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The policy brief examines the systemic failure of global financial systems to value nature, noting that nature-related risks worth $5 trillion are not priced into investment decisions. It advocates for a multi-pronged approach to bridge the nature finance gap, including meeting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) targets of $20 billion annually by 2025 and $200 billion by 2030. The author argues that while carbon markets are a necessary short-term tool, they are flawed for long-term nature finance due to issues with permanence and additionality. Instead, the brief promotes the scaling of the $4 trillion global bioeconomy, the use of debt-for-nature swaps, and the implementation of payments for ecosystem services (PES), such as levies on digital sequence information and Brazil's Tropical Forests Forever Facility. It emphasizes that these transitions must be led by global south governments and indigenous peoples to ensure equitable governance and avoid 'sub-prime' transactions.

The document uses EnergyScope modeling to evaluate how four Latin American countries can align with COP 28 global energy targets. It concludes that a literal tripling of capacity is not necessary for all countries to meet projected demand and that combining renewable expansion with doubled energy efficiency can reduce the required installed capacity.

The report examines the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), highlighting a systemic failure in labor protections despite the park's role as a center for nickel downstreaming. It details non-transparent recruitment, unstable employment contracts, and inadequate safety measures that contribute to frequent workplace accidents. The document also analyzes the dominance of Chinese investment via the Belt and Road Initiative and the resulting socio-economic disparities in the Morowali region.

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 guide argues that businesses can avoid political polarization by framing climate action as a 'material' business necessity rather than a 'moral' obligation. Based on research with nearly 15,000 respondents, it finds that while moral messaging can increase favorability, it also increases unfavorability among skeptics. In contrast, framing climate action through risk management, clean energy opportunity, and the concept of 'responsible business' drives favorability without triggering backlash. The document specifically recommends replacing jargon like 'ESG' with 'responsible business' and 'climate change risk' with 'climate risk' to improve resonance with diverse audiences, including U.S. Republicans.

The We Mean Business Coalition argues that for NDCs to be 'investible', they must move beyond ambitious targets to include concrete implementation policies. The document proposes a three-pillar approach: setting ambitious economy-wide and sector-specific targets, developing consistent national and international policy frameworks, and establishing transparent dialogue between governments and businesses. It highlights that while renewable energy and electric vehicle adoption are accelerating, sectors like heavy industry and aviation require more targeted government intervention to overcome investment barriers. The report provides illustrative examples of successful policy-driven investments in India, Brazil, Sweden, the EU, and the US.

The We Mean Business Coalition urges governments to align NDCs with a 1.5°C pathway and the Global Stocktake outcomes to provide the policy stability necessary for business investment. The call to action focuses on three pillars: setting ambitious economy-wide and sector-specific targets, developing consistent national and sectoral policy frameworks, and establishing inclusive dialogues with the private sector to co-create implementation solutions.

Three companies—GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Mitsubishi Power—control two-thirds of the global market for gas turbines in power plants currently under construction. While these firms are expanding through regional partnerships and promoting 'hydrogen-ready' technology, the report argues they face significant geopolitical and financial risks due to the rapid growth of renewables and the potential for gas power overcapacity.

The document examines debt-for-nature swaps, where foreign currency debt is cancelled in exchange for local currency investment in environmental projects. While popular in Latin America and the Caribbean, the tool is described as having a very small market impact, offsetting only 0.11% of debt payments for low- and middle-income countries between 1987 and 2023. The IMF suggests that conditional grants or comprehensive debt restructuring are often more effective depending on debt sustainability. Case studies from Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador highlight risks including loss of national sovereignty, negative real interest rates, and the exclusion of Indigenous communities.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) employs multimedia campaigns, including animations, branded films, and short videos, to inform the public on how the climate crisis impacts health and wellbeing. Key projects include 'The Well-Oiled Plan' animation targeting the fossil fuel industry, the 'Climate and Us' film series which reached over 2.6 million views on BBC.com, and the '#ClimatePrescription' video featuring 25 global health workers. The GCHA also produces targeted content on methane emissions and utilizes TED talks by its leadership to advocate for rapid climate action as a health solution.

The report categorizes hydrogen applications into 'high-value' (primarily chemical feedstocks) and 'low-value' (primarily energy provision), arguing that the latter are often outcompeted by direct electrification. It warns that without strict guardrails on production, electrolytic hydrogen could increase net greenhouse gas emissions. The author recommends focusing infrastructure on tight industrial clusters and utilizing demand-side policies like advance market commitments and contracts for difference to scale high-value uses while minimizing risks in low-value sectors.

