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The report analyzes Brazil's agricultural risk management landscape, highlighting a significant gap in insurance coverage compared to global peers like the US and China. It examines key programs such as the PSR, Proagro, Garantia-Safra, and PGPM, noting high market concentration and a heavy reliance on credit over insurance. The authors argue that inadequate risk management leads to underinvestment and inefficient land use, recommending a shift in public funding from rural credit to insurance subsidies and the expansion of the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) system.

The report analyzes the proposed Africa-EU strategy ahead of the October 2020 summit, comparing EU priorities with the AU's Agenda 2063. It identifies gaps in the EU's approach, particularly regarding poverty, health, debt cancellation, and infrastructure, and recommends a revamped partnership based on mutual accountability and a people-centred approach.

The document maps local procurement regulations in the SADC region, distinguishing between demand-side policies (encouraging companies to buy locally) and supply-side interventions (supporting local supplier capacity). It finds that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement requirement, the level of detail varies significantly, with the DRC, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania employing specific targets and plans, while others rely on vague 'best effort obligations'.

The document notes that 22 countries have implemented or announced food export restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis, raising concerns about food access in low-income, food-importing nations similar to the 2007/08 and 2010/11 price spikes.

The research evaluates national and international support policies for emissions-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) industries, specifically comparing Canada's approach with those of Australia, California, and the European Union. The evaluation is based on four specific metrics: administrative costs, economic efficiency, the incentive to reduce emissions, and equity both between and within sectors.

The paper argues that large-scale demonstration plants for hydrogen steelmaking are preferable to smaller pilot plants because they better facilitate collaboration with authorities, improve signaling and marketing, and more effectively test business models. However, the authors warn that large plants face significant regulatory and permitting bottlenecks, particularly regarding power transmission capacity in Sweden. The analysis is contextualised by the HYBRIT consortium's decision to pursue an industrial-scale plant with a capacity exceeding one million metric tons of iron per year in Norrbotten, Sweden.

The report analyzes how the EU's ESIF, particularly the ERDF and CF, supports climate mitigation and energy efficiency in Member States like Lithuania and Slovakia. It identifies success factors such as partnership-based negotiations, alignment with national priorities, and the use of non-grant financial instruments to leverage private capital. However, it notes limitations including administrative hurdles, limited project preparation capacities, and a tendency to fund 'low-hanging fruits' over advanced R&D. The document concludes with five key lessons for international climate policy, emphasizing national ownership, simplified procurement, and the need for comprehensive technical assistance.

As of July 2020, 19 countries and the European Union have adopted net-zero targets. The document compares these targets across several dimensions: the coverage of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and domestic sectors, the target year for achievement, whether separate emissions reduction targets exist, the use of international GHG mitigation, and the legal status of the targets.

The document compares four categories of electrified vehicles. Conventional hybrids use regenerative braking to charge batteries and improve fuel economy. PHEVs combine an internal combustion engine with a plug-in battery, allowing for short distances of gasoline-free driving. BEVs run exclusively on electricity, producing no tailpipe emissions and offering the longest electric ranges. FCEVs use hydrogen gas to generate electricity, emitting only water from the tailpipe, though their environmental impact depends on the hydrogen production method and infrastructure is currently limited primarily to California.

The report analyzes three economic recovery scenarios (V, U, and L-shaped) for Africa following the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that while the continent's youthful population may mitigate direct mortality, the economic shock will likely erase years of progress in poverty reduction and hinder the achievement of 2030 SDGs. The analysis emphasizes that the primary suffering will stem from economic contraction and a resulting debt crisis rather than direct virus mortality. Key recommendations include urgent debt relief, increased health spending, and investment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure to build long-term resilience.

The study evaluates a parsimonious geospatial tool for mapping monthly water budgets, groundwater recharge, baseflow, and quickflow in Peru and Myanmar. In Peru, the tool's spatial distribution of baseflow contributions showed a strong correlation with an established model (r2 = 0.81). In Myanmar, the model performed satisfactorily in representing month-to-month variation (NSE 0.6–0.8), though it exhibited scale-dependent errors in large basins. The findings suggest that while trade-offs exist between model complexity and accuracy, such simple models can support watershed management in resource-limited settings.

