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The case study focuses on Tor Bella Monaca, a peri-urban enclave in Rome characterized by high density social housing, drug trafficking, and institutional neglect. It highlights the Istituto Comprensivo “Melissa Bassi” as a critical institutional stronghold that, under new leadership since 2019, has worked to combat high dropout rates and social isolation through community engagement and the reclamation of school spaces. The text argues that educational inequality is a symptom of broader spatial disparities across Europe, where outskirts and rural areas often lack the resources and autonomy needed to serve as social elevators, potentially fueling political polarization and far-right populism.

The document analyzes the trajectory of sustainable urban development, noting that while urban populations are projected to reach 68% by 2050, cities contribute significantly to global carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. It highlights a divide between the Global North's focus on infrastructure transformation and the Global South's need to 'jump start' sustainable development. The paper identifies key trends such as nature-based solutions, multimodal transportation, and a growing emphasis on equity and inclusive planning to address environmental racism and green gentrification.

ClientEarth has written to the Society of Lloyd’s to challenge the lack of transparency and enforcement mechanisms in its ESG Guidance. The letter questions how the Society will judge the adequacy of managing agents' climate strategies, whether it will require the publication of targets, and what specific actions will be taken if agents fail to meet net-zero goals or continue providing cover for high-carbon activities like coal and Arctic oil.

ClientEarth warns Greater Manchester authorities that delaying or diluting the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) risks legal challenge and exacerbates public health crises. The region continues to report illegal nitrogen dioxide levels, contributing to an estimated 1,200 premature deaths annually. ClientEarth argues that the CAZ is the most effective tool for compliance and that economic or political concerns do not justify delaying health protections, particularly for low-income and minority communities who are disproportionately affected.

The Changing Markets Foundation and partner organisations inform Groupe Bigard that it scored 0 out of 100 in a ranking of global meat and dairy companies' climate policies, specifically noting a lack of methane emission reporting and reduction targets. The letter demands disclosure of investments in methane abatement and meat alternatives and recommends the adoption of science-based targets aligned with a 1.5°C limit, including scope 3 emissions.

The Changing Markets Foundation and partner organisations write to FrieslandCampina to highlight the company's lack of action on methane emissions, scoring it 8.8 out of 100 in a ranking of 20 meat and dairy companies. The letter demands disclosure of investments in methane abatement and alternative proteins and recommends setting absolute methane reduction targets aligned with a 1.5°C limit.

ClientEarth argues that the Society of Lloyd’s is risking 'greenwash' by making public net-zero commitments while keeping the specific guidance issued to managing agents private. The letter asserts that without transparency, it is impossible to verify if Lloyd's is following a science-based pathway or maintaining its previous 'Fuel Targets' to exit coal, tar sands, and Arctic oil. ClientEarth warns that misleading statements could breach the legal and regulatory duties of the Society and its Council members under FCA and PRA rules.

The Healthy Air Campaign (HAC) advocates for the inclusion of Lords amendment 3 in the Environment Bill to set a legal target for PM2.5 air pollution of 10 µg/m3 by 2030. The briefing argues that current UK legal limits are double the 2005 WHO guidelines and that achieving the stricter target is feasible based on technical analysis. It highlights the severe public health impacts of PM2.5, including an estimated 40,000 premature deaths annually in the UK, and notes the economic burden of over £20bn per year. The document emphasizes that the UK risks losing its global leadership in air quality as the USA and EU move toward stricter standards.

The document argues that expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is essential to combat illegal nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in London, which are nearly twice the legal limit. It details the expansion's scope, the specific vehicle emission standards required to avoid charges, and the projected health benefits, including the avoidance of 250,000 new cases of air pollution-related disease. The guide highlights that road transport, particularly diesel cars, is the primary source of NO2 pollution and emphasizes that low-income and minority communities are disproportionately affected by poor air quality. It also advocates for further measures, such as expanding the ULEZ to all of Greater London and adopting stricter World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for particulate matter (PM2.5).

The document advocates for the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London, scheduled for 25 October 2021, to address illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the resulting public health risks. It highlights that air pollution disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and low-income households, while noting that without such policies, London would have taken 193 years from 2016 to meet legal NO2 limits. The briefing calls for further support through scrappage schemes and a comprehensive plan to tackle pollution hotspots near schools and hospitals.