The 'Big Five' agricultural commodity traders—ADM, Bunge, Cargill, COFCO, and LDC—dominate the global trade of staples like grains and oilseeds, controlling 70-90% of the commercial grain market. The author contends that these companies used the 2021-2022 food price spikes, driven partly by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to dramatically increase net profit margins, with profits in 2022 being 200-300% higher than the 2016-2020 average. This dominance is maintained through strategies of market consolidation (M&As), vertical integration across the value chain, and interconnectedness via joint ventures. The document criticizes EU competition regulators for a narrow focus on immediate consumer prices, which has led to the approval of nearly all M&A cases involving the Big Five, including the recent 34-billion-dollar Bunge-Viterra deal. The author concludes that while stronger anti-trust enforcement is necessary, a systemic shift toward degrowth and decolonization is required to dismantle the incentives for such concentration.

The briefing outlines a UN report by Special Rapporteur Elisa Morgera emphasizing that access to quality, evidence-based information is a fundamental human right essential for climate decision-making. It identifies the threats posed by misinformation and disinformation—specifically regarding 'false or misleading solutions' like natural gas and certain types of hydrogen—and calls for proactive transparency from states and businesses. The document also highlights the contradictory role of digital platforms, which facilitate information sharing but often prioritize profit-driven engagement over information integrity.

The Sahel region is experiencing a major geopolitical shift as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and severed ties with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This move reflects deep-seated anti-French and anti-EU sentiment, driven by perceptions of neo-colonialism and a focus on security and migration over socio-economic development. As the EU's influence wanes, Russia has expanded its presence through military cooperation and strategic economic interests, including potential control over Niger's uranium. The author argues that the EU and ECOWAS must move away from punitive sanctions and colonial-era approaches toward equal partnerships and dialogue to maintain stability and influence in the region.

The document explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and Earth observation technologies can enhance the mapping, monitoring, and stewardship of forests to combat climate change and support Sustainable Development Goals. While these tools offer potential for more efficient forest management, the author warns that their increased use could introduce new risks that might make sustainability efforts counterproductive. The article focuses on identifying these risks and opportunities, as well as proposing governance mechanisms to ensure the design of sustainable, forest-focused AI.

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) advocates for a 'Just and Equitable Energy Transition' to achieve universal energy access by 2030 and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The organization focuses on scaling renewable energy, energy efficiency, and storage, specifically targeting decentralized solutions and clean cooking to combat energy poverty. SEforALL emphasizes the need for low-cost finance to overcome high capital costs in the Global South, particularly in Africa. Its operational approach includes results-based financing via the Universal Energy Facility, support for carbon markets, and a manufacturing initiative for green jobs in Africa and Southeast Asia. The organization maintains a strict policy against accepting funding from fossil fuel companies or projects that promote fossil fuels over sustainable alternatives, while acknowledging nuclear energy as a low-emission source.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) asserts that synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a critical component for aviation decarbonization and qualifies for section 45Z credits. CATF analysis suggests that by mid-century, global aviation energy demand could be double the projected biofuel supply, with synthetic SAF potentially meeting up to 56% of aviation demand in some scenarios. The document argues that synthetic SAF fits the section 45Z definitions of both "transportation fuel" and "sustainable aviation fuel" because it is suitable for aircraft, meets carbon intensity requirements, does not involve the prohibited co-processing of applicable materials with non-biomass feedstocks, and adheres to ASTM International standards without being derived from petroleum or palm fatty acid distillates.

The policy brief advocates for the issuance of $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) via the G20 to provide liquidity to developing nations without increasing debt. It highlights the role of SDRs in funding climate adaptation and social protection, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The author calls for the IMF to reform SDR accounting—treating them as equity rather than liabilities—to unlock fiscal space and encourage donations from wealthy nations to the Global South.

The policy brief advocates for progressive wealth taxation—specifically financial transaction taxes, net wealth taxes, property taxes, and resource rent taxes—as a means to reduce global inequality and fund Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights the failure of regressive tax structures in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and calls for G20 leadership and UN-led international cooperation to implement these measures.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) operates through a complex system of carbon credits, derivatives, and intermediaries. While intended to fund emissions reductions, the market is characterized by a lack of financial transparency and a tendency to prioritize cheap credits over impactful ones. Credits can be traded multiple times on a secondary market, where financial gains accrue to intermediaries rather than project developers. Trading occurs via spot markets for immediate delivery or through futures, forwards, and options for future settlement. Debt instruments, such as bonds, also provide upfront project financing. Data from 2023 indicates that industrial projects typically attract larger retirement volumes compared to projects with co-benefits like clean cookstoves.