HUGE UPDATE: we halted Amazon's panel at Climate Week. We shut it down so hard that every guest and every speaker had to leave the premises. No one was able to return. Their whole event lasted less time than their warehouse workers' pee break.
Joe Thwaites
@joethwaites.bsky.social
International Climate Finance Director @nrdc.org No relation to the glacier. Views my own
Climate finance rules still rely on country classifications set in 1992. But do they reflect today’s realities? New CGD research finds nine major emerging economies account for around 30% of GHG emissions since 1850, challenging the traditional developed/developing divide. go.cgdev.org/3VkBkHK
Not Fit for Purpose: Why Climate Classifications of Developed and Developing Countries Have to Change
Our new research presents a comparative analysis of historical emissions from numerous datasets using different measures of emissions, different classifications of developed and developing countries, ...
cgdev.org
To complement the tracker, my new @nrdc.org piece examines recent developments in international public #climatefinance including: 📊New reporting 🏦What's going on at MDBs and climate funds 🌏Adaptation finance 💸Recent country pledges It's a mixed bag, with reasons for concern but also areas of hope.
Midway Through a Tumultuous 2026, Where Do We Stand on International Public Climate Finance?
Climate finance is in a period of flux, but there are pathways to scaling up funding to meet the moment.
nrdc.org
Confused about #climatefinance? Our new resource @nrdc.org provides a snapshot of progress towards the four globally agreed goals: 1️⃣$1.3tn all intl flows by 2035 2️⃣$300bn mobilized by 2035 3️⃣3x #UNFCCC fund outflows by 2030 4️⃣3x adaptation finance by 2035 We'll update with new data as it comes out.
International Climate Finance Goals Tracker
This tracker collates data on progress toward the four globally agreed-upon climate finance goals.
nrdc.org
Confused about #climatefinance? Our new resource @nrdc.org provides a snapshot of progress towards the four globally agreed goals: 1️⃣$1.3tn all intl flows by 2035 2️⃣$300bn mobilized by 2035 3️⃣3x #UNFCCC fund outflows by 2030 4️⃣3x adaptation finance by 2035 We'll update with new data as it comes out.
International Climate Finance Goals Tracker
This tracker collates data on progress toward the four globally agreed-upon climate finance goals.
nrdc.org
Today’s free newsletter has a very simple message: The AI industry can not (and will not) be bailed out - AI is not too big to fail, OpenAI is not AIG, this is not 2008, and all of this is nothing like the Dot Com Bubble. And when it fails, we must let AI burn. www.wheresyoured.at/let-ai-burn/
Let AI Burn
If you liked this piece, you should subscribe to my premium newsletter. It’s $70 a year, or $7 a month, and in return you get a weekly newsletter that’s usually anywhere from 5,000 to 18,000 words, in...
wheresyoured.at
We regret that our event on Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world has been cancelled due to the red extreme heat warning issued by the UK Met Office. Our apologies to everyone who was planning to attend the event.
@nrdc.org and @e3g.bsky.social have launched a tracker for countries' multiyear climate finance commitments to developing countries. We'll be updating it regularly as new pledges come in, and hope it can be a useful resource for govts, media and civil society.
Climate Finance Commitments Tracker
This new tool keeps tabs on countries’ multiyear climate finance commitments.
nrdc.org
💬 ‘They have this amazing capacity and expertise for managing the world’s oceans.’ Ruth Davis on why small island developing states (SIDS) are key to building healthier oceans around the world. 🤝 @odi.global I UK FCDO I RESI #biodiversity #conservation
I've attended many climate COPs over the years and it seems some nations... *cough* ...are very well versed indeed in this now-declassified "Simple Sabotage Field Manual" first issued by the CIA in 1944
China has little incentive to position itself as a climate leader and risk assuming 'climate finance' obligations But China is still channelling large sums into climate-relevant projects around the world @katelogan.bsky.social + Lily Hartzell explain backchannel1.substack.com/p/chinas-del...
China’s Delicate Dance on Climate Finance
When it comes to China’s role in accelerating climate finance and the global clean energy transition, the world is grappling with several competing realities.
backchannel1.substack.com
Some thoughts on the new #adaptation #climatefinance goal agreed @cop30brazil.bsky.social: It wasn’t the 2030 goal that developing countries wanted, but it does address the concern that adaptation finance would stagnate after 2025, when the previous Glasgow goal of doubling from 2019 levels is due🧵
One for @edzitron.com from @darrencullen.bsky.social www.spellingmistakescostlives.com/single-post/...
CHATGPT MAGIC-8 BALL
After much research and development I have finally made an offline version of ChatGPT. Now you can save water and electricity while carrying one of the world's most powerfully annoying AI chatbots in ...
spellingmistakescostlives.com
#COP30 saw new 2035 climate targets, boosted adaptation funding, increased support for transitioning away from fossil fuels, and more progress on forest protection. It’s time to put these commitments into action. https://on.nrdc.org/4rodmHi
COP30: World Continues to Take Action on Climate
Even with some bumps along the way, countries across the globe rallied behind the need to accelerate the transition toward a climate-resilient, fossil fuel–free, prosperous economy.
nrdc.org
Yes, budgets are tight but Europe cannot afford to fail on #climate finance at #COP30, writes former German diplomat Norbert Gorissen... backchannel1.substac...
