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Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Goal 10 Assessment
The 2019 assessment of Goal 10 finds that global progress in forest governance remains slow, with illegality continuing to drive deforestation. While some countries like Indonesia have improved policy efforts, others have weakened protections through legislative amendments. The report highlights a critical gap between formal laws and their implementation, particularly regarding the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), who manage significant carbon stores but face high levels of violence and criminalization. Demand-side measures in the EU and France are strengthening, but private sector commitments to eliminate deforestation are largely not on track for 2020 targets.
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Document type: Report
Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks and Societal Costs
The report details various direct and indirect U.S. tax subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas, alongside federal R&D funding and overseas financing. It highlights that global fossil fuel subsidies, including negative externalities, reached $5.2 trillion in 2017. The authors argue that these subsidies are difficult to justify given the maturity of the industry and the severe health, environmental, and climate externalities—such as the social cost of carbon and air pollution deaths—that are not reflected in fuel prices.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry
Friends of the Earth and Friends of the Earth Action have passed a resolution calling for an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. The organization argues that Trump poses a fundamental threat to environmental protection by allowing self-dealing within his administration and obstructing the enforcement of environmental laws. Specifically, they cite the conduct of former officials Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke, as well as a dramatic decline in EPA inspections and prosecutions, as evidence of a systemic failure to uphold the rule of law in favor of fossil fuel interests.
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Document type: Statement
Raising Ambition Through Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Greenhouse gas emissions results modelling from 26 countries
The paper finds that removing fossil fuel subsidies across 26 modeled countries leads to an average 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases to 13.2% if combined with a 10% energy tax and reinvestment in renewables and energy efficiency. Globally, the removal of these subsidies is estimated to reduce emissions by 6.4% to 8.2% by 2050. The study highlights that governments save an average of USD 93 for every tonne of CO2e removed through subsidy reform, with total cumulative fiscal savings across the 26 countries reaching USD 2.56 trillion by 2030.
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Document type: Research paper
Fossil Fuel Subsidies
The document details various direct and indirect U.S. tax subsidies for coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as federal R&D funding and overseas financing. It highlights the contradiction between these subsidies and global climate targets, noting that global fossil fuel subsidies reached $5.2 trillion in 2017. The text also analyzes the 'externalities' of fossil fuels, including the social cost of carbon, public health crises, and environmental degradation, while reviewing legislative efforts in the 116th Congress to reform energy tax credits.
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Document type: Fact sheet
G20 Coal Subsidies: Russia
The document identifies that the Russian government provides significant support for coal mining and the infrastructure required for exports. It serves as a baseline for tracking the phase-out of coal subsidies within the context of a global energy transition and acts as a background paper to a broader report on G20 coal subsidies.
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Document type: Briefing
Bonn Negotiations Can Set a Strong Foundation for Higher Ambition. Here's How.
The briefing identifies critical areas for the June 2019 Bonn negotiations, including the design of market-based mechanisms to avoid double-counting, the use of IPCC reports to inform revised nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and the need for effective climate finance. It emphasizes the importance of resourcing the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund, enhancing capacity building through the PCCB and CGE, and defining the future of the Warsaw International Mechanism for loss and damage.
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Document type: Briefing
Nuclear Energy Developments, Climate Change, and Security in Egypt
The document examines how Egypt's pursuit of nuclear energy, notably the $21 billion El Dabaa project with Russia, is complicated by climate vulnerabilities and security dynamics. It highlights risks such as sea level rise threatening coastal power plants and rising temperatures affecting reactor safety. The report recommends that the United States engage in nonproliferation efforts and that international entities help Egypt implement comprehensive climate security assessments for its nuclear infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
GHG mitigation policies in major emitting countries: an overview of recently adopted and under development policies
The report identifies about 50 policies from July 2018 to May 2019 in 25 countries, noting that the energy sector saw the most activity with 29 entries. While most policies aim to reduce emissions, the document highlights emissions-increasing policies in Argentina and the United States. Additionally, it notes that of the 25 countries, four have submitted long-term GHG strategies to the UNFCCC and five have developed drafts or domestic strategies.
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Document type: Report
Report from the Bonn Climate Talks, June 2019
The SB-50 negotiations in Bonn were characterized by persistent political deadlocks, particularly regarding the IPCC 1.5ºC report and Article 6 mechanisms. While there was an increase in countries advocating for human rights-based social safeguards in market mechanisms, deep divisions remain. The session also advanced reviews of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and the Gender Action Plan, while highlighting the importance of procedural rights and the Escazú Agreement for civil society participation.
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Document type: Report
The New Gas Boom
The report identifies a massive global expansion of LNG infrastructure, with at least 202 terminal projects in development representing $1.3 trillion in capital outlays. This growth is heavily concentrated in North America, where the U.S. and Canada account for 74% of proposed new export capacity. The authors argue that this expansion risks creating stranded assets as renewable energy costs fall and that the lifecycle greenhouse gas impact of these projects is comparable to, or exceeds, that of new coal-fired power plants. Consequently, the report calls for a moratorium on new LNG construction to align with IPCC targets requiring gas use to decline by 2030 and 2050.
