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The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing MEJCON-SA and MACUA, has filed an appeal response report challenging the Environmental Authorisation (EA) granted to Tetra4 (Pty) Ltd for its Gas Gathering and Production Project in Virginia, Free State. The appellants argue that Tetra4 used a Basic Assessment Report (BAR) process to circumvent more rigorous Scoping and EIA requirements for the drilling of 18 additional wells, effectively 'project splitting' to avoid comprehensive environmental scrutiny. The report highlights critical failures in assessing climate change and geohydrology impacts, inadequate public participation—specifically the exclusion of farm workers and dwellers—and a lack of state capacity to monitor and enforce compliance in the oil and gas sector.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has issued a notification regarding the draft Declaration of Asunción on Water Security, Biodiversity, and Climate Resilience in the Americas, which is slated for endorsement at the 33rd Conference of the Parties (CoP-33) in Paraguay.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) issued a statement regarding the disruption of a Western Cape Branch event on 7 May, which featured Emma Louise Powell of the Democratic Alliance. The event, focused on South Africa's G20 goals and bilateral relations, was halted due to protests over the speaker's positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative provides a baseline of climate finance flows in Nigeria for 2021/22, highlighting a significant gap between tracked investments and the funding required to meet the country's energy transition and infrastructure goals.

This briefing by RMI outlines the economic, health, and environmental benefits of transitioning over 10 million US homes that rely on delivered fuels (oil and propane) to electric heat pumps. It provides data on potential energy savings, carbon pollution reduction, and recommends specific policy interventions and outreach strategies to accelerate this transition.

A joint statement from five Canadian environmental and health organizations—including Ecojustice and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment—urging the Canadian government to expedite the listing and regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The organizations argue that current regulatory criteria underestimate PFAS bioaccumulation and call for the inclusion of fluoropolymers, as well as an accelerated timeline for phasing out PFAS in firefighting foams and consumer products.

This background note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) compares two primary international frameworks for nature-based solutions (NbS): the IUCN Global Standard for NbS and the CBD Voluntary Guidelines for the Design and Effective Implementation of Ecosystem-based Approaches for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Lobito Corridor is a strategic transport route designed to move critical raw materials (CRMs) from the Copperbelt of the DRC and Zambia to the Atlantic coast of Angola for export to the US and EU. While it promises economic transformation and local industrialization, the project faces significant geopolitical competition from China, sustainability risks related to human rights and artisanal mining, and financial uncertainty stemming from the US political landscape under the Trump presidency.

This report by RMI evaluates the potential for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and storage by integrating biomass residue building products into the construction industry. It estimates that using these materials could remove 3.6 Gt CO2 by 2050 and avert an additional 16.5 Gt CO2 in emissions. The document also discusses the role of mass timber and active forest management in stabilizing forest carbon, while outlining the policy and technical barriers to scaling these solutions.

This guide from the World Resources Institute explains the concept of 'loss and damage' in the context of climate change, detailing the distinction between economic and non-economic losses, the history of UN negotiations, and the operationalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).

This case study examines UNI2 Microcrédito, a Colombian microfinance institution, to evaluate the applicability of the Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI) Tool to financial intermediaries rather than direct agribusinesses. The study analyzes how UNI2 supports business compliance with the Committee on World Food Security's Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) among its rural and urban clients within agricultural value chains.

A factsheet detailing a judicial review application filed by The Green Connection and Natural Justice to challenge the environmental authorisation granted to Total Energies EP South Africa (TEEPSA) Block 567 (Pty) Ltd for oil and gas exploration drilling off the Western Cape coast.

This report by RMI details the development of transition credits to accelerate the retirement of coal-fired power plants, using a pilot project at the South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation (SLTEC) plant in the Philippines as a case study. It outlines a four-phase framework for moving from project origination to concept development, emphasizing the need for high-integrity baselines, clean energy replacement portfolios, and just transition planning to ensure additionality and avoid moral hazard.

This research paper examines ecological citizenship (EC) as a practice for empowering individuals and communities to achieve climate neutrality through shared responsibility for sustainability and social equity.

This briefing, published by Recourse and several partner organizations, argues that the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) technical assistance (TA) acts as a form of indirect funding that prolongs reliance on fossil gas. The document calls for the ADB to align its energy policy with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal by phasing out all direct and indirect support for fossil gas and increasing transparency and accountability in its TA processes.

This informal input paper, prepared for the G20 Working Group on Trade and Investment by the African Future Policies Hub, Lead-IT, and the World Resources Institute, advocates for a shift from nationalistic green industrial policies toward "cooperative green competitiveness." The report outlines strategies for inclusive green industrialisation, emphasizing the role of industrial clusters, regional cooperation, and reformed climate finance to ensure developing countries are integrated into global green value chains without repeating past patterns of resource exploitation.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the plastics and petrochemical industries are attempting to weaken the Global Plastics Treaty by utilizing lobbying tactics similar to those of the fossil fuel and tobacco industries. The document calls for the integration of robust conflict of interest safeguards directly into the treaty text to prevent industry influence from undermining public health and environmental goals.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) warns that the plastics and petrochemical industries are using lobbying and misinformation to weaken the Global Plastics Treaty. It highlights that industry lobbyists outnumbered many national delegations at the INC-5 session and urges the inclusion of explicit conflict-of-interest safeguards in the treaty text to protect public health and environmental goals.

This report examines the financing of China's steel sector decarbonisation, highlighting the impact of Hebei Province's 2023 transition finance guidelines. It finds that while labelled debt (loans and bonds) is growing—with USD2.8bn in Hebei transition loans and USD3bn in labelled bonds in 2024—the sector requires USD18bn in capex over the next five years to meet EAF and H2-DRI targets. The report recommends government incentives, diversified financial products, and proactive corporate transition planning to bridge the funding gap.

This supplementary guide from the Climate Bonds Initiative establishes interim process criteria for certifying climate resilience investments listed in the Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy (CBRT) that currently lack specific sector criteria. It defines the requirements for Use-of-Proceeds and Asset Certification, focusing on substantial contributions to resilience, management of maladaptation risks, and ensuring no significant harm to climate mitigation objectives.