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Six things the UK should consider when integrating greenhouse gas removals into its emissions trading scheme
The Clean Air Task Force supports integrating greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) into the UK ETS but argues that this must be phased in gradually to avoid market volatility and price drops. The organization emphasizes that emissions reductions must remain the priority and suggests maintaining the gross emissions cap to preserve the system's integrity. To ensure long-term deployment of durable GGRs, the document recommends complementary policies such as carbon contracts for difference (CCfD) or carbon takeback obligations (CTBO), as the ETS alone may not sufficiently drive innovation. Additionally, it calls for a separate UK GGR certification scheme and strengthened permanence frameworks to manage variable durability GGRs, including limits on their use that decline over time.
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Document type: Statement
Latest trends in climate litigation against fossil fuel companies
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.
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Document type: Briefing
Voces silenciadas: la violencia contra las personas defensoras de la tierra y el medioambiente
In 2023, Global Witness documented 196 murders of land and environmental defenders, contributing to a total of 2,106 since 2012. Latin America remains the most dangerous region, accounting for 85% of 2023 cases, with Colombia recording the highest number of killings (79). The report highlights a systemic pattern of violence including forced disappearances in Mexico and judicial harassment in Asia. Mining is identified as the primary industrial driver of these killings. The document argues that indigenous peoples, who protect 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity, are disproportionately targeted. It calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and greater inclusion of indigenous knowledge in global climate negotiations.
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Document type: Report
Open consultation on Integrating Greenhouse Gas Removals in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme
Carbon Market Watch strongly opposes integrating greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) into the UK ETS, asserting that emissions and removals are not equivalent and that such a move would cause mitigation deterrence. The organization argues that GGRs are a weaker form of mitigation and that their inclusion could lead to an overreliance on cheap, unsustainable options. If integration were to occur, they insist on maintaining the gross cap, issuing allowances ex-post, and implementing a strict permanence framework. They specifically oppose the inclusion of woodland units due to their lack of permanence and the 'carbon debt' they create. Instead, they recommend 'indirect inclusion' where ETS revenues fund GGR projects, or the creation of a separate Removals Trading Scheme.
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Document type: Statement
Valuing Natural Capital
The policy brief highlights the economic importance of natural capital, noting that nature's services are valued at over 1.5 times global GDP. It emphasizes that Africa, despite possessing vast resources, is the only region where natural capital per capita declined between 1995 and 2018. The authors recommend that South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency should build consensus on a definition of natural capital, address data gaps through the G20 Data Gaps Initiative, and implement a bioeconomy hub to translate the Brazilian Bioeconomy Initiative into practical investment and growth.
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Document type: Policy brief
Geoeconomics of Decarbonization: Climate-Resilient Developmental Regionalism and the AfCFTA
The document analyzes the global race to secure critical minerals, detailing the subsidy-driven strategies of the US, EU, UK, and Canada, and the dominant market position of China in battery production. It argues that African nations can leverage their mineral wealth to drive sustainable structural transformation by adopting a 'climate-resilient developmental regionalism' framework under the AfCFTA, which integrates climate adaptation and mitigation with regional industrialization.
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Document type: Policy brief
Cost of Capital Commission: A Proposal
The policy brief argues that African countries face a crisis of 'debt that is too expensive' rather than too much debt, which hinders human development and the energy transition. It proposes a Cost of Capital Commission composed of high-level experts to recommend reforms to credit rating agency methodologies, Basel III macro-prudential regulations, and the integration of natural capital and remittances into debt sustainability analyses.
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Document type: Policy brief
A Sustainable Path for Methane Mitigation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector
The report highlights the critical role of methane mitigation in Nigeria's oil and gas sector, noting that methane has over 80 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over 20 years. It details Nigeria's commitment to the Global Methane Pledge and its specific target to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by 61% in its updated NDC. The document identifies key tools like the Nigerian Gas Flare Tracker and the prototype Satellite-based Methane Emission Tracker as essential for measurement and verification. However, it warns that inadequate curbing of gas flaring and new EU regulations on fossil fuel imports by 2030 pose significant risks to Nigeria's LNG exports and economic stability. The authors advocate for enhanced leak detection and repair (LDAR) technologies, robust regulatory enforcement, and international collaboration to meet the national goal of ending gas flaring by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Strengthening the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable
The policy brief argues that the G20's Common Framework for Debt Treatments (CF) is operationally deficient, leading to protracted restructuring processes for low-income countries. It recommends that the South African G20 presidency prioritize the suspension of debt service payments upon CF requests, the expansion of climate-resilient debt clauses (CRDCs) to all low- and middle-income countries, and the creation of G20 working groups to explore market-based solutions—such as a modern 'Brady Plan'—and statutory reforms to ensure private sector participation in debt workouts.
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Document type: Policy brief
NET ZERO STOCKTAKE 2024
The Net Zero Stocktake 2024 reveals a consolidation of net zero targets across countries, cities, and companies, but highlights a critical gap in integrity. While national targets now cover 87% of global GHG emissions, fewer than 5% of non-state entities meet all minimum procedural and substantive integrity criteria. The report emphasizes that national targets often act as a 'ceiling' for subnational ambition, though some regions in countries like Australia and Japan have historically pushed national goals forward. It also notes that members of the Race to Zero campaign generally outperform non-members on integrity measures, although absolute performance remains low.
