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The document identifies how social norms, political processes, and economic shifts marginalize women in the fisheries sector of South and Southeast Asia. It highlights the invisibility of women's labor, their exclusion from decision-making, and the negative impacts of industrialized fishing on small-scale producers. The briefing proposes five regional pathways for transformation, including increasing gender awareness, providing analysis training, improving women's agency, combating violence, and breaking policy siloes.

The report examines the 'crisis of trust' between migrant families—particularly Polish migrants in Norway—and child welfare services (CWS). It analyzes how institutional structures, communication barriers, and cultural differences influence trust. The authors find that while Norway's CWS is generally child-centric and Poland's is more child-protective, both face challenges in building rapport with minority populations. Key findings highlight that trust is often based on personal experience rather than institutional reputation, and that a lack of cultural competence among social workers can lead to 'culturalization,' where poverty or education gaps are misattributed to cultural flaws. The document concludes that improving trust requires better communication strategies, enhanced cross-cultural training for professionals, and more robust, representative research on migrant experiences.

The report establishes a framework for understanding nature-related risk to business (NRR), defining it as risks arising when changes in a company's impacts on or dependencies on nature become threats due to exposure and vulnerability. It categorizes these risks into five types: physical, regulatory and legal, market, reputational, and financial. Through a review of over 70 sources and four case studies (BP, Vale, German exporters in South Africa, and PG&E), the document demonstrates how environmental degradation can lead to severe financial losses, operational disruptions, and bankruptcy. It emphasizes that nature-related risks and climate risks are 'twin emergencies' that are mutually reinforcing.

The report establishes a framework for nature-related risk (NRR), defining it as the result of changes in a business's dependencies on or impacts on nature that become threats due to the company's exposure and vulnerability. It identifies five primary risk types: physical, regulatory & legal, market, reputational, and financial. Through a review of over 70 sources, the report highlights that sectors such as food and beverage, metals and mining, and oil and gas face the highest risks. Case studies of BP, Vale, PG&E, and German exporters illustrate how these risks materialize into multi-billion dollar liabilities, bankruptcy, or lost revenue.

The report examines the gap between strategic planning and implementation in the public sector, with a focus on South Africa. It argues that successful prioritisation and alignment are not merely technical achievements but are dependent on the socio-political environment, including the concentration of state power and the stability of the political-administrative interface. Through case studies of Chile, Malaysia, and Uganda, the document highlights the importance of iterative planning, strong central coordination, and the integration of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into budgetary decisions. It specifically critiques the South African context, noting that its constitutional structure of three independent spheres of government and the prevalence of factional politics hinder top-down alignment. The report suggests that South Africa could benefit from 'lab'-style planning, nested monitoring hierarchies, and genuine participatory governance to bridge the planning-implementation gap.

Cement production accounts for 5.6% of global CO2 emissions, split between thermal fuel combustion (30-40%) and limestone calcination process emissions (60-70%). The report highlights that concrete naturally re-absorbs CO2 through carbonation, sequestering roughly 48% of process emissions over several decades. To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the author models scenarios suggesting that capturing 80% of process emissions is sufficient if electricity is decarbonized, or 53% if thermal fuels are also fully decarbonized. Mitigation strategies discussed include energy efficiency, clinker substitution (reducing clinker content to 60%), and novel technologies from CarbonCure and Solidia.

The document investigates the risks of arsenic entering the human food chain through rice consumption in Cambodia, driven by the increasing use of groundwater for dry season irrigation. While arsenic in drinking water is a well-known issue, the paper finds limited awareness of rice as an exposure pathway among stakeholders. It highlights that rice grown in the Mekong River floodplain, particularly in Kandal province, shows higher arsenic levels, and suggests that the Cambodian government should shift toward surface water irrigation and higher-value crops to mitigate health risks and protect export markets.

The report reviews research needs for SDG 14, categorizing them into three themes: marine pollution, ocean and climate, and sustainable use of marine resources. It highlights critical knowledge gaps in the Arctic and Baltic Sea, the need for standardized global monitoring of microplastics and acidification, and the challenge of balancing short-term economic demands with long-term environmental protection. The document emphasizes that while science can characterize challenges and provide solutions, effective mitigation depends on political will and multi-disciplinary collaboration.

The report outlines critical knowledge gaps across four themes essential for achieving SDG 17 and the broader 2030 Agenda. It emphasizes the need for research on the relationship between quality of government and sustainability outcomes, the development of tools for policy coherence, the removal of barriers to technology transfer in least developed countries, and the creation of empirical metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The report concludes that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) largely failed its objectives of producing high-quality, additional emission reductions and promoting sustainable development. It highlights systemic issues such as a lack of environmental integrity, perverse incentives for pollutant production, and the absence of social safeguards. Through four case studies in Uganda, India, Chile, and Guatemala, the document demonstrates how CDM projects led to land grabs, pollution, and the violation of indigenous and community rights. It recommends that post-2020 climate targets should not use CDM credits and that future mechanisms, such as the Sustainable Development Mechanism under the Paris Agreement, must incorporate binding stakeholder consultations and independent grievance mechanisms.

