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This Booklet summarizes the main results of the 2023 Climate Classroom edition.

The report finds that there has been progress since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. Greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, based on policies in place, were projected to increase by 16 per cent at the time of the agreement’s adoption. Today, the projected increase is 3 per cent. However, predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions still must fall by 28 per cent for the Paris Agreement 2°C pathway and 42 per cent for the 1.5°C pathway.

As things stand, fully implementing unconditional Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) made under the Paris Agreement would put the world on track for limiting temperature rise to 2.9°C above pre-industrial levels this century. Fully implementing conditional NDCs would lower this to 2.5°C.

The report calls for all nations to accelerate economy-wide, low-carbon development transformations. Countries with greater capacity and responsibility for emissions will need to take more ambitious action and support developing nations as they pursue low-emissions development growth.

The report looks at how stronger implementation can increase the chances of the next round of NDCs, due in 2025, bringing down greenhouse gas emissions in 2035 to levels consistent with 2°C and 1.5°C pathways. It also looks at the potential and risks of Carbon Dioxide Removal methods – such as nature-based solutions and direct air carbon capture and storage.

The case for a gender-responsive just transition towards low-carbon economies with quality, decent jobs for women and men is grounded in the Paris Agreement and a growing body of data and evidence that underscores the necessity of incorporating gender equality considerations in just transition policies and initiatives.

This policy brief discusses robust pathways to overcome the prevailing challenges to just transitions with gender equality. It calls for governments and other stakeholders to make commitments to a gender-responsive just transition and be held accountable for their commitments and actions. Concluding recommendations set forth actions and investments to build sustainable economies and societies that support the survival and flourishing of the planet and present and future generations.

The transformation of societies and economies towards paradigms centred on interdependence, care, and sustainability is urgently needed. In this context, this working paper sheds light on emerging efforts to address women’s and girls’ unpaid care, domestic, and communal work in a dramatically changing climate.

The paper discusses the ways in which climate change and environmental degradation disrupt the care economy and increase and intensify women’s and girls’ unpaid care, domestic, and communal work. The paper analyses emerging national efforts to address unpaid care and domestic work through multilateral environmental agreements and valuing paid and unpaid care work in gender-responsive just transitions.

The paper concludes with recommendations for governments, international organizations, UN agencies, academia, and civil society at a key moment for rethinking the dominant development model based on the extraction and exploitation of natural resources, fossil fuels, and human lives, and for making caring for people and the planet a central concern.

Climate change is a global emergency that puts the achievement of gender equality at great risk. As climate change intensifies around the world, many women and girls, especially those in situations of vulnerability, migrate in search of safety, livelihoods, and employment opportunities. Gender considerations shape the decision to migrate and the migration experience.

Greater collection and analysis of data is needed to ensure migration policies are responsive to the needs of women and girls migrating in the context of climate change. Existing international frameworks and mechanisms to manage safe and regular migration in relation to climate change are limited, and those that do exist have not fully mainstreamed gender equality considerations.

This policy brief explores the linkages among gender, migration, and climate change, and provides recommendations to policymakers and practitioners to ensure safe and regular migration for women and girls in the context of climate change.

This document presents the World Health Organization Operational framework for building climate resilient and low carbon health systems. The framework’s goal is to increase the climate resilience of health systems to protect and improve the health of communities in an unstable and changing climate, while optimizing the use of resources and implementing strategies to reduce GHG emissions. It aims to contribute to the design of transformative health systems that can provide safe and quality care in a changing climate.

The report, which includes input from more than 30 collaborating partners, features case studies from around the world showcasing how integrated climate and health action makes a very real difference in people’s daily life. This includes early warnings systems for extreme heat, pollen monitoring to help allergy sufferers and satellite surveillance for climate-sensitive diseases.

This report builds on 2021’s Children’s Climate Risk Index and examines water scarcity and water vulnerability along with the critical actions the international community must take at COP28 to protect children against climate change.

The report – which looks at progress in planning, financing and implementing adaptation actions – finds that the adaptation finance needs of developing countries are 10-18 times as big as international public finance flows. This is over 50 per cent higher than the previous range estimate. This report identifies seven ways to increase financing, including through domestic expenditure and international and private sector finance. Additional avenues include remittances, increasing and tailoring finance to Small and Medium Enterprises and a reform of the global financial architecture. The new Loss and Damage fund will also need to move towards more innovative financing mechanisms to reach the necessary scale of investment.

