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The document explores low- and zero-emissions zones (LEZs and ZEZs) as tools for cities to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It compares international examples from Europe and Singapore with a voluntary pilot in Santa Monica, California. A significant portion of the guide is dedicated to ensuring equity, arguing that ZEZs in California must be designed to avoid regressive financial burdens on low-income residents and people of color, who are disproportionately exposed to vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution. The authors recommend that California provide enabling legislation for cities to implement these zones and suggest targeting high-pollution sectors, such as heavy-duty freight, to maximize public health benefits in disadvantaged communities.

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.

The document advocates for a specific amendment to the UK Environment Bill to ensure the country adopts the 2005 WHO air quality guidelines for PM2.5, which recommend an annual mean concentration of no more than 10 µg/m3. It argues that current UK legal limits, derived from EU Directives, are twice as high as WHO recommendations and are insufficient to protect public health. The briefing highlights that approximately 15 million people in the UK live in areas exceeding WHO guidelines, including 8,549 schools and colleges. It asserts that achieving these targets by 2030 is technically feasible, citing Defra and King's College London analysis, and argues that setting these parameters on the face of the Bill prevents delays in target-setting that would otherwise occur until October 2022.

The report 'Together for Safety 21 Ways Forward' outlines strategies for urban leaders to combat extremism and polarisation, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. It identifies trends such as the 'gamification of extremism' and the use of conspiracy theories by right-wing and jihadist groups to target minorities and youth. The document provides 21 guiding principles across four themes: preventing extremism post-pandemic, countering online hate, securing public spaces, and empowering youth. Key recommendations include adopting evidence-based 'hot spot mapping', investing in youth-led organisations, and strengthening mental health initiatives to build community resilience.

The report outlines two primary decarbonisation scenarios for India's transport sector: a 'Rail focused' pathway and a 'Road focused' pathway. Both scenarios emphasise that electrification is essential, aiming for nearly 100% electrification of road fleets by 2050. The Rail focused scenario prioritises a massive modal shift toward public transit and rail freight, which significantly reduces the total number of electric vehicles needed. The Road focused scenario assumes continued growth in private vehicle ownership, relying more heavily on rapid electrification and alternative fuels. The analysis identifies four priority action areas: sustainable urban planning to counter urban sprawl, improving non-motorised and public transport, expanding high-quality railway infrastructure, and electrifying all road vehicle fleets. It concludes that achieving these goals will require substantial international financial support and the adoption of global good-practice policies from regions like China, California, and Europe.

Mighty Earth demands that the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) suspend Korindo and reopen investigations into deliberate land-clearing fires in Papua, Indonesia, citing a BBC investigation and evidence from Forensic Architecture and Greenpeace International.

The report analyses the Facebook activity of 43 far-right and 31 far-left pages, and 9 public groups in Australia during the first seven months of 2020. It finds that while both sides use 'us versus them' narratives, opposition to the far-right is more central to far-left identity than vice versa. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement served as primary catalysts for activity, with the far-right weaponising the pandemic to promote anti-China and xenophobic narratives, while the far-left focused on labour rights and police violence. The study notes that far-right groups were more likely to promote violence against the left than the far-left was against the right.

The 1972 Stockholm Conference marked the beginning of global environmental cooperation, introducing the concept of sustainable development and leading to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Despite Cold War tensions and conflicts between industrialized and developing nations, the conference produced the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan, which provided the first global principles for environmental law. Its legacy includes the democratization of environmental policy through NGO participation and the establishment of foundational treaties on marine pollution and biodiversity.

The document details how climate indicators from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi tool to improve the analysis of infrastructure resilience. It covers a literature review of climate impacts on energy, irrigation, wastewater, buildings, roads, and nature-based infrastructure, providing specific equations to link climate variables to asset performance. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, South Africa, demonstrating how climate variables like temperature and precipitation affect load factors, thermal efficiency, and maintenance costs, ultimately impacting the economic viability and societal costs of these assets.

The document details how authoritative climate data from the Copernicus CDS is integrated into the SAVi model for nature-based infrastructure. It provides a literature review on the impacts of precipitation, vegetation, and temperature on assets like green roofs, wetlands, and urban forests. The report demonstrates the model's application through simulations in Johannesburg, showing how temperature affects phosphorus removal in wetlands and how increasing vegetation cover can mitigate heat-related labor productivity losses.

