Despite globally rising inequality levels, consideration of this core aspect of social sustainability is largely missing from climate policy assessments. This way, climate policy risks becoming a missed opportunity for reducing inequalities, instead causing unequally distributed effects. This study responds to calls for greater coherence between social dimensions of sustainable development and climate action. We chart the state of play for inequality matters in climate policy, by examining if and how states propose interventions to address inequality in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. Following warnings that vested interests, faulty institutions, and power asymmetries inhibit effective implementation of inequality-mitigating actions related to climate policy, the study also maps the cross-country patterns of proposed inequality interventions to identify how inequalities are addressed by different types of states. The study shows that two thirds of states address inequality in their NDCs and that inequality considerations are especially prominent among countries with lower levels of human development and greater income inequality. We conclude that, while the viability of intervention proposals is uncertain at best, addressing inequalities in the NDCs can serve as a gateway to a more systematic incorporation of inequalities in the Paris Agreement.
The United States was the world's third-largest donor of climate change aid and the largest donor of foreign aid prior to 2025. As a major carbon emitter and donor, the U.S. has long been central to international climate change initiatives. However, details about U.S. climate aid are scattered and often difficult to interpret. This paper explores how the U.S. federal government structures its overseas climate change aid through a descriptive and thematic analysis of stated aims and objectives of 117 projects funded over a 25-year period (2000-2024), focusing on climate change adaptation. Using official government data, it investigates which forms and types of climate adaptation receive support, particularly in such areas as drought resilience, coastal protection, early warning systems, and climate-resilient agriculture, as well as the countries and institutions which are the main recipients of U.S. climate-related assistance. The analysis considers a range of adaptation-related interventions - from mangrove regeneration and erosion control to climate-resilient irrigation and glacial flood prevention. It goes beyond analysing only budgets, donors and implementation partners to evaluate project objectives and approaches, as well as the four thematic areas of gender, equity and justice, education, and displacement. By examining these themes, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of U.S. climate aid priorities and the evolving architecture of its international climate finance. It offers a descriptive thematic mapping of the stated aims, adaptation types, and cross-cutting priorities of 117 well-documented U.S. government-funded adaptation projects identified through official government data.
