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The document outlines the technical framework for the State of Climate Action series, focusing on tracking global greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon removal. It details the process of translating sectoral transformations into actionable targets and the categorization of progress (e.g., 'on track' or 'off track'). The 2024 update introduces 2035 targets for 16 indicators, a new indicator for wind and solar power in electricity generation, and revised transport sector targets based on recent modeling.

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) provided approximately USD 125 billion for climate finance in 2023, a 26% increase from 2022, yet this represents only about 1% of the USD 8.6 trillion needed annually by 2030. A G20 expert panel and credit rating agencies suggest that reforming capital adequacy frameworks (CAFs)—by increasing risk tolerance and leveraging callable capital—could unlock hundreds of billions of dollars in additional lending without risking AAA credit ratings. Specifically, current CAF progress could unlock up to USD 357 billion in lending headroom over the next decade, while S&P estimates potential increases of USD 500 billion to USD 1 trillion. The briefing also highlights the under-utilisation of guarantees, which attract USD 1.5 of private capital for every USD 1 invested, and equity finance, which currently accounts for only 1.8% of commitments. These MDB expansions are viewed as critical for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), though experts argue MDB lending should complement rather than replace grant-based finance.

The document argues that the biodiversity and climate change crises are interlinked and that aligning climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity strategies is essential for a holistic approach. It provides a practical checklist for policy-makers to enhance coherence, minimize risks, and ensure gender-responsive and socially inclusive actions across UNFCCC and CBD policy instruments during a critical two-year window for planning and implementation.

The document explores the 'climate-crime nexus,' detailing how environmental stresses drive rural petty crime, urban violence, drug use, gender-based violence, hate crimes, trafficking, and white-collar crime. It highlights how climate-induced economic collapse and extreme heat increase desperation and aggression, while the green transition creates new opportunities for organized crime and corruption.

The document asserts that despite early commitments in 2019, French financial actors continue to support coal companies, undermining France's international climate leadership. It highlights that between 2021 and 2023, the four largest French banks financed 26 problematic coal companies. The author argues that voluntary policies are insufficient and calls for a mandatory regulatory framework with clear definitions of excluded companies and deterrent sanctions to ensure a complete exit from both thermal and metallurgical coal.

The bioeconomy, currently valued at USD 4 trillion and projected to reach USD 30 trillion by 2050, is interpreted through three primary lenses: biotechnology, bio-resources, and bio-ecology. While Global North countries like the US, China, and India prioritise biotechnology for economic growth, the EU and regions like the Amazon emphasise sustainability and equity. Brazil is a central actor, launching the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB) and implementing national strategies to protect the Amazon. The document highlights that without inclusive frameworks—such as the 'sociobioeconomy' approach—the bioeconomy risks exacerbating social inequalities and environmental degradation. It details successful funding models including payments for ecosystem services in Costa Rica and Mexico, and benefit-sharing for genetic resources via Brazil's SisGen system.

The 2024 update by the NewClimate Institute finds that aggregated emissions for 25 major emitters could be 10% below 2019 levels by 2030 in a best-case scenario, an improvement over 2023 projections but still far short of the 43% reduction needed for the 1.5°C goal. While no country has strengthened its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) since 2023, half of the assessed countries are likely on track to meet their unconditional targets, suggesting an opportunity to increase ambition.

New analysis from the World Resources Institute reveals that 25% of global crops are grown in areas with highly stressed or unreliable water supplies. This vulnerability is particularly acute for staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn, with 33% produced in such areas. The report highlights a critical dependency on a small number of countries for irrigated crops and the increasing instability of rainfed agriculture due to climate change. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends strategies including reducing food waste, shifting diets away from water-intensive meats, increasing irrigation efficiency, and investing in nature-based solutions.

The Civil Society FfD Mechanism calls for a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture through the establishment of several UN-led conventions and regulatory bodies. Key proposals include a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation to create a fairer tax system, a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt to resolve debt crises, and a UN Convention on International Development Cooperation to shift the narrative from charity to justice and reparations. The submission advocates for the cessation of Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement (ISDS) provisions, the regulation of Credit Rating Agencies via an ECOSOC Commission, and the immediate cancellation of unsustainable and illegitimate debts. Furthermore, it demands a transition away from GDP-centric growth models toward ecological stability, urging Global North countries to provide additional, grants-based climate finance rather than loans.