ClientEarth argues that the UK government's proposed approach to retaining EU CO2 emission standards is insufficient and potentially weakens regulatory requirements. The organization urges the government to adjust the vehicle mass baseline (M0) to reflect UK averages, reduce sales volume derogation thresholds, and introduce a binding zero exhaust emission vehicle (ZEEV) mandate to phase out petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicles by 2030.

The report examines the rapid, top-down expansion of green finance in China, noting that green loans have a lower non-performing loan (NPL) rate (0.42% in 2018) compared to overall credit (1.83%). While the 'Big Four' state-owned banks are global leaders in both green and fossil fuel financing, the report identifies significant barriers to further greening, including weak direct fiscal incentives, deleveraging pressures, and insufficient penalties for high-emission projects. A case study of ICBC highlights its role as a major green lender and issuer of 'Belt and Road' green bonds, though its green portfolio remains small relative to its total assets.

The report examines the top-down evolution of China's green banking system, highlighting the role of the 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It finds that green loans generally exhibit lower non-performing loan (NPL) ratios than traditional portfolios, though significant barriers such as insufficient risk modeling and weak financial incentives persist. The ICBC case study illustrates the integration of green governance and the use of offshore green bonds, while noting that green finance still represents a small fraction of the bank's total balance sheet compared to its continued fossil fuel financing.

The author argues that the disproportionate fame of Greta Thunberg, the "Greta effect", is a symptom of a system that privileges white activists from the Global North while marginalising activists of colour. This bias extends from media coverage—where people of colour are often stereotyped as victims or erased entirely—to environmental policymaking, where the exclusion of marginalised voices leads to projects that harm indigenous and minority communities. The document advocates for an intersectional approach to climate action to address these power imbalances and ensure that those most affected by climate change can own their narratives and influence policy.

ClientEarth advocates for a legally binding 2030 deadline to end the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles in the UK, arguing that the government's proposed 2035 date is insufficient to tackle illegal air pollution and climate change. The response emphasizes that Zero Exhaust Emission Vehicles (ZEEVs) should be the only vehicles sold, excluding hybrids due to their failure to deliver promised environmental benefits. To achieve this, ClientEarth recommends a combination of supply-side mandates, CO2 performance standards, expanded charging infrastructure, and demand incentives such as VAT exemptions and a targeted diesel scrappage scheme. The document highlights the severe health impacts of NO2 and PM2.5 pollution, noting that road transport is a primary contributor to illegal pollution levels in UK cities.

The report finds that ride-hailing typically increases climate pollution and urban congestion because it displaces lower-carbon travel modes and adds 'deadheading' miles. It argues that the industry must rapidly electrify its fleet and increase ride-pooling to mitigate these effects, while governments should prioritize multimodal transportation and mass transit over car-centric models.

The report examines six specific policy cases from the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, and Austria to provide a roadmap for decarbonising the non-ETS transport and buildings sectors in CEE countries. It uses a participatory transferability assessment involving experts from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria to identify regional barriers and opportunities for 'leap-frogging' to best practices.

The report advocates for the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in South African municipalities to address the dual crises of COVID-19 economic devastation and climate vulnerability. It highlights that while national green recovery plans exist, they often require high skills and long lead times. In contrast, NBS—particularly urban tree planting and the removal of invasive alien plants—can provide immediate, low-skill employment for vulnerable populations while mitigating urban heat islands, managing flood risks, and improving public health. The document identifies significant barriers to implementation, including municipal funding shortages, difficulties in quantifying the economic value of natural assets, and rigid public procurement processes.

The briefing examines the shared origins of air pollution and climate change, primarily fossil fuel combustion, and advocates for integrated policy frameworks. It details the significant health and economic burdens of air pollution, particularly in urban areas and for vulnerable groups. The text demonstrates that the health co-benefits of climate mitigation, such as carbon pricing, often outweigh the policy costs. It provides examples of coordinated efforts in Chile, California, the EU, Madrid, and London, while warning that uncoordinated policies—such as incentivizing diesel vehicles for lower CO2 or installing SO2 filters that reduce plant efficiency—can create counterproductive outcomes.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports that 88 major carbon producers contributed more than half of the increase in ocean acidification and about half of the global temperature rise from 1880 to 2015. The document highlights that these companies, including investor-owned firms like ExxonMobil and Chevron, were aware of the climate risks of their products as early as 1965 but engaged in campaigns to sow doubt. It argues that these entities should be held financially responsible for climate-related damages, such as the $2 billion in additional costs attributed to sea level rise during Hurricane Sandy in New York City.