In 2019, China led the world in labeled green bond issuance, with 386.2 billion RMB (55.8 billion USD) issued, a 33% increase from 2018. The market saw a significant rise in non-financial corporate issuers and the introduction of the first labeled green municipal special bond. While the market is growing, a gap remains between domestic Chinese green definitions and international standards, particularly regarding the use of proceeds for general corporate purposes and the inclusion of 'clean coal' projects. The report highlights the potential for refinancing as 88% of the domestic green bond balance is set to mature within five years.

The report finds significant disparities in disclosure quality across different types of Chinese green bonds, with green financial bonds performing best and green enterprise bonds worst. It notes that offshore green bonds generally exhibit higher transparency than onshore ones. The analysis reveals that while 73% of onshore green bonds had pre-issuance third-party certification, only 59% had follow-up tracking certification. To enhance market credibility, the report recommends mandatory environmental benefit disclosure, the creation of standardized reporting templates, the establishment of a centralized information platform by the China Central Depository & Clearing Co. Ltd. (CCDC), and the unification of green bond standards across different regulatory bodies.

The report finds that while China has a strong foundation for green bond reporting, quality varies significantly by bond type and regulatory regime, with financial bonds and offshore issuances performing best. It highlights a lack of standardization in environmental impact reporting and inconsistent external verification, particularly for enterprise bonds. To address these gaps, the report recommends mandatory environmental impact reporting, the creation of a standardized reporting template, the full implementation of an accreditation model for verifiers, and the establishment of a central data platform.

The paper contends that South Africa's current policy of austerity is economically destructive and proposes a R1 trillion fiscal stimulus over three years. It argues that the country has the fiscal space for expansion because its debt levels are comparable to emerging market peers and its productive capacity is underutilised. Using input-output modelling, the authors estimate an average fiscal multiplier of 1.68, suggesting that a stimulus of 10% of GDP (approximately R500 billion) could generate over R800 billion in economic expansion and nearly 3.5 million jobs. The proposed stimulus is guided by ten principles, including targeting high-multiplier sectors, reducing inequality, and ensuring environmental sustainability through a 'Green New Deal'. Financing is proposed through progressive taxation, rebuilding the capacity of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), leveraging Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and reforming monetary policy.

The report analyzes seven European Green Capital (EGC) winners—Bristol, Ljubljana, Essen, Nijmegen, Oslo, Lisbon, and Lahti—across 12 environmental domains to establish 'threshold activities' necessary for reaching the EGC finals. Comparing these to Tallinn, the study finds that while Tallinn excels in air quality, green space proportion, and the use of green electricity in municipal buildings, it lags in CO2 emissions per capita, waste landfilling rates, and the formal adoption of strategic planning documents. Key findings highlight the importance of carbon neutrality targets by 2050, integrated sustainable mobility strategies, and the implementation of 'polluter pays' principles in waste management.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that the average EV in the US produces global warming emissions equivalent to a gasoline vehicle achieving 88 mpg, making it cleaner than any new gasoline car available. This advantage is driven by the decreasing share of coal in the US electricity grid and improvements in EV efficiency, notably from the Tesla Model 3. The report highlights that 94% of the US population now lives in regions where an EV is cleaner than a 50 mpg gasoline car, compared to less than 50% in 2012.

The research identifies a significant discrepancy between self-reported and actual LPG consumption, finding that 78% of respondents over-reported their usage, which challenges the reliability of face-to-face survey data commonly used in developing countries.

The author draws a parallel between the psychological and political responses to COVID-19 and climate change, noting that both follow a pattern of denial, downplaying risks, and eventual action. While the pandemic triggered a rapid global mobilization—including G20 spending commitments of US$5 trillion—climate change has suffered from decades of delay due to human psychology's preference for immediate threats. The document concludes that the 'new found wisdom' of global cooperation seen during the pandemic should be leveraged to combat climate change.

The briefing compares the systemic challenges of COVID-19 and climate change, highlighting how data lags and inconsistent reporting hinder effective decision-making. It advocates for a shift toward standardized, open-source data ecosystems, potentially led by non-state actors, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.