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This policy brief examines how the BRICS bloc can support the digitisation of African agriculture to drive economic growth. It highlights the potential for investment through the New Development Bank, knowledge transfer from BRICS members' digital agricultural reforms, and the role of South Africa's 2023 BRICS chair to advance continental goals like Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA.

This report examines the alignment of the food and agriculture sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with the Paris Agreement, highlighting the need to redirect investment from conventional agribusiness toward innovative, low-emission alternatives such as biochar and alternative proteins.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates Canada's new framework for identifying fossil fuel subsidies, praising its alignment with World Trade Organization definitions and its transparency regarding 'inefficiency,' while warning that exemptions for 'abated' production and carbon capture and storage could undermine climate targets.

This guide by Zero Carbon Analytics explains the role of heat pumps in decarbonising buildings and industry, detailing their technical operation, economic viability, and the policy barriers to their global adoption.

This report by RMI examines the financial burden of high fuel costs on families in the United States and critiques the current utility practice of using fuel adjustment clauses to pass 100 percent of fuel costs to customers. The document proposes six regulatory strategies to incentivize utilities to manage fuel costs more efficiently and reduce the risk of price volatility for consumers.

This report by the Africa Policy Research Institute examines the potential impacts of the G7 Climate Club on African countries. While acknowledging the goal of achieving global net-zero emissions by mid-century, the author argues that the Club's current design—particularly its focus on rapid decarbonisation and carbon-leakage reduction—could undermine African economic growth, energy security, and industrialisation. The report calls for a co-designed approach that prioritises climate justice, technological transfer, and financial support over trade-based sanctions.

This policy brief from the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) examines the interconnected policies shaping urban food systems in Southern Africa. It argues that resilient and equitable food systems—those capable of withstanding shocks while ensuring fair access to nutritious food—require an integrated approach to urban planning that incorporates food considerations, supports informal food actors, and ensures inclusive stakeholder representation.

This executive summary by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the evolution and current state of national investment laws. It argues that these laws are versatile policy instruments that have shifted from supporting national development goals in the 1950s-70s to aligning with international investment treaties between 1980 and 2010. The document provides a framework for policymakers to redesign these laws to better serve sustainable development and avoid the legal risks associated with treaty-style protections.

This executive summary describes a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) that analyzes the evolution and current functions of national investment laws. It provides a framework for policymakers to reform these laws, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all model and that laws should be designed based on specific national objectives and desired functions, such as promoting sustainable development.

The July 2023 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the outcomes of the fifth mid-year coordination meeting between the African Union (AU) and regional economic communities (RECs). It highlights systemic coordination failures in peace-making, the challenges of AU institutional reforms, and the potential of new initiatives like the Africa Facility to Support Inclusive Transitions (AFSIT) to deter unconstitutional changes of government. The report also discusses the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of the UN mission (MINUSMA) from Mali.

This legal guide, published by Natural Justice in July 2023, provides environmental and land rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with information on their constitutional and statutory rights and the legal mechanisms available to remedy human rights violations.

This research paper argues that national budgets in developing and emerging economies are insufficient to meet the high-ambition mitigation pathways required by the Paris Agreement, necessitating increased international climate finance based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR).

This statement from the African Center for Economic Transformation evaluates the outcomes of the Paris summit for a new global financial pact, highlighting the emergence of a unified African voice and a broader global coalition calling for the reform of an international financial architecture that is deemed unfit for current overlapping crises.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that the Canadian oil and gas sector is ill-prepared for an inevitable decline in global demand. It suggests that the federal government must take a proactive role in managing this phase-down to protect workers and communities and diversify the economy, rather than continuing with business-as-usual production expansion.

The 'State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality' report by the European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO) evaluates the European Union's trajectory toward its 2050 climate neutrality goal using over 100 indicators. While the report finds the EU is generally moving in the right direction, it concludes that the pace of change is insufficient across most sectors, with specific areas like finance and carbon dioxide removals moving in the wrong direction.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the decision by the state of Roraima to reduce the Legal Reserve (Reserva Legal) requirement from 80% to 50% in forest areas. The authors argue that this policy change, enabled by the 2012 Forest Code and the state's 2022 Ecological-Economic Zoning (ZEE-RR), may accelerate deforestation, contradict national climate goals, and set a precedent for other Amazonian states.

This briefing by RMI examines the debate over emissions accounting methods in New York State, specifically focusing on the shift to a 20-year global warming potential (GWP20) timeframe and the inclusion of upstream and biogenic emissions. The author argues that this 'new climate math' increases climate benefits without necessarily increasing costs, as physical emissions remain constant regardless of the accounting timeframe used.

This policy brief by RMI argues that a circular battery economy—focused on repurposing and recycling electric vehicle (EV) batteries—is essential to mitigate human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and supply chain vulnerabilities. The document outlines five critical policy areas: supply chain traceability, material transport and storage, manufacturing and production, recycling, and reuse, emphasizing that cohesive national and international policies are required to make these processes economically viable and scalable.

This joint submission by IISD, CIEL, and ClientEarth to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment argues that Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms act as a major obstacle to climate and environmental action. The document details how ISDS is used by investors to challenge environmental regulations, creates a 'regulatory chill' that disincentivizes states from enacting green policies, and often ignores human rights and environmental obligations in favor of investment protections.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates the draft Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, acknowledging it as a positive step for the just transition while calling for specific amendments to strengthen accountability and support for workers and Indigenous Peoples.