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The paper introduces a science-based approach to assess the Paris alignment of new investments by comparing the carbon intensity of new assets against thresholds required to meet specific temperature goals, accounting for locked-in emissions from existing assets. Unlike portfolio-based methods that focus on current ownership, this method attributes responsibility to the original finance providers at the time of asset creation. The authors detail the application of this methodology to the global power sector and the U.S. light road vehicle transport sector, utilizing data from the IEA and other technical sources to establish carbon intensity benchmarks and evaluate financial commitments.

The report finds that while renewable energy investment is growing, continued funding for fossil fuel power plants and the presence of 'locked-in' emissions from existing assets keep the global power sector on a temperature trajectory exceeding 3.2°C. It highlights a significant gap between actual 2018 investment carbon intensities and the negative thresholds required by 2030 to achieve Paris alignment. The analysis identifies specific misalignments among major economies like China, India, and Japan, and among financial actors such as commercial banks and export credit agencies. The document recommends halting new carbon-intensive investments, accelerating the retirement of existing fossil fuel plants, and harmonizing climate risk reporting.

The document argues that the food, agriculture, and land use (FALU) sector is a primary driver of climate change, contributing approximately 24% of global emissions. It details strategies for reducing emissions—such as improving ruminant livestock management, rice cultivation, and fertilizer use—and explores the potential of 'regenerative agriculture' to sequester carbon in biomass and soils. While acknowledging the potential for biosequestration, the report cautions that these sinks are temporary, subject to 'slowdown' as they reach equilibrium, and vulnerable to reversal through land-use changes or climate disasters.

The report examines the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), adopted in December 2018. It argues that UNDROP fills a gap in international human rights law by recognizing peasants and other rural workers as collective rights holders, rather than just a sum of individuals. The document details how the Declaration protects collective rights to land, food sovereignty, seeds, water, and a healthy environment, while debunking myths that collective rights oppose individual rights or are exclusive to Indigenous Peoples. It provides strategies for applying the Declaration at national, regional, and international levels to hold states and transnational corporations accountable.

The document examines the COVID-19 pandemic as a systemic crisis that exposed deep inequalities and the fragility of market-based systems. It argues that the health crisis is inextricably linked to environmental collapse, specifically biodiversity loss and zoonotic risks. The text advocates for the revival of the social state, the implementation of a 'foundational economy' that prioritizes basic human needs over profit, and the adoption of 'technological humanism' to bridge the digital divide. It also analyzes the political responses of Green parties in Europe and the rise of authoritarianism and right-wing populism during the crisis, while highlighting grassroots solidarity networks and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on marginalized groups, including migrants and the elderly.

The report finds that electricity subsidies in India are the largest form of energy support, with direct tariff subsidies totaling INR 110,391 crore in FY 2019. Despite the UDAY bailout scheme, DISCOM finances have generally worsened, characterized by increasing average costs of supply (ACoS) and persistent revenue gaps. The analysis reveals significant transparency issues, with discrepancies between Power Finance Corporation (PFC) reports and state regulatory orders. Subsidies are heavily skewed toward agricultural (75%) and domestic (20%) consumers, often without clear consumption limits, leading to regressive distribution where higher-income households capture a disproportionate share of benefits. The report recommends improving data standardization, exploring targeted subsidies via Direct Benefit Transfer for Power (DBT-P), and prioritizing billing and collection efficiency to reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses.

The policy brief examines the restart of WTO agriculture negotiations under Chair Gloria Abraham Peralta, identifying seven key negotiating areas and the political obstacles hindering progress. It highlights the impact of COVID-19 on food export restrictions and the ongoing tension between developed and developing nations over farm subsidies and market access. The author suggests a phased approach to negotiations, identifying 'low-hanging fruit' such as humanitarian food aid exemptions and transparency improvements, while proposing compromise frameworks for domestic support and public stockholding to foster more equitable global food markets.

The document describes plastic pollution as a global crisis driven by the longevity of fossil-fuel-based plastics and the failure of recycling. It reviews UN efforts, including the Basel Convention's 2019 amendments and the UNEP's expert group on marine litter, while debating the merits of a new global treaty versus voluntary measures. The author argues that the '3R' (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) framework has unfairly shifted responsibility to consumers and that true progress requires curbing the production of virgin plastics, which the IEA predicts will drive nearly 50% of oil demand growth by 2050.

The report evaluates seven German retailers (ALDI Nord, ALDI Süd, EDEKA, KAUFLAND, LIDL, REWE, and METRO AG) on their use of wild fish in aquaculture feed. It finds that none of the companies met even half of the sustainability criteria, with METRO AG performing the worst. The document argues for the 'decoupling' of aquaculture from wild fisheries to protect marine ecosystems and food security, suggesting alternatives like algae oil, insects, and the farming of non-predatory species such as carp and mussels.

