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In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while production fell by 0.6%, as coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects dropped to 32, China and India continue massive expansions. In Indonesia, the growth of captive coal plants for nickel and aluminium processing contradicts national climate commitments, with the RUPTL 2025-2034 continuing to plan for on-grid coal investment despite a formal moratorium.

The report identifies that over 66 million people in the U.S. live near freight facilities and corridors, with those near clusters of 11 or more facilities facing a 32% higher cancer risk from air toxics than the national average. It advocates for Indirect Source Rules (ISRs), which require facilities to mitigate the pollution attracted by their operations, as a tool to address these disparities. The author details best practices for ISR design and proposes various compliance options, including the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, charging infrastructure, and innovative solutions like using wastewater treatment plant methane for port power.

The document opposes the February 2026 repeal of the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, which established that greenhouse gas pollution endangers human health and welfare. It argues that the repeal disproportionately harms low-income communities and communities of color, while creating regulatory uncertainty for the heavy-duty trucking industry and potentially costing Americans $180 billion over the next decade.

The SAVi assessment of the Bogotá River recovery project demonstrates that hybrid infrastructure—integrating nature-based interventions like wetland restoration with conventional systems—generated USD 349 million in net benefits. The project achieved a return of USD 1.27 for every USD 1 invested, primarily driven by USD 828 million in avoided flood damages and USD 554 million in value from improved water quality and ecosystem services.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread education disruptions in Africa, with over 90% of students facing interruptions due to school closures. The impact was most severe for rural and poor populations due to a significant digital divide, where 60% to 85% of university students lacked the devices or internet access required for online learning. Even in relatively well-resourced South Africa, students lost between three-quarters and a full year of schooling, with up to 500,000 children dropping out. Beyond academic loss, the pandemic increased risks of child labour, particularly for girls, and caused mental health issues due to lockdowns lasting up to two years.

The document describes El Niño as a natural climate phenomenon characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It argues that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme El Niño events, particularly Central-Pacific (CP) events, and complicating their prediction. For 2026, there is a 61% chance of an El Niño emerging between May and July, with some models suggesting it could be the strongest in 140 years. The briefing details global teleconnections, noting that El Niño typically causes droughts in southern Africa, Australia, and India, while increasing flood risks in East Africa and the Americas. These shifts significantly impact global agriculture, reducing yields for maize, rice, and wheat while often increasing soybean yields. Regional analysis highlights specific risks, such as increased cholera in East Africa, hydropower reductions at Kariba Dam in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Amazon becoming a net carbon source during Eastern-Pacific (EP) events.

The FSF ACCT is a blended finance programme targeting cocoa and coffee supply chains in 10 countries. It combines a USD 200 million investment facility for pre-harvest working capital loans with a USD 12 million Technical Assistance Facility (TAF). The programme aims to mitigate 8.47 million tCO2e and benefit over 8.7 million people over 15 years by promoting agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.

Vietnam is seeking results-based payments for 14,040,000 tCO2e of net emission reductions and removals from 2014, totaling an expected payment of 71,955,000 USD. The funds will finance a six-year project (2027-2033) targeting the North West and North East agro-ecological regions, specifically six provinces: Phu Tho, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, and Tuyen Quang. The project focuses on four outcomes: strengthening institutional systems, improving land and forest management, enhancing forest value for local socio-economics, and project management. It aims to benefit 9.24 million people and protect 3.79 million hectares of terrestrial forest, with an ex-ante mitigation impact of 17.29 million tCO2e.

The document examines how climate change and human activity are increasing the vulnerability of both fire-adapted and non-adapted forests. It highlights the severe carbon emissions and ecological losses from recent record-breaking fires in 2023 and 2024, particularly in Canada and South America. The text details the drivers of vulnerability—including forest fragmentation and drought—and proposes resilience strategies such as securing Indigenous land rights, implementing fire breaks, and expanding restoration financing.