Climate finance is not charity; it is one of the most powerful investments that one can make in sovereignty, energy security, equity, and future competitiveness, @gwagner.com explains. bit.ly/3LKPLjz
How to Measure Climate Progress
Gernot Wagner thinks tackling the problem is justified on social and economic grounds, not existential ones.
bit.ly
2035 might seem like a long way off, but the institutional reforms, development of revenue mechanisms, and investment planning must begin now if we're to stay on track. Governments need to be clear about what they want to do to keep up momentum to deliver $1.3 trillion.
International Climate Finance Goals: Where Are We, Where Do We Need to Be, and How Do We Get There?
Nearly a year since governments agreed on a set of new international climate finance goals, here’s an assessment of progress and what COP30 needs to deliver to keep on track.
nrdc.org
The AGF experience shows what happens when governments fail to build a good process to take forward ideas to raise finance. $1.3tn is a much bigger goal, so this time we can't let this process peter out. The Roadmap is not perfect but it's a good basis to craft a balanced process to scale finance.
We should learn from history! Thanks @joethwaites.bsky.social for the good reminder. The new "Baku to Belem Roadmap" must be followed up, so that it becomes possible to scale up the funding. I hope for a decision at #COP30
Joe Thwaites@joethwaites.bsky.social · 11mo agoHistory doesn't repeat, but it rhymes, a #climatefinance story: After the $100bn climate finance goal was agreed in 2009, the UN Secretary General created a High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) to study potential sources of revenue to meet the new goal, led by the PMs of 🇪🇹&🇳🇴
History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes, a #climatefinance story: After the $100bn climate finance goal was agreed in 2009, the UN Secretary General created a High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) to study potential sources of revenue to meet the new goal, led by the PMs of 🇪🇹&🇳🇴
High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing - Final Report
web.archive.org
China and Saudi Arabia among nations receiving climate loans, analysis reveals - Investigation by Guardian and @carbonbrief.org finds just a fifth of funds to fight global heating went to poorest 44 countries #COP30 #climatecrisis www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
China and Saudi Arabia among nations receiving climate loans, analysis reveals
Investigation by Guardian and Carbon Brief finds just a fifth of funds to fight global heating went to poorest 44 countries
theguardian.com
If you thought that climate change was all the fault of 'developed' countries, think again! That's NOT what data on GHG emissions since 1850 actually suggests. Old distinctions between developed and developing countries are no longer fit for purpose. Time to move on. www.cgdev.org/blog/emissio...
Emissions Myth-Buster: We All Know That Developed Countries Are Responsible for Climate Change, Right? Wrong!
The belief that developed countries are primarily responsible for climate change runs deep. UNFCCC climate negotiations—which have been characterized by deep divisions between “developed” and “develop...
cgdev.org
Analysis by @joethwaites.bsky.social concludes this would mean a steep acceleration in the growth rate of adaptation finance Developing countries ideally want this to be grant-based finance, so that would mean e.g. more development aid going to climate adaptation projects bsky.app/profile/joet...
Joe Thwaites@joethwaites.bsky.social · 11mo agoa) Tripling the 2025 doubling by 2030 requires a 25% annual growth rate in #adaptation finance, well above the 15% seen between 2019 and 2022. b) Continuing the 15% historic growth rate gets $77bn in 2030, then $157bn by 2035 due to compounding effects. Probably unlikely given political situations
An influential team called the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance has laid out what it calls an "entirely feasible path" to mobilising $1.3tn by 2035. This was the aspirational goal agreed at last year's COP. Half of the finance in their pathway comes from the private sector.
Countries at #COP30 are discussing a potential new #adaptationfinance goal. I've updated the calculations from our August blog on potential options - removing some scenarios that haven't gained traction and adding others that have.
Joe Thwaites@joethwaites.bsky.social · last yr.The #COP21 goal to double provision of adaptation finance is due this year. Heading into #COP30, governments are considering what could come next. In this @nrdc.org piece, @adellethomas.bsky.social and I explore seven potential options for a new adaptation finance goal: www.nrdc.org/bio/joe-thwa...
International climate finance drives climate action, but current efforts fall short of supporting developing countries as they transition and adapt to climate change. At COP30 later this month, world leaders must strengthen climate investments to secure a livable future.
International Climate Finance Goals: Where Are We, Where Do We Need to Be, and How Do We Get There?
Nearly a year since governments agreed on a set of new international climate finance goals, here’s an assessment of progress and what COP30 needs to deliver to keep on track.
nrdc.org
"You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it" | My commentary on Bill Gates' flawed new climate missive for @thebulletin.org: thebulletin.org/2025/10/you-...
You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it
What Gates is putting forward aren’t legitimate arguments that can be made in good faith. They are shopworn fossil fuel industry talking points.
thebulletin.org
I quite enjoyed a lot of the takedowns of Bill Gates' EA brain snap on climate. It is really deadassed in a number of ways. But no-one mentioned the most important thing. He isn't *just* full of shit. He knows he is full of shit. I can prove it: timinclimate.medium.com/even-bill-ga...
Even Bill Gates knows he is full of shit
Did you hear about that “one low-income country set out to cut emissions by banning synthetic fertilizers”?
timinclimate.medium.com
notes on gatesnotes, in a thread "A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
Ahead of #COP30, where are we on the three quantified international climate finance goals agreed at #COP29 last year? I review progress and assess what needs to happen to stay on track here:
International Climate Finance Goals: Where Are We, Where Do We Need to Be, and How Do We Get There?
Nearly a year since governments agreed on a set of new international climate finance goals, here’s an assessment of progress and what COP30 needs to deliver to keep on track.
nrdc.org