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This report examines the high climate risk faced by rural producers in Brazil's Caatinga biome, highlighting that family farmers—who make up 79% of rural properties—are the most vulnerable. It finds that increased aridity leads to significant productivity losses in corn, beans, and livestock, while also correlating with severe long-term social impacts, including higher infant mortality, school delays, and poverty.

The July 2023 report 'Pedal to the Metal' by Global Energy Monitor assesses the global iron and steel plant fleet, highlighting a critical gap between current capacity developments and the decarbonization targets required for net-zero emissions by 2050. While there is a growing shift toward Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology, the continued expansion of coal-based Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) capacity, particularly in Asia, threatens to lock in high emissions and create significant stranded asset risks.

This policy brief from the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) examines the interconnected policies shaping urban food systems in Southern Africa. It argues that resilient and equitable food systems—those capable of withstanding shocks while ensuring fair access to nutritious food—require an integrated approach to urban planning that incorporates food considerations, supports informal food actors, and ensures inclusive stakeholder representation.

This toolkit, published by the Global Resilience Partnership in July 2023, provides guidance for Zambian policymakers and urban planners to create resilient and equitable urban food systems. Based on household surveys conducted between 2019 and 2021 in 14 Zambian cities, the document identifies food insecurity drivers and suggests leveraging the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and various national and local policies to improve food access, support urban agriculture, and empower women in the food value chain.

This briefing, published by the Institute for Economic Justice and endorsed by 74 organisations and individuals, critiques the World Bank's 'Evolution Roadmap'. The authors argue that the Roadmap fails to address the structural inequalities of the global financial architecture and relies too heavily on the 'Cascade' approach—prioritising private finance over public interest. The document proposes a radical shift toward 'public sector solutionism', including the adoption of a human rights policy, the end of fossil fuel financing, and a rethink of how inequality is measured and addressed.

This executive summary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the evolution and current state of national investment laws. It argues that these laws are versatile policy instruments that have shifted from supporting national development goals in the 1950s-70s to aligning with international investment treaties between 1980 and 2010. The document provides a framework for policymakers to redesign these laws to better serve sustainable development and avoid the legal risks associated with treaty-style protections.

This executive summary describes a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) that analyzes the evolution and current functions of national investment laws. It provides a framework for policymakers to reform these laws, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all model and that laws should be designed based on specific national objectives and desired functions, such as promoting sustainable development.

This report presents a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment of a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Bandung, Indonesia. The analysis compares a baseline scenario with a 'current BRT' scenario and a 'high-ambition BRT' scenario over a 28-year period (2022–2050). The assessment demonstrates that while the project may not be economically viable under conventional benefit-cost ratios (BCR) that only consider tangible financial returns, it is highly profitable from a societal perspective when integrating environmental, social, and economic externalities.

This research paper examines illicit financial flows (IFFs) stemming from migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone. It analyzes how smuggling proceeds are generated, moved through formal and informal channels, and laundered into legitimate sectors. The report highlights a significant gap between the existence of anti-money laundering policies and their practical implementation, noting that financial intelligence units in both countries lack the resources and expertise to effectively 'follow the money' in smuggling cases.

This policy brief examines the intersection of rapid urbanization and transnational organized crime in Bamako and Lagos, focusing on how illicit arms trafficking fuels urban violence. It identifies the actors, routes, and drivers of arms proliferation and recommends integrated governance and security interventions to mitigate these threats.

This policy brief examines illicit financial flows (IFFs) resulting from migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone. It identifies a significant gap between the existence of anti-money laundering laws and the actual investigation of smuggling proceeds, which are primarily moved through cash and informal channels. The document highlights institutional weaknesses, including underfunded financial intelligence units and corruption, and provides recommendations to prioritize 'follow the money' approaches to disrupt smuggling networks.

The July 2023 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the outcomes of the fifth mid-year coordination meeting between the African Union (AU) and regional economic communities (RECs). It highlights systemic coordination failures in peace-making, the challenges of AU institutional reforms, and the potential of new initiatives like the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT) to deter unconstitutional changes of government. The report also discusses the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of the UN mission (MINUSMA) from Mali.

This legal guide, published by Natural Justice in July 2023, provides environmental and land rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with information on their constitutional and statutory rights and the legal mechanisms available to remedy human rights violations.

This submission by Ember to the Climate Change Authority (CCA) recommends an ambitious approach to measuring and mitigating coal mine methane emissions in Australia. Ember argues that current reporting is significantly underestimated and that a combination of increased federal regulation, a national methane action plan, and a phased production phaseout of fossil fuels is necessary to meet 1.5C pathways and net zero by 2050.

An open letter from Jabu Hlatshwayo, an intern at the Public Affairs Research Institute, to President Ramaphosa, urging the South African government to prioritize urban land reform and the youth following the February 9, 2023, State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) expressing concerns over transparency, environmental monitoring, and the lack of Climate Change Impact Assessments (CCIAs) for upstream gas and petroleum activities.

A coalition of civil society organizations wrote to World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on June 29, 2023, warning that the 'Evolution Roadmap' must not sacrifice human rights and environmental safeguards for the sake of efficiency. The authors highlight a critical gap in the Bank's ability to provide remedy to harmed communities and specifically criticize a March 2023 IFC/MIGA draft framework for being insufficient. They call for a new framework that mandates financial contributions to remedy, community-led remedy plans, and restrictions on exiting projects while accountability processes are ongoing.

The Climate Bonds Guide to Certification outlines a voluntary labelling scheme designed to ensure investments are consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. It provides a framework for certifying Use of Proceeds debt instruments, assets, and entities based on science-based eligibility criteria and independent verification.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International condemning the 16-year Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, describing it as a crime against humanity that has rendered the territory uninhabitable through the denial of basic resources and the destruction of agricultural and fishing lands.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International condemning the blockade of the Gaza Strip, detailing the resulting humanitarian and environmental catastrophe, and calling for an immediate end to collective punishment and the restoration of essential services.