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This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the governance of the circular economy (CE) in urban settings. It identifies key barriers to implementation—such as administrative silos and a lack of holistic data—and provides four strategic recommendations for urban policymakers to accelerate the transition toward resource-efficient and resilient urban systems.

This research paper describes a review of 24 financing strategies for adaptation in developing countries, conducted as part of a four-year project to scale up development finance. The authors analyze the diversity of these strategies—ranging from high-level support documents to detailed costing frameworks—and provide emerging insights and established good practices to help governments better secure and manage funding for climate adaptation.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the alignment between climate-related official development assistance (ODA), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of recipient countries.

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.

This policy brief argues that current policy approaches in African countries are insufficient for long-term development and resilience against shocks, citing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and historical structural weaknesses.

This report argues that Brazilian public policy focuses excessively on clear-cut deforestation while overlooking forest degradation in the Amazon. The author contends that degradation—defined as the partial loss of vegetation—is a distinct phenomenon with its own drivers that contributes significantly more to greenhouse gas emissions and biomass loss than deforestation does, necessitating a shift in how Brazil monitors and reports environmental performance.

This briefing by RMI examines the financial risks that extreme weather poses to US homeowners and the mortgage industry, highlighting the disproportionate impact on low-income communities and people of color. It discusses the role of the Inflation Reduction Act in providing funding for climate adaptation and calls for better property-level climate risk data and coordinated financing to future-proof the US housing market.

This research paper by Honour Stahl, published by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, argues that endocrine-related health issues—such as endometriosis, PCOS, and breast cancer—are significantly driven by ubiquitous environmental contaminants rather than solely by individual genetics or lifestyle. The author critiques the current medical and regulatory landscape for placing the burden of prevention on the ill while allowing corporations to profit from both the production of harmful chemicals and the treatment of the resulting diseases.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted a letter to the South African Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment on 5 August 2022. The letter urges the government to strengthen its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets to align with the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, arguing that current targets are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

This RMI briefing analyzes the potential impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act on the United States economy and climate goals. The legislation commits $369 billion to energy and climate, targeting the decarbonization of buildings, transportation, and heavy industry while aiming to reduce inflation by securing domestic clean energy supply chains.

This discussion paper by the African Climate Foundation examines the tension between utilizing Africa's significant natural gas resources for economic development and the risks posed by the global transition to low-carbon energy. It argues that while gas provides short-term revenue and energy security, long-term investments in gas infrastructure are increasingly risky due to falling renewable energy costs and international climate targets. The paper advocates for a shift toward renewable energy (RE) to support industrialization and electrification, provided that climate finance is scaled up.

This report provides an overview of the global sustainable bond market for the first half of 2022, focusing on Green, Social, Sustainability, Sustainability-Linked, and Transition (GSS+) bonds. It details issuance volumes, regional trends, the emergence of new sovereign issuers, and the evolving policy landscape regarding sustainable finance taxonomies.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that forest degradation in the Amazon is a critical but overlooked threat to climate goals. It highlights that degradation often causes more biomass loss and carbon emissions than clear-cutting deforestation, yet it remains largely absent from Brazil's official environmental metrics and greenhouse gas inventories.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes 24 financing strategies for climate adaptation in developing countries, categorized into discrete adaptation strategies and general climate action strategies. It evaluates how these documents are developed, the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs), and their effectiveness in mobilizing finance. The report identifies a need for better integration between ministries of finance and climate leads, more strategic use of public grants to leverage private investment, and improved country-level tracking of climate finance flows.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the evolving relationship between the Republic of Korea and Africa, focusing on opportunities for collaboration in climate change and energy transition. It analyzes Korea's carbon-neutrality goals and the African Union's Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy (2022–2032) to identify synergies in renewable energy, green minerals, smart cities, and sustainable agriculture.

This policy brief examines the challenges and opportunities for securing sustainable finance to support Africa's regional infrastructure agenda, specifically within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights the gap between Africa's high climate vulnerability and its low access to sustainable finance, proposing lessons from the ASEAN region to improve project bankability and regulatory harmonisation.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted written representations on 29 July 2022 regarding the Draft Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill, 2022. The CER argues that the current Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996 and the proposed amendments fail to adequately protect the constitutional rights of communities living near mines, specifically regarding the impacts of mine blasting.

A statement by Hemantha Withanage, President of Friends of the Earth International, analyzing the systemic collapse of Sri Lanka in 2022. The document attributes the nation's political instability, economic bankruptcy, and humanitarian crisis to a neoliberal, undemocratic regime led by the Rajapaksa family, characterized by corruption, illegitimate debt accumulation, and failed environmental and agricultural policies.

This report introduces the concept of the bioeconomy as a strategic driver for sustainable economic growth in Eastern Africa, highlighting the region's reliance on biological resources and the launch of the East African Community Bioeconomy Strategy to catalyze innovative resource use.

This policy brief argues that Aid for Trade (A4T) is a critical tool for advancing sustainable development and addressing environmental crises. It proposes six pathways to 'green' A4T, emphasizing that developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs) must lead the prioritization of these resources to ensure a just and fair transition to a sustainable global economy.