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Document type: Report
LEGAL MEMORANDUM concerning DIRECTOR DUTIES AND LIABILIT Y FOR CLIMATE RISK UNDER SOUTH AFRICAN LAW
The memorandum argues that while South African law does not yet have a specific statute requiring directors to prepare for climate change, existing fiduciary duties, the duty of care and diligence, and emerging legislation like the Climate Change Act 22 of 2024 create a legal basis for accountability. It highlights that South African courts are increasingly relying on non-binding governance standards, such as the King IV Report, and international obligations to interpret directors' duties. The document outlines several avenues for liability, including derivative actions under section 165 of the Companies Act, piercing the corporate veil under section 20(9), and criminal liability under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). It concludes that directors should proactively manage climate risk to avoid potential litigation as legal frameworks evolve.
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Document type: Research paper
THE TREATMENT OF PHYSICAL CLIMATE RISKS BY CENTRAL BANKS
The report examines how central banks in various jurisdictions integrate physical climate risks into banking supervision, highlighting a common shift toward enhancing regulated entities' capabilities rather than immediately adjusting capital requirements. Through case studies of six central banks, it identifies systemic challenges in data availability and technical capacity, advocating for a phased approach to policy implementation. It concludes with a stylised roadmap for the Reserve Bank of India to move from awareness-raising to mainstreaming climate risk assessment in supervisory processes.
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Document type: Report
ASSESSING CLIMATE TRANSITION RISKS USING SCENARIO ANALYSIS AND STRESS TESTING
The document evaluates the suitability of NGFS, IEA, and NITI Aayog scenarios for the Indian context, highlighting that global models often underestimate India's specific macroeconomic risks. It details transmission channels from macro-variables to micro-level financial risks and analyzes case studies from the ECB, Bank of England, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Central Bank of Colombia. The authors propose a phased roadmap for the Reserve Bank of India, moving from preliminary top-down exercises to the development of in-house macroeconomic models and comprehensive bottom-up stress tests over a long-term horizon.
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Document type: Research paper
Common Fisheries Policy – evaluation
ClientEarth asserts that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a sound framework but suffers from systemic failures in implementation and enforcement. The organization argues that the EU has missed the 2020 deadline to end overfishing in all European sea basins and calls for the strict application of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), the landing obligation, and the integration of environmental legislation. Key recommendations include the deployment of remote electronic monitoring (REM) to combat illegal discards, the use of transparent social and environmental criteria for quota allocation, and the redirection of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) away from harmful subsidies toward small-scale, low-impact fisheries.
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Document type: Statement
Shipping Forecasts: September 2024
Carbon Market Watch (CMW) evaluated four market-based measure (MBM) proposals for the IMO's GHG strategy. The 'Pacifics' proposal (Belize et al.) was ranked highest (82/100) due to its high levy of $150/tCO2e and strong support for climate-vulnerable nations. The EU/Japan proposal scored 62/100, while the Bahamas et al. and Canada proposals both received a 'C' grade (49/100 and 46/100 respectively) for lacking specificity in funding and contribution levels. A proposal by Angola et al. was excluded from the scoring as it was deemed a technical fuel standard rather than a market-based economic measure.
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Document type: Policy brief
A Biomanufacturing Plan to Confront Future Biological Threats
The report advocates for a 'system of systems' approach to biomanufacturing in the US, integrating pathogen early warning, regulatory agility, and public-private partnerships to rapidly produce medical countermeasures (MCMs). It identifies critical gaps in supply chain resilience, workforce development, and business models, specifically noting a dangerous dependency on foreign sources like the People's Republic of China. The authors recommend that the US government de-risk private sector investment through sustained demand signals, establish 'pivot' contracts similar to the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, and create an interagency working group to coordinate biomanufacturing efforts across federal departments.
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Document type: Report
Global Dialogue on Border Carbon Adjustments
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.
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Document type: Report
Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanisms and Impacts on Vietnam
The report examines how the EU's CBAM and potential future BCAs from other nations affect Vietnam's export-oriented economy, focusing on the iron, steel, aluminum, cement, and fertilizer sectors. It highlights the administrative and financial burdens on Vietnamese enterprises, particularly SMEs, and argues for the development of a domestic carbon pricing mechanism to retain revenues and improve competitiveness. The document also emphasizes the need for technical assistance and the application of the 'common but differentiated responsibilities' principle to ensure fairness for developing nations.
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Document type: Report
TARGETING NET ZERO
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.
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Document type: Report
Closing the emissions gap: addressing consumption at a systemic level
The document argues that Oregon cannot achieve climate-safe emission levels through individual behavioral changes or technological solutions alone. It highlights a significant 'emissions gap' where consumption-based emissions grew over 20% in 16 years, despite stabilizing in-state production emissions. The authors advocate for a shift from growth-centric neoclassical economics toward paradigms like the well-being economy, degrowth, and doughnut economics. Proposed structural interventions for Oregon include redesigning economic measurements beyond GDP, investing in the care economy, implementing carbon pricing, and adopting smart growth urban policies to ensure a just and equitable transition.
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Document type: Research paper