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The document analyzes how 'Big Polluters' across various sectors use 'net zero' targets as a form of greenwashing to delay real emission reductions. It identifies critical conceptual flaws in these plans, such as reliance on unproven geoengineering and carbon offsets, and details how these corporations influence political and academic institutions to validate their agendas. Case studies on companies like Shell, Total SA, and JBS illustrate the gap between public commitments and actual business operations, while the report calls for a transition to 'Real Zero' by 2030.

The report claims that "net zero" agendas are a form of greenwashing used by "Big Polluters" to avoid reducing emissions. It identifies these entities as industries responsible for the majority of historical emissions, including fossil fuels, agribusiness, and aviation. The document details how these actors use risky technologies like BECCS and carbon offsets as "dangerous distractions" and employ lobbying, financial contributions, and academic partnerships to shape climate policy in their favor. Case studies on JBS, Shell, and Total SA are used to illustrate how these plans often mask continued pollution and lead to land grabbing in the Global South.

The report contends that "net zero" pledges from "Big Polluters"—including fossil fuel, agribusiness, and tech giants—are deceptive strategies to avoid responsibility for climate change. It identifies "dangerous distractions" such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and carbon offsets, arguing these schemes often lead to human rights abuses and "carbon colonialism." The document details how these corporations influence policy through lobbying, financial contributions to politicians, and the funding of academic research at institutions like Stanford and MIT to validate "net zero" narratives. Case studies of Shell, Total SA, and JBS are used to illustrate how these plans often mask continued production of high-emissions products.

The report finds that international public finance for gas in low- and middle-income countries is four times higher than for wind or solar, risking a 'dash for gas' that locks economies into high-carbon pathways. It argues that gas is no longer a necessary 'bridge fuel' because renewables are often cheaper and more effective for power, cooking, and industry. The document recommends that international financial institutions end support for gas and instead scale up clean energy finance, focusing on grid integration, technology transfer, and a just transition for workers.

The report finds that international public financing for gas projects in low- and middle-income countries is four times higher than for wind or solar, creating a 'lock-in effect' that threatens climate goals. It argues that gas is no longer a necessary 'bridge technology' because renewables are often cheaper and more effective for energy access. The document recommends that international financial institutions cease all support for gas infrastructure and instead fund grid integration, technology transfer, and a just transition for affected workers.

The report finds that international public finance for gas projects in low- and middle-income countries averaged nearly USD 16 billion per year from 2017 to 2019, which is four times the amount provided for wind or solar. It argues that the 'bridge fuel' concept is obsolete due to the urgency of the climate crisis, methane leakage, and the falling costs of renewables. The document recommends that international public finance institutions end all support for gas exploration, production, and long-lived infrastructure, instead scaling up finance for grid integration, technology transfer, and universal clean energy access. Case studies of Argentina, Egypt, and India illustrate risks such as high subsidies, dependence on volatile export markets, and the creation of redundant parallel infrastructures for gas and electric vehicles.

The report finds that international public finance disproportionately supports natural gas in low- and middle-income countries, often exceeding support for wind and solar by four times. It argues that the 'bridge fuel' narrative is obsolete due to the falling costs of renewables and the risks of stranded assets and methane leaks. The document recommends that international financial institutions cease funding gas infrastructure and instead support clean energy integration, technology transfer, and a just transition, particularly for the poorest nations.

The report finds that international public finance disproportionately supports natural gas over renewables in the Global South, creating risks of stranded assets and carbon lock-in. It argues that renewables are now cost-competitive for most gas uses and recommends that public financial institutions cease support for gas infrastructure to prioritize clean energy transitions.

The document analyzes the 'arduous' journey of Zambian civil society in the APRM process, highlighting the establishment of a dedicated CSO APRM Secretariat in 2007 and its eventual closure in 2011. It details how the process was hindered by resource constraints, political instability following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, and overlaps with a contentious national constitutional review. Key achievements include the production of an independent CSO thematic report that influenced the Country Self-Assessment Report and the Country Review Report. The author argues that the lack of a plan to monitor the National Programme of Action (NPoA) after the Secretariat's closure was a fundamental flaw, and emphasizes the need for long-term funding and collective capacity building for effective governance oversight.

The document details the Botswana APRM Popular Sensitisation (BAPS) Project, an initiative led by the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). It describes how over 35 CSOs collaborated to produce a governance report covering 12 key areas, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing provides a set of recommendations for other countries, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, non-partisan coordination, and the use of ICTs to facilitate civic engagement in governance reviews.

The paper analyzes China's public diplomacy in Africa, noting a transition from risk-averse protocols to the use of social media and 'humanized' diplomats. While the pandemic provided opportunities for 'vaccine diplomacy' and PPE donations, the mass eviction of African migrants in Guangzhou in 2020 triggered a significant backlash. The authors argue that despite experimenting with digital tools, China retreated to traditional, elite-focused diplomatic methods to mitigate the Guangzhou crisis, revealing a persistent preference for high-level engagement over genuine dialogue with African publics.

