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This legal investigation, conducted by Front Advokater for the Stockholm Environment Institute, analyzes the legal protections available to Swedish samebyar (Sami villages) against land exploitation for hydropower. It examines the historical context of hydropower development in northern Sweden, the fundamental rights of the Sami people, the current environmental permit process, and the implications of new legislation effective January 1, 2019, regarding the review of existing hydropower plants to establish modern environmental conditions.

A statement from the World Resources Institute regarding the Trump administration's formal request to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted formal objections on November 1, 2019, to the Final Scoping Assessment Report (FSR) for the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (also known as the Energy Metallurgical Special Economic Zone or EMSEZ). The CER argues that the FSR is fatally flawed due to inadequate public participation, a failure to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and the appointment of an incorrect competent authority. The document details severe concerns regarding the project's impact on water scarcity, climate change, air quality, and biodiversity in the Limpopo Province.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines recommendations for UNFCCC Parties at COP-25 to integrate human rights, gender equality, and participatory processes into climate action. It emphasizes the need for rights-based safeguards in Article 6 market mechanisms, the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, and the protection of indigenous peoples and local communities in adaptation and loss and damage frameworks.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and NAPC/PUC-Rio analyzes the changes introduced by Decree No. 9,760/2019 to the rules for converting environmental fines into environmental services in Brazil. The document details the evolution of federal legislation, the specific modifications to the conversion process, and the remaining regulatory gaps that hinder the full implementation of the conversion program.

This briefing guide outlines the integration of gender equality and social inclusion within four global frameworks: the Sustainable Development Goals (specifically SDG 5), the UN Commission on the Status of Women's guidance, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It highlights that while some frameworks like the SDGs have standalone gender goals, others like the Paris Agreement mention gender equality in the preamble and adaptation articles but omit it from mitigation and financing sections. The Sendai Framework focuses on inclusive policies and the needs of disproportionately affected people in disaster risk management.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for the integration of human rights, social safeguards, public participation, and independent grievance mechanisms into the rules and modalities of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the risks of environmental and social harm associated with carbon markets and draws on failures of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism to advocate for a rights-based approach to climate governance.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for the integration of procedural rights—specifically access to information, public participation, and access to justice—into climate governance and the implementation of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the roles of the Aarhus Convention and the Escazú Agreement in promoting environmental democracy and provides specific recommendations for the COP-25 agenda to ensure climate policies are inclusive, rights-based, and gender-responsive.

This policy brief argues that Brazil's satellite-based monitoring (DETER) and law enforcement (IBAMA) system is a highly cost-effective tool that prevented an average of 27,000 km² of deforestation per year between 2007 and 2016. The document demonstrates that these measures do not hinder agricultural production and avoid nearly 1 billion tCO2 emissions annually. It warns that a proposed 50% budget cut for 2020 could increase deforestation by 45% and recommends strengthening federal financial and institutional support for these systems.

This policy brief argues that Brazil's satellite-based monitoring (DETER) and law enforcement (IBAMA) are highly effective and cost-efficient tools for fighting deforestation. Between 2007 and 2016, these systems avoided the loss of 27,000 km2 of forest per year and nearly 1 billion tCO2 of emissions annually. The authors emphasize that these measures do not harm agricultural production and warn that a proposed 50% budget cut for 2020 could increase deforestation by 45%.

This white paper examines the inverse relationship between pastureland size and cattle productivity in Brazil. It finds that higher land prices and better access to capital incentivize ranchers to intensify production or switch to crops, thereby reducing the need for forest clearing. The authors recommend policies that combat illegal deforestation, remove bottlenecks to agricultural modernization, and improve credit access to promote sustainable beef production.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the relationship between livestock productivity and pasture area in Brazil. It argues that increasing productivity is essential to grow meat production without further deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, identifying a negative correlation where smaller pasture proportions often relate to higher productivity.

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of Brazil's DETER satellite-based monitoring system in reducing deforestation in the Amazon between 2006 and 2016. Using an instrumental variable approach based on cloud coverage, the authors find that targeted environmental law enforcement significantly curbed forest clearing without negatively impacting local agricultural production.

This briefing transcript details the 'LA Safe' (Louisiana's Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments) initiative, a community-centered resilience effort designed to address land loss and sea-level rise in coastal Louisiana. The program emphasizes the integration of high-quality state data with grassroots leadership to develop long-term land-use and development strategies, moving beyond immediate disaster response toward proactive adaptation.

This interim report evaluates the Youth Enterprise Grants (YEG) pilot project, which provided cash grants and smartphones to 1,035 youth (aged 18-35) in the Mathare slum of Nairobi. The project tested two payment models: lump sums of ~$1,200 and monthly payments of ~$50. Initial findings indicate that cash transfers are feasible in urban slum environments and effectively encourage entrepreneurial behavior, with a significant shift from casual labor to self-employment. While pre-installed business apps saw low engagement, general internet and social media access via smartphones significantly aided market access and skill acquisition. The report also highlights gender-based differences in spending and saving, and the continued importance of informal saving groups alongside mobile money services.

A Global Energy Monitor report stating that China is driving global coal power expansion, with its capacity increasing by 42.9 GW between 2018 and mid-2019 while the rest of the world decreased. The report highlights that provincial-level approval surges (2014-2016) created a massive pipeline of projects that central government restrictions have failed to fully stop. It concludes that proposed capacity increases to 1,200-1,400 GW by 2035 would far exceed IPCC limits for keeping global warming below 2°C.

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the growth of China's coal-fired power fleet between 2018 and 2019, contrasting it with a global trend of coal capacity reduction. It examines the impact of a provincial permitting boom (2014–2016), the subsequent failure of central government restrictions to stop construction, and the incompatibility of China's projected coal capacity with IPCC climate targets for limiting global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C.

This case study examines India's fiscal and economic dependence on fossil fuels, detailing government revenues, subsidies, and the risks of asset stranding. It outlines the role of state-owned enterprises in the energy sector and the tension between India's renewable energy targets and its projected continued reliance on coal through 2040.

This case study examines Russia's economic and fiscal dependence on fossil fuels, detailing the sector's contribution to government revenue, the role of state-owned enterprises, and the fiscal implications of energy transition and climate policies.

This policy brief analyzes the 2019 Indonesian election results and President Joko Widodo's second-term cabinet, noting that increased political stability and a broader coalition may facilitate policy outcomes. While the first term saw coal expansion overshadow renewable energy, the new administration's Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI) targets a 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through a transition from coal to cleaner energy.