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The briefing highlights the failure of EU Member States to reach target fishing mortality by January 2025 under the Western Mediterranean multiannual plan (West Med MAP). It criticizes the lack of transparency in the 'compensation mechanism' used to reclaim fishing days and calls for robust actions, including strengthened fishing mortality reductions, safeguard measures for critically depleted stocks, and enhanced selectivity and control systems.

The report identifies a massive funding gap for sustainable livestock in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where the sector is responsible for approximately 28% of total regional emissions but receives minimal climate investment. It analyzes six key risk categories—governance, financing, physical climate, market, infrastructure, and nature—and finds that public investors are currently the most suitable for the sector due to higher risk tolerance. The roadmap proposes a transition from a 'business-as-usual' reliance on public funds to a diversified capital mix through blended finance, derisking tools (such as first-loss capital and credit guarantees), and policy reforms like natural capital accounting and improved land tenure. It specifically highlights the vulnerability of smallholder farms and the potential for large-scale farms in Brazil and Mexico to attract private investment. The report concludes with recommendations for COP 30 in Brazil to elevate sustainable livestock on the global climate agenda.

The report analyzes the complementary roles of VCEFs, MDBs, and NDBs in the climate finance architecture, focusing on financial instruments like guarantees, equity, and local currency lending. It identifies systemic barriers such as complex accreditation and slow approval processes and proposes a framework for non-financial collaboration through country platforms, technical assistance, and the creation of enabling policy environments. The document provides a set of short- and mid-term recommendations to harmonize metrics, simplify due diligence, and unlock the potential of NDBs to increase the flow of climate finance to emerging markets and developing economies.

The report argues that while the quantity of climate finance is widely tracked, its quality—defined as the degree to which it induces structural shifts toward low-emission, climate-resilient, and equitable economies—remains under-analyzed and non-standardized. It introduces a three-level analytical framework (project, market, and system) to move beyond one-off interventions toward 'transformational climate finance.' The study identifies ten dimensions for assessing transformational potential, including affordability, equity and justice, and programmatic approaches. It also reviews existing measurement tools used by institutions like the IFC, GCF, and UK ICF, noting a convergence in project-level tracking but significant fragmentation in market and system-level assessments.

As of May 2025, China's operational solar and wind capacity reached 1.4 billion kW, surpassing fossil fuel capacity for the first time in Q1 2025. The country leads globally in planned and under-construction projects, with over 1.3 billion kW in the pipeline. While offshore wind represents only 9% of total wind capacity, China accounts for 49% of global cumulative offshore installations as of March 2025. The document highlights the role of coastal provinces like Jiangsu and Guangdong in driving this growth and suggests transitioning from local to national-level policies and adopting international bidding models to ensure long-term stability and technical innovation.

China is advancing a 1.3 TW pipeline of utility-scale solar and wind projects, with operating capacity reaching 1.4 TW by 2025. While solar and onshore wind are expanding rapidly, particularly in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, offshore wind has emerged as a global powerhouse, accounting for 50% of global capacity. However, the offshore sector faces challenges from the 2021 phaseout of national subsidies and competition from planned coal and gas capacity in coastal provinces. The document argues for a transition from provincial development to a coordinated national policy framework incorporating hybrid auction mechanisms and robust spatial planning.

The document examines the intersection of climate change, gender, and food systems in southern Africa, arguing that climate shocks intensify the burden of unpaid care work disproportionately borne by rural and working-class women. It critiques technocratic, productivity-focused agricultural policies and proposes a framework based on Feminist Ecological Economics and Feminist Political Ecology to reorient food systems around human needs and ecological regeneration. Key recommendations include the redistribution of care work, support for agroecology, and the implementation of gender-responsive fiscal policies.

The report examines the evolution of consumer protection from traditional to digital markets, highlighting the 'equivalence principle' where online consumers should receive protection not less than that in other commerce. It analyzes how regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the WTO JSI Agreement on Electronic Commerce incorporate consumer protections, while noting that developing countries, particularly LDCs, often lack the legislative and institutional capacity to enforce these rights. The document recommends that developing countries leverage technology, trade agreements, and international cooperation to build robust digital consumer protection frameworks.

The document outlines the global effort to create a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. It details the environmental and health risks of plastics, the history of the UN-led INC process, and the contentious treaty elements currently under debate, such as production caps and chemicals of concern. It also identifies the divergent positions of major plastic producers, high-ambition coalitions, and developing nations, while suggesting synergies with existing international conventions.

The document argues that investment treaties function as 'unpriced public insurance' that shifts political and regulatory risks from private investors to host states. Unlike other de-risking tools like political risk insurance or blended finance, treaties often lack pricing mechanisms, performance benchmarks, or environmental and human rights safeguards. This creates an asymmetrical regime where host states face substantial downside risks and contingent fiscal liabilities, which can be exacerbated by large investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) awards. The authors recommend that policy-makers assess treaties alongside other risk-allocation tools, terminate redundant agreements, and coordinate across finance ministries and development banks to prevent 'double recovery' and ensure transparent risk sharing.

