Search Climate Insights Directory

The Global Forum for Digital Justice argues that the 'Broligarchy'—a combination of Silicon Valley companies and US government leadership—threatens the rules-based international system, human rights, and ecological justice. The statement claims that digital spaces have shifted from tools of creativity to instruments of surveillance and violence, driven by corporate profit and US foreign policy. It highlights that 2.5 billion people remain digitally excluded, exacerbating global inequalities. The coalition demands a transition to digital infrastructures as 'commons' and calls for a new global digital constitutionalism, policies to restrict corporate monopolies, and worldwide civic action to protect the planet and empower people.

The document outlines the cyclical relationship between climate change and wildfires, highlighting how rising temperatures and droughts increase fire frequency while the resulting emissions accelerate global warming. It focuses on the US-Mexico border region—specifically Southern California, Arizona, and Northern Baja California—where smoke stagnation and limited healthcare access disproportionately affect migrants, outdoor workers, and marginalized urban populations in cities like Tijuana, Nogales, and El Paso. The guide suggests journalistic angles for investigating cross-border firefighting coordination between agencies like CAL FIRE and CONAFOR, the health impacts of smoke on vulnerable groups, and the effectiveness of local air quality monitoring tools.

The document outlines the global feedback loop between climate change and wildfires, while highlighting the specific vulnerabilities of border communities and migrants in the US-Mexico region. It provides a framework for reporting on transboundary air pollution, the health risks of smoke exposure for marginalized groups, and the role of cross-border fire management coordination.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the draft Baseline standard for Article 6.4 mechanism methodologies fails to quantitatively demonstrate alignment with the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goals. The organization criticizes the proposed 1% annual downward adjustment as insufficient to raise ambition over time and suggests adopting a 'Paris Goal Coefficient' to link baseline emissions directly to net-zero target dates. Additionally, it recommends that Best Available Technology (BAT) be revised at least every five years and that legally binding national or sub-national targets be incorporated into Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenarios regardless of the perceived sufficiency of implementation frameworks.

The document analyzes the compatibility between the IUCN Global Standard for NbS and the CBD Voluntary Guidelines, concluding that both are effective for scaling up nature-based solutions. It emphasizes the need for clarity on transferring global frameworks to local contexts and suggests that upcoming reviews of these standards should align with UNEA Resolution 5/5 to avoid duplication of effort.

Operation Overload is a high-volume Russian influence campaign that impersonates over 80 organisations, including media outlets and universities, to sow division in democratic nations. In early 2025, it targeted 10 countries—primarily Germany, France, and Ukraine—using AI-cloned voices and forged logos to spread narratives against Ukraine and destabilise domestic politics. While most content had limited organic reach, one video claiming USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine garnered over 4.2 million views. The operation relies on bot networks and commercial services to amplify its content and frequently tags research organisations to distract them with debunking requests.

The report evaluates the use of bio-based materials from agricultural and forestry residues as a mechanism for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in the building sector. Using BEAM life cycle assessment software, it estimates a cumulative global carbon removal capacity of 3.6 Gt CO2 by 2050, with an additional 16.5 Gt CO2 in avoided emissions. The analysis highlights that while non-timber biomass offers significant potential, the integration of mass timber could increase storage by fivefold. Implementation is hindered by challenges in carbon accounting, durability, and building code compliance, though emerging policies in the EU, Canada, and the US are beginning to incentivize biogenic carbon storage.

The AfCFTA's Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade (PWYT), released in February 2024, aims to promote the socio-economic development of women and youth by providing affirmative action in capacity building, market intelligence, and trade credit. However, the document identifies a significant gap in the protocol's ability to support informal micro-enterprises, which constitute a large portion of women-led trade in Africa. It recommends the implementation of a four-tiered system of cross-subsidisation based on enterprise size and scope, the creation of a continental Simplified Trade Regime (STR), and the transition from volatile official development assistance (ODA) to sustainable funding derived from common external tariffs or domestic sales taxes.

The document defines 'loss and damage' as climate change consequences that exceed human adaptation limits, categorizing them into economic losses (e.g., infrastructure damage) and non-economic losses (e.g., cultural loss). It details the evolution of UN negotiations, from the 1991 proposal by Vanuatu to the 2023 operationalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), which had pledges totaling $768.4 million as of April 2025. The text emphasizes that this funding is far below the estimated $580 billion needed by vulnerable countries by 2030 and argues for a 'mosaic of solutions' combining public, private, and innovative funding sources to support activities such as humanitarian aid, relocation, and livelihood restoration.

The document argues that traditional nationalistic industrial models must shift toward collaborative frameworks to avoid excluding developing nations from green value chains. It suggests strategies such as disaggregating energy-intensive production to regions with abundant renewables, moving from 'technology transfer' to 'sharing of know-how', and utilizing industrial clusters to reduce costs and aggregate demand. The paper emphasizes the role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in providing concessional capital and the potential for 'climate-smart' public-private partnerships, including philanthropic funding, to bridge financial gaps. It highlights the importance of regional trade frameworks and the need to recycle revenues from carbon border measures back into developing economies to catalyze green industrialisation.

