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This report analyzes the role of COVID-19 fiscal stimulus packages in South Korea and Indonesia, evaluating how these recovery efforts align with each country's energy transition goals. While South Korea has integrated climate challenges into its recovery via the Green New Deal, Indonesia's National Economic Recovery program focuses primarily on short-term social and economic survival with minimal allocation to the energy transition.

The paper examines seven urban sustainability interventions in small and intermediary cities of the global South, focusing on disaster risk reduction, adaptation, emission reduction, and resource management. Using a framework to analyze actors and drivers, the study finds that the entities leading and financing projects significantly influence the inclusivity of the process and the resulting environmental framing. The analysis includes primary case studies from Nakuru, Kenya, and Udon Thani, Thailand.

The document highlights the necessity of public-private collaboration to decarbonize heavy industry, which contributes approximately 30% of global CO2 emissions. It identifies the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), launched by Sweden and India, as a key arena for international cooperation toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The brief examines specific policy tools such as green public procurement, carbon contracts for difference, and carbon border adjustments, while referencing implementation experiences in countries including South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and the UK.

The Kibera Public Space Project, led by the Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), transforms dumpsites and wastelands into a network of multifunctional public spaces to build flood resilience in Nairobi's largest informal settlement. By integrating drainage, gabions, and early-warning systems, the project protects vulnerable households from increasing rainfall risks exacerbated by climate change. The initiative emphasizes community co-design and has successfully advocated for the integration of Kibera into formal city planning through a Special Planning Area approved in 2020.

Triomphant Tchulang developed the Bi-Solar Tech Fridge in Cameroon after a two-year period of refining a prototype to overcome issues with energy consistency, storage capacity, and temperature control. The project aims to mitigate the impact of high temperatures and heatwaves on community health and agricultural storage using solar energy.

The report advocates for Indonesia to reform its LPG subsidies, which currently drain the national budget and disproportionately benefit wealthier citizens. It suggests that crises, such as COVID-19, can serve as opportunities for reform rather than reasons for delay. The document recommends shifting subsidies toward the poor, implementing robust data collection for beneficiaries, executing a public endorsement plan, and leveraging low oil prices to mitigate economic shocks.

The Okra – Steung Chrov Project deployed a 50 kWp / 300 kWh mesh-grid system to electrify 140 households across three remote Cambodian villages. The project, supported by the UNDP and the Cambodian government, utilized a plug-and-play hardware and software solution to overcome the impracticality of national grid extension and the commercial failure of conventional mini-grids. While the levelised cost of energy is USD 0.45/kWh, the system is sustainable on ongoing operations and maintenance costs under full utilization, with users paying a subsidized tariff of approximately $0.16/kWh.

The document argues that climate change impacts are not equal and are influenced by intersectional factors such as race, gender, power, and poverty. It provides examples of coalitions uniting debt activists, homeless advocates, racial justice groups, indigenous leaders, women's rights organisations, and labour unions to address systemic inequalities alongside the energy transition. These collaborations range from demanding unconditional debt cancellation for the Global South and vaccine equality to promoting 'carbon banks' for Black farmers in the US and integrating trans rights into environmental movements. The briefing highlights that integrating a social justice lens—recognising interacting systems of oppression—is essential for a diverse and effective climate movement.

Following a 2010 tragedy, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec) launched DistritoTec in 2014, a district-scale regeneration project in Monterrey, Mexico. The initiative focused on co-creating a shared vision with local residents and business owners to reverse decades of urban sprawl and population decline. By implementing mixed-use development, affordable housing, and 'complete streets'—including over three kilometers of improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure—the project increased the district's population by 56% and reduced uninhabited homes by 27% between 2010 and 2020. The model, which emphasizes low-carbon mobility and community-led governance through the Neighborhood Council of DistritoTec, is now being replicated in three other districts within the city.

The briefing outlines six funding models—sales taxes, retail taxes, fossil fuel production taxes, electricity consumption taxes, climate bonds, and resilience bonds—that US cities have implemented to fund climate action. It highlights specific examples from cities like Denver, Portland, and Miami, emphasizing that integrating equity into the design of these funding streams is essential for success, particularly for Black, Indigenous, Latino, and low-income communities who are disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change.

