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The most important climate summit in history is a local news story too
The document encourages local newsrooms to cover COP26 by framing the international summit through the lens of local leadership, national legislation like the US 'Build Back Better' bill, and the role of subnational climate coalitions.
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Document type: Guide
Empty handed or leader of the pack?
The author asserts that the United States' ability to lead globally on climate at COP26 depends on the passage of the Build Back Better Act. The text highlights the Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP) as a key mechanism for accelerating renewable energy deployment and notes that 17 companies and the America is All In coalition have urged Congress to prioritize these climate provisions. The document warns that without legislative progress, the US will remain viewed with skepticism by the international community following its previous withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Statement
Learning How to Learn: The Experiences of 6 Global Cities in Tracking Urban Adaptation
The report examines how six cities (Athens, Auckland, Barcelona, Glasgow, Lima, and Montreal) are evolving their climate adaptation tracking. It finds a general tendency to focus on outputs rather than outcomes, but highlights innovative approaches such as participatory planning in Lima, vulnerability mapping in Glasgow, and the creation of 'climate shelters' in Barcelona to better measure actual benefits to populations.
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Document type: Policy brief
Why a public engagement strategy on climate change is so important
The briefing emphasizes that reaching net zero ambitions and maintaining a 1.5°C world requires significant individual behavioral changes, which in turn require public buy-in and government-led structural support. It highlights that the UK lacks a centrally-led public engagement strategy despite commitments under the UN's Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) protocol. The document recommends a strategy that is broad-based, utilizes trusted and diverse spokespeople, emphasizes two-way communication over top-down messaging, and focuses on internalizing reasons for change rather than relying on behavioral 'nudges'. It suggests the UK use COP26 to lead internationally on public engagement and invigorate the ACE protocol, noting that few nations, such as Italy, Costa Rica, and Scotland, currently have considered public engagement policies.
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Document type: Briefing
Engaging Audiences COP26
The document is a summary guide for UK campaigners focused on communicating about COP26 to increase public awareness. It argues that such awareness is necessary to motivate politicians toward ambitious decision-making and to encourage wider public engagement in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Guide
Eye of fire in the Gulf of Mexico: which banks and investors are backing Pemex?
The document highlights the financial backing of Pemex by global banks and investors following a pipeline leak and fire in the Gulf of Mexico. It criticizes Pemex's plans to expand production by 2050 and calls for the financial sector to end support for oil and gas expansion, particularly high-risk offshore drilling, ahead of COP 26.
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Document type: Statement
Japanese banks still have to catch up with their European peers on coal
Reclaim Finance argues that Japan's three megabanks (Mizuho, MUFG, and SMBC) maintain policies that allow continued support for the coal industry. While the banks have updated policies to restrict direct project financing for new coal plants 'in principle', these policies contain exceptions and do not apply to general corporate financing. Between October 2018 and October 2020, these banks provided $39bn, $36bn, and $32bn respectively to companies on the Global Coal Exit List. The document contrasts this with European peers like Crédit Agricole and notes increasing shareholder and activist pressure on the Japanese institutions to align with the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Statement
Why can’t we call it an emergency?
The authors argue that global media coverage of climate change is insufficient and fails to convey the scale of the crisis. They call for newsrooms to prioritize climate stories, use plain language to describe the threat, and treat the situation with the same urgency as the Covid-19 pandemic. The text highlights that while some outlets fear the term 'climate emergency' suggests activism, the scientific consensus demands such framing to drive the political will necessary for decarbonization.
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Document type: Statement
Legal & General: climate offender
Legal & General is identified as the top UK coal investor, holding $7.2 billion in the sector as of January 2021. The document criticizes the company's weak exclusion thresholds and the fact that its passive assets, totaling $1 trillion, are not subject to coal exclusion policies, allowing continued investment in high-emitting companies like BHP Group.
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Document type: Statement
Public Support for International Climate Action
A September 2021 survey of 898 registered U.S. voters shows broad support for international climate action, including a 73% approval rate for the U.S. pledge to reduce carbon pollution by 50% by 2030. While 66% of voters believe the U.S. should reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions, there is even stronger consensus that developing countries (81%) and other industrialized nations (74%) should do more to address global warming. Support for providing financial and technical aid to developing countries for mitigation (66%) and adaptation (61%) has increased since March 2021, though significant partisan divides remain, particularly among conservative Republicans.
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Document type: Executive summary
How to Cover COP26
The document advises journalists to treat COP26 with urgency, framing coverage around the 1.5 C temperature goal, climate justice, and the political barriers to solutions. It emphasizes the need for advance coverage and the localization of global climate impacts to make the summit relevant to diverse audiences.
