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Carbon mineralization is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) process that accelerates the reaction between CO2 and alkaline minerals (like those in basalt) to permanently store carbon as solid carbonates. While it offers potential co-benefits such as strengthened concrete and the neutralization of toxic mine tailings, scaling the technology poses risks including induced seismicity, high water usage in arid regions, and environmental impacts from increased mining. The document emphasizes the need for standardized measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols and updated mineral mapping to scale the process responsibly.

An analysis of 2022 EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) data reveals that the ten largest emitters are all coal power plants, with a high concentration of emissions in Germany and Poland. While long-term trends show a decline in coal power emissions, 2022 saw a 6% increase compared to 2021 due to the energy crisis, nuclear outages, and droughts.

This report by Ember analyses 2022 emissions data from the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS), focusing on the power sector. It identifies a small number of coal power plants and utilities that dominate emissions in Europe, noting a temporary 3% increase in power sector emissions in 2022 driven by the energy crisis, despite a long-term downward trend in coal use.

A blog post authored by representatives from the Center for International Environmental Law, Greenpeace International, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International urging Council of Europe Member States to recognize the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment during the May 16-17, 2023, Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland.

This report analyzes the 2022 activities of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding state obligations in the context of climate change. It tracks the increasing frequency of climate-related recommendations in state review processes and examines specific trends in mitigation, fossil fuel regulation, adaptation, and the protection of vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights analyzes the 2022 activities of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding climate change. It documents an increase in climate-related references in State reporting procedures and highlights key developments in General Comments and individual communications, specifically the landmark Billy et al. v. Australia case.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative provides detailed blueprints for three types of financial aggregation instruments—municipal pooled procurement, municipal green bonds, and municipal insurance pooling—to help cities close the urban financing gap for climate infrastructure.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights synthesizes the 2022 activities of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's interactions with State parties through the review process, its focus on mitigation, adaptation, and fossil fuel financing, and the publication of General Comment No. 26 on land and economic, social and cultural rights.

The UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE), held on 24 September 2021, convened over 130 global leaders to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) and the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. The event resulted in the first-ever global roadmap for SDG7 and the announcement of over 160 Energy Compacts, which committed more than USD 400 billion in new finance and investment to combat energy poverty and decarbonize energy systems.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes post-issuance reporting practices for 694 green bonds (USD 212bn) issued between November 2017 and March 2019. It finds that while use-of-proceeds (UoP) reporting is widespread, impact reporting is less common and highly unstandardized. The study evaluates reporting quality through a scoring system, identifies best practices, and advocates for a global, harmonized reporting framework to move beyond binary labels toward absolute, entity-level sustainability assessments.

The Nordic sustainable bond market reached a cumulative volume of USD 88.2bn by the end of 2020, representing 5% of the global Green, Social, and Sustainability (GSS) market. Green bonds dominate the region, accounting for 96% of the total GSS volume, with Sweden leading in issuance. The market is characterized by high transparency, with 99% of volume benefiting from external reviews and a strong presence of corporate and public sector issuers.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines Environmental Fiscal Reform (EFR) in the Nordic countries, highlighting how the alignment of taxes, subsidies, and spending has decoupled economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions and provided a model for post-pandemic economic recovery.

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute provides a comparative analysis of net-zero targets adopted by 19 countries and the European Union as of July 2020, evaluating their design robustness, target years, sectoral coverage, and legal status.

This report analyzes the environmental implications of the 2022 amendments to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), managed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The author explains how the creation of specific commodity codes for environmentally sensitive products and environmental goods improves trade monitoring and facilitates the negotiation of trade agreements aimed at climate and environmental sustainability.

This briefing features archaeologist Marcy Rockman discussing the critical but often overlooked role of archaeology and cultural heritage in climate change response. Rockman argues that the U.S. approach to heritage is fragmented and underfunded compared to natural resource management, leading to a lack of social science integration in major climate assessments. She proposes the creation of a federal Climate Heritage Coordination Office and increased NGO engagement to better utilize historical data on sustainability and human adaptation to inform modern climate strategies.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change up to 2020. It details the Committee's use of General Recommendations, Joint Statements, and the State reporting procedure to establish that States have human rights obligations to protect women from climate-related harms and ensure their participation in climate policy.

The 2020 Global Green Economy Barometer, published by the Green Economy Coalition, assesses the progress of the global shift toward green and fair economies. It argues that while there are signs of acceleration in energy transition and a growing public demand for change, the 'brown economy' still dominates due to fossil fuel subsidies, financial short-termism, and economic models that ignore natural capital. The document calls for systemic economic reform moving from extraction to restoration and from GDP-centric measures to wellbeing and nature-based accounting.

Reykjavik Energy issued a USD 29 million (ISK 3,528 million) green bond on February 18, 2019, with a 36-year tenor. The funds are earmarked for eight categories, primarily renewable energy, energy distribution, and water management. This issuance is the first in Iceland for 2019 and the third overall in the country.

The City of Reykjavik issued a green bond of ISK 4.1bn (USD 33m) on December 17, 2018, with a 30-year tenor maturing on October 21, 2048. This issuance marks the first green bond by an Icelandic municipality and the first listed on Nasdaq Iceland’s Sustainable Bonds List.

This fact sheet details a USD 200 million green bond issued by Landsvirkjun on March 9, 2018, marking the first green bond from an Icelandic issuer. The proceeds are designated for geothermal and hydropower projects, specifically the Theistareykir geothermal station and the Burfell hydropower plant.