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The document provides an overview of three types of carbon markets: compliance-based, voluntary, and multilateral-based (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement). It highlights the growth of government-led markets, which generated $104 billion in 2023, while noting the severe integrity crisis and subsequent investment decline in voluntary carbon markets. The author discusses how countries manage competitiveness through tools like free allowances and output-based pricing, and details the emerging landscape of Article 6 bilateral agreements. For developing countries, the report identifies a tension between the need for climate finance and the risks of 'greenwashing' and fiscal instability.

The document examines the unique vulnerabilities of older people to climate change, noting that by 2050 up to 250 million older adults may face dangerously high temperatures. It highlights a lack of binding international agreements to safeguard their rights and references a 2024 European Court of Human Rights ruling regarding the Swiss Parliament's failure to protect older women. The paper concludes that older adults are a vital resource for climate action due to their economic power and local environmental knowledge.

The document advocates for a progressive tax agenda to address extreme poverty and wealth concentration, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes several instruments: Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs) to curb speculation and raise billions annually; net wealth taxes to target the super-rich; property taxes to leverage immobile assets; and Resource Rent Taxes (RTT) for the extractives sector. Using South Africa as a case study, the brief demonstrates that a combination of these taxes could generate substantial revenue to fund social protection, healthcare, and a Universal Basic Income Guarantee, potentially increasing GDP growth.

The document identifies a rapid increase in climate lawsuits against major fossil fuel producers, noting that annual filings nearly tripled since 2015. It categorizes these cases into primary types—most notably compensation for climate damages, misleading advertising, and emissions reductions—and highlights emerging trends such as criminal liability claims and challenges to project permitting. The analysis emphasizes the role of attribution science in quantifying corporate liability and the potential for landmark rulings, such as the one against Shell in the Netherlands, to set global precedents.

In a speech delivered on 4 July 2024, WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam outlines the evolving relationship between the WTO and environmental protection. He notes a paradigm shift where climate change is now actively disrupting trade, citing examples like the Panama Canal drought. While the WTO has made progress through the 2022 Ministerial Declaration and the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, Paugam warns that uncoordinated national actions—such as the nearly 70 carbon tax schemes in development and varying green steel standards—risk fragmenting world trade. He advocates for a "reglobalization" approach that combines green industrialization with trade cooperation, suggesting the WTO may need to adopt new rule-making models, including plurilateral commitments or non-binding frameworks similar to the Paris Agreement, to remain relevant.

The report examines border carbon adjustments (BCAs) as a tool to prevent carbon leakage, synthesizing views from stakeholders in five countries. It analyzes the risks of carbon leakage—specifically in Canada's heavy industry—and evaluates the design of the EU and UK CBAMs. Key discussions include the challenges of product-level emissions measurement, the need for revenue to support decarbonization in developing nations, and the potential for domestic carbon pricing as a strategic response to foreign BCAs.

Reclaim Finance analyzes 243 sectoral targets from 30 global banks, concluding that most are ineffective due to flawed methodologies, partial coverage, and a lack of transparency. The report specifically criticizes the use of PCAF attribution factors, which can make emissions appear to drop even if real-world emissions remain flat. It recommends shifting toward targets based on financing volumes for fossil fuels, absolute sectoral portfolio emissions, and physical intensity for industrial sectors to drive genuine decarbonization.

The Union of Concerned Scientists interviewed 19 legal experts to identify critical research gaps in climate litigation. The report categorizes these into three priority areas—attribution science, human health, and economic modeling—and five strategic areas, including greenwashing and emissions accounting. A central cross-cutting theme is the need for research on losses and damages. The authors emphasize that while IPCC reports provide a foundation, litigation requires more granular, geographically specific data and better communication between scientists and legal teams to overcome barriers such as differing timelines and data gaps in the Global South.

The report finds that while CETP signatories have significantly reduced international public finance for fossil fuels, they have failed to scale up clean energy investment at a comparable rate.

The author contends that the multiplicity of mediation processes for the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has enabled 'forum-shopping' by the antagonists. Despite various efforts by the UN, AU, and regional bodies, the lack of coordination undermines mediator leverage. The document highlights a dire humanitarian situation with 25 million people facing acute hunger and recommends that the African Union integrate these fragmented initiatives into a single, coordinated process with a clear division of labour.