The document examines the role of energy cooperatives in the European energy transition, highlighting the Middleground offshore wind farm in Copenhagen as a successful model of community-led decarbonization. It argues that such cooperatives foster 'energy democracy' by combining local financial investment with social capital, though they face barriers like limited capital access and monopolistic competition. The author calls for the European Commission to integrate specific support mechanisms for community energy projects into the EU's legal and investment frameworks to ensure a just and sustainable transition.

The paper examines the gap between climate science and practice, arguing that top-down knowledge production often fails to meet user needs. Based on a five-year collaboration in Sweden involving researchers and local stakeholders, the study finds that while standard knowledge quality criteria (credibility, legitimacy, saliency, usability, and usefulness) are relevant, they are insufficient. The authors conclude that knowledge assessment must also account for case-specific circumstances, the decision-making context, and non-tangible outcomes to determine how knowledge is actually applied by adaptation planners.

The document examines the gap between legal design and operational reality regarding how logging companies share benefits with forest communities in four West and Central African nations. It highlights that while laws may exist, a lack of implementing regulations, low payment amounts, and limited community negotiation capacity often lead to poor outcomes. ClientEarth has responded by developing guidance tools, templates, and training to empower communities to negotiate more effective and enforceable agreements.

The report examines the drivers of global deforestation, specifically focusing on the role of agriculture and cattle production. It highlights China's significant influence as a major importer of these commodities and proposes a two-pronged approach—short-term demand signals and long-term systemic support—to transition toward deforestation-free supply chains. The document analyzes various certification schemes, traceability tools, and jurisdictional approaches, while providing case studies from companies like COFCO International and Mars Wrigley to illustrate practical implementation of sustainability policies.

The report criticizes the EU's REDII sustainability criteria for forest biomass, arguing that they prioritize legal formality over actual ecological sustainability. It contends that the criteria allow destructive forestry practices to continue by equating the existence of national laws with sustainability, while failing to provide rigorous verification mechanisms or incorporate NGO evidence. Through five case studies in Canada, Estonia, France, Portugal, and Finland, the document demonstrates that current rules would not prevent the logging of old-growth or high-nature-value forests for energy production.

The report examines the impact of COVID-19 on the energy sectors of South Korea and Indonesia and evaluates their fiscal recovery programs. South Korea's Green New Deal (GND) explicitly integrates climate goals with economic recovery, focusing on green infrastructure and low-carbon energy. In contrast, Indonesia's National Economic Recovery (PEN) program primarily targets short-term health and social stability, with only 0.9% of its budget allocated to energy transition. The study identifies structural barriers in both nations—such as South Korea's centralized market and Indonesia's high financing costs—and recommends that future stimulus include specific emission targets and incentives to attract private investment.

The document outlines two primary structures for Recovery Bonds: sovereign green bonds, which earmark proceeds for eligible environmental projects, and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR) bonds, which use future savings from the removal of fossil fuel subsidies as a notional basis for repayment. It provides a step-by-step issuance guide for green bonds and identifies high-potential target markets for FFSR bonds, including China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Vietnam, with a cumulative potential of USD 500 billion. The report argues that green stimulus offers higher economic multipliers and job creation compared to traditional recovery spending.

Fiji has used its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process to mainstream Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), positioning it as a strategic priority across five priority sectors. The process involved creating a NAP Framework and a 'NAP catalogue' to coordinate adaptation actions, resulting in 160 priority measures. A key implementation example is the use of vetiver grass for riverbank protection and erosion control, supported by a new nursery in Labasa. Fiji's approach emphasizes the link between healthy ecosystems and socioeconomic development, integrating traditional and scientific knowledge, and aligning with international commitments like the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework.

The report identifies five key technical solutions for net-zero—energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon fuels, heavy industry decarbonization, and carbon removal—and five strategic recommendations for Canada, including the creation of industry consortia, Indigenous leadership, a whole-of-government approach, a just transition for workers, and a transparent framework for carbon offsets.

The report analyzes government energy-related spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that a significant portion of recovery funds still supports fossil fuel-intensive sectors. It proposes five core principles for a 'fossil-free recovery': ending public funding for fossil fuel production, reforming fossil fuel subsidies and taxes to raise revenue, 'swapping' those funds into clean energy (access, efficiency, transport, and power), incentivizing private investment in clean electricity, and ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.