen industry, asserting that most production relies on fossil fuels and that even 'green' hydrogen is inefficient and risks perpetuating neocolonial extractivism. It argues that hydrogen serves as a distraction from necessary climate action and a tool for the gas industry to justify new infrastructure. The author calls for the elimination of fossil-fuel-based hydrogen and a transition to community-owned renewable energy and agroecology.

Friends of the Earth International positions hydrogen as a dangerous distraction from real climate action, asserting that most production relies on fossil fuels and that even 'green' hydrogen is inefficient and risks perpetuating neocolonial extractivism. The document critiques various 'colors' of hydrogen, warns against carbon capture and storage (CCS) as an unproven patch, and calls for a systemic shift toward energy sovereignty and community-led renewables instead of industrial hydrogen projects.

The document critiques the promotion of hydrogen as a clean energy alternative, asserting that the vast majority of global production relies on fossil fuels. It categorizes different 'colors' of hydrogen, arguing that grey, blue, black/brown, and turquoise versions perpetuate fossil fuel dependency, while green hydrogen is inefficient and risks replicating neocolonial extractivism. The paper highlights the high water and energy requirements of electrolysis and the unproven nature of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). It concludes that hydrogen serves as a distraction from deep systemic change and recommends a coordinated phase-out of fossil fuels and a transition to community-owned renewable energy.

Reclaim Finance analyzed 40 bond packages issued by 13 fossil fuel companies in 2023, totaling US$45 billion, to expose the financial institutions facilitating fossil fuel expansion. The report highlights a significant policy gap where banks and asset managers continue to provide corporate-level financing and bond structuring for oil and gas developers despite public net zero commitments. It specifically notes that some fossil fuel bonds have been included in ESG funds and marketed as 'sustainability-linked bonds'.

The document discusses the role of municipalities in maintaining carbon sinks, noting that in forested countries like Finland, Norway, and Sweden, this is complicated by the desire to use wood to replace fossil fuels. It argues that while formal policy instruments to prevent forest conversion are under-developed, local governments can lead through voluntary actions and land-use influence.

The report examines the role of the European Union in mitigating cross-border climate impacts, specifically focusing on how climatic shocks in agri-food systems in third countries can trigger cascading risks—such as economic disruption, social unrest, and migration—that eventually affect Europe.

The document explores using unilateral declarations to reduce nuclear risks, specifically proposing a 'sole purpose' doctrine for NATO nuclear forces—limiting their role to deterring or responding to nuclear attacks. It analyzes the legal nature of such declarations, historical precedents like the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and five potential pathways for NATO to implement this shift, ranging from high-level statements to the removal of forward-deployed gravity bombs. The authors note that such a move would require deep alliance consensus and would be complicated by current tensions with Russia, which views tactical nuclear weapons as a "competitive advantage."

The author contends that South Africa is failing to realize its economic potential due to policies that promote financialization and austerity over productive growth and social support. The text highlights the extreme wealth inequality in the country and criticizes the National Treasury's opposition to extending the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. It argues that the current fiscal challenges are manageable and that austerity is counterproductive to growth, suggesting instead a model of decisive political leadership and state-led development to avoid a 'social cliff'.

The document reports that the average person in the U.S. breathed more harmful wildfire smoke in 2023 than in any year since 2006, driven largely by record-shattering wildfires in Canada. It details how fine particle pollution (PM2.5) from these fires travels thousands of miles, affecting every county in the contiguous U.S. and stalling air quality improvements in 30 states. The text links these trends to a warming climate and increasing 'fire weather,' noting that human-caused climate change accounts for at least two-thirds of the rapid increase in fire weather in the western U.S.

The author contends that carbon markets are unsuitable for incentivising high-quality carbon removals because they favour the cheapest offsetting options over expensive technological solutions. The document criticises the EU's Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF) for being too vague, lacking safeguards against mitigation deterrence, and potentially enabling greenwashing by allowing certified credits to be sold on the voluntary carbon market. It proposes that the EU's 2040 target should be split into three distinct targets—emission reductions, land-based sinks, and technical removals—to prevent the conflation of reductions and removals into a single net target.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) reports that in 2022 it helped secure over $370 billion in clean energy funding and expanded its operations to 46 countries. Key achievements included supporting the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S., advocating for carbon capture and storage strategies in Europe, and working to reduce global methane pollution and accelerate energy transformation in Africa.

The document explores community ownership of clean energy infrastructure as a means to address socio-political and techno-economic barriers to deployment. It details various ownership models used in the US and Europe, including LLC direct ownership, partnership 'flips', and cooperatives, while highlighting the potential impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act's transferability and direct pay provisions.

The document analyzes the role of access to justice within the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law). It argues that Article 22 is essential for holding public authorities accountable and ensuring compliance with the Aarhus Convention. The briefing recommends explicitly including human health organizations and prohibiting restrictive procedural standing rules to prevent obstacles to legal recourse.

Mass timber, including cross-laminated timber, offers a lower-carbon alternative to steel and concrete, potentially reducing building material emissions by 13% to 26.5%. In the U.S., the number of projects grew to 1,860 by June 2023, supported by USDA Wood Innovations Grants and the 2018 Farm Bill. While it provides carbon storage and supports forest health by utilizing small-diameter trees, challenges include moisture-related risks like fungi and mold, which require specific mitigation techniques.

The briefing outlines five recommendations to enhance the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to meet Europe's climate goals, focusing on increasing CO2 storage capacity, creating an EU-level aggregation platform for CO2 markets, improving Member State mapping of storage potential, leveraging oil and gas sector resources, and accelerating infrastructure permitting.

The report argues that a carbon price exceeding US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured would make forest restoration more profitable than cattle ranching across most of the Brazilian Amazon. This mechanism could capture 16 Gt CO2 through restoration and avoid 32 Gt CO2 from deforestation over 30 years, totaling 48 Gt CO2. The study uses a dynamic spatial model to show that such payments would generate US$ 320 billion in revenue, preventing the forest from reaching a tipping point and transforming the region from a net carbon emitter to a carbon sink.