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The document outlines a SAVi assessment for a proposed MRT system in Pampanga, Philippines, consisting of four bus rapid transit (BRT) lines and one light rail transit (LRT) line. It employs system dynamics modelling and causal loop diagrams to compare a 'no action' scenario against the MRT implementation, identifying potential co-benefits such as reduced CO2 emissions, decreased traffic congestion, and increased regional connectivity. The assessment provides a detailed set of assumptions and data sources for calculating capital costs, operational revenues, and avoided costs related to health, accidents, and fuel use.

The report analyzes 450 votes and 5,850 voting decisions by African states at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) between 2006 and 2022. It finds that the African Group generally opposes or is unwilling to defend civil and political rights, particularly regarding sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) and freedom of expression. The group frequently protects African states from international scrutiny through country-specific resolutions while remaining inconsistent or indifferent toward human rights violations in non-African countries. Despite a general decline in the domestic freedom scores of its members, the group's HRC voting patterns show a slight shift toward a more human rights-friendly direction after 2010, though it remains largely obstructive toward intrusive mandates for African nations.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology transfer to the Global South, utilizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund to deploy renewable energy, green agriculture, and electric vehicle technologies. While achieving significant scale—including exporting photovoltaic modules to over 100 countries—the brief identifies critical challenges: a gap between environmental commitments and actual impacts, deficiencies in ESG disclosure, geopolitical tensions, and limited local operational capacity. To improve sustainability, the document recommends enhancing transparency, aligning with global ESG standards, and fostering locally led innovation ecosystems through active partner ownership and capacity building.

The briefing establishes that fossil fuels are responsible for approximately 70% of carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution, with a small number of companies contributing a disproportionate share. It highlights the role of attribution science in linking specific extreme weather events to climate change and details the growing trend of using the 'polluter pays' principle in litigation and legislation to hold these companies financially accountable. The document further argues that to meet the 1.5C target, global fossil fuel production must decrease significantly by 2030, supported by a transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles.

The CCFLA and Urban-Act National Assessment Tool provides a framework for national governments to evaluate the regulatory, financial, and institutional conditions that affect urban climate finance. The tool consists of 64 dimensions across four categories: Climate Policy, Budget and Finance, Climate Data, and Vertical and Horizontal Coordination. It aims to identify strengths and gaps in national frameworks to facilitate recommendations for improving subnational access to finance, having been piloted in India and Indonesia.

The CCFLA and Urban-Act Subnational Assessment Tool is designed to help city and regional officials identify strengths and gaps in the regulatory, institutional, and financial environments necessary to scale urban climate finance. The tool evaluates 49 dimensions across four categories: Climate Policy, Budget and Finance, Climate Data, and Vertical and Horizontal Coordination. It provides a structured six-step application process—from institutional mapping to the development of follow-up roadmaps—and includes a comprehensive directory of external resources and global case studies to guide subnational governments in improving their creditworthiness, data reporting, and intergovernmental cooperation.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology innovation, utilizing aid, trade, and investment to support the energy transition in the Global South. Through mechanisms like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, China has deployed renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable agricultural technologies across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, the effectiveness of these partnerships is hindered by gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, geopolitical tensions with Western nations, and difficulties in meeting global ESG standards.

In 2021, IDB Invest and Engie Energia Chile (EECL) implemented a blended finance package to retire two coal units at the Tocopilla plant early and finance the 151 MW Calama wind farm. The deal utilized a results-based concessional loan where interest payments at maturity are reduced based on verified carbon emissions abated through early retirement, using a pre-agreed carbon price of $3/ton. This transaction was enabled by Chile's top-down coal phaseout policy, the lower cost of renewable energy compared to legacy coal Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and the involvement of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF).

In 2022, Starwood Energy Group (now Lotus Infrastructure) accelerated the retirement of the Logan (225 MW) and Chambers (285 MW) coal plants by 30 months, moving the date from 2024 to 2022. This was achieved through a three-part strategy: renegotiating Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Atlantic City Electric (ACE), refinancing project debt with a $200 million loan from MetLife, and planning the redevelopment of the sites into grid-scale battery storage. The transaction resulted in an estimated reduction of 3.9 million tons of CO2 and saved ACE customers approximately $30 million.

In 2022, ACEN Corporation sold its equity in the SLTEC coal plant to a special purpose vehicle (SPV), reducing the plant's operating life by 25 years to a retirement date of 2040. The transaction was enabled by the use of domestic financial institutions to provide low-cost debt and equity, as international lenders often have coal exclusion policies. The SPV re-levered the capital structure, increasing the debt/capital ratio from 0.58 to 0.79, with $247 million in debt provided by RCBC and BPI. This structure allowed ACEN to divest the asset and reinvest proceeds into renewable energy, aligning with its corporate goal of 100% renewable energy by 2025.

