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340 results
2018 Progress Assessment Goal 7 Update
The report concludes that Goal 7 was achieved through the adoption of the Paris Agreement, specifically Article 5, which dedicates a section to land use and forests. As of September 2017, 116 of 165 countries that submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) included land use in quantified emissions targets. The document also notes that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) began piloting a framework for REDD+ results-based payments in late 2017, although many countries' land-use targets remain conditional on international financing.
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Document type: Report
Ten key short-term sectoral benchmarks to limit warming to 1.5°C
The report establishes ten sectoral benchmarks for 2020–2025 to align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement, emphasizing the need for large-scale technology diffusion and sector transformations over marginal efficiency gains. Key targets include a total ban on new coal power plants, a 30% reduction in emissions from the existing coal fleet by 2025, and ensuring all new buildings are fossil-free and near-zero energy by 2020.
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Document type: Report
Building trust in forest carbon payments: Learning from the world of financial accounting
This research paper discusses the need to rebuild trust in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) mechanisms to scale up climate mitigation. It proposes applying guiding principles from financial accounting—such as relevance, faithful representation, and comparability—to REDD+ impact reporting to attract private sector investment and ensure environmental and social robustness.
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Document type: Research paper
Leveraging private sector finance for climate compatible development
The document highlights the necessity of private sector finance to meet the Paris Agreement's targets and the International Energy Agency's investment requirements for limiting temperature increase to 2°C. It provides a set of strategic lessons for governments and stakeholders to attract private investment, emphasizing context-specific approaches, public policy, risk-sharing measures, and the involvement of private actors in project design.
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Document type: Research paper
International Climate Initiatives: A Way Forward to Close the Emissions Gap
The study analyzes 174 international climate initiatives to determine their impact on greenhouse gas emissions compared to INDCs. It finds that a subset of 19 initiatives has a global reduction potential of 6-11 GtCO2 equivalents per year by 2030, contributing toward closing the 14 GtCO2e gap identified by the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2015 for a 2°C pathway.
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Document type: Research paper
Foot off the gas: Increased reliance on natural gas in the power sector risks
The document argues that natural gas must be phased out alongside coal to limit global warming to 1.5˚C, warning that current investments in gas infrastructure risk creating stranded assets as the power sector transitions to carbon-free energy by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Making the Switch: From fossil fuel subsidies to sustainable energy
The report estimates global fossil fuel subsidies at USD 425 billion and argues that removing consumer subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by 6 to 8 per cent by 2050. It introduces the "SWAP" framework to transition these funds into sustainable energy and social safety nets, providing specific outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Zambia.
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Document type: Report
FACT SHEET The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning - Integrated Benefits Calculator (LEAP-IBC)
The LEAP-IBC is an integrated planning tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute in collaboration with the US EPA and the University of Colorado. It extends the LEAP software by combining emission scenarios with the GEOS-Chem global atmospheric chemistry transport model and exposure-response functions. The tool allows users to characterize national emissions of greenhouse gases and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), explore mitigation scenarios, and estimate resulting benefits in terms of avoided premature deaths, reduced crop losses for wheat, rice, maize, and soybean, and changes in global radiative forcing and temperature. While the core LEAP platform is applicable globally, the IBC component is currently available for 71 countries, with 12 countries using it specifically for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition's SNAP Initiative.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials: Regulatory Context
This fact sheet from the Center for International Environmental Law outlines the risk assessment procedures for manufactured nanomaterials, highlighting the challenges in applying existing regulatory frameworks to these materials due to their unique properties and knowledge gaps.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Emissions Gap Report 2016: A UNEP Synthesis Report
The 2016 UNEP Emissions Gap Report assesses the gap between projected 2030 global emissions under Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and the levels required to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C or 1.5°C. It evaluates pre-2020 mitigation actions, the potential of non-state action and energy efficiency to increase ambition, and the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals and climate mitigation.
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Document type: Report
The Paris Agreement: Resolving the inconsistency between global goals and national contributions
The document notes that current intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's goals of limiting global temperature increases to well below 2°C or 1.5°C. However, it identifies several reasons for optimism: many contributions are conservative and may be overachieved, the INDC process has advanced national policy-making (especially in developing countries), and the Agreement mandates regular updates to strengthen actions. Additionally, the document highlights that non-state actions are not yet fully captured in INDCs and that faster-than-expected decarbonization in certain sectors suggests a broader transition is possible.