The report analyzes the role of renewable energy in shielding Britain from a fossil fuel crisis in March 2026. It finds that new wind and solar capacity reduced gas-fired power generation by 39% compared to 2021, avoiding approximately £7 million in daily gas purchases during the first four weeks of the crisis.

Drought in Türkiye has led to a permanent decline in hydroelectric output, with the average capacity factor of plants falling from 38% (1996–2005) to 26% over the last decade. This decline is compensated by natural gas power plants, increasing the country's reliance on energy imports. The long-term impact of drought on energy imports is estimated at an average of $1.8 billion per year, with the three largest dams alone (Atatürk, Karakaya, and Keban) contributing to $400 million in additional annual gas imports.

The report finds that drought has caused a permanent decline in Turkey's hydroelectric capacity factors, leading to a reliance on natural gas to compensate for the loss, which increases energy imports by an estimated 1.8 billion dollars annually.

Between 2021 and 2024, European banks provided US$41.9 billion to companies developing over 320 new gas power plants globally, with 63% of this funding coming from a small group of French and UK banks. The report links gas reliance to electricity price volatility, air pollution causing premature deaths, and the climate crisis, urging banks to shift funding from gas expansion to renewables.

Analysis by Zero Carbon Analytics indicates that consecutive climate extremes in the UK—including the 2022 drought, the 2023/2024 wet winter, and the 2025 drought—have repeatedly driven up farmgate lamb prices. The 2023/2024 wet winter had the most significant impact, increasing prices by an estimated 25%. For the 2.6 million UK households that regularly purchase lamb, these events added up to GBP 168 to their grocery bills. The report highlights a 'climate premium' on traditional Easter lamb roasts since 2023, with price increases ranging from 7% to 21%. The findings suggest that while biological grass systems show some recovery, the market buffer of hay stocks has been progressively depleted, increasing the sensitivity of prices to new climate shocks.

The document highlights the economic and environmental benefits of transitioning US households from electric resistance heating to heat pumps, noting potential annual national savings of nearly $20 billion and a significant reduction in peak electricity demand.

The report argues that the abrupt closure of USAID in 2025 has had catastrophic short-term effects on funding-dependent newsrooms in Africa, leading to mass layoffs and a decline in investigative capacity. It highlights the role of Internews as a primary implementer of these projects and warns that the loss of funding increases the risk of 'media capture' by political actors, the 'juniorisation' of newsrooms as senior staff leave, and a shift toward commercial rather than public service reporting. The author concludes that the resulting vacuum in public accountability work may accelerate democratic backsliding in fragile states.

The document synthesises projections from AFREXIMBANK, UNCTAD, UNDESA, IMF, the Pardee Centre, and the World Bank on the AfCFTA's potential to increase intra-African trade, boost GDP growth, reduce poverty, and raise wages, particularly for women and skilled workers.

The report details the disproportionate burden of climate change on Africa, noting that since 1984, the continent has faced 1,865 climate-related disasters resulting in US$53 billion in losses. It highlights a critical lack of financial protection, with only 9% of disaster losses insured. Regional analysis shows water-related disasters as the primary threat, with severe flooding in East Africa and historic droughts in Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa. The document also links climate change to the spread of diseases like cholera and malaria, and the risk of desertification in the Sahel and West Africa.

Analysis of USA National Phenology Network data shows that first spring leaves now emerge earlier in 88% of 242 major U.S. cities, shifting by an average of six days since 1981. This trend, combined with a freeze-free growing season that has stretched 21 days longer on average across 173 cities between 1970 and 2025, extends allergy seasons and increases the risk of 'false spring' crop losses. Ecological disruptions include potential mismatches between bird migration and the peak abundance of food sources.

The document outlines the climate and social risks associated with the expansion of data centers, highlighting their massive energy and water consumption. It warns journalists against uncritically accepting corporate claims about job creation and investment, urging them to investigate local resource competition, 'digital sacrifice zones,' and extractivist dynamics in the Global South.