The document examines the differing motivations for green industrialisation between African nations, which prioritise economic diversification and job creation, and high-income countries, which focus on decarbonisation and geopolitical competitiveness. It highlights the financial gap facing developing countries, noting that adaptation finance needs are projected to reach USD 215-387 billion annually until 2030. The author argues that while developed nations use industrial policies to secure critical raw materials and maintain a competitive edge, Africa seeks to transition from raw material exports to value addition. To bridge these gaps, the paper recommends that the G20 facilitate affordable green technology transfer, coordinate non-debt-creating climate finance, and support the establishment of mineral value chains close to their source in Africa.

The report critiques the reliance on Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) for power system planning, noting that while useful for tracking historical technology costs, it fails to account for system-wide needs, generation profiles, and integration costs. It highlights that clean firm technologies can reduce overall system costs despite higher LCOEs. The authors recommend moving toward comprehensive system-level analyses that model temporal and spatial constraints to optimize decarbonization pathways.

The report establishes a methodology for mapping superhot rock (SHR) geothermal resources globally, defining SHR as heat from subsurface formations exceeding 374°C. Using the LithoRef18 global reference model and a 'hydrothermal proxy' to account for non-steady-state heat flow, the study estimates the un-risked global resource. For depths of 4-8 km ('today's resource'), the estimated potential is 3,272 GWe (13,895 GWth). For depths of 8-12.5 km ('tomorrow's resource'), the potential increases to 59,930 GWe (245,581 GWth). The analysis identifies 125 countries with SHR potential, with significant resources in the US, China, Indonesia, and others. The report also analyzes flow rate uncertainties using a database of 33 petrothermal projects, determining a P50 flow rate of 55 l/s for its calculations.

The document highlights how the plastics industry uses tactics like manufacturing doubt and securing privileged access to influence negotiations, noting that over 220 lobbyists attended the INC-5 session. It recommends embedding conflict of interest safeguards directly into the treaty text, including the preamble and science policy bodies, to protect public health and environmental goals from undue economic influence.

The document warns that the plastics and petrochemical industries are using tactics similar to those of the fossil fuel and tobacco industries to influence the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. It highlights a significant increase in industry lobbyists at the INC-5 session, who outnumber delegations from the European Union, Pacific Islands, and Latin American countries. The brief recommends incorporating conflict-of-interest protections directly into the treaty's preamble, scientific bodies, and articles concerning financial mechanisms and technology transfer to ensure the agreement's effectiveness in protecting public health and the environment.

The report examines the application of transition finance tools—including loans and bonds—to support the decarbonisation of China's steel sector, highlighting the role of regional guidelines in Hebei Province. It identifies a significant funding gap, estimating a need for $18 billion in capital expenditure over the next five years for electric arc furnace (EAF) and hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (H2-DRI) technologies. While large state-owned enterprises are leading the transition, the report notes that high costs of green steel and limited scrap steel supply remain major barriers.

The document provides a framework for certifying climate resilience investments through three primary components: making a substantial contribution to resilience, managing maladaptation risks, and ensuring no significant harm to climate mitigation. It defines specific requirements for 'adapted' and 'enabling' investments, including the need for investment-level assessments based on science-based projections and the use of multiple climate scenarios such as SSP5-8.5. These interim criteria are intended to be replaced progressively by validated, sector-specific criteria and proxies developed by technical working groups.

The report finds that the cumulative aligned GSS+ market reached USD 5.7 trillion by the end of 2024. Green bonds remain the dominant theme, while sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) saw a significant decrease in aligned volume. Europe continues to be the largest source of aligned GSS+ debt, and the report highlights the growth of sovereign issuance and the development of national taxonomies.

The document argues that health organizations should lead the effort to revoke the 'social license' of the fossil fuel industry by refusing to work with PR agencies linked to it. It draws a parallel between the current fossil fuel industry and the historical tobacco industry, citing CVS Health's 2014 decision to stop selling tobacco as a model for corporate responsibility. The guide outlines a 'Fossil Fuel Free Health Communications Pledge' and a three-step screening process for agencies: requesting full client disclosure, seeking a commitment to avoid future fossil fuel clients, and demanding public accountability. It also provides a list of specific questions for organizations to ask potential agencies to ensure alignment with public health and climate goals.

The document argues that fossil fuel companies use disinformation campaigns, similar to the tobacco industry's historical tactics, to obstruct climate action and harm public health. It urges health organizations to leverage their credibility and market influence—noting a healthcare advertising market valued at USD 42.28 billion in 2024—to revoke the industry's 'social license' by refusing to hire agencies with fossil fuel ties. The guide outlines a 'Commitment for Fossil-Free Health Communications' and a three-step screening process: requesting full client disclosure (specifically for the past 3 years), seeking a fossil-free commitment (such as the Clean Creatives pledge), and verifying public accountability. It cites the 2014 decision by CVS Health to stop selling tobacco products as a precedent for how health-focused entities can catalyze broader industry change by aligning business practices with health missions.