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The 2019 Scorecard on Insurance, Coal and Climate Change reveals a growing trend of insurance companies exiting the coal sector. While 17 insurers have limited or ended cover for coal projects—controlling 9.5% of the primary insurance market and 46.4% of the reinsurance market—significant gaps remain. Most policies exclude new projects but continue to cover existing operations. Swiss Re and Zurich are identified as leaders in underwriting, while Legal & General leads in broader climate leadership. Conversely, many US and East Asian insurers are described as 'missing in action,' continuing to provide cover and investment for coal. The report argues that as insurance becomes harder to obtain, coal projects become less bankable, accelerating the industry's demise.

The document argues that falling renewable energy costs are making coal-fired power projects in South and Southeast Asia economically unviable, placing $4.8 billion of pending Japanese public financing at risk of becoming stranded assets.

The document highlights the continued financial support from Japan for coal power projects and references findings that new renewable energy will be cheaper to build than operating existing coal plants in Southeast Asia within a decade.

The document examines the transition from Kyoto-era carbon credits to ITMOs under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, detailing the two primary cooperation avenues (Article 6.2 and 6.4) and the remaining challenges in establishing a rulebook. It categorizes potential project types, analyzes Canada's preparations—including waste sector partnerships in Chile and LNG exports—and highlights the economic potential of Article 6 to reduce NDC implementation costs by half by 2030 if properly regulated to avoid double counting and 'hot air'.

The We Mean Business Coalition asserts that a transition to a zero-carbon economy is achievable but requires stronger government intervention to accelerate. The document highlights corporate commitments across power, transport, the built environment, heavy industry, and land use, while calling for policies such as carbon pricing, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, and the implementation of robust Article 6 rules under the Paris Agreement to drive systemic change.

The document calls for COP-25 to prioritize human rights, gender equality, and increased national ambition in climate commitments, while warning against the use of carbon offsets and the marginalization of Global South participants due to the conference's relocation from Santiago to Madrid.

Annual tracked climate finance averaged USD 579 billion in 2017/2018, a 25% increase from 2015/2016, though it remains far below the USD 1.6 trillion to USD 3.8 trillion annually needed for energy system transitions. Renewable energy remains the largest destination for finance, while low-carbon transport is growing rapidly. Private finance accounts for 56% of total flows, with a strong domestic preference as 76% of investment stays within the sourcing country.

The policy brief examines the political landscape of President Joko Widodo's second-term cabinet, noting that the inclusion of opposition figures may grant him control over 74 per cent of the People's Representative Council. While the new Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources is tasked with meeting renewable energy targets and reducing oil and gas imports, the document notes that Widodo's first term saw renewable energy overshadowed by coal power expansion and palm oil biodiesel projects. The brief highlights the 2019 Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI) as a framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 while maintaining 6 per cent GDP growth.

The document argues that forest sector solutions—including conservation, restoration, and improved management—are cost-effective tools for large-scale GHG emission reductions and carbon removal. It identifies a significant gap in current NDCs, where forest-specific quantitative targets are rare and carbon-rich ecosystems like mangroves and peatlands are underrepresented. The authors propose a six-step process for NDC enhancement: establishing institutional arrangements, taking stock of progress, reviewing long-term benchmarks, identifying policy measures, assessing costs and benefits, and determining specific NDC reflections. Key recommendations include aligning financial flows away from deforestation drivers, implementing REDD+, and leveraging satellite monitoring technologies.

The position paper proposes a structural overhaul of how senior administrative officials are appointed and removed in South Africa to insulate the public service from unlawful political interference. It advocates for a four-stage generic appointment process—process planning, process administration, short listing, and appointment—to create a system of checks and balances. For the national and provincial public service, it suggests leveraging the Public Service Commission as an independent administrative check. For municipalities, it proposes the creation of independent personnel committees comprising professional associations and civil society. To ensure feasibility, the paper recommends a 'covering in' mechanism, allowing the President to incrementally apply these reforms to specific departments or municipalities via proclamation.

