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A Global Witness investigation reveals that JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva purchased cattle from 379 ranches in Pará state between 2017 and 2019 that contained illegal deforestation, totaling over 20,000 football fields of cleared land. The report argues that these companies greenwash their operations through deficient audits by DNV-GL and Grant Thornton, which claimed compliance with no-deforestation pledges despite evidence to the contrary. Furthermore, the document highlights the role of international financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Santander, and HSBC, in providing billions in loans and investments to these firms. It also documents links between the beef supply chain and human rights abuses, including land-grabbing and violence against indigenous and landless peoples in areas like Apyterewa. The report concludes that voluntary private sector policies have failed and calls for mandatory due diligence laws in the UK and EU to prevent complicity in Amazon destruction.

The assessment finds that while Panama has integrated environmental and social considerations into its permitting process and recognizes Indigenous rights, its mining legal framework is outdated and lacks a cohesive national development policy. Key weaknesses include a lack of specific regulations for mine closure, inadequate oversight of tailings and waste, and weak transparency in the distribution of financial benefits. The report recommends modernizing the Code of Mineral Resources, establishing mandatory financial guarantees for mine closures, and joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The report evaluates Panama's mining policy framework against international best practices. While it identifies strengths in environmental impact assessment processes and indigenous rights recognition, it highlights critical gaps in legislative modernization, financial transparency, and mine closure regulations. The document argues that Panama lacks a clear national mining policy, leading to legal instability and weak fiscal and environmental oversight.

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) reports that a wave of net zero pledges from 127 countries could reduce projected warming by 2100 to as low as 2.1°C. However, current policies still put the world on a trajectory of 2.9°C, and a significant emissions gap remains for 2030.

The 2020 Scorecard reveals a growing trend of insurers retreating from coal, with at least 23 companies ending or limiting cover for coal projects. While coal insurance is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to obtain, the report finds that the industry has largely failed to take comprehensive action on oil and gas. European and Australian insurers are leading the transition, whereas companies in the U.S., Japan, and the Lloyd's market are identified as laggards. The report also highlights a significant increase in coal divestment, with 65 insurers now having policies covering over $12 trillion in assets.

The report argues that current WTO subsidy rules are insufficient for addressing fossil fuel subsidies because they focus on trade implications rather than environmental concerns. It suggests that the WTO can better support subsidy reform by increasing transparency, improving the enforcement of existing rules, and negotiating new, stronger regulations.

The European Union's 'Benchmark Regulation' introduces the Paris Aligned Benchmark (PAB) and Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB) to standardize 'green' financial indices. However, Reclaim Finance asserts these are insufficient because they lack requirements for absolute greenhouse gas emission reductions and do not guarantee the exclusion of companies developing new fossil fuel projects. The document highlights a gap in passive asset management, noting that firms like Lyxor AM and BlackRock often exclude coal from active assets but not from passive index funds. To achieve real alignment, the author suggests adding absolute emission reduction targets, stricter exclusion thresholds, and a dynamic phase-out of fossil fuels to the PAB framework.

The report analyzes the economic risks of palm oil monocropping for independent smallholders in Berau, Indonesia, finding that palm oil returns are often below minimum living costs. It argues that diversifying into crops like maize and cocoa can significantly increase revenue—potentially by up to 825% for maize—while enhancing regional food security and economic stability. The study recommends that the Berau government strengthen priority economic programs, facilitate access to agricultural financing and insurance, and implement environmental safeguards for alternative crops.

The authors evaluate the EU's Next Generation EU and Germany's national recovery strategy, noting that while multi-billion-euro figures are earmarked for climate action, much of the funding remains conditional or unquantified. Drawing on the 2008 financial crisis, where green recovery efforts failed to prevent a global emissions rebound in 2010, the paper emphasizes the role of parliamentarians in overseeing budgets and implementing mechanisms like carbon border taxes to ensure a genuine energy transition.

The 2020 Energizing Finance report finds a widening gap between actual and required investment for universal energy access, with funding failing to reach the countries with the greatest need. In 2018, only USD 16 billion of the required USD 41 billion for residential electrification was tracked in high-impact countries, and clean cooking finance remained far below the USD 4.5 billion annual requirement. The report highlights a concerning shift toward fossil fuel-generated electricity and a lack of private sector investment in clean cooking, urging a move away from business-as-usual approaches toward coordinated, sustainable financing.

