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This report by Natural Justice provides a comprehensive review of Mozambique's legal and policy frameworks regarding the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples to land and natural resources. It examines the tension between progressive laws, such as the 1997 Land Law, and a trend toward 're-concentration' of power by the State to facilitate large-scale extractive and agricultural investments. The document highlights systemic failures in community consultation, the marginalization of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), and the impact of resettlement projects in the mining sector.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the governance of Namibia's fisheries since independence in 1990. It analyzes the country's efforts to rebuild fish stocks, capture economic rents, and promote local ownership through 'Namibianisation' policies, while highlighting the ecological challenges of the Benguela Current ecosystem and the risks of developing new deep-sea fisheries.

The Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2014 executive summary analyzes global climate finance flows for 2013, noting a decrease in total investment and highlighting the role of falling technology costs and domestic policy frameworks in driving climate finance.

This fact sheet by the World Resources Institute analyzes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets announced by the United States and China, comparing them to previous commitments and current trajectories in the context of the global goal to limit warming to 2 degrees C.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the agenda of the 2014 G-20 Summit hosted by Australia, focusing on the interconnectedness of global economic growth, resilience, and development.

The CFAS Guide, published in November 2014 by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, provides a technical synopsis of climate finance negotiations under the UNFCCC to support stakeholders participating in the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP20) in Lima, Peru. It details the status of long-term finance goals, the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund, the financial constraints of the Adaptation Fund, and the role of the Standing Committee on Finance in improving the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of climate finance flows.

This fact sheet by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) discusses the critical need for a precise legal definition of nanomaterials to ensure effective risk assessment and management. It examines the technical challenges of defining these materials based on size or properties and analyzes the current regulatory landscape, focusing on the European Union's efforts to establish a horizontal definition amidst industrial and scientific controversy.

This case study examines Mexico's efforts to develop a National Safeguard System (SNS) and a Safeguard Information System (SIS) for REDD+, framing the initiative as a tool for sustainable rural development. While Mexico has made progress by integrating safeguards into existing federal laws and establishing participatory forums, the document identifies significant gaps in the operationalization of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), clarity on carbon ownership, and the distinction between the SNS and SIS.

This case study examines Mexico's development of a National Safeguards System (SNS) and a Safeguards Information System (SIS) for REDD+, highlighting the tension between national implementation and the need for clearer international guidance from the UNFCCC and the World Bank.

This report by Friends of the Earth International, Corporate Europe Observatory, and the Transnational Institute examines how the British-South African mining company Anglo American uses its influence to promote 'dirty energies' and 'false solutions' to the climate crisis. It focuses on the environmental and social impacts of the El Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia and the company's lobbying efforts within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This report by Friends of the Earth International, the Corporate Europe Observatory, and the Transnational Institute examines how the mining company Anglo American uses its influence over governments and the UNFCCC to promote 'false solutions' to the climate crisis while continuing the extraction of polluting energy sources, specifically focusing on the El Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia.

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) proposes the use of process-based indicators to improve the design and implementation of food security policies amidst climate change. Using the Food Security Indicator & Policy Analysis Tool (FIPAT) applied in Central America, the authors argue that moving beyond traditional output and outcome indicators to process-based indicators allows policy-makers to monitor decision-making, institutional capacity, and inclusivity.

The November 2014 issue of the Peace & Security Council (PSC) Report details the African Union's (AU) interventions in Burkina Faso, its monitoring of various African elections, and its strategic focus on state fragility. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of the Ebola epidemic's impact on socio-political stability in West Africa and the international community's response.

This executive summary from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines the need for new business models for distributed solar photovoltaics (DPV) in the United States to move beyond customer-centric value toward system-wide optimization. It proposes three 'bridge' building blocks—increased access, treating DPV as a grid resource, and technology bundling—to align the interests of utilities, solar companies, and customers while transitioning toward broader regulatory reform.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the limited participation of African nations in the G-20. While South Africa is the only permanent African member, the document argues that the current ad hoc invitation of the African Union (AU) and NEPAD representatives is insufficient for a coordinated continental voice. It proposes establishing a coordinating secretariat within the AU Commission to prepare common African positions and suggests leveraging lessons from previous successes in aid effectiveness and BRICS outreach to improve Africa's influence on global economic governance.

This report by IISD-GSI provides the Nordic Council of Ministers with options and recommendations for increasing Nordic cooperation to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies in developing countries, highlighting the economic and environmental costs of these subsidies.

This background paper describes an action research programme in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, aimed at integrating climate change considerations into district-level disaster management planning. The programme, implemented by GEAG, ISET, and NIDM, successfully moved beyond research recommendations to publish a climate-sensitive District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP) by utilizing 'Shared Learning Dialogues' and the Climate Resilience Framework to bridge gaps between national policy and local implementation.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations published in August 2014. The CER argues that the proposed timeframes for assessments and decision-making are insufficient and potentially unconstitutional, and that the regulations fail to adequately address climate change impacts, the inefficiencies of the basic assessment process, and the need for clear guidance on biodiversity offsets to ensure 'no net loss' to the environment.

A policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzing a leaked 'chemicals annex' from the European Commission regarding the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The document argues that the proposed regulatory cooperation favors chemical industry interests over public health and environmental protections, potentially freezing the implementation of stronger laws and erasing the more protective standards currently found in the EU.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the 'Energy Efficiency Milan Covenant of Mayors' program, an initiative administered by the Province of Milan to retrofit public school buildings using 'pure' Energy Performance Contracts (EPC). The program aims to achieve energy savings of at least 20% and annual emission reductions of approximately 9,000 tCO2, utilizing third-party financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and technical assistance from the ELENA program. While the program successfully tested standard EPCs in the Italian market and moved investments off municipal balance sheets, it faced significant delays and barriers due to existing bundled ESCO business models and banking uncertainties regarding energy efficiency collateral.