CoastalDEM v2.1 is a high-resolution global digital elevation model (DEM) designed to improve the accuracy of coastal flood and sea level rise assessments. By employing a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on NASA's ICESat-2 satellite lidar data and using NASADEM as a base, it significantly reduces the positive vertical bias common in satellite radar DEMs, particularly in densely populated urban areas where buildings often distort elevation readings. Validation against ICESat-2 and airborne lidar data from the US and Australia indicates that CoastalDEM v2.1 outperforms other leading global models like TanDEM-X and MERIT, especially in the critical elevation band below 5 meters.

The document outlines ClientEarth's perspective on four key climate priorities: phasing out coal, reducing urban air pollution through Clean Air Zones, mobilising climate finance for developing nations, and implementing a more ambitious legal framework to combat global deforestation.

The report argues that insurance is an underutilized tool for urban climate resilience, providing not only financial recovery but also risk awareness and incentives for mitigation. It details various insurance mechanisms—micro, meso, and macro—and the roles municipal governments can play as consumers, stewards, and conveners. The document highlights a significant 'protection gap,' noting that 76% of natural catastrophe losses were uninsured in 2020. Key barriers to scaling include a lack of technical capacity in city governments, behavioral biases among urban dwellers, and the difficulty of incorporating long-term climate projections into short-term insurance products. It recommends increased investment in risk assessment, the development of integrated resilience plans with the insurance sector, and the use of concessional finance from development finance institutions to support vulnerable cities.

ClientEarth has submitted a referral request to the FCA alleging that Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V. failed to disclose material climate-related risks and impacts in its 2020 Annual Report. The document argues that Just Eat's reporting is vague, potentially misleading, and fails to provide a fair review of its business or its long-term viability in a net-zero economy. Specifically, it highlights the absence of a Paris-aligned transition strategy and inadequate data on the environmental impact of food packaging and digital operations. ClientEarth requests that the FCA impose financial penalties, issue a public censure, and require the company to rectify its reporting deficiencies.

The Chinese green bond market issued USD 44bn in 2020, a 21% decrease from 2019, partly due to the pandemic and a shift toward social-themed 'Pandemic Prevention and Control' bonds. While China remains a global leader, a significant portion of its issuance (USD 20.2bn) is not aligned with Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) standards, primarily because local regulations allow proceeds to fund general working capital. However, the 2020 Green Bond Catalogue consultation draft marked a shift toward international alignment by removing 'clean coal' projects. Non-financial corporates, led by Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy, are becoming more prominent issuers, and there is a substantial pool of unlabelled climate-aligned debt, particularly in the transport sector, that presents refinancing opportunities.

The statement argues that systemic racism and colonialism are foundational to Canada and manifest within the environmental and medical systems. It critiques environmentalism for historically erasing Indigenous rights and calls for CAPE to ensure its work is actively anti-racist, equating racism and Islamophobia with health threats like climate change.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE/ACME) addresses the impact of systemic racism and colonialism in Canada, specifically citing the discovery of children's graves at a residential school in Kamloops and a hate crime against a Muslim family in London, Ontario. The author argues that environmentalism and medicine are not immune to these systems; environmentalism has a history of erasing Indigenous peoples and sacrificing their rights for environmental gains, while the medical system has been used to perpetrate genocide and racism against Indigenous people. The statement calls for the ACME community to engage in antiracist work, support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action, and recognize that systemic hate is an inherent part of Canada's colonial foundation.

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) uses road fees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toxic air pollution, which disproportionately affect low-income and non-white residents. Integrated with broader clean mobility measures, the ULEZ has significantly reduced the number of polluting vehicles in central London and lowered NO2 concentrations. The program is supported by financial funds to help low-income residents and small businesses transition to compliant vehicles, with the goal of reducing air pollution exposure disparities by 85% by 2030.

A coalition of NGOs and experts supports Birmingham's Clean Air Zone as a critical step to address illegal air pollution, which causes an estimated 900 premature deaths annually in the city. While praising the Council's leadership in implementing the first Class D Clean Air Zone outside London, the authors argue that the zone should be a first step toward a zero-emission transport network and the elimination of pollution hotspots.

The 2021 State of Cities Climate Finance report finds that annual urban climate finance averaged USD 384 billion in 2017/2018, which is significantly lower than the estimated annual need of USD 4.5 to 5.4 trillion. Investment is heavily concentrated in OECD countries and China, leaving developing regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia severely underfunded. The report emphasizes a critical gap in adaptation and resilience finance, which accounts for less than 10% of urban climate finance. To bridge this gap, the report recommends strengthening municipal finance capacities, aligning city and national climate policies, and utilizing innovative financial instruments like blended finance and green procurement.