The report describes Africa as a 'resilient but marginal player' in a global order where multilateralism is eroding and power is shifting toward a polycentric model. It identifies key barriers to African agency, including structural economic dependence, internal political fragmentation among 55 diverse states, and limited capacity at UN missions. The authors argue that Africa can increase its leverage by pooling resources through the African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and by leveraging the 'Big 5' powers (Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Ethiopia) to unify continental positions. While the report notes the risks of great power competition—specifically the 'new Scramble for Africa'—it highlights that African states have successfully exercised agency in relations with China through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The document argues that while NDCs (short-to-medium term commitments) and LTSs (mid-century visions) serve different legal and functional roles, they should be developed synergistically. Aligning them prevents the 'lock-in' of carbon-intensive infrastructure and reduces administrative costs by sharing data, modeling, and stakeholder consultations. The authors suggest that ideally, an LTS should inform the NDC, though they provide options for countries developing both in parallel or those updating NDCs without a formal LTS.

The report analyzes climate mitigation commitments from subnational and non-state actors, finding that while individual commitments from ten major emitting economies can reduce 2030 emissions by 1.2 to 2.0 GtCO2e, international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) offer a much larger potential reduction of 18 to 21 GtCO2e. If fully implemented, these ICIs could put the world on track to limit global warming to 2°C. The report also highlights the synergies between these climate actions and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The document provides a comparative analysis of the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy against two Chinese green frameworks: the NDRC Green Industry Guiding Catalogue and the PBC Green Bond Endorsed Project Catalogue. It highlights that while the EU Taxonomy is rooted in the Paris Agreement and employs a systemic approach with six environmental objectives and strict carbon thresholds, the Chinese catalogues focus more on pollution prevention and industry guidance without specifying carbon emission thresholds. The EU framework explicitly excludes fossil fuel activities without carbon capture, whereas the Chinese catalogues include them. The report also details the EU's 'Substantial Contribution' and 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principles, which require activities to benefit at least one environmental goal without harming others.

The report outlines a roadmap for 24 national and regional development banks to transition from incremental climate finance to full Paris alignment. It proposes a three-dimensional framework focusing on a comprehensive scope of action, a long-term time horizon, and an ambitious scale of contribution. Recommendations are divided into country-level support for governments, strategic-level institutional leadership, and operational-level investment criteria and project development.

The author argues that EU free trade agreements (FTAs) provide a mixed record of worker protection. While TSD chapters reinforce fundamental International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, they lack binding enforcement sanctions and neglect broader employment laws. The EU's ability to strengthen these protections is constrained by a legal division of competences between the EU and its member states, which limits the EU's solo authority to regulate social protection levels. The author suggests that 'regulatory cooperation' mechanisms could be a viable path to improve oversight and prevent a 'race to the bottom' in social standards.

A Climate Central analysis of 239 U.S. cities reveals that 83% have seen an increase in annual average days with a heat index of 90°F or higher since 1979. The report highlights the danger of exertional heat illness (EHI), noting that heat-related illnesses are a leading cause of death or disability among high school athletes. It details regional trends, such as substantial increases in the Pacific Northwest and extended heat seasons in the South, while noting that climate change is intensifying these trends. The document provides safety recommendations for coaches and athletes, including the use of wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) monitoring and gradual heat acclimatization.

The document provides a detailed breakdown of 'green jobs', highlighting that the U.S. energy efficiency sector employs over 3 million people and the global renewable energy sector employed 11 million in 2018. It identifies China as the global leader in renewable energy employment and notes the emergence of climate adaptation and resilience as critical new areas of job growth, despite a lack of standardized tracking codes in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics system.

The document examines the material risks climate change poses to global supply chains and the current state of private sector adaptation. It argues that while companies recognize climate risks, they often misdiagnose them by focusing on exposure rather than underlying vulnerability. Using the cotton industry as a detailed example, the paper proposes a resilience framework based on six capital assets—natural, human, social, physical, financial, and political—and provides recommendations for companies to commit to science-based resilience strategies and gender-transformative empowerment of women workers.

DNV GL has verified that Meidensha's proposed Green Bonds, intended to fund mass-production facilities for electric vehicle parts, align with the Climate Bonds Standard v2.1 and other international green bond frameworks. The portfolio includes three projects: Nagoya Works, Kofu Meidensha Electric Mfg. Co., Ltd., and Numazu Works, with a total bond amount of 6 billion JPY and a maturity of 5 years. The verification confirms that the projects are designed to reduce CO2 emissions and contribute to UN SDGs 7 and 13.