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The document advocates for a pollution price for shipping to complement the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) goal of cutting emissions by 50% below 2008 levels by 2050. It highlights that shipping accounts for over 2% of global emissions and suggests that carbon pricing would incentivise the use of renewable fuels, incorporate environmental costs into shipowners' decisions, and generate revenue to support least developed and developing countries.

As of 31 January 2018, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) had accredited 59 entities, with a pipeline of 198 entities having created accounts on the Online Accreditation System. The report highlights a strategic shift toward prioritizing direct access entities, which now constitute a larger share of those completing the accreditation process. It also details the ongoing support provided to direct access entities through readiness programs and gap assessments, and tracks the progress of accredited entities in fulfilling specific fiduciary, environmental, social, and gender conditions. Additionally, the document notes a temporary lack of quorum in the Accreditation Panel (AP), which delayed new accreditation recommendations for the nineteenth Board meeting.

The We Mean Business coalition is calling for private sector companies to sign the Powering Past Coal Alliance declaration, joining over 25 countries, states, and regions in accelerating the phase-out of traditional coal power. The coalition emphasizes that coal plants produce nearly 40% of global electricity and are a primary driver of climate change and negative health effects. The document advocates for a 'just transition' to clean energy to help limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, and preferably 1.5°C, urging companies to sign the declaration before the One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017.

The 'Cooling for All' initiative, launched in 2017 by Sustainable Energy for All and supported by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, seeks to integrate growing cooling demands into a clean energy transition. The initiative aims to align the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. To achieve this, a Global Panel on Access to Cooling has been established to produce an evidence-based report by 2018 focusing on sustainable cooling for the poorest countries. The initiative highlights the risk of locking countries into high-carbon cooling pathways and the potential to avoid 1°C of global warming by combining HFC phase-downs with energy efficiency gains.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Republic of the Marshall Islands received US$7.9 million in grant-equivalent finance specifically targeting climate change, with the Global Environment Facility and Australia as the primary sources. Mitigation activities received the largest share of this funding (50.8%), followed by adaptation (44.4%).

The Independent Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) assessed nine funding proposals across various regions. Key recommendations include the approval of renewable energy and financial inclusion projects in Mongolia, South Africa, Argentina, and the Pacific Islands, as well as adaptation projects in Bangladesh, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Samoa. While most were recommended for approval, several were subject to conditions regarding technical design (notably water systems in Bangladesh), operational track records (South Africa), and long-term maintenance plans (Vanuatu).

The document analyzes the Paris Agreement's achievements and outlines a detailed pathway for operationalizing its ten core elements: mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, finance, technology transfer, capacity building, transparency, global stocktake, compliance, and cooperative approaches. It emphasizes the need for clear accounting rules, scaled-up finance, and robust transparency frameworks to ensure environmental integrity and increase ambition over time.

The report analyzes the land-sector climate pledges (INDCs) of four major tropical-forest nations. It finds that while Brazil and Indonesia provide some transparency, their land-sector ambitions are low. India's submission lacks critical specifics on GDP and sequestration timing. In contrast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is highlighted as a model for both transparency and ambition, despite its limited national capacity. The author concludes that smaller countries are generally producing better land-sector INDCs than larger emitters.

The document analyzes clean energy targets communicated by eight of the world's top GHG emitters. It finds that if these plans are fully achieved, total annual clean energy supply across these regions will more than double by 2030, increasing from 8,900 TWh/year in 2012 to 19,900 TWh/year. This represents a level 17 percent higher than Reference Scenario projections. The analysis breaks down these gains across renewable energy supply, electricity generation, electrical capacity, and nuclear energy, noting that nuclear supply in China, India, and Mexico is set to increase nearly tenfold by 2030.

The document outlines five key conclusions for developing countries creating INDCs: treating them as political statements, establishing clear structures, leveraging existing policies, conducting broad consultations, and planning for implementation. It emphasizes the need to balance ambition with feasibility, often through a combination of unilateral and conditional contributions, while aligning climate actions with national development priorities and Sustainable Development Goals.