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Document type: Report
Raising Ambition Through Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform
This research paper assesses the impact of removing consumer fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 across 26 countries, finding a simple average GHG emission reduction of 6% by 2030 compared to business as usual. The study argues that while FFSR alone is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals, combining it with a 10% energy tax and reallocating 30% of savings into renewable energy and energy efficiency could increase average reductions to 13.2% by 2030. It highlights that FFSR is a cost-effective tool, saving governments an average of USD 93 per tonne of CO2e removed. The paper also reviews the regressive nature of fuel subsidies and advocates for 'subsidy swaps' toward sustainable energy and social safety nets, noting that only 8% of current NDCs explicitly include FFSR.
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Document type: Research paper
SCALING UP AMBITION: LEVERAGING NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THE PARIS AGREEMENT GOALS
The document outlines a framework for G20 nations to align their near-term climate pledges (NDCs) with mid-century visions (LTSs) to achieve Paris Agreement goals. It emphasizes that such alignment avoids carbon lock-in, supports just transitions, and unlocks economic benefits, including a potential US$26 trillion in global benefits by 2030. The paper provides guidance on NDC implementation, the process for updating pledges by 2020, and the necessity of G20 support for developing countries to overcome capacity and financing gaps.
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Document type: Research paper
Nuclear Energy Developments, Climate Change, and Security in Egypt
Egypt is advancing its nuclear energy sector, primarily through the El Dabaa plant project with Russian support, to meet growing electricity demands and reduce fossil fuel dependence. However, this expansion occurs against a backdrop of domestic political consolidation, regional instability in Libya and Sudan, and severe climate risks. The Nile Delta is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, which could threaten coastal nuclear infrastructure and destabilize the economy. The report urges the U.S. to renew its leadership in nuclear nonproliferation and encourages Egypt to integrate comprehensive climate security assessments into its nuclear planning.
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Document type: Report
2019 ARCTIC COUNCIL CONSERVATION SCORECARD OVERVIEW
The 2019 Arctic Council Conservation Scorecard finds that Arctic states are generally failing in their roles as stewards of the region, particularly regarding the regulation of marine shipping and the recognition of Indigenous peoples as full partners. While states performed well in ecosystem-based management and environmental impact assessments, they showed slow progress in safeguarding biodiversity and protecting conservation areas against climate change risks. The report specifically highlights a lack of governance in shipping and warns that new oil and gas developments are inconsistent with the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree warming target.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Renewables in the Energy Security Landscape in Poland and Ukraine
The author argues that Poland and Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas and oil creates significant security vulnerabilities, which Russia exploits for political pressure. While Poland is investing in infrastructure like the Świnoujście LNG terminal and Baltic Pipe to end gas imports by 2022, Ukraine remains more vulnerable due to limited financial and regulatory capacity. The document posits that long-term resilience against 'hybrid war' requires a shift from centralized energy systems to distributed networks based on renewables and improved energy efficiency, particularly in the housing sector.
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Document type: Research paper
The race to the bottom: we need fundamental change
The author describes a series of visits to mining and development sites in South Africa and Kenya, highlighting environmental destruction and human rights violations. The text criticizes the South African government's support for the mining industry and the New Development Bank's funding of coal-fired power plants, while warning against the dangers of geoengineering funded by carbon emitters.
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Document type: Statement
Global Health Impacts of Climate Change
The document details how climate change acts as a major global health threat through direct effects like extreme heat and storms, and indirect effects mediated by natural systems (air pollution, vector-borne diseases) and human systems (poverty, migration, conflict). It highlights that vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those in low-income regions, are disproportionately affected.
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Document type: Report
Turning the tide: 50 years of collaboration for whale and dolphin conservation
The report documents WWF's half-century of cetacean conservation, emphasizing the transition from lethal research to non-invasive methods and the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration. Key achievements include the 1986 commercial whaling moratorium, the creation of the Ross Sea Marine Sanctuary, and the re-routing of shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy. However, the report also highlights the critical failure to save the vaquita porpoise due to illegal gillnet fishing. It concludes by introducing the WWF Cetacean Global Initiative, focusing on bycatch, shipping, and critical habitat protection.
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Document type: Report
Boom and Bust 2019
The report finds that most indicators of global coal power growth declined in 2018, with significant drops in new construction starts and permits in China and India. While global retirements reached near-record levels, led by the US, China remains a major exception by resuming construction on previously shelved plants and proposing a high coal power cap for 2030. The document argues that current operating coal plants already exceed the limits necessary to meet IPCC global warming targets of 1.5°C or 2°C.
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Document type: Report