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The report finds that none of the 40 indicators of systems change are on track to reach their 2030 targets, with current national commitments leading to projected warming of 2.4°C to 2.8°C. To align with the 1.5°C goal, the report argues for an enormous acceleration in effort, specifically noting that unabated coal phase-out must be six times faster and cement production carbon intensity improvements must increase by more than 10 times.

The document highlights that approximately 30% of global food production is lost or wasted, necessitating a shift toward a circular bioeconomy. It argues that technical solutions alone are insufficient and must be paired with behavioral change, institutional capacity building, and incentives. The brief specifically emphasizes the role of urban and peri-urban farming systems in absorbing waste and suggests that a circular bioeconomy approach could yield US$ 2.7 trillion in annual benefits by 2050.

The voluntary carbon market, valued at $2 billion in 2021, faces significant challenges regarding trust and scarcity relative to global climate needs. RMI proposes three solutions to scale high-quality credits: reducing project development time and costs through upfront capital and technology, differentiating the credit supply via ratings and quality standards, and establishing a transparent data platform to ensure integrity.

In the first half of 2022, GSS+ bond issuance totaled $417.8 billion, a 27% year-on-year decrease attributed to inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Green bonds remained the dominant category, with China leading in issuance volume. The report highlights the growth of transition bonds, particularly in Japan and China, and discusses the evolving landscape of global sustainable finance taxonomies, including the EU's inclusion of gas and nuclear energy.

This policy brief discusses the barriers cities face in accessing climate finance and proposes financial aggregation as a strategy to scale up investment for urban climate mitigation and adaptation.

The report highlights the rising global demand for cooling services due to increasing temperatures and economic growth, noting that cooling currently accounts for over 7 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It asserts that without management, this figure will double by 2050, but adopting climate-friendly cooling could reduce global emissions by an amount equivalent to eight years of current output by 2050.

The construction sector is identified as the world's most material-intensive sector, accounting for 50% of global resource extraction and contributing to biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and deforestation. To align with Paris Agreement climate mitigation targets amidst growing urbanization, the document advocates for a value-chain approach to policy interventions. It identifies five interconnected areas for potential step-change: transparent and systematic data, material efficiency and innovation, green public procurement, and urban planning.

The Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS) highlights the critical role of international trade in the global plastics economy, noting that trade in plastics exceeds USD 1 trillion. TESS argues that current trade policies are often disjointed and can undermine national efforts to curb pollution. The statement urges the INC to foster international cooperation to reduce trade in problematic plastics, end the trade of contaminated waste, and improve data transparency regarding 'hidden' plastic flows. It emphasizes the need for a just transition for developing countries and synergy with existing frameworks like the Basel Convention and WTO dialogues.

The briefing reports that 2030 climate target updates have stalled since COP26, leaving the world on track for 2.4°C of warming based on current targets and 2.7°C based on current policies. Despite the Glasgow Climate Pact's request for governments to strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by the end of 2022, no major emitter has updated its target. The report highlights a significant emissions gap, noting that global emissions in 2030 would be twice as high as the 1.5°C limit allows without increased action. It suggests four pathways for governments to update targets: full NDC updates, expanding NDC coverage (specifically for China regarding non-CO2 gases), participating in new sectoral initiatives, or implementing policies to overachieve existing targets.

The paper argues that current socio-economic systems, based on extractive resource use and shaped by a dominant economic class, drive both climate change and global inequality. It highlights that a small, wealthy minority has consumed the majority of the global carbon budget, which threatens the 1.5°C target and limits the ability of poorer populations to improve their living standards. The authors conclude that setting limits on resource use requires inclusive governance to prevent solutions from further entrenching power imbalances.

