With major governments showing open hostility toward climate solutions or focusing on other needs, one might think that progress toward decarbonisation is in jeopardy. Yet across the global industrial sector, many companies are increasing productivity, boosting revenue growth, and reducing emissions all at once.
Indonesia’s El Niño-fuelled peat fires are exposing millions across Southeast Asia to hazardous air pollution and releasing vast amounts of stored carbon – underscoring the urgent need to restore degraded peatlands.
There are many proven ways to protect people and assets from extreme weather, and such measures often prevent economic losses worth many times their cost. But ensuring their implementation requires making them more affordable and creating innovative revenue mechanisms and financing structures.
As COP31 gets underway, researchers warn that countries can obstruct climate negotiations without openly rejecting action – using funding disputes, weakened commitments and procedural tactics to delay progress.