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The Petrogandaprisen 2025 identifies numerous instances of the oil industry's influence in Norway, categorizing nominees into eight areas: education for children and youth, sports, public festivals, campaigns, media and public debate, research, art and culture, and health and humanitarian work. The document argues that companies like Equinor, Vår Energi, and Aker BP use sponsorships and partnerships to create a positive image, target young audiences, and obstruct climate action. Specific examples include Equinor's sponsorship of the First Lego League and the Festspillene i Bergen, Vår Energi's funding of regional sports halls, and Aker BP's 'Rebels' marketing campaigns. The report also criticizes the role of media outlets like NRK and Dagens Næringsliv, as well as research institutions and humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross, for facilitating or ignoring the industry's impact on the climate crisis.

The Petroganda Prize 2025 long list identifies various entities and campaigns in Norway that the publisher, Klimakultur, views as 'petroganda'. The document categorizes these nominees into eight areas: children and youth education, sports, folk festivals, campaigns, media and public debate, research, arts and culture, and health and humanitarian work. It specifically highlights how companies like Equinor, Vår Energi, Aker BP, and Gassco sponsor science centers, sports teams, and art festivals to create a narrative of being 'part of the solution' to the climate crisis. The document argues that these partnerships allow the fossil fuel industry to influence young people and the public, effectively masking the environmental and health damages caused by oil and gas production.

PARI and TEI support the Public Service Amendment Bill 2023 for its efforts to separate political and administrative roles by transferring operational powers from ministers and MECs to Heads of Department (HODs). While welcoming these changes, the authors argue the Bill lacks sufficient checks and balances for senior appointments and contains ambiguities regarding the overlapping roles of the President, Premiers, and Ministers. They recommend expanding the role of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in merit-based selection and clarifying the grounds for HOD dismissal to align with the Labour Relations Act.

The document analyzes the impact of the Ghana cedi's 24.5% appreciation against the U.S. dollar in early 2025 on electricity costs. While macroeconomic indicators have improved, the power sector remains burdened by 80 billion cedis in debt, high transmission and distribution losses of 35.26%, and a projected US$2.23 billion financing gap. The brief examines potential outcomes for the September 2025 tariff review, including modest reductions, tariff freezes, performance-linked adjustments, or debt-for-efficiency swaps, arguing that currency strength alone cannot resolve deep-rooted structural weaknesses.

Russia's climate policy is characterized by a 'hydrocarbon culture' that prioritizes fossil fuel exports over mitigation. While the country has implemented domestic regulations and a pilot emissions trading scheme, there is uncertainty regarding actual greenhouse gas emission reductions. Russia intends to meet its 2060 carbon neutrality target by recalculating forest carbon absorption to offset emissions. Furthermore, the war in Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions have severed climate diplomacy with the West, exacerbating Russian climate obstructionism.

The document reports on the Internet Governance Forum 2025, highlighting a conflict between the United States' preference for deregulated, company-led AI development and calls from other participants for a rights-based, inclusive approach that addresses the digital divide and biases affecting the Global South.

The document addresses the significant underfunding of climate-smart agrifood systems, which contribute approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that while public and private capital are necessary, concessional capital is essential for the 'missing middle'—projects with high impact but sub-commercial returns. The playbook outlines five specific investment strategies: system-level approaches, natural capital restoration, shared climate-smart infrastructure, technical assistance for innovation, and the scaling of local financial intermediaries. It includes a framework to help donors, foundations, and development finance institutions design and implement blended finance strategies to accelerate the transition to net-zero agrifood systems.

The report analyzes how Brazilian states in the Amazon biome are transitioning from federal dependence to active leadership in forest restoration. While states have successfully implemented mandatory restoration frameworks tied to the Forest Code and pioneered PES and REDD+ programs, the report identifies significant fragmentation. Key barriers include burdensome bureaucracy for native species forestry, a lack of integration with carbon markets (except in Pará), and inconsistent regulations across states that hinder landscape-scale projects. Pará is highlighted as the leader with the most comprehensive framework, including a dedicated State Plan for the Restoration of Native Vegetation.

The document outlines an entreaty endorsed by over 100 experts at 'The Spirit of Asilomar' conference, condemning the development and use of biological weapons. It argues that the most effective way to deter biological weapons is to accelerate the equitable global deployment of tools for attribution, early detection, and rapid countermeasure manufacturing. The text highlights ongoing threats from state actors, specifically Russia and North Korea, as well as non-state actors, and emphasizes that increasing global access to vaccines and countermeasures in developing countries reduces the attractiveness of biological weapons.

The document details the widespread groundwater contamination caused by coal ash at U.S. power plants, where 91 percent of plants exceed federal safe standards. It highlights the dangers of 'sham recycling'—specifically using coal ash as soil fill—and contrasts this with legitimate encapsulation in concrete and gypsum. The testimony criticizes the Trump administration's efforts to cede enforcement to states and weaken federal regulations, while providing evidence that 'closure by removal' of ash ponds leads to significant water quality improvements and economic benefits for local communities.

