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The document updates the climate tools and policies of several Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) as of October 2021. Key updates include the African Development Bank's (AfDB) commitment to no longer finance coal projects and the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) use of industry benchmarks for high-emitting sectors. It also notes that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) planned to review its coal financing policies in 2021 and details specific exceptions to natural gas exclusion lists, such as projects meeting a 250g CO2e/kWhe emissions standard.

The success of COP26 is heavily dependent on resolving climate finance disputes, specifically the fulfillment of the $100 billion annual goal for developing countries. Beyond this, the agenda includes establishing a post-2025 quantified finance goal, increasing adaptation funding, and addressing loss and damage. Parallel to formal UNFCCC negotiations, private sector initiatives like the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and political signals regarding the cessation of fossil fuel investments are expected to influence the outcome.

The briefing discusses the need for a post-2025 climate finance goal and proposes four procedural pathways: creating an ad hoc Technical Committee, mandating a process led by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), establishing a dedicated Work Program, or having the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) outline the process via co-facilitators. It emphasizes that a robust technical process is necessary to address the needs of developing countries and scale up finance mobilization.

The briefing advocates for the inclusion of long-term strategies in the first global stocktake (2021-2023) to ensure a comprehensive assessment of global ambition. It details how these strategies can enrich the information collection, technical assessment, and high-level output phases, ultimately guiding the evolution of future Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and supporting developing countries in overcoming barriers to long-term planning.

The report advocates for a shift in urban development metrics toward the quality, reliability, and affordability of essential services to address the needs of over 1.2 billion under-served city dwellers. It identifies seven necessary transformations across infrastructure, service provision, data, employment, finance, land management, and governance to create more equitable and sustainable cities.

To meet its 2030 climate target of reducing net emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels, the United States must increase its land carbon sink's annual removal by 13% over 2019 levels, reaching at least 913 Mt CO2e. The World Resources Institute identifies three primary pathways to achieve this: reforestation and restocking, agroforestry, and wildfire risk mitigation. Together, these pathways would require a total federal investment of $126.6 billion over 20 years, supporting approximately 199,000 jobs annually and generating $226.8 billion in value added to local economies. The document advocates for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Build Back Better Act to maintain robust funding for these initiatives to catalyze a just, low-carbon economy.

The document argues that public and philanthropic funding are insufficient to meet the needs of nature-based solutions (NBS) in Latin America and the Caribbean, necessitating the use of private sector green finance. It proposes five specific financial strategies—green bonds, land-based financing, blended loans, insurance policies, and endowments—to increase the resilience of infrastructure and drive economic growth. To scale these solutions, the paper recommends integrating NBS into infrastructure planning, using 'green-gray' hybrid investment models to lower risk, establishing clear performance metrics to provide proof of concept, and monetizing co-benefits like carbon sequestration.

The document outlines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in enhancing infrastructure resilience and cost-effectiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean, detailing the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) strategy to mainstream these solutions through its 2020 Mainstreaming Action Plan for Environmental and Social Sustainability.

The document examines the transition of Latin America and the Caribbean from experimenting with nature-based solutions (NBS) to wider adoption. Based on a dataset of 156 projects identified in 2020, it highlights that while NBS can provide sustainable alternatives to carbon-intensive 'gray' infrastructure, many projects remain in the preparation stage and lack sufficient funding. The review focuses on sectors such as water, sanitation, housing, energy, and transportation, noting a concentration of projects in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

The paper examines how citizen science can be used to identify air pollution sources, noting that while low-cost monitors have increased the number of projects, public awareness of specific emission sources remains low. Based on a review of 33 case studies, the author develops a typology of initiatives and identifies six pathways for achieving outcomes, including identifying hyperlocal sources and strengthening enforcement. Success depends on trust, joint leadership between scientists and civil society, and clear data usage plans, while challenges include the complexity of pollution sources and the difficulty of definitively linking data to specific emitters.