As of 30 April 2024, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) had spent USD 32.9 million of its USD 125.4 million annual administrative budget (26%). The Secretariat accounted for the largest portion of expenditure at USD 27.2 million. The report details budget utilization across the Board, the Trustee, and three independent units: the Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM), the Independent Integrity Unit (IIU), and the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU).

The Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the Collaborative R&DB Programme aims to integrate gender mainstreaming into climate technopreneurship across five ASEAN countries. It defines specific criteria for 'women-owned SMEs' and 'women-led JVs', requiring that at least 50% of invested joint ventures (JVs) meet these priority conditions or implement a gender mainstreaming commitment plan. The plan provides sector-specific guidelines for renewable energy, agriculture, water, waste management, and early warning systems, focusing on reducing barriers to entry, improving occupational health and safety for women, and ensuring inclusive communication and leadership roles for women in climate adaptation and mitigation projects.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) reports significant progress between 2020 and 2023 in scaling resilience innovations, democratizing knowledge, and influencing global policy. Key achievements include the incubation of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), the growth of the Resilience Evidence Coalition to over 1,700 members, and the establishment of the Resilience Hub at COP26, COP27, and COP28. GRP focused on amplifying Global South voices through initiatives like the South to South Resilience Academies and the Locally Led Adaptation principles. The report highlights the mobilization of private sector finance through the PREPARE Call to Action and the implementation of innovation challenges such as RAIN in East Africa. These efforts are designed to transition GRP toward its 2024-2029 strategy, focusing on transforming food and financial systems and embedding resilience in the private sector.

The Philippines is pursuing an ambitious digitalisation agenda under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., but this effort is complicated by the pervasive influence of China's Digital Silk Road (DSR). While Chinese technology provides cheap alternatives in 5G, cloud computing, and fintech, it introduces significant risks regarding data privacy, national security, and the potential spread of digital authoritarianism. These challenges are exacerbated by an outdated legal framework that fails to address modern technological breakthroughs. The authors argue that the Philippines must update its legislation and diversify foreign investment to build internal resilience and safeguard its digital sovereignty.

The report argues that fiscal policies—including roadmaps, tax incentives, guarantees, and subsidies—are essential to bridge the net-zero investment gap in the ASEAN+3 region. It identifies critical barriers such as a lack of suitable project pipelines, regulatory uncertainty, and the predominance of MSMEs. The document recommends a holistic approach combining these fiscal tools with non-fiscal policies like green taxonomies and mandatory climate disclosures to steer the financial sector toward sustainable development goals.

The report argues that labelled transition finance is currently stalled by 'transition-washing'—where finance is provided to entities without a credible plan to reach net zero. It identifies root causes such as a lack of scientifically robust, geography-specific emissions pathways and the prevalence of non-binding voluntary standards. Using sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) and Japanese transition-labelled bonds as case studies, the author highlights issues like unambitious targets, immaterial penalties, and reliance on non-credible technologies like ammonia co-firing. To address this, the report recommends six guardrails: preparing national Paris-aligned pathways, establishing robust classification standards, building external verification capacity, implementing mandatory regulatory thresholds for protected labels, empowering regulators to penalise transition-washing, and enacting systemic reforms such as mandating transition plans for large firms.

The report finds that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat globally from May 2023 to May 2024. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the study determined that 6.3 billion people experienced at least 31 days of extreme heat made at least twice as likely by climate change. It identifies 76 extreme heat waves across 90 countries and highlights critical gaps in impact reporting, particularly in developing regions. The authors advocate for City Heat Action Plans and systemic adaptations to prevent heat-related fatalities.

A World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency and intensity of April 2024 heatwaves across Asia. In the Philippines, the event would have been "impossible" without climate change, while in West Asia, the probability increased by a factor of 5. In South Asia, extreme temperatures were found to be about 45 times more likely and 0.85ºC hotter. The report highlights disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups, including 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza and outdoor workers, and notes that existing heat action plans often lack mandatory workplace regulations and retrofitting for informal settlements.

The document describes La Niña as the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, characterized by the movement of cold water to the central and eastern Pacific surface. For 2024, there is an 85% chance of a transition to neutral conditions between April and June, and a 60% chance of La Niña developing by June to August. The text highlights that multi-year La Niña events are increasing in frequency, with five of the last ten occurring in the past 25 years. While La Niña temporarily lowers global average surface temperatures by about 0.1C, it does not offset human-caused warming; recent La Niña years have been among the top 10 hottest years ever. Regional impacts include drier conditions in East Africa and the southern US, and wetter conditions in Southeast Asia, India, and northern South America, affecting various crop yields and increasing the risk of floods and droughts.

The paper examines various theoretical frameworks for 'alternative media,' ranging from participatory and identity-focused approaches to 'critical' and 'radical' media that challenge corporate monopolies. It highlights the role of these media in empowering marginalized groups—including Indigenous peoples, women, and social movements—and discusses the transition from grassroots practice to formal policy reforms, particularly in Latin America, under the framework of communication rights.