The report documents the negative impacts and risks associated with various geoengineering 'false solutions,' including carbon capture and storage (CCS), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), direct air capture (DAC), solar radiation management (SRM), and marine geoengineering. It provides specific examples of project failures, environmental hazards, and social injustices across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America, asserting that these technologies often perpetuate the fossil fuel economy rather than solving the climate crisis.

The report finds that while international public finance for fossil fuels from CETP signatories has decreased significantly, there has not been a corresponding increase in clean energy finance. Many signatories lack quantitative targets or comprehensive policies to prioritize clean energy, and some high-income countries continue to violate the pledge by financing fossil fuel projects.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a regulatory tool designed to prevent 'carbon leakage' by applying a carbon price to specific imported goods, matching the price paid by EU producers under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The mechanism covers cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity, and hydrogen. It involves a transitional monitoring period starting in October 2023, followed by a definitive phase-in in 2026. Importers must purchase and surrender non-tradeable certificates based on the embedded emissions of their goods. The document highlights the necessity of phasing out free ETS allowances to ensure the CBAM's effectiveness and discusses the potential for reinvesting CBAM revenues into climate mitigation in developing economies.

The text discusses Brazil's leadership in the G-20 to establish a Bioeconomy Initiative focused on science, technology, innovation, and sustainable biodiversity use. It emphasizes the need for 'High-Level Principles' to be included in the Rio Declaration to align member economies toward equity and sustainability. A critical barrier identified is the financing gap, with climate finance needs estimated at US$ 8.1 trillion annually from 2030, far exceeding the US$ 1.3 trillion average seen between 2021 and 2022. The authors call for a transition where nature-rich countries, particularly in the Global South, can generate wealth through biodiversity-based development models.

The document examines the role of First Nations' Ceremony in shaping climate policy in British Columbia, highlighting the disconnect between colonial policy frameworks and Indigenous worldviews. It argues that Ceremony is not merely symbolic but a pragmatic governance tool that fosters interconnectedness and responsibility toward the Land. The authors critique historical and current Canadian policies for marginalizing Indigenous rights and recommend a paradigm shift that centres the well-being of the Land, implements UNDRIP, and integrates Ceremony into co-development processes between governments and First Nations.

The report finds that most voluntary carbon market standards have inadequate or non-existent grievance mechanisms, leaving local communities vulnerable. While Gold Standard and the Green Climate Fund's Independent Redress Mechanism are identified as best practices, others like the Global Carbon Council lack any mechanism, and standards such as Verra, CAR, ACR, and ART suffer from shortcomings in accessibility, transparency, and independence.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey of 412 researchers across 66 countries reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% expecting it to deteriorate. Experts identify the availability of accurate information and diversity of opinion as the most critical features of a healthy information environment. Social media platform owners and governments are viewed as the most severe threats. While generative AI is seen as a tool for both hope and concern, 63% of experts fear its potential to amplify disinformation and harassment. The report advocates for supporting free and independent media and improving data access for researchers to build resilience.

The author warns that a rightward political shift in the EU and UK could lead to the rollback of climate regulations and the weakening of the European Green Deal. While EU citizens express high levels of concern for climate change, competing priorities like security and healthcare may lead them to vote for parties hostile to green policies. The text urges activists to combat political apathy and maintain climate action on the political agenda even if climate-skeptical forces gain power.

Analysis of draft NECPs indicates that while EU member states have significantly increased wind and solar targets since 2019, the current trajectory falls short of REPowerEU goals. Renewables are projected to generate 66% of EU electricity by 2030, missing the 72% target. The report highlights a lack of data transparency in the drafts, particularly regarding power system flexibility and post-2030 decarbonisation pathways.

The document examines the three mechanisms of Article 6 (A6.2, A6.4, and A6.8) of the Paris Agreement, highlighting the tension between rapid operationalisation and the need for high-integrity standards to prevent greenwashing and human rights abuses. It details the specific sticking points for COP29, including transparency in bilateral trading (A6.2), the role of the Supervisory Body in the global market (A6.4), and the potential for non-market approaches (A6.8) to provide alternative climate finance. The briefing also analyzes the influence of these UN rules on the voluntary carbon market (VCM) and the controversies surrounding REDD+ credits and land-use offsets.