‘Hectic’ in high heels? Women still face gender hurdles at UN climate talks
Barriers to women’s equal participation at COPs include high travel costs, onerous schedules, entrenched gender norms and a lack of childcare
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A credible UN carbon market needs rules that count – we’ve just set them
The broad standards for a more ambitious market are now in place. But without a steady flow of investment, this progress will remain largely on paper
A COP30 roadmap to inaction or ambition on climate finance?
If it lets wealthy countries off the hook, the “Baku-to-Belém” roadmap risks entrenching climate injustice and increasing debt burdens in the Global South
Brazil’s new funding initiative can help bring rainforests back from the brink – if done right
With the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, Global South countries are showing a path for a livable – and financially sustainable – future
Early warnings for heatwaves can save lives – and we need them now
Failure to scale up and improve heat warning systems globally will lead to otherwise preventable deaths
Women aren’t 14 times more likely to die in disasters – inequality is the real killer
Women often do face bigger climate risks but not because they are inherently more vulnerable – they are held back by social barriers we can tackle
The Peruvian farmer who has changed the climate litigation landscape forever
A trailblazing lawsuit, whose ruling is now due, has set a global precedent by seeking to hold a fossil firm accountable for its role in accelerating glacial melt
‘More than a number’: Global plastic talks need community experts
Frontline leaders who know the effects of plastic-related pollution want a global treaty that puts public health, human rights and the environment first
Indigenous lands feel cruel bite of green energy transition
Mining companies have been offered a path to sustainability but few are taking it – Indigenous people need to be at the table demanding change
Limiting frontline voices in the Loss and Damage Fund is a recipe for disaster
Representatives of groups hardest-hit by the climate crisis say restrictions on their participation at the fund’s first board meeting set a worrying precedent
Will blossom of reform bear fruit? Spring Meetings leave too much to do
Changes are afoot at the IMF and World Bank – but debt-squeezed developing nations need far faster access to more finance for climate action
Fossil fuel debts are illegitimate and must be cancelled
The Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF are a chance to transform outstanding debts for fossil fuel projects into grants for renewable energy systems
SBTi needs tighter rules on companies’ indirect emissions
Businesses are not required to cut all their value chain emissions in line with a 1.5C warming limit – and allowing offsetting could weaken efforts further
Spring Meetings can jump-start financial reform for food and climate
The World Bank and IMF have a big part to play in raising the $3 trillion needed to help countries meet global development goals and the Paris accord
Louisiana communities are suffering from Japan-funded LNG exports
When the Japanese and US leaders meet in Washington, they should back a renewable energy future that will end harm to our health and livelihoods from fossil gas
Nigeria’s path to net zero should be fully lined with trees – and fairness
To meet its pledge of net zero by 2060, Nigeria needs to rein in emissions from deforestation and land use, which equal those from the oil and gas sector
Cancellation of UN climate weeks removes platform for worst-hit communities
The UNFCCC has said it will not hold regional climate weeks in 2024 due to a funding shortfall – which means less inclusion for developing-country voices
Companies still missing in action on methane-cutting goals
The farming and fossil fuel industries must help governments cut methane emissions 30% this decade by harnessing existing technologies and changing practices
How to hold shipping financially accountable for its climate impacts
A levy on shipping emissions will be discussed by governments at IMO talks this month, with climate-vulnerable nations seeking funding from the industry
When governments fund fossil fuels, it’s time to take them to court
A new wave of climate litigation is targeting state institutions that are still providing public finance for fossil fuels, despite pledges to turn off the funding tap
Oil drilling while in the Energy Charter Treaty is economically reckless
The UK is opening itself up to repeated lawsuits from foreign oil and gas firms if it passes the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill
Loss and damage must be a focus of IPCC’s next reports
Without proper interventions anchored on the latest and best available science, even more people would be vulnerable to disastrous impacts of tremendous economic and non-economic costs.
Blended finance can perpetuate climate colonialism
‘Blended finance’ took centre stage at Cop28, with the Green Climate Fund among its supporters. But there are still major problems with the concept that must be addressed before considering any further expansion.
While Europe’s green backlash grows, Poland tells different story
As the backlash against laws protecting nature intensifies across Europe, public pressure has helped push forests centre stage in Poland
For Cop29 to succeed, rich nations must get their parliaments to agree more finance now
Rich nations always say they need their parliaments approval for climate finance at Cops – now is the time to start
The all-male Cop29 committee is a big step backwards for climate
Azerbaijan appointed 28 men and zero women to a key group tasked with organising the upcoming climate summit in the country
High stakes for climate finance in 2024
Setting finance goals without the revenues and systems to deliver on them is a recipe for disappointment – this year it must be different.
We must make it easier to attend Cops virtually
If we want to reduce the event’s emissions and make it more inclusive, then it must be easier to navigate and network
We have to fix unfairness: Ten takeaways from Cop28
Rich countries must cut carbon faster and provide funding to fix the unfairness getting baked into climate talks
Adaptation playbook is the true test of Cop28 for world’s vulnerable
While most attention is on fossil fuels, the US is blocking progress on an adaptation playbook, a matter of life or death for many Africans
Dutch initiative must turn the tables on fossil fuel subsidy reform
We’ve had enough “transparency” and “dialogue” around fossil fuel subsidy reform. It’s time to change the defaults