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Document type: Research paper
The Paris Agreement: What it means for business
The Paris Agreement is projected to significantly impact the global economy and private sector as the international community aims for net zero emissions by the second half of the century. The report examines how the agreement and NDCs influence renewable energy markets, carbon pricing, and climate risk management, with a specific focus on clean energy investments, energy efficiency, and the competitiveness of renewables.
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Document type: Report
Carbon offsets and jet fuel alternatives for international aviation
The paper evaluates the feasibility of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) goal for carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onward. It finds that high-integrity carbon offsets and sustainable biofuels can provide a significant portion of the required emission reductions, suggesting that ICAO can maintain high environmental and sustainable development standards without compromising its goals.
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Document type: Research paper
International Climate Change Law in a Bottom-Up World
The document reflects on the transition of international climate change law to a 'bottom-up' approach under the Paris Agreement. It highlights the uncertainty regarding how the agreement's 'ratcheting mechanism' will ensure that parties meet the goals of limiting global temperature increases to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. The author argues that the design of review processes is critical for the treaty's success and suggests that this new legal architecture allows for a broader understanding of international law's functions beyond the mere enforcement of legal obligations.
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Document type: Research paper
Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report
The report finds that global geothermal operating capacity reached 13.3 GW across 24 countries by January 2016, with a forecast to reach 18.4 GW by 2021. While international growth is supported by COP21 commitments and the Global Geothermal Alliance's goal of 65 GW by 2030, the U.S. market has nearly stalled at 3.7 GW of nameplate capacity due to cheap natural gas and unbalanced tax incentives. The report highlights that only 6-7% of global geothermal potential has been tapped and emphasizes the need for increased public financing to drive private investment in developing nations.
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Document type: Report
Maximizing the potential of the Paris Agreement: Effective review in a hybrid regime
The Paris Agreement replaces top-down binding targets with a hybrid system of non-binding Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and mandatory review processes. Because NDCs are not legally binding, the document argues that the review systems are the primary tools for generating information and applying political pressure to ensure countries meet their commitments. The brief identifies critical unresolved details regarding the Article 13 transparency framework, the Article 14 global stocktake, and the Article 15 implementation and compliance mechanism, suggesting options for their operationalization to increase global climate ambition.
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Document type: Briefing
Keep Fossil Fuels in the Ground: A Declaration for the Health of Mother Earth - Center for International Environmental Law
The document is a declaration calling for the end of fossil fuel exploration and extraction to address the climate crisis and mass extinction. It demands a just transition to a democratized, 100% renewable energy system, the removal of fossil fuel industry influence from policymaking, and the recognition of the rights of Indigenous and frontline communities.
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Document type: Statement
How energy efficiency cuts costs for a 2 degree future
The study evaluates the impact of energy efficiency (EE) on the costs of achieving the internationally agreed 2°C target by 2050. It specifically compares the global cost savings up to 2030 of a pathway emphasizing EE measures against one that focuses primarily on decarbonizing the energy supply.
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Document type: Research paper
SAIIA YOUTH POLICY COMMITTEE STATEMENT ON COP 21
The SAIIA Youth Policy Committee (YPC) advocates for a legally binding agreement at COP21 that emphasizes high ambition, the integration of adaptation and mitigation, and predictable finance for developing countries. The YPC calls for the inclusion of an adaptation goal in the Paris agreement, the use of indigenous knowledge in local strategies, and the implementation of 'no regret' and flexible adaptation strategies. It further argues that developed countries must fund these efforts and that climate change should be integrated into school curricula to maintain youth commitment.
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Document type: Statement
Estimating mobilized private finance for adaptation: exploring data and methods
The report identifies a significant gap in tracking private finance for climate adaptation, noting that less than 10% of publicly-mobilized private climate finance is directed toward adaptation. It proposes four methodological approaches—ranging from 'Direct' to 'Indirect Expanded'—to better capture how public interventions, including those providing enabling outputs like capacity building, trigger private investment. Through case studies in Northern Uganda and the African Risk Capacity, the authors demonstrate that relying solely on direct co-financing data leads to underestimations of mobilization. The report concludes that while indirect mobilization is harder to measure and carries higher risks of double counting, tracking it is essential to incentivize the upstream public support necessary for climate resilience.
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Document type: Executive summary