The report argues that community lands, managed by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), are critical for climate mitigation due to their ability to sequester carbon and maintain biodiversity. Despite managing approximately half of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. The document provides evidence that secure land tenure leads to lower deforestation rates compared to state-managed lands and is a cost-effective mitigation strategy. However, these lands face increasing threats from illegal mining, drug trafficking, and land grabbing, while land defenders face rising violence. The report concludes that international climate finance significantly underserves IPLCs and calls for governments to prioritize legal land titling and the protection of environmental defenders.

The document argues that community lands, which cover approximately half of the world's land, are critical for carbon sequestration and biodiversity. It highlights that secure land tenure for IPLCs leads to lower deforestation rates and more effective climate mitigation than state-managed areas, often at a lower cost. However, the report notes that most community land lacks legal recognition, IPLCs receive less than 1% of official development assistance for climate change, and land defenders face increasing violence. It recommends securing land rights, improving law enforcement, and directing international climate funds toward IPLC-led management.

The G20, responsible for 75% of global GHG emissions, currently has commitments that put the world on a trajectory for 2.4°C of warming. While announced but non-formalized pledges could lower this to 2.1°C, only a comprehensive shift where all G20 members align with 1.5°C pathways and mid-century net zero targets could limit warming to 1.7°C. The report identifies a 23 GtCO2e emissions gap for 2030 and warns that many net zero pledges are unrealistic without significantly stronger near-term (2030) targets. Achieving the 1.5°C goal will require G20 leadership, action from non-G20 countries, and the fulfillment of climate finance commitments to developing nations.

The paper surveys 29 long-term climate strategies (LTSs) submitted to the UNFCCC, representing 42 countries and 28% of global emissions. It finds a growing trend toward net-zero targets, an increasing focus on the fundamental economic and societal shifts required for transition, and a reliance on both natural and technological carbon removals. The analysis highlights that while most strategies include midcentury goals and modeling, the level of detail regarding adaptation and just transition varies, and some parties acknowledge gaps between their most ambitious scenarios and their final targets.

The report finds that current G20 commitments put the world on a trajectory for 2.4°C of warming by 2100. While announced but non-formalised pledges could lower this to 2.1°C, only an 'enhanced ambition' scenario—where all G20 members align 2030 targets with 1.5°C pathways and commit to mid-century net zero—could limit warming to 1.7°C. The authors argue that G20 countries, accounting for 75% of global emissions, are uniquely positioned to close three-quarters of the temperature gap, provided they accelerate near-term action and developed nations ramp up financial support to developing countries.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) welcomed the decision of the Climate Leadership Council (CLC) to separate from Exxon. WRI emphasized that carbon pricing is essential for an effective climate response and called on CLC member companies to ensure their lobbying and political spending align with their public climate commitments. Additionally, WRI urged these companies to support carbon pricing within the upcoming reconciliation package and future legislation due to the urgency of the climate crisis.

As of August 2021, fewer than 1% of U.S. school buses are electric, with adoption heavily concentrated in California and suburban areas. While 33 states have committed to electric buses, the report emphasizes that targeted public funding is essential to ensure these benefits reach vulnerable communities and rural areas, which currently lag in deployment despite the health risks posed by diesel emissions to students.

As of March 2022, 12,275 electric school buses have been committed across 38 US states, with California leading in adoption. While a large portion of these commitments stem from a single 10,000-bus contract between Midwest Transit Equipment and SEA Electric, the report finds that adoption is trending toward historically underserved communities, particularly those with high PM2.5 pollution and high populations of non-white and/or Hispanic people.

As of December 2021, 1,828 electric school buses were committed across 36 US states, representing a 57% increase since June 2021. California is the primary leader in adoption, holding nearly half of all commitments. While adoption correlates with high median household income, it is more evenly distributed across different poverty levels. The report notes that the vast majority of the US school bus fleet (95%) still relies on diesel, and that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has allocated $5 billion over five years to accelerate the transition to lower-emission buses.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) asserts that new voter suppression laws in 17 U.S. states undermine democracy and hinder environmental justice. The text links the disenfranchisement of Black and Latino voters to a lack of representation in decisions regarding climate change and pollution, noting that these communities are more likely to live near polluting facilities and express higher levels of alarm regarding the climate crisis.