The document identifies operational, financial, and market barriers to gas-capture projects and proposes a framework for the EU's 'You Collect We Buy' initiative to overcome them through better data, risk-sharing financing, and a credible certification system.

The document outlines the importance of integrated energy access planning to coordinate policy, investment, and management decisions for clean cooking and electricity access in low- and middle-income countries. It emphasizes the role of eCooking and the use of planning tools and models to operationalize implementation strategies and support mechanisms.

The report finds that international development funding for clean air is chronically underfunded, representing only 1% of total international development funding in 2022. It highlights a heavy reliance on loans over grants, significant geographic disparities in funding distribution, and a concerning increase in funding for projects that prolong fossil fuel use.

The briefing contrasts two competing approaches to corporate renewable electricity accounting: 24/7 hourly matching and the 'avoided emissions' model proposed by the Emissions First Partnership (EFP). It argues that 24/7 matching provides a necessary demand signal for grid decarbonisation and storage technologies, whereas the EFP proposal is a "repackaging of the controversial offsetting model" that allows companies to claim emissions reductions without actually decarbonising the grids they use. The document urges the GHG Protocol and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to adopt granular, hourly, and local accounting standards to prevent corporate lock-in of fossil fuel infrastructure and to ensure genuine progress toward the 1.5°C temperature limit.

The document highlights a 73% decline in average wildlife populations since 1970 as a critical warning for the global economy. It asserts that nature loss threatens global GDP, with specific risks identified in the EU and Asia Pacific, and predicts a potential $2.7 trillion loss by 2030 due to the collapse of ecosystem services. The author calls on the business and finance sectors to transition toward net-zero, nature-positive markets using tools like the Biodiversity Risk Filter and Science-Based Targets for Nature.

The document examines the potential for BRICS nations to integrate economically and form a common currency to reduce reliance on the US dollar. It applies Optimum Currency Area (OCA) theory to the bloc, noting that while the New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) demonstrate a commitment to cooperation, significant economic heterogeneity in GDP growth, inflation, and fiscal policy remains a major hurdle. The analysis suggests that while traditional OCA criteria are not fully met, the 'new' OCA theory—which emphasises political commitment and endogenous policy harmonisation—provides a more plausible path toward a multipolar financial order.

Agriculture is responsible for 40% of human-caused methane emissions, with livestock (enteric and manure emissions) accounting for 80% of that total. The document highlights a significant disparity in emissions intensity, noting that lowest-income countries have intensities 6-16 times higher than high-income countries due to differences in production efficiency. To limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, the agriculture sector must reduce absolute methane emissions by 30-38 Mt/year, despite projected increases in animal protein demand, such as a 102% increase in Africa by 2050. Proposed solutions include improving animal health and breeding for efficiency, as well as deploying feed additives and anaerobic digestors. The brief emphasizes that policies must be regionally tailored, moving beyond voluntary incentives and the $600 billion in annual global agriculture subsidies that often lack environmental scopes.

The paper examines the proliferation of border carbon adjustment (BCA) mechanisms, such as the EU CBAM, and the resulting risks of a 'spaghetti bowl' of incompatible standards. It argues that while comprehensive multilateral agreement on BCAs is hindered by political sensitivities and legitimacy disputes, strategic cooperation should first target technical areas. These include the measurement of greenhouse gas intensity, the determination of downstream coverage, the scope of emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3), the crediting of foreign carbon prices, and the acceptance of carbon offsets. Such coordination is presented as essential to prevent trade frictions and support the capacity of producers in less developed economies to decarbonize.

The UK became the first G7 country to phase out coal power on September 30, 2024, with the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant. However, the author contends that this domestic achievement is contradicted by the actions of UK financial institutions, which provided US$6.5 billion to the global coal industry between 2021 and 2023. The document calls for stronger financial regulations to end coal expansion funding and redirect capital toward renewable energy and early decommissioning.

The document identifies critical targets within the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and themes for UNFCCC COP29 that African environmental defenders should prioritize. For COP16, it emphasizes the need for human rights-based monitoring of the '30X30' target (Target 3), the protection of defenders (Target 22), and gender equality (Target 23). For COP29, it warns against 'Nature-Based Solutions' as 'false solutions' and calls for ambitious, grant-based climate finance and progressive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) based on climate justice.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and United Farm Workers argue that Instar Asset Management has violated the PRI's integrity by ignoring labor abuses at Windmill Farms, including wage theft, gender discrimination, and union-busting, despite Instar's public ESG policies.