The document examines the impacts of Cyclone Idai, Tropical Storm Chalane, and Cyclone Eloise on Mozambique, specifically the city of Beira. It analyzes the role of green and grey infrastructure in disaster mitigation, evaluates the 'Building Beira Back Better' (BBBB) strategy, and highlights the critical need for improved early warning systems and sustainable waste management to maintain urban drainage functionality.

The document details a partnership between the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and Jasoro Consulting to integrate youth voices into South Africa's APRM review. Using Hart's 'Ladder of Participation', the project moved beyond tokenism to treat youth as equal partners in decision-making. The process involved nearly 200 young people nationwide who identified key governance issues, including climate change and land rights. The authors derive five key lessons for policy actors: early consultation, recognizing youth as experts in their own experience, ensuring diverse representation, centering youth voices, and providing learning opportunities.

The report assesses the impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on African infrastructure, economic growth, trade, and debt sustainability. While finding that Chinese investment helps close the infrastructure gap and can boost GDP, the authors note risks including debt distress in specific countries, environmental degradation, and the crowding out of local manufacturing by Chinese imports. Case studies in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria demonstrate positive outcomes in transport and energy, though the failure of Nigeria's NIGCOM satellite highlights risks of using the continent as a testing ground. The report concludes that benefits generally outweigh costs, provided African nations improve project management and negotiate more symmetrical trade and loan terms.

The closure of the BHP steelworks in Newcastle, Australia, serves as a case study in industrial transition. The process was characterized by a decades-long decline that allowed for the development of cooperative relationships between unions and industry, as well as community-led economic diversification. While the transition successfully avoided widespread social collapse and saw a shift toward higher-skilled manufacturing and service sectors, the quality of new employment was often lower (part-time and casual). Additionally, the environmental remediation of the site became the largest in Australian history, with costs exceeding the initial payment from BHP, resulting in a public funding burden.

The document analyzes the multi-decade decline of the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, and the city's subsequent economic transition. It presents two contrasting narratives: one highlighting the successful diversification into a high-tech hub and the other emphasizing persistent poverty, urban decay, and widening inequality. The study concludes that while leveraging existing infrastructure and university partnerships can spur growth, targeted interventions are necessary to protect low-skilled workers and address environmental legacies.

The decline of gold mining in South Africa's Free State Goldfields led to catastrophic economic collapse, rising poverty, and severe gender-based vulnerabilities. Initial local government responses failed by prioritizing the revival of a vanishing industry over economic diversification. While the Free State Goldfields Development Centre showed early success in job creation and diversification, political factionalism and governance failures undermined long-term gains. National interventions, including Social and Labour Plans, are criticized for being too general and failing to address community-wide needs or local conditions.

The QGasSP project is developing an open-source, browser-based tool to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to spatial planning, focusing on building energy use, transportation, and land use change. The tool employs two distinct frameworks: a territorial approach for monitoring direct emissions within a specific area and a consumption-based approach using a tiered hybrid Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to enable cross-regional comparisons by tracking global supply chain emissions. To ensure accuracy, the tool combines top-down European datasets (e.g., Eurostat, Exiobase) with bottom-up local data. The report details baseline analyses for four pilot areas—County Meath (Ireland), Rathlin Island (Northern Ireland), Kymenlaakso region (Finland), and the City of Edinburgh (Scotland)—to test the tool's applicability across different urban types and planning scales. The authors conclude that while European datasets provide indicative results, local data is essential for reliable planning, and they suggest that future integration with urban digital twins could further enhance GHG quantification.

The document explores low- and zero-emissions zones (LEZs and ZEZs) as tools for cities to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It compares international examples from Europe and Singapore with a voluntary pilot in Santa Monica, California. A significant portion of the guide is dedicated to ensuring equity, arguing that ZEZs in California must be designed to avoid regressive financial burdens on low-income residents and people of color, who are disproportionately exposed to vehicle-related PM2.5 pollution. The authors recommend that California provide enabling legislation for cities to implement these zones and suggest targeting high-pollution sectors, such as heavy-duty freight, to maximize public health benefits in disadvantaged communities.

The document examines how corruption in natural resource management (NRM) undermines human rights and how reframing corruption as a human rights issue can provide more effective solutions than a purely criminal justice approach. It uses the illegal abalone trade in South Africa and the role of rangers as case studies to illustrate how structural injustices and power asymmetries drive corruption and environmental crime. The brief advocates for integrating human rights mechanisms into anti-corruption strategies to address the root causes of illegality and protect vulnerable communities and environmental defenders.