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The report argues for integrating a 'capabilities approach'—derived from the work of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum—into global climate policy, specifically the 2015 international climate agreement. It suggests that climate policies, such as renewable energy and carbon pricing, should be designed to strengthen the basic capabilities of the least well-off rather than diminish them. The document recommends that the UNFCCC incorporate capabilities into the evaluation of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and across all core agreement elements, including finance and technology, to achieve equitable climate action.

The document argues that regreening, primarily through Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), is a cost-effective solution for restoring degraded landscapes in Africa's arid zones. It details a six-step strategy for scaling these efforts: identifying existing successes, building a community of champions, resolving policy and legal barriers, implementing communication strategies, developing agroforestry value chains, and filling knowledge gaps through research. The report highlights significant achievements in Niger, where 5 million hectares have been regreened, and emphasizes the multiple economic, environmental, and social benefits of integrating trees into agricultural systems.

The report argues that Brazil's current energy-related emission trajectory is unsustainable and likely to exceed estimated fair carbon budgets between 2024 and 2035. It identifies significant opportunities for decarbonization in the transport, industry, and electricity generation sectors, suggesting that a transition to a low-carbon economy can be achieved with low or negative economic costs while improving public health and competitiveness.

The report advocates for the scaling of regreening, specifically farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR), as a low-cost solution to food insecurity and climate change in drylands. It details a six-step strategy: identifying successes, building grassroots movements, addressing policy barriers, implementing communication strategies, strengthening value chains, and expanding research. Using examples from Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal, the authors argue that FMNR is more cost-effective and has higher survival rates than conventional tree planting.

Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro was restored starting in the 1860s to address severe water crises caused by deforestation for coffee and sugarcane. Through a combination of active planting and passive recolonization, 3,200 hectares were restored, resulting in improved water supplies, air quality, and the reintroduction of numerous native species. The project succeeded due to strong leadership from the Brazilian Imperial Court, technical assistance from the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, and adaptive management to combat fire threats. However, the document notes that early restoration involved the expropriation of land and the use of slave labor.

The document examines the restoration of 5 million hectares in southern Niger through farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR), a locally driven agroforestry practice. It details how FMNR improved food security, household income, and climate resilience while sequestering 25 million tons of carbon. The study identifies key success factors, including the 1989 Rural Code which secured land and tree tenure for farmers, and the role of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and international funding from USAID and IFAD.

The Panama Canal Watershed experienced significant deforestation between 1974 and 1991, with forest cover decreasing by 43 percent. In response to water scarcity risks and the operational needs of the canal, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and the Panamanian government implemented a combination of strict legal prohibitions, financial incentives, and active reforestation. By 2010, approximately 18,000 hectares of forest had been restored. Key success factors included the creation of the Interagency Watershed Commission (CICH) and the Environmental Economic Incentives Program, though challenges remain regarding invasive species, land tenure, and community participation.

Since the 1950s, Vietnam lost over 80% of its mangroves due to war-time defoliants and post-war aquaculture expansion. Restoration efforts since 2001 have added a net 18,000 hectares. In northern Vietnam, restoration focused on disaster risk reduction through top-down, monoculture plantations that protected sea dikes. In southern Vietnam, a bottom-up approach integrated poverty alleviation and livelihood diversification, utilizing species-rich plantations and land-use leases for households. While economically beneficial—with some mangrove areas generating more value than aquaculture—sustainability is threatened by declining incentives in the north, tenure conflicts, and overlapping regulatory mandates for payments for ecosystem services (PES).

The briefing evaluates the UN Secretary-General's vision for the post-2015 development agenda, endorsing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the integration of human rights and ecosystem health. While praising the report's narrative, the author identifies critical gaps in target specificity, the definition of partnerships, and the role of the private sector in accountability frameworks. It specifically notes the need for a technical review of the 169 targets to ensure they are quantified and time-bound, and calls for more concrete proposals on development finance and the relationship between climate finance and development aid.

