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The 2021 report on the state of urban climate finance reveals a significant gap between current investments and the trillions of dollars needed for urban climate action. While global urban climate funding averaged 384 billion USD per year in 2017/2018, these flows are heavily concentrated in OECD countries and China, leaving rapidly urbanizing areas in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia severely underfunded. The report emphasizes that mitigation efforts, particularly in transport and buildings, dominate current spending, while adaptation and resilience receive less than 10% of funding. To bridge this gap, the document outlines 'enabling conditions' across national, city, and climate-specific levels, urging a systemic approach to align planning, budgeting, and policy to attract both public and private investment.

The report finds that while urban climate finance averaged 384 billion USD annually in 2017/18, this is far below the estimated annual need of 4.5 to 5.4 trillion USD. Funding is heavily concentrated in OECD countries and China, with severe deficits in developing regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and a critical lack of investment in adaptation and resilience, which accounts for less than 10% of tracked project data. The document argues that cities must act as both 'providers' of green infrastructure and 'guardians' of regulatory standards to attract private and public capital, requiring stronger alignment between municipal and national climate policies.

Andrew Steer reflects on his nine-year tenure as leader of the World Resources Institute (WRI), outlining the organizational strategies and lessons learned to effectively drive global environmental and climate change.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that the Department of Energy (DOE) under the Trump administration suppressed, delayed, or sidelined at least 46 clean energy studies from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and seven national labs. This was achieved through a two-tiered review system implemented in May 2018 by Daniel Simmons and Alex Fitzsimmons, which required political sign-off for 'Tier 1' research on politically sensitive topics, such as comparisons between fossil fuels and renewables. The report notes that this system led to at least 25 reports being delayed by over six months, a significant increase compared to the previous 16 years under the Bush and Obama administrations. The document asserts these actions violated the DOE's scientific integrity policy, which prohibits the suppression or alteration of scientific findings.

GreenLatinos condemns the January 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill as an act of domestic terrorism and white nationalism instigated by the U.S. President. The organization highlights the disparity between the law enforcement response to this event compared to racial justice protests and calls for the immediate removal of Donald Trump via impeachment or the 25th Amendment.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that Donald Trump's incitement led to the attack on the US Congress and calls for his immediate removal via impeachment or the 25th Amendment. The statement also highlights a racist double standard in policing and calls for investigations into other federal and state officials who undermined the 2020 election process.

The report examines the role of the advertising and PR industry in supporting fossil fuel companies, arguing that these agencies facilitate greenwashing and disinformation. It highlights a growing movement of professionals rejecting such work and documents the contradiction between the sustainability pledges of major agency holding companies and their continued representation of high-polluting clients. The document provides a list of 90 agencies working for the fossil fuel industry and presents case studies of misleading campaigns in Australia, the United States, and Europe.

GreenLatinos supports the nomination of Representative Debra Haaland for Secretary of the Interior, noting that her confirmation would make her the first Indigenous person to lead a Cabinet-level Department. The organization argues that her leadership is a vital step in ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and traditionally overlooked communities, including Latinos, are prioritized in conservation efforts.

The document argues that the USDA's scientific integrity and research capacity were damaged between 2017 and 2020 through political suppression of research and the relocation of key agencies. It proposes a roadmap for recovery, including returning leadership to Washington, DC, implementing a suppressed climate resilience plan, and strengthening protections for scientists' communication with the public.

The report refutes the claim that fossil gas alternatives (FGAs) can decarbonize buildings, asserting that their limited supply and high costs make them an inefficient choice compared to electrification. It highlights that FGAs can only replace a small fraction of gas demand and may exacerbate pollution and health risks. The document further alleges that the gas industry uses FGAs as a rhetorical tool and employs 'front groups' to stall the transition to all-electric buildings to protect its financial interests.

CIEL announced the temporary closure of its Washington, DC, and Geneva offices and the suspension of in-person meetings and travel due to COVID-19. Despite these operational changes, the organization committed to holding corporations and governments accountable for environmental destruction, protecting human rights in pandemic responses, ensuring future solutions avoid past problems, and maintaining the inclusion of marginalized communities in virtual spaces.

CEO Glenn Hurowitz asserts that destructive practices like forest clearing by agribusiness and the illegal wildlife trade increase human contact with wild animals, fueling pandemics. He advocates for increased conservation funding and the removal of deforestation links in food supply chains. Additionally, he criticizes the US Senate stimulus package for providing approximately $50 billion in airline bailouts without requiring carbon neutrality, arguing that crisis funding should not subsidize polluters or lock in destructive business models.

An activist describes their arrest during a protest at the Supreme Court to oppose the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). The author argues that the pipeline would disproportionately harm African American, Indigenous, and low-income communities, generate 67 million metric tons of global warming pollution annually, and lock the region into 30 years of fracked gas use.

The document outlines a variety of U.S. federal programs—spanning the EPA, FEMA, HUD, NOAA, USDA, and USFWS—that provide grants, loans, and technical support for nature-based solutions. These projects, such as wetland restoration, green roofs, and urban forestry, are designed to reduce climate-related hazards like flooding and heat waves while providing carbon sequestration and economic co-benefits. The fact sheet details the eligibility and specific applications of these resources, illustrating their use through examples in cities and states across the U.S.

The document outlines federal resources for nature-based solutions (NbS), which include green and natural infrastructure designed to increase resilience to climate impacts like flooding and extreme heat. It details specific programs from agencies such as the EPA, FEMA, HUD, NOAA, USDA, and USFWS, highlighting their eligibility criteria and providing real-world examples of projects, such as wetland restoration in California and urban forestry in Oregon. The text emphasizes that NbS can be more cost-effective than traditional engineered projects and provide co-benefits like carbon sequestration and improved water quality.

The report analyzes the climate impact of transportation network companies (TNCs) in seven major U.S. cities. It finds that non-pooled ride-hailing trips emit 47% more than private vehicle trips of the same length, largely due to 'deadheading' (driving without passengers). When accounting for the modes of transport that ride-hailing displaces—including mass transit, walking, and biking—typical ride-hailing trips are approximately 69% more polluting than the trips they replace. The analysis suggests that a transition to electric vehicles and an increase in pooling rates to 50% could reduce these emissions by 52% relative to displaced trips.

The report argues that Cerberus Capital Management has destabilized Albertsons-Safeway through highly leveraged acquisitions and asset stripping, while extracting significant fees and dividends for itself. It highlights a specific conflict where the company is refusing to honor pension commitments for employees in the Washington, DC and Baltimore areas, framing this as part of a broader pattern of private equity firms prioritizing investor profits over worker security.

The World Resources Institute expresses opposition to the Trump Administration's revocation of California's tailpipe waiver, noting that tailpipe pollution is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and that the move affects California and 13 other states.

A coalition of 77 public interest groups is urging the EPA to extend the public comment period for the Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) proposal to 120 days and to hold a public hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The groups argue that the complexity of the rules and the severe local impacts of coal ash waste piles and fill projects in Puerto Rico necessitate greater public accessibility and time for expert review. They highlight that 91 percent of coal plants reporting groundwater data under the 2015 CCR Rule have contaminated groundwater exceeding federal health standards.

The Clean Air Task Force criticizes the EPA's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule for repealing the Clean Power Plan (CPP) and replacing it with a system focused on minor heat rate improvements for coal plants. The author contends that this approach ignores the existing trend of shifting toward cleaner energy sources and will lead to increased CO2 emissions and public health risks, including premature deaths. The document asserts that the ACE rule fails to employ the "best system of emission reduction" required by the Clean Air Act and announces plans to challenge the rule in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.