The report estimates that a net increase in investment of approximately 66 billion SEK is required to decarbonise Swedish heavy industry by 2045. This includes 50 billion SEK for the four largest emission sources—steel, petrochemicals, refining, and cement—and 15 billion SEK for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the pulp and paper sector to achieve net-zero. The analysis reveals that financing challenges vary by sector: steel and petrochemicals face high capital expenditure (CAPEX) hurdles due to the need for transformative new processes, while cement and refining are primarily constrained by high operational expenses (OPEX) associated with adding CCS. The report argues that while the total costs are manageable compared to other national infrastructure spending, current carbon pricing under the EU ETS is insufficient to drive these investments, necessitating increased public risk-sharing and targeted industrial policy.

The report finds that while renewable electricity generation in the EU is projected to nearly double by 2030, the current National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) are insufficient to meet the EU Commission's recommended 55% emissions reduction target. Seven countries—Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania—are identified as the primary barriers, collectively projected to be responsible for 80% of the EU's power sector emissions by 2030 due to continued reliance on coal and fossil gas.

Nigeria's response to Covid-19 was characterized by low reported death rates, potentially due to limited testing capacity, and a reliance on lockdowns that exacerbated poverty for low-income earners. The pandemic exposed critical weaknesses in the national health system, which had received funding below the 15% Abuja Declaration target, and highlighted the economic risk of the country's heavy dependence on oil revenue. To mitigate economic contraction, the government adjusted its oil benchmark price, secured a $3.4 billion IMF loan, and implemented various tax reliefs and intervention funds for small businesses and the healthcare sector.

The report argues that independent palm oil smallholders in Berau face significant economic risks due to monocropping and low productivity, with returns often falling far below the regional minimum wage. Through financial modelling, the study finds that diversifying into maize and cocoa can substantially increase revenue—potentially up to 825% more than monocropping—while reducing sensitivity to market price volatility. It recommends that diversification begin during the peak productivity of palm oil trees (around year 10) to ensure bankability and positive cash flow. To facilitate this transition, the report suggests leveraging financial instruments such as the Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR) interest rate subsidy, credit guarantee schemes, and maize insurance, while strengthening local programs like PRUKADES and farmers' corporation plantation zones.

The report finds that while renewable electricity generation in the EU is projected to nearly double by 2030, the region is not on track to meet the European Commission's recommended 55% emissions reduction. Seven countries—Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania—are identified as the primary barriers to the transition, collectively accounting for 80% of projected 2030 power sector emissions.

The report concludes that Goal 6 was met through the adoption of SDG 15, but highlights significant gaps in how forest conservation is measured and reported. It notes that indicators for SDG target 15.2 measure net rather than gross deforestation, failing to capture the extent of natural forest loss. Furthermore, the report warns that SDG targets 15.1 and 15.2 were set to expire in 2020 without adopted revisions. Reporting challenges persist at national levels, with many countries lacking the data and statistical systems needed to track progress, while corporate reporting on SDGs remains largely superficial.

The report argues that Algeria must implement comprehensive political, social, and economic reforms to address systemic corruption, poor governance, and an over-reliance on oil. It highlights the need to diversify the economy, improve the business environment for the private sector, and transition toward renewable energy and sustainable water management to mitigate climate impacts. Key recommendations include enhancing transparency, reducing food imports by boosting agricultural production, and aligning workforce skills with market needs.

The report analyzes Algeria's development pathway to 2040, highlighting a reliance on hydrocarbons, poor governance, and an unsustainable subsidy system. It projects a modest GDP growth rate of 1.8% under current policies but proposes an 'Algerian Dream' scenario involving democratic reform, economic diversification, and investment in the knowledge economy to achieve higher growth and inclusivity.

The document evaluates the coal exit policies of French financial actors, highlighting a lack of uniformity and the failure of some to meet 2019 commitments. It details five categories of best practices: halting new projects and infrastructure, excluding companies with coal development plans, setting low revenue/production thresholds for exclusion, applying absolute exclusion limits for the largest coal actors, and requiring companies to publish closure plans that prioritize shutting down assets over selling them.

The European Union has introduced the Paris Aligned Benchmark (PAB) and the Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB) to standardize green financial indices. However, Reclaim Finance argues these benchmarks are inadequate because they focus on carbon intensity rather than absolute emissions reductions and fail to exclude companies developing new fossil fuel projects. The briefing highlights the risk of greenwashing in passive index management, where assets under management exceed $10 trillion, and calls for stricter criteria, including absolute emission targets and a phased exit from fossil fuels by 2040 in OECD countries and 2050 globally.