Methodology

Citations and conditions for data use

If you choose to use Oxford Climate Policy Monitor data or externally refer to Oxford Climate Policy Monitor analysis, please cite as follows:

For media: Oxford Climate Policy Monitor. Oxford Climate Policy Hub, University of Oxford. 2025.

For academic publications: Emma Lecavalier, Bhavya Gupta, Thomas Hale, Shirley Lukin, Katharina Neumann, Nora Zurcher, Thom Wetzer. 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor Annual Review. Oxford Climate Policy Hub, University of Oxford. December 2025. 

The data produced by the Climate Policy Monitor is open access under the Creative Commons License BY 4.0.

Acknowledgements

Many individuals have contributed to the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor in one form or another, including:

Lucilla Dias, Samantha Climie, Camilla Hyslop, Shirley Lukin, Chiara Rohlfs, Katharina Neumann, Christopher Lomax, Julius Jasper Hollander-Bodie, Marcelo de Medeiros, Claas Mertens, Kaya Axelsson, Matilda Becker, Alexis McGivern.

We also want to thank the Co-Investigators of the Hub and other University of Oxford colleagues for their inputs:

Selam Kidane Abebe, Myles Allen, Amir Amel-Zadeh, John Armour, Aoife Brophy, Ben Caldecott, Anne Davies, Sam Fankhauser, Benjamin Franta, Cameron Hepburn, Ruairi Macdonald, Kennedy Mbeva, Lavanya Rajamani, Nicola Ranger, Stephen Smith, and Rupert Stuart-Smith.

Finally, the Monitor has benefitted from engaging and consulting with many experts who have generously given their time to support us in the development of domain surveys. We would like to thank:

Scope

The Monitor maps and analyses national regulation, law, and policy shaping climate mitigation efforts.

Each year, the Monitor analyses a select number of domains to be mapped and analysed. In 2025, we analysed six domains:

• Carbon credits*: Policy tools establishing rules for the generation, use, exchange, and/or governance of carbon credits in both voluntary and compliance markets.
   
• Climate-related disclosure: Policy tools recommending or requiring entities provide information about emissions associated with their activities and/or climate risk exposure.
   
• Green prudential rules*: Policy tools issued by central banks and/or financial regulatory authorities that set rules or guidance regarding how financial-related risks emerging from climate change should be identified, assessed, mitigated, and/or monitored.   
   
• Methane abatement*: Policies addressing the reduction of methane emissions from fossil fuels and agricultural sources.  
   
• Public procurement: Policy tools recommending or requiring governments to consider climate and environmental objectives when purchasing goods, services, or works.   
   
• Transition planning: Policy tools recommending or requiring that entities develop, disclose, and/or implement targets or pathways towards decarbonisation.

Starred domains are those which were added in 2025, whereas domains without a star were tracked beginning in 2024. New domains are added yearly.

In 2025, the Monitor covers 37 jurisdictions, including the G20. Additional jurisdictions will be added in future years. 

Note that when evaluating European Union (EU) member states, both EU policy tools as well as national policy tools are included in our evaluation. So, for example, France is evaluated based on the sum of French policy tools and EU policy tools that directly apply to member states(i.e. EU Regulations).

Data collection and evaluation

Data for the Monitor is collected through pro-bono collaborations with law firms in each covered jurisdiction. Law firms are invited to participate based on their existing domain-specific or climate-specific expertise and contribute to the Monitor on a pro bono basis. We endeavour, where possible, to recruit at least two law firms (one of which we aim to be local) in each jurisdiction we cover in order to enhance the validity of the data.

To dive deeper into our methodology, please access the Codebook and the Evaluative Framework Codebook supplement below.

Data collection and analysis occurs in five phases.

Phase 1: Scoping

Participating law firms identify relevant policies in their jurisdiction related to each domain. The Hub and law firm(s) review and assess the identified policies to come to a consolidated list of policies for all law firms in a jurisdiction to survey.

Phase 2: Surveying

Law firms analyse each policy using the Monitor's Survey. Each survey corresponds to one policy tool, which may be relevant to one or more of the six domains. Surveys are completed in Word, to enable within-firm collaboration, and data received by the Hub is then extracted into our database using a PHP script.

Phase 3: Matching

Law firm responses for each policy tool are  reviewed and “matched” (i.e. linking two responses from firms which were about the same policy tool). 

Phase 4: Reconciliation

The Hub reviews policy tool survey responses to create a single “Hub” response. In instances where firm responses diverged, the Hub first undertakes supplemental reading to adjudicate the disagreement and second, if necessary, returns to the responding firms to gain further clarification. 

Phase 5: Evaluation Framework

Drawing on the rich, granular data provided by the law firm network, and building on the reconciled responses, the Hub then analyses policy tools using the BASIC framework-- considering the ambition, stringency, degree of implementation, and extend of comprehensive coverage of policies within a jurisdiction and domain. Further details about the BASIC Framework can be found in the Codebook and Evaluative Framework supplement.

Data limitations

Our dataset is limited by several factors.

First, it is not globally comprehensive. The 2025 Monitor includes 37 jurisdictions, comprising G20 countries, plus a few other emerging and developed economies covering a range of geographical regions. However, the data captures a globally significant range of jurisdictions that account for most of the global emissions and global population, striving to be diverse regarding regions, income, and development. 

Second, the policy tool data is only obtained through information available in the public domain and is predicated upon the identification and survey of relevant policy tools by the Legal Expert Network. Thus, this may not always reflect the most complete and current information about the number and status of policy tools in each jurisdiction. 

Since the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor is an open-source dataset and all reporting and aggregation is transparent, we welcome feedback from users and continuously strive to keep our data as accurate as possible. If you identify any inaccuracies or if you believe there is a policy tool missing from the Monitor, please reach out to us at netzerohub@bsg.ox.ac.uk.

Legal disclaimer

The content of the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor represents insights as at August 2025. While we endeavour to ensure that the information contained in the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor and on this website is accurate as at August 2025, policy and regulation may have changed since this time and the contributors to the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor do not assume any obligations or responsibility for updating or monitoring any such changes or for ensuring that the contents of the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor or this website is complete, accurate or up to date, or that the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor, the website or its content will remain accessible. 

The Oxford Climate Policy Monitor is provided as a resource for research and policy information only. Because it is provided for information only, none of the authors of or contributors to this Oxford Climate Policy Monitor makes any representation as to its relevance to or completeness for any given situation. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice or seek to be an exhaustive statement of the law and is not intended to be, and should not be, relied on. Contributors to the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor are not liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage (howsoever caused) incurred by any person relating to the use of, inability to use, or reliance on the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor or this website or in connection with the data and/or insights provided.   

The terms of use of and all issues regarding the 2025 Oxford Climate Policy Monitor and this website are governed by English law and all disputes shall be determined exclusively by the English Courts.