The Geneva Pledge, signed by 19 nations in February 2015, commits governments to foster collaboration between their human rights and climate change experts. The signatories acknowledge that climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations and pledge to ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy respects human rights and ensures no one is left behind.

The report analyzes the mitigation efforts of 14 priority countries and regions, highlighting a wide variation in ambition and activity. While large emitters like India and Indonesia have established legislation and quantitative targets, many other partner countries, particularly in Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), prioritize adaptation due to extreme vulnerability. The analysis identifies key trends, such as the integration of low-emissions paths into economic development strategies and a heavy reliance on donor-funded projects for capacity building and MRV systems.

The document outlines the existential threats posed to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by climate change, specifically sea level rise and ocean acidification. It emphasizes that while adaptation can reduce risks, SIDS face high per-capita costs due to a lack of economies of scale. The report advocates for integrating climate adaptation with broader development goals and transitioning to renewable energy to enhance energy security.

The report identifies three 'drivers of influence' for supporting negotiators: strengthening delegations, developing strategies, and shaping international negotiations. It notes a shift from early projects that primarily provided financial aid for attendance toward more recent efforts focused on technical positions and alliance building. The authors recommend that future support be demand-led, flexible, and focused on building sustainable domestic capacity and trust between providers and beneficiaries.

The report argues that avoiding dangerous climate change requires a sophisticated international regime combining top-down UNFCCC direction with broad bottom-up action. It identifies climate diplomacy as the critical interface between national interest debates and international cooperation, requiring three core capabilities: 'knowing yourself' (understanding national interests), 'knowing the other' (analyzing other actors' constraints), and the 'capacity to influence' (integrating priorities into diplomatic channels). The authors highlight that most countries have not yet sufficiently embedded climate change into their 'whole of government' decision-making machinery, often leaving it siloed in environment ministries. The document outlines the evolution of the climate regime from narrow UNFCCC negotiations to a broader system including the G20, Major Economies Forum, and security councils, while emphasizing the need for strategic confidence-building and the use of 'unusual alliances' to overcome political stalemates.

The document argues that leaders of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) should integrate climate messaging into foreign and diplomatic affairs to catalyse collective action. It proposes a three-point plan: raising domestic awareness of climate action as a national interest, identifying how other governments perceive climate action as their own national interest, and training diplomatic corps on climate issues while educating experts in policy-relevant communication. The authors base these recommendations on experiences from the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the LDC negotiating group within the UNFCCC.

The document outlines how climate diplomacy can advance multilateral action beyond the UNFCCC and identifies barriers and strategies for countries, especially LDCs, to build their diplomatic capacity. It recommends a 'whole-government approach' to integrate climate change across ministries and the development of specialized skills for diplomats and climate experts.

The report argues that a universally applied market-based instrument (MBI), specifically a cap-and-trade scheme, is the most effective and politically feasible way to address emissions from international transport. To comply with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), the report proposes a governance structure where revenues or allowances are selectively disbursed to ensure no net incidence on developing countries. The remaining value would be transferred to the Green Climate Fund and used for fuel-efficiency improvements. The author concludes that an emissions trading system (ETS) is superior to levy-based systems because it avoids being classified as an international tax and does not require the direct funding of an international organisation or the hypothecation of national fiscal revenues.

The report advocates for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to move beyond focusing on single ecosystem services toward a systematic approach that considers multiple services in all development operations. It highlights how overlooking regulating services—such as storm protection and water purification—can lead to adverse trade-offs and undermine poverty reduction. The document provides a portfolio of tools for identifying, prioritizing, and valuing ecosystem services, and suggests policy options including payments for ecosystem services, regulation, and community empowerment to sustain natural capital.

The President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hilda C. Heine, describes the United States' decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as "disappointing" and "highly concerning" for those on the "frontline of climate change." Despite the "grave impacts" of this decision, the President asserts that the Marshall Islands and the "wider Pacific family" remain firmly committed to the agreement and will continue to implement it swiftly.