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Document type: Guide
How to attend COP26
The document explains that COP26 is divided into a UN-managed Blue Zone for accredited experts and decision-makers and a host-nation-managed Green Zone for the public. It outlines various methods of attendance, including official accreditation, volunteering, obtaining passes from partner entities, participating in city-wide events in Glasgow, and engaging via online broadcasts and social media.
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Document type: Guide
After a Significant Stress Test, the Paris Agreement Stands Strong
The document discusses the United States' re-entry into the Paris Agreement under President Biden and emphasizes the need for ambitious 2030 climate targets and increased climate finance to restore credibility and drive a green recovery.
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Document type: Statement
COP26 Resilience Hub Synthesis Report
The COP26 Resilience Hub served as a convening platform for the UNFCCC’s Race to Resilience, bringing together state and non-state actors to prioritise adaptation and resilience. The report identifies five core messages: the necessity of scaling Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), the urgent need for increased and diversified adaptation finance (preferring grants over loans), the requirement to bridge knowledge and implementation gaps, the role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across urban, coastal, and rural contexts, and the essential inclusion of marginalised groups—including women, youth, and Indigenous peoples—in decision-making. It also highlights the emergence of 'Loss and Damage' as a critical focus and notes a significant gap between current adaptation finance flows and actual needs.
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Document type: Executive summary
COP26 Resilience Hub Synthesis Report
The COP26 Resilience Hub Synthesis Report outlines five core messages for advancing global climate resilience: the necessity of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), the urgent need for diversified and increased adaptation finance (preferring grants over loans), the bridging of knowledge and implementation gaps, the role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) across urban, coastal, and rural settings, and the requirement to center marginalized groups—including women, youth, and Indigenous peoples—in decision-making. The report details thematic insights across ten areas, including finance, water, food, energy, and health, while emphasizing the need to scale these efforts toward COP27.
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Document type: Report
Citizens Central: Achieving the Paris Agreement
The document asserts that the Paris Agreement's success is hindered by a failure to recognize that a public mandate is essential for reducing emissions and transforming personal behaviors. It highlights the neglect of Article 12 and Article 11 of the Paris Agreement, which mandate climate education and public participation. The author notes that while the UK's Committee on Climate Change now acknowledges that net zero is impossible without engaging people, central government ministries still lack a dedicated strategy or budget. The document calls for a 'step change' in public engagement leading up to COP26 in Glasgow, proposing the launch of a Climate Engagement Initiative to ensure citizens' rights to understand climate impacts are upheld.
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Document type: Statement
Making Peace with Nature: Highlights from the UN Climate Change Dialogues 2020
The 2020 UN Climate Change Dialogues served as a virtual bridge to COP 26, testing the scalability of online multilateral engagement. While the format increased accessibility for some individuals and communities, it created significant barriers for delegations from least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) due to time zone differences and poor internet connectivity. Substantive progress on the Paris Rulebook and Article 6 remained limited, with discussions often staying at an abstract level. Despite a rise in net-zero pledges that could potentially lower projected warming to 2.1°C, concerns persist regarding the gap between stated ambition and actual policy implementation.
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Document type: Briefing
2020 Report on the WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate and Health
The 2020 report outlines the progress of the WHO-Civil Society Working Group, highlighting its role in advocating for a 'healthy recovery' from COVID-19 and placing health at the center of UNFCCC dialogues. Key achievements include a mobilization of over 40 million health professionals, the delivery of a health-focused webinar for students in Portugal, and the initiation of a literature review to update research gaps in climate and health. The group aims to further align health civil society efforts leading up to COP26 in Glasgow.
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Document type: Report
Basic Income in Scotland: A Grassroots View
The document examines the role of basic income as a focal point for grassroots organising in Scotland, focusing on the Citizens’ Basic Income Network Scotland (CBINS). It argues that basic income attracts a diverse supporter base because it offers a common solution to varied problems, such as poverty, health inequality, and precarious employment. The author details CBINS's strategies, including the use of social media, face-to-face events in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and partnerships with other NGOs and academic institutions. While the document notes a more hospitable political climate in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK—highlighted by a £250,000 government fund for feasibility studies—it emphasizes the need to bridge the gap between grassroots demand and formal policy to ensure the long-term viability of such schemes.
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Document type: Research paper
COP26 + COVID19 – Media factsheet
The document examines the uncertainty surrounding the hosting of COP26 in Glasgow due to COVID-19, noting that while the UK government initially aimed to proceed, the decision involves the UNFCCC. It highlights the impracticality of virtual summits and emphasizes that Paris Agreement obligations for 2020 NDC submissions remain. The author argues that post-pandemic economic recovery packages must avoid high-carbon industries and instead invest in low-carbon infrastructure to avoid repeating the missed opportunities of the 2008 financial crisis.
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Document type: Fact sheet