The report evaluates the 'action gap' since the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, noting that only about one-tenth of global environmental targets have been met. It argues that current economic systems drive planetary crises and extreme inequality, where the richest 10% of the population emitted more than half of total carbon emissions from 1990 to 2015. To unlock a better future, the authors propose redefining the human-nature relationship through biophilic urban design and indigenous knowledge, rethinking prosperity by moving beyond GDP and adopting 'function-over-product' business models, and reforming finance to bridge funding gaps in low-income countries. It calls for a new paradigm of 'technology co-development' and stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that the coming decade leads to systemic transformation.

The policy brief argues that reliable, granular trade data is essential for evidence-based policymaking to tackle plastic pollution, but the current World Customs Organization (WCO) Harmonized System (HS) lacks sufficient detail. It highlights seven key shortfalls in the HS, including inadequate differentiation of primary plastics, gaps in identifying harmful chemical additives, and a failure to track 'hidden' plastics embedded in other products. The authors propose a series of amendments for the 2022–2027 HS cycle, focusing on disaggregating polymer types, improving the classification of plastic waste to align with the Basel Convention, and revealing information on single-use plastics and packaging.

The document outlines the wide-ranging health risks associated with traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), noting that in Canada, one-third of the population lives within 250m of a major road. It highlights that children, racialized people, and those in poverty are disproportionately vulnerable to these pollutants. The report links TRAP to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and pregnancy-related illnesses, as well as increased COVID-19 risks, and recommends policy interventions such as low emission zones, electric vehicles, and expanded urban green spaces.

In 2021, wind and solar generated over 10% of global electricity for the first time, but record-high electricity demand led to a record rise in coal power and the largest absolute increase in power sector CO2 emissions ever recorded.

In 2021, wind and solar power reached a record 10.3% of global electricity generation, but this growth was insufficient to offset a historic surge in electricity demand. Consequently, global coal generation and power sector CO2 emissions both hit all-time highs, with coal meeting 59% of new demand. While 50 countries now derive over 10% of their power from wind and solar, the report warns that the global energy transition is significantly off track from the IEA's net-zero pathway, which requires wind and solar to grow by 20% annually through 2030.

The statement emphasizes that women and girls are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis due to existing gender norms and marginalization, particularly regarding food security and resource access. Conversely, it asserts that women, especially indigenous women, are indispensable agents of change whose leadership and traditional knowledge are vital for effective, inclusive climate action and sustainable resource management.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that operating coal mines emit 52.3 million tonnes of methane per year, exceeding IEA estimates for oil and gas. The analysis identifies China, specifically Shanxi province, as the primary source of these emissions. GEM warns that proposed mine projects could add another 11.3 million tonnes annually, effectively locking in emissions equivalent to the coal-based CO2 emissions of the United States. To meet Net Zero 2030 targets, the report argues for a faster coal phase-out and the cancellation of new projects, as current mitigation measures are often insufficient or circumvented.

The briefing explains that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires no new oil and gas field development after 2021, as existing production declines at a rate similar to the required drop in consumption. It argues that this conclusion is supported by IPCC scenarios and suggests the IEA's scenario may be conservative due to its reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS), which faces significant commercialization challenges.

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022 finds that most of the 25 major global companies assessed have net-zero pledges that lack integrity, with aggregate emissions targeted for reduction by only 40% at most. While 15 companies report interim targets for 2030, the average reduction commitment for full value chain emissions is only 23%. Scope 3 emissions average 87% of total emissions, yet only 8 companies provide moderate detail on addressing them. The report notes a heavy reliance on unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs) and contentious offsetting plans, particularly nature-based solutions, while suggesting that 'climate contributions' without neutrality claims are an emerging alternative.

The document explains the Global Stocktake (GST) as the Paris Agreement's "ratchet mechanism" to assess collective progress on mitigation, adaptation, and finance. It argues that for climate action to be effective, it must be guided by human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, gender equality, and intergenerational equity. The briefing details the GST's three-phase structure—information collection, technical assessment, and consideration of outputs—concluding at COP28 in November 2023. It provides a framework for stakeholders to align their submissions with the GST's guiding questions to address critical gaps such as fossil fuel phase-out, land tenure rights, and loss and damage.