The report analyses the most common weather-related hazards that lead to the
largest number of displacements: floods, storms, droughts and wildfires.
Together, these hazards account for over 99 per cent of all weather-related
displacements recorded by IDMC since 2016, while hazards such as extreme heat,
erosion and landslides, make up the rest.3 Due to lack of available data, the analysis
does not assess the full range of weather-related events that can contribute to
displacement– particularly in relation to slower-onset climate processes. Therefore,
these findings represent conservative estimates, and the actual numbers of
climate-related displacements of children are likely to be much higher.
These new insights can help governments, United Nations agencies, civil
society, and affected communities, to identify children at risk of weather-related
displacement, map the areas most affected and most importantly, target efforts
and resources to the most vulnerable, with the aim of protecting children’s
futures from the impacts of displacement as the climate continues to change.

This strategy paper draws from existing research and practical project experience applying nature-based solutions (NBS) for adaptation and building climate resilience in informal areas to better understand the potential for upscaling implementation as well as the challenges.

The paper identifies (a) what are some of the interconnected opportunities and challenges of working on NBS to build climate resilience in informal areas, (b) what are some of the special considerations that may need to be acknowledged when planning or implementing NBS for adaptation in informal areas and finally (c) what are some of the best practices that can be identified to date.

It is intended that this strategy paper will support strategic discussions and programming to catalyze research and action on nature-based solutions in informal areas to reduce vulnerability, address climate risk, and contribute to sustainable development for the urban poor and the natural environment.

The State of Climate Ambition: Snapshot for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), provide analysis for this group of Climate Promise-supported countries, surrounding their NDC status and implementation readiness.

The Snapshot builds upon, and updates information, from UNDP’s The State of Climate Ambition (Oct 2021). It explores NDC submission, ambition and quality status while assessing progress on key systems and architecture for NDC implementation.

It also looks at areas of past and future Climate Promise support and showcases champion countries.

The State of Climate Ambition: Snapshot for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), provide analysis for this group of Climate Promise-supported countries, surrounding their NDC status and implementation readiness.

The Snapshot builds upon, and updates information, from UNDP’s The State of Climate Ambition (Oct 2021). It explores NDC submission, ambition and quality status while assessing progress on key systems and architecture for NDC implementation.

It also looks at areas of past and future Climate Promise support and showcases champion countries.

This new report unpacks why a just transition is central to delivering the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals, analyses key global and regional trends, and explores what a just transition means for UNDP’s work.

The report presents results of the Japan-funded Climate Promise project (FY 2021) across 22 countries and territories, demonstrating human-centered stories of people that benefitted from the project activities.

It also covers main achievements and role of the project in implementation of NDC targets in participating countries.

This study maps the extent to which climate, peace and security intersections are addressed in the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and offers a blueprint for the mainstreaming of climate-related security risks into the NAPs and for synergies between adaptation policies and peacebuilding efforts.

The Climate Dictionary is an initiative aimed at providing an everyday guide to understanding climate change. It seeks to bridge the gap between complex scientific jargon and the general public, making climate concepts accessible and relatable to individuals from various backgrounds and levels of expertise.

The concept is driven by the belief that empowering people with knowledge is crucial in fostering action and collective responsibility towards addressing climate change.

By utilizing a creative combination of compelling visuals, concise explanations, and engaging storytelling, “The Climate Dictionary” effectively communicates complex climate concepts in a user-friendly and visually captivating manner. The publication features a series of climate-related term or phenomenon. The content is meticulously crafted to cater to diverse audiences, catering to both the scientifically inclined and those with limited prior knowledge of the subject.

The dictiionary is also available in Spanish and French.

This Practice Note identifies practical suggestions for addressing the effects of climate change in mediation processes, including by leveraging climate policy frameworks and climate finance during peace processes and agreement implementation. It proposes considerations applicable from the preparation and negotiation phases to the design and implementation of a peace agreement.4 Crucially, it also provides guidance on where mediation teams can find the support necessary to design and undertake the proposed actions.

Falling short: addressing the climate finance gap for children is a study analysing how ‘child responsive’ projects funded by key multilateral climate funds are – over a 17-year period. ‘Child responsiveness’ is defined as addressing the distinct and heightened risks children experience from the climate crisis, strengthening the resilience of child-critical social services and empowering children as agents of change. The report concludes that children are being failed by climate funding commitments, despite bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.