The report assesses South Africa's capacity for renewable energy industrialisation, specifically in wind and solar PV. It identifies a shift from import-substitution to vertically specialised industrialisation as a key strategy and highlights the role of local content requirements (LCRs) and market stability. Comparative analysis of countries like Brazil, China, and Turkey suggests that long-term market visibility and strategic procurement are essential for sustainable manufacturing. The document also explores how renewable energy can support a Just Transition in coal-dependent regions through economic diversification and job creation.

The report evaluates electricity data transparency in Asia and Oceania, scoring countries based on criteria such as time granularity, fuel-type breakdowns, and ease of access. It finds significant disparities in data quality, with some countries like Australia and India providing high-granularity data, while others like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore suffer from poor timeliness or limited disaggregation.

The research evaluates in-home emissions from rocket-style biomass stoves, forced draft gasifiers, and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) stoves in rural India. Utilizing a sample of 253 in-home emission tests—the largest of its kind and the first large-scale study of LPG stoves—the study examines the impact of these stoves on household air pollution and the climate, specifically regarding the release of carbon dioxide and methane.

The report evaluates a wide range of fashion brands on their viscose sourcing, focusing on whether they disclose their suppliers and adopt closed-loop manufacturing systems. While some brands like C&A, M&S, and H&M have signed the Changing Markets Roadmap and disclosed specific factory addresses, many others lack viscose-specific policies, fail to disclose fibre manufacturers, or focus solely on wood pulp sourcing rather than the chemical impacts of fibre manufacturing.

The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) examines how climate change and nuclear trends—including the expansion of civil nuclear energy and the modernization of nuclear arsenals—interact to reshape the international order. The briefing highlights specific regional vulnerabilities, such as water stress in South Asia and sea-level rise affecting nuclear sites in Egypt and Nigeria. It concludes with a set of policy recommendations for the U.S. government, including the creation of a National Security Council director for the climate-nuclear-security nexus and the elimination of low-yield nuclear weapons to restore international trust.

The briefing examines the critical role of cold chains in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, highlighting the gap between current infrastructure and the requirements of new vaccine candidates, some of which need ultra-low temperatures (-70C to -80C). It identifies significant barriers in low- and middle-income countries, including unreliable energy access, outdated equipment, and high upfront costs. The report argues that achieving herd immunity requires a massive expansion of sustainable, energy-efficient cold chains and proposes strategies such as 'Cooling as a Service' (CaaS), public-private partnerships like Project Last Mile, and a 'last mile' planning approach to ensure equitable access.

The briefing argues that the Biden administration can reclaim U.S. climate leadership by submitting a robust national climate commitment (NDC) of 45-50% emissions reductions by 2030, increasing financial support for developing countries through the Green Climate Fund and other mechanisms, and integrating climate change as a core foreign policy issue through strategic bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

The report finds that climate finance for small-scale agriculture is disproportionately low, averaging USD 10 billion annually in 2017/2018, which represents only 1.7% of total tracked global climate finance. This funding is overwhelmingly public (95%) and primarily delivered via grants (50%). The analysis highlights a significant gap between these flows and the estimated annual financial needs of small-scale farmers, which are approximately USD 240 billion. The report identifies critical barriers, including limited land tenure, high transaction costs for dispersed customers, and a lack of private sector investment. It recommends enhancing public-private collaboration through blended finance, implementing weather-indexed insurance, and improving data collection on domestic and private financial flows to better target climate-smart agricultural investments.

The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab) has supported 49 instruments that mobilized over USD 2.3 billion. This document identifies four critical success factors for scaling these innovations: establishing a track record, building economies of scale, assembling a robust team and governance structure, and securing strategic long-term partnerships. Through case studies of Climate Investor One, Energy Savings Insurance, and Long-Term Foreign Exchange Risk Management, the brief demonstrates how these factors enable instruments to move beyond initial implementation to broader geographic or sectoral replication.

The 2020 assessment of Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) finds that global progress in forest governance remains slow, with weak legal frameworks and limited enforcement continuing to drive deforestation. While some countries have implemented positive measures—such as Indonesia's permanent Forest and Peatland Moratorium and the regional Pacto de Leticia in the Amazon—these are offset by deregulation in countries like Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. The report highlights a critical gap in land tenure, noting that only about half of the lands customarily held by Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are legally recognized. Furthermore, violence against environmental defenders reached a record high in 2019, with 212 killings reported globally.

The report investigates how transitioning to a closed-loop economy affects employment, concluding that circular economy proxy measures are generally more labour-intensive than fossil-fuel-related jobs and can decouple economic activity from greenhouse gas emissions.