The report analyzes twelve sustainability standards for infrastructure, categorizing them into project screening tools (e.g., SuRe, Envision, CEEQUAL, ISCA, IFC Performance Standards) and accounting tools (e.g., SASB, TCFD, GHG Protocol, UN PRI). It evaluates these tools based on comprehensiveness, objectivity, clarity, transaction costs, and traction. The study finds that the industry lacks a single global standard, with investors often using multiple tools depending on the project's local context and regulatory regime. It highlights a fundamental tension between 'preservationist' public sector assessments, which determine if a project should be built, and 'conservationist' investor metrics, which focus on implementing projects in the most sustainable way possible.

The report argues that coal transitions are already underway due to economic shifts, the falling cost of renewables, and environmental concerns, independent of climate policy. Through analysis of China, India, South Africa, Poland, Germany, and Australia, it concludes that phasing out coal is technically feasible and cost-neutral or advantageous for consumers. It emphasizes that a 'just transition' for workers and communities is possible through early stakeholder consultation, tailored workforce programs, and regional economic diversification. The document also warns coal exporters of the risks of stranded assets and the potential for abrupt declines in global demand.

The report argues that climate change poses significant physical and transition risks to financial assets, particularly in high-carbon sectors, and that these risks are often not adequately priced into the market. It highlights the potential for 'stranded assets' in fossil fuels and coal, while simultaneously identifying substantial growth opportunities in renewable energy, green infrastructure, and energy efficiency. The document concludes that climate-aware investing is a necessity that can match or outperform conventional benchmarks without sacrificing returns.

The paper reviews the mechanisms of ozone uptake and internal plant damage across scales from cellular metabolism to whole canopy processes. It argues for the development of dynamic crop growth models—including empirical, radiation use efficiency, and photosynthesis-based models—that can simulate ozone impacts alongside other abiotic stresses. The authors suggest that international collaborations like the Agricultural Modelling and Improvement Intercomparison Project (AgMIP) can help standardize and improve these simulations for better national, regional, and global risk assessments.

The review finds that while the WEF nexus concept is widely used to expand the scope of analysis, it lacks a uniting methodology and has not yet demonstrated a clear ability to improve resource management or governance outcomes.

The report presents a series of expert testimonies and external research findings regarding the economic vulnerability of U.S. coastal properties to sea level rise. Experts from insurance, credit rating, and real estate sectors highlight a disconnect between long-term climate risks and short-term investment horizons. Key concerns include the potential for a collapse in property values, the failure of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to provide accurate risk signals due to subsidies, and the likelihood of credit downgrades for coastal municipalities. The document identifies critical tipping points, such as the loss of 30-year mortgages and the transition to risk-based insurance pricing, which could trigger a disorderly retreat from vulnerable areas.

The document examines the 'jurisdictional approach' (JA)—a comprehensive, government-led strategy for forest and land-use governance across defined political territories. It argues that subnational jurisdictions (states, provinces, districts) are critical for scaling emissions reductions because they are closer to land users and possess the authority to shape land-use decisions. Through case studies in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, and Mexico, the paper highlights that while JA fosters multi-stakeholder collaboration and policy innovation, it is frequently hampered by political turnover, limited public sector capacity, and a lack of tangible financial incentives. The authors conclude that JA is not a 'silver bullet' but a necessary recognition of the role of multi-level government in protecting forests and enhancing livelihoods.

The document argues that tropical forests, mangroves, and peatlands can provide 23 percent of the cost-effective mitigation needed by 2030 to limit warming to 2°C. It highlights that deforestation impacts the climate not only through carbon emissions but also through non-radiative forcings like disrupted water cycles and surface albedo changes, which can lead to hotter and drier conditions locally and continentally. The authors emphasize that while reforestation has high potential, it faces uncertainties regarding land availability and competition with food security, whereas avoiding deforestation provides more certain mitigation benefits.

The report examines how Carbon Removal and Solar Geoengineering might interact with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that at least 13 of the 17 SDGs would be affected by these technologies, with at least 9 facing significant risks. While these interventions could mitigate some climate-driven threats to development, they introduce novel physical, socio-economic, and political risks, including land-use conflicts, water scarcity, and international political tensions. The authors emphasize substantial knowledge gaps and call for transdisciplinary, geographically diverse research and robust global governance to ensure such technologies do not hinder sustainable development.

This research paper evaluates three multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs)—the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)—comparing their mechanisms for monitoring, compliance, and impact on governance and transparency.