The report estimates that air pollution from a subset of private equity-backed fossil fuel infrastructure in the U.S. causes between $11.3 billion and $15.1 billion in annual health costs. Using the EPA's COBRA tool, the analysis finds these facilities are responsible for approximately 1,000 premature deaths and 1,500 emergency room visits each year. The document argues that private equity firms must disclose their fossil fuel exposure and health impacts, cease investments in fossil fuel expansion by 2030, and integrate environmental justice into their operations.

The UK is the second largest oil and gas producer and third largest methane emitter from such operations in Europe. While upstream emissions fell by 29 percent between 2020 and 2022, venting and flaring still accounted for 71 percent of sectoral emissions in 2022. The document highlights that official reporting may underestimate offshore emissions by up to five times. To maintain international leadership and comply with EU regulations—which will require importers to report on methane control this year and meet intensity thresholds by 2030—the UK should adopt a regulation based on prescriptive rules (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), performance standards for emissions intensity, economic incentives, and robust monitoring and verification systems.

The document examines how the High Line's vegetation helps alleviate urban heat islands (UHIs), which are areas of elevated heat caused by population density and the built environment. It notes that while human-caused climate change warms the planet, urban infrastructure amplifies average and extreme temperatures, disproportionately affecting underserved populations. The report focuses on the role of trees and plants in urban spaces as a solution to these heat-related health and quality-of-life threats.

Climate Central's analysis of 65 major U.S. cities reveals that approximately 76% of the 6.2 million K-12 public school students in these areas attend school in 'extreme urban heat zones,' where the built environment adds at least 8°F of additional heat. The average student in these cities attends school in a neighborhood that is 8.3°F hotter due to the built environment, with the highest average additional heat found in New York City (9.6°F). The report highlights that children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related health risks, which can impair academic achievement and development, while noting that 41% of public school districts need to update or replace HVAC systems in at least half of their schools.

The Corporate Responsibility Monitor 2025 finds that the tech sector faces a credibility crisis as AI growth drives exponential energy demand and emissions. The report argues that current accounting practices, which favor market-based over location-based reporting, obscure the true environmental impact of tech giants. While some companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple show early leadership in renewable energy procurement and supply chain employment, the sector generally lacks transparency regarding third-party data centers, mineral sourcing, and device lifespans. The document calls for the GHG-Protocol and SBTi to mandate location-based reporting and for companies to adopt 24/7 renewable energy procurement targets to align with a 1.5°C pathway.

Friends of the Earth International asserts that transnational corporations (TNCs) drive the climate and ecological crises while utilizing an international legal architecture to avoid accountability. The organization advocates for the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights as a necessary mechanism to prioritize human rights and planetary health over corporate profit. The text specifically denounces the influence of corporate lobbying groups, such as the International Organisation of Employers and the International Chamber of Commerce, which it claims seek to weaken the treaty by promoting voluntary codes of conduct and self-regulation. It emphasizes that climate justice is a human rights struggle led by affected communities, particularly in the Global South, and links the treaty's success to the broader goal of dismantling corporate power ahead of COP30.

The document identifies priority areas for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the Philippines to protect infrastructure and populations from climate impacts, noting that a small percentage of land area can provide resilience for millions of people and a significant portion of the road network. It emphasizes that many of these priority areas lie outside existing protected networks, requiring new regulatory approaches, while also highlighting 'win-win' opportunities within protected areas. The report advocates for integrating NbS data into national planning frameworks like the Infrastructure Flagship Program and the Philippine Development Plan, supported by capacity building and centralized data platforms.

The report argues that the UK must implement mandatory methane regulations to maintain international leadership and comply with EU import requirements. It recommends a layered approach combining prescriptive measures (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), a phased transition to OGMP 2.0 Level 5 measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV), and the establishment of an emissions intensity standard for both domestic and imported fossil fuels.

The report argues that legal gold garimpo in the Amazon has evolved from an artisanal practice into an industrial-scale business, yet it remains subject to anachronistic regulations that lack necessary socio-environmental safeguards. Analysis of National Mining Agency (ANM) data shows a significant increase in authorized areas between 2016 and 2023, with cooperatives dominating the landscape. The authors highlight critical gaps, such as the lack of a 'prior discovery' requirement for garimpo and the undue simplification of environmental licensing in Pará, which delegates authority to municipalities despite the high-impact nature of the activity. The document recommends extending industrial mining requirements to cooperatives, shelving lenient legislative bills in Congress, and implementing a rigorous three-stage licensing process with mandatory Environmental Impact Studies (EIA/RIMA) in Pará.

The document critiques a presidential memorandum and subsequent OMB guidance that direct federal agencies to repeal regulations based on ten Supreme Court decisions. It specifically focuses on five cases involving statutory interpretation—Loper Bright, West Virginia, Michigan v. EPA, Sackett v. EPA, and Ohio v. EPA—asserting that the administration's interpretation of these rulings is too broad and ignores the nuanced principles established by the court.