WRI analysis indicates Missouri can reduce its power generation carbon-intensity by 21% by 2020 and 31% by 2030 relative to 2012 levels. While coal provided 79% of generation in 2012 and emissions are projected to rise 12% by 2030 if demand growth is met with fossil fuels, the state can achieve 70% of its EPA target through energy efficiency, renewable energy expansion, combined heat and power, increased natural gas usage, and coal plant efficiency upgrades. Further targets could be met by increasing efficiency goals to 2% of sales from 2015 and raising the renewable standard to 20% by 2030. These transitions are framed as economic opportunities, with potential for billions in consumer savings and thousands of new jobs.

The briefing outlines three key areas of contention at the COP 20 climate talks in Lima: the establishment of a formal process to assess the ambition and fairness of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), the mobilization of $100 billion in dedicated climate finance by 2020, and the integration of adaptation goals and assessment cycles into the final agreement. It emphasizes that these decisions are essential prerequisites for the agreement to be concluded in Paris at the end of 2015.

The briefing outlines three key recommendations for COP 20 negotiators to strengthen climate adaptation in the upcoming 2015 agreement: establishing a qualitative global goal for adaptation, creating a five-year 'adaptation cycle' for continuous improvement and review, and integrating the existing National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process into this cycle to maintain national flexibility.

EMBARQ Brasil provided technical assistance to Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Brasilia to design and implement bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. By 2014, 154 kilometers of BRT corridors were launched, reducing commute times by 50 percent for 1.5 million people and improving air quality and road safety. The success of these projects has led to plans for an additional 211 kilometers of BRT networks in these cities.

The United States and China have announced new climate targets to align with the European Union as the world's top three emitters. The U.S. aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025, which would require doubling annual reduction rates. China intends to peak carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 and increase non-fossil fuel energy consumption to around 20 percent by 2030. Both countries' targets represent a deviation from business-as-usual trajectories, though achieving a long-term 2-degree-C trajectory will require more aggressive policies, such as carbon pricing and stronger regulation of power plants.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) welcomes the 2014 climate pledges from the U.S. and China, noting that the U.S. target of cutting emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025 and China's goal to peak emissions around 2030 provide critical momentum for the Paris agreement. While praising the cooperation, WRI emphasizes that China's emissions should peak before 2030 to mitigate severe climate impacts and urges both nations to exceed their initial targets to leverage low-carbon economic opportunities.

The briefing identifies six critical areas for progress at the upcoming COP 20 in Lima, Peru, following negotiations in Bonn. These include establishing transparency and assessment mechanisms for intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), framing the long-term structure of the 2015 agreement, addressing adaptation goals, clarifying the role of climate finance via the Green Climate Fund, and implementing pre-2020 low-carbon actions. It also notes the European Union's recent commitment to reduce emissions by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 as a positive signal for future negotiations.

The ACT 2015 consortium proposes five key ingredients for a successful 2015 global climate agreement: a clear long-term goal (including net zero by 2050), a commitment to non-regression of national targets, a five-year cycle for strengthening commitments, the integration of independent expert analysis, and a transparent progress assessment mechanism.

The report analyzes how the EU 28 can decrease its reliance on natural gas imports through cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment across the buildings, industry, and energy supply sectors. It argues that these measures can reduce the share of natural gas in primary energy demand to 16% by 2030, significantly outperforming the European Commission's proposed 2030 framework.

The document outlines how the U.S. economy can benefit from reducing greenhouse gas emissions in electric generation, electricity consumption, passenger vehicles, natural gas, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It highlights cost savings for consumers and businesses, the decreasing cost of renewable energy and electric vehicle batteries, and the potential for increased industry revenues through methane leak reduction.

The report argues that implementing cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy measures could halve the EU's net natural gas imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49% relative to 1990 levels by 2030. It identifies the buildings sector as having the highest potential for savings, followed by energy production and industry, while noting that domestic production, including shale gas, is unlikely to increase substantially.