In a year marked by record-breaking heatwaves and unprecedented geopolitics, the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Azerbaijan stood as a critical moment for global climate leadership. Dubbed the ‘Finance COP’, COP29 was set to deliver a new climate finance deal. However, the conference occurred against a […]
In this first progress report, the authors argue that the Market Transformation Action Agenda for the Built Environment is visible in many individual but still separate efforts. Transparency and accountability of operational as well as whole life carbon emissions of building projects, based on common standards, are the cornerstone of a profound market change to […]
A more robust monitoring framework with headline indicators, calling for enhanced transparency and accountability mechanisms.
In 2023, it was reported that only 4% of global climate finance goes to agrifood systems despite the system being responsible for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Over this last year, I have heard multiple calls from business for financial institutes to better support food system transformation through offering products and […]
In a world striving for a net-zero emissions future, businesses have the challenge of developing credible ways to measure their contributions to decarbonization. Primarily, companies need to measure and reduce their own greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint (i.e., scope 1, 2 and 3 inventory) on their path to net-zero emissions. However, they are both sources of […]
How the preparatory meetings outcomes shape the agenda in Cali Ahead of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) COP16 in Cali, Colombia from 21 October – 1 November, two important preparatory meetings took place: Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI). Both meetings provided an […]
The size of the challenge and importance of a circular economy The built environment encompasses all constructed spaces where human activities take place – where people live, work, learn or play. This sector is responsible for 40% of energy-related global carbon emissions and over 30% of global final energy use. And it consumes nearly half […]
Global state and corporate leaders in New York City gathered last week for the annual UN General Assembly and Climate Week. With just over five years remaining to meet Paris Agreement climate goals, the urgency to accelerate climate action has never been greater. The prospects of road transport decarbonization – a sector responsible for one […]
“It’s time”, said Helen Clarkson, CEO of Climate Group – hosts of Climate Week, 22-29 September 2024 – as she opened its 16th edition with a speech highlighting five key principles that “should underpin all our action”. “It’s time to put people first, […] to pay up, […] to listen to citizens, […] to be […]
Natural climate solutions (NCS) remain relatively untapped as an asset class especially for most large-scale traditional investors. As the business case and potential for financial returns are better demonstrated and understood, the opportunity to scale investment is strong. As nature-based solutions (NbS) that address climate change, NCS hold the potential to provide roughly 30% of the emissions reductions needed to keep global warming as close to 1.5°C as possible by 2030. In […]