The document proposes a functional shift in how investment treaties are viewed, categorizing them as a form of 'unpriced public insurance' that transfers political and regulatory risks from private investors to host states. It argues that unlike other de-risking tools, treaties often lack performance conditions or sustainability safeguards, creating asymmetric financial burdens for states, particularly in the Global South. The brief recommends that policymakers evaluate treaties alongside other risk-mitigation tools to avoid redundancies and ensure that investment governance supports climate transitions and public accountability.

The document proposes a functional shift in how investment treaties are viewed, moving from legal instruments of the rule of law to economic tools of public risk absorption. It argues that these treaties often act as unpriced public insurance, transferring political and regulatory risks from private investors to host states without the conditions, pricing, or performance guarantees found in other de-risking tools. The authors recommend that policymakers evaluate treaties alongside other risk-reduction mechanisms, revise or terminate redundant agreements, and coordinate between financial institutions to avoid double indemnification and ensure equitable risk sharing.

The report details the evolving role of Indigenous Peoples in the Rio Conventions, highlighting a shift from being viewed as stakeholders to recognized rights holders. Key 2024 achievements include the creation of a permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) under the CBD, the extension of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) mandate under the UNFCCC, and the establishment of two separate caucuses for Indigenous Peoples and local communities under the UNCCD. Despite these procedural gains, the report identifies persistent challenges, including limited direct access to funding and the ongoing tension over the use of human rights language and terminology in international environmental governance.

The report examines the role of state-owned power companies (SPCs) in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), noting they control approximately 50% of global power station capacity. Through four case studies, it explores specific transition elements: Eskom (South Africa) on just energy transition (JET), NTPC (India) on renewable energy deployment, EVN (Viet Nam) on grid integration, and PLN (Indonesia) on early coal retirement. Key findings highlight that while SPCs can lead low-carbon action due to declining technology costs, they are often hindered by high debt, fossil fuel subsidies, and a lack of comprehensive legal frameworks. The report recommends that governments mandate specific emission targets for SPCs, shift public finance from fossil fuels to clean energy, and that SPCs establish dedicated JET offices and improve data transparency to build stakeholder trust.

The report examines the November 29, 2024, draft text for 'Fish 2' negotiations at the WTO. It details a proposed hybrid approach combining a broad prohibition of subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing with a management-based exemption and special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing nations. Key provisions include a two-tiered system for demonstrating stock sustainability, specific rules for distant-water fishing, and a five-year review clause to potentially mandate quantitative subsidy reductions. The document highlights that while convergence is high, significant gaps remain regarding the duration of transition periods and the definition of artisanal fishing.

The report synthesizes key messages from the first global stocktake (GST) to support developing countries in enhancing their national adaptation plan (NAP) processes. It emphasizes the iterative adaptation cycle—comprising impact, vulnerability, and risk assessment (IVRA), planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—as the guiding framework. Key findings highlight the need for gender-responsive and inclusive planning, the mainstreaming of adaptation across governance levels, and the critical role of nature-based solutions. The document also addresses the widening adaptation finance gap and provides a practical roadmap for countries to implement GST outcomes based on their current NAP status, while outlining reporting mechanisms through NDCs, AdComs, and BTRs to prepare for the second global stocktake.

The policy brief argues that current Free Basic Services (FBS) in South Africa provide only a 'survival' level of access that fails to lift households out of poverty. It proposes increasing free electricity to 150kWh and water to 8kl per month for households earning below the minimum wage, while shifting administration from municipalities to a social grant system (SASSA) to reduce exclusion and administrative inefficiency.

The report finds that the European car leasing sector is largely unaccountable for its climate impact, with widespread opacity in reporting and weak, short-term climate commitments. Despite leasing accounting for over half of new car registrations in the EU, most companies lack science-based targets or a commitment to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. The authors argue that voluntary action is insufficient and call for binding CO2 emissions reduction targets and harmonized reporting through the forthcoming EU Fleets Regulation.

The report examines how unreliable electricity and the use of medical equipment designed for high-income countries undermine healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa. Based on data from 29 facilities in Kisumu County, Kenya, it finds that many essential devices are underutilized or non-functional due to power instability, high energy consumption, and a lack of maintenance. It argues for the adoption of energy-efficient, context-aware medical appliances and decentralized renewable energy systems to improve health outcomes and reduce operational costs.

The document examines the challenges of expanding active mobility in Indonesia, highlighting how fragmented infrastructure, safety risks, and weak enforcement hinder the transition from motor vehicles to walking and cycling. Using Medan as a case study, it identifies specific gaps in accessibility for people with disabilities and suggests a multi-faceted approach involving infrastructure upgrades, financial incentives, and public awareness campaigns to reduce urban congestion and air pollution.