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The report identifies 27 factors across four themes—EU internal dynamics, expected effects of enlargement, attitudes/norms/perceptions, and external factors—that influence EU accession decisions. It argues that while the process is formally merit-based, EU actors exercise significant discretion, with normative factors dominating early candidacy and economic or political interests predominating during later negotiations. The analysis highlights how these factors varied across the 'Big Bang' (2004), 'Coda' (2007), and Croatia (2013) rounds, and provides forecasts for the 'Trio' of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.

This report examines a toolkit of regulatory and economic policy instruments used to curb deforestation and promote forest restoration in tropical regions. It analyzes the effectiveness of command-and-control measures, financial incentives, and the critical role of land tenure security, while highlighting how political cycles and electoral incentives create risks for long-term conservation success.

The authors argue that traditional site-level conservation interventions are insufficient because they fail to address the disproportionate role of distant wealth in biodiversity collapse and may overlook local communities as sources of solutions. They propose 'Connected Conservation', a model that aims to diminish three dominant negative flows from centres of wealth and amplify three marginalized positive flows within biocultural centres to achieve biodiversity goals with justice at the centre.

The document outlines the wide-ranging health risks associated with traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), noting that in Canada, one-third of the population lives within 250m of a major road. It highlights that children, racialized people, and those in poverty are disproportionately vulnerable to these pollutants. The report links TRAP to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and pregnancy-related illnesses, as well as increased COVID-19 risks, and recommends policy interventions such as low emission zones, electric vehicles, and expanded urban green spaces.

The report analyzes how SIDS and LDCs are disproportionately vulnerable to coupled ocean risks, including sea-level rise, ocean warming, and macroeconomic shocks. It emphasizes the need for context-specific resilience strategies, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the deployment of novel financial tools to support a sustainable ocean economy.

The document analyzes the potential impact of the Trump administration's reversal of climate policies, such as the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, on U.S. emissions. It synthesizes data from seven organizations, estimating that 2025 emissions under Trump's policies would range from 5.6 to 6.8 GtCO2e, exceeding the U.S. Paris Agreement target. It also examines the potential for states, cities, and companies—represented by the 'We Are Still In' campaign—to offset these increases through clean energy transitions and local policy defense.

The paper examines the governance of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, arguing that while integrated approaches are essential for climate compatible development, they are often hindered by siloed government structures, political contestation over mandates, and limited local capacity. Using evidence from Indonesia, Kenya, and the Amazon basin, it highlights that horizontal and vertical coordination are critical but can be undermined by power imbalances between central and local governments. The author suggests a pragmatic approach to nexus governance, focusing on strengthening the technical and administrative capacities of local government institutions rather than striving for an impractical ideal of total comprehensiveness.

The MENA region is identified as a climate hot spot facing extreme heat, drought, and aridity. The agricultural sector, which is 70% rain-fed and a primary employer, is highly exposed; in a 2 °C warming scenario, annual water discharge is projected to drop by 15–45%. These biophysical pressures, combined with a population projected to double by 2070, are expected to deteriorate rural livelihoods, increase migration to urban areas, heighten food import dependency, and potentially exacerbate social unrest in politically unstable areas.

The SEI Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk (TDDR) addresses the paradox where development often acts as a root cause of disaster risk rather than a means to reduce it. Using a social-ecological systems (SES) framework, the initiative focuses on three research areas: understanding the interaction between development and risk, exploring equitable social-ecological resilience, and investigating adaptive governance processes. The goal is to generate knowledge and a synthesis framework to transform development into a tool for risk reduction, while monitoring the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.