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The document argues for the creation of a coordinated framework for sub- and nonstate climate actors—including cities, regions, businesses, and civil society—to avoid the risks of fragmented 'bottom-up' governance. It suggests that such a framework, established during the 2015 Paris conference, should promote ambition, experimentation, and accountability while reducing overlaps in mitigation and adaptation efforts.

The ADP 2-11 session in Bonn was characterized by a loss of consensus and a reversal of previous progress due to dissatisfaction with the Co-Chairs' proposed negotiating text. Instead of advancing toward a final agreement for COP 21, parties spent the session re-compiling a more comprehensive but fragmented text, reverting to positions held earlier in 2015. The meeting was further hampered by procedural disputes over the use of closed spin-off groups and a lack of progress on the accompanying decision text, leaving the Paris negotiations with a complex and unrefined basis for agreement.

The document evaluates global forest restoration progress using two indicators: Bonn Challenge pledges and UNFCCC Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). As of November 2015, Bonn Challenge commitments reached 62.6 million hectares (41.7% of the 2020 target), while UNFCCC INDCs included pledges for approximately 121.7 million hectares (35% of the 2030 target). The report notes that while commitments have increased, they are often clustered around major agreements and require a faster rate of pledging to meet targets. It also highlights significant data gaps in standardized global aggregates and the limitations of satellite imagery in detecting small-scale forest growth.

The document evaluates the status of land-use and forestry commitments within the UNFCCC framework ahead of the December 2015 Paris Agreement. It finds that while the REDD+ methodological framework is largely complete, the final text of the Paris Agreement remained under intense negotiation. Analysis of 122 submitted INDCs reveals that most countries set economy-wide targets, with 40 including specific forest actions and 18 explicitly excluding the land-use sector.

The World Resources Institute states that while negotiators made significant strides in Bonn, a more vigorous pace is required to finalize a strong climate agreement in Paris. Progress was noted in mitigation, transparency, long-term goals, and the ratchet mechanism, though fundamental differences persist regarding adaptation and finance.

The briefing identifies critical areas for negotiation in Bonn ahead of COP21, including the five-year cycle for increasing mitigation ambition, the establishment of a long-term decarbonization goal, and the need for transparency and accountability in emissions reporting. It emphasizes that while 149 countries have submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), these plans are insufficient to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees C without a robust framework for continuous improvement. The document also highlights the necessity of balancing finance between adaptation and mitigation, prioritizing grant finance for vulnerable nations, and addressing 'loss and damage' for impacts that cannot be adapted to.

The report estimates that climate finance reached USD 62 billion in 2014 and USD 52 billion in 2013, with an annual average of USD 57 billion. Bilateral public climate finance averaged USD 22.8 billion per year, marking a more than 50% increase over 2011-12 levels, while multilateral finance attributable to developed countries was estimated at USD 17.9 billion for the 2013-14 period.

The guidelines establish a 'first green, then smart' approach, where smart technologies are used to optimize the outcomes of sustainable urban design. The framework covers six smart categories: telecommunications, mobility, governance, energy management, safety, and public services, supported by global case studies to demonstrate economic and environmental viability.

The We Mean Business Coalition, representing over 6 million companies, argues that climate action is beneficial for business and essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They urge governments to establish an ambitious agreement at COP21 in Paris that focuses on global decarbonization, transparency, carbon pricing, and climate resilience.

The document outlines the goals of COP 21, specifically the adoption of a new international climate agreement to limit global temperature increases to 2°C. It describes the role of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in setting greenhouse gas targets and identifies critical negotiation areas including adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building in developing countries.

The We Mean Business coalition asserts that the economic case for climate action is now clear, with 200 international companies and over 100 investors already making ambitious commitments. The coalition calls for a Paris Agreement that ensures global decarbonization by the end of the century, establishes five-year update cycles for government commitments, and provides clear policy signals like carbon pricing to shift investment toward low-carbon assets.

The World Resources Institute highlights the U.S.-China Joint Announcement on Climate Change, noting China's commitment to a 2017 emissions trading system and $3.1 billion in climate finance, alongside U.S. actions via the Clean Power Plan. The statement argues that this collaboration establishes a foundation for a strong global agreement in Paris by aligning on long-term low-carbon goals, ambition-building processes, and transparency.

The authors describe the violent eviction of a refugee collective in Les Lilas and argue that the French government is implementing a 'zero tolerance policy' to remove vulnerable populations, including refugees and homeless people, from Paris before the COP21 climate talks and the 2016 Football Euro Cup. They highlight a 50% increase in homelessness in France over the last decade and contrast the government's stated commitment to humanity during climate negotiations with its domestic treatment of marginalized groups.

The German Green Party asserts that its political identity depends on balancing its presence in government coalitions with its roots in social and ecological movements. The party aims to use this dual position to oppose the TTIP and CETA trade agreements and to push for an ambitious binding agreement at COP 21 in Paris, while linking climate action to social justice and gender equality.

Track 0, led by Farhana Yamin, Erik Haites, and Niklas Höhne, has developed a draft Paris Agreement designed to reduce the 90 pages of the February 2015 Geneva Negotiating Text into a manageable, ambitious, and politically balanced document. This proposal was created in response to slow progress during the June negotiating session in Bonn and precedes an informal Ministerial Meeting hosted by the French Government on 20 and 21 July in Paris.

The document outlines the importance of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) as public outlines of national climate plans starting in 2020. It establishes a set of criteria for a 'strong' INDC—defined as fair, ambitious, feasible, and transparent—and provides a detailed six-question evaluation framework. This framework guides users to check for clear statements of intent (mitigation and adaptation), alignment with climate science (specifically the 2 degrees C goal), fairness based on national circumstances, the strength of the design process, implementation feasibility, and methodological transparency.

The document outlines the criteria for a 'strong' INDC, emphasizing that it must be equitable, ambitious, science-based, and transparent. It provides a detailed evaluation framework based on six questions: clarity of intent, alignment with science, equity and ambition, robustness of the design process, feasibility of implementation, and transparency. The guide distinguishes between 'results-based' and 'action-based' mitigation commitments and encourages the inclusion of adaptation plans based on evidence of climate risks.

The document outlines the criteria for a 'strong' Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), emphasizing that such commitments must be fair, ambitious, and scientifically grounded. It provides a detailed evaluation framework based on six key questions: clarity of intent, scientific consistency, fairness and ambition, process robustness, implementation viability, and transparency. The guide distinguishes between mitigation approaches (actions vs. direct effects) and encourages the inclusion of adaptation components based on evidence of climate risks. It stresses that INDCs should drive a 'transformative' decarbonization pace to align with the goal of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius.

The document outlines a research process to create trial narratives and framing language for a global multifaith climate campaign. This was achieved by analyzing interfaith statements, interviewing experts, and conducting narrative workshops and online surveys across Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim communities.

The policy brief contends that the deadlock in global climate finance negotiations stems from a lack of predictability in financial flows. It suggests that Africa can lead a breakthrough for the Paris (COP21) conference by shifting focus from quantifying 'adequate' finance to securing 'predictable' flows. The author argues that by demonstrating the ability to effectively deploy available resources and aligning adaptation needs with low-carbon development pathways, African nations can create a 'win-win' scenario that encourages developed nations to provide sustained funding. The brief recommends identifying off-budget and market-driven financial sources to avoid the unreliability of traditional budget support.