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This policy brief by Clingendael examines the opportunities for green growth in Colombia following the peace accord between the government and the FARC guerrilla group, highlighting the need to integrate renewable energy incentives with post-conflict development and strengthen links between local green initiatives and national policy.

A joint letter from several environmental organisations to the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs expressing concern over the decision to allow commercial mining in the Mabola Protected Environment and requesting stricter procedural fairness for future applications under section 48(1)(b) of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (NEMPAA).

This policy brief examines climate vulnerability and adaptation strategies in Saint Lucia, specifically focusing on the Soufriere district through the GIVRAPD project's approach to coastal resilience and stakeholder partnerships.

This policy brief examines the disconnect between national climate adaptation policies and local-level implementation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), highlighting the need to align national priorities with community needs to overcome adaptation deficits.

This briefing, based on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, argues that improving climate adaptation requires both 'research for adaptation' (providing data) and 'research on adaptation' (understanding how decisions are made). It identifies a failure in the current 'supplier– customer model' of climate services and suggests that medical research could serve as a model for translating knowledge into practice.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and ClientEarth criticizes the European Commission's 2016 proposal for scientific criteria to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The authors argue that the Commission adopted a 'sector-specific' approach limited to pesticides and biocides, rather than the 'horizontal' criteria required by the EU's 7th Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP). The report contends that this narrow approach creates legal uncertainty, risks inconsistent identification of EDCs across different regulatory frameworks, and may lower the level of protection for human health and the environment in consumer products such as cosmetics and medical devices.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and NAPC/PUC-Rio analyzes the obstacles preventing the effective conversion of environmental fines into environmental services in Brazil. It identifies a regulatory vacuum at the federal level and legal contradictions in the Forest Code that hinder the implementation of this instrument, and proposes recommendations for new federal regulations to increase the effectiveness of environmental recovery.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that the African Union (AU) is failing to implement its maritime strategies, specifically the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS), due to a lack of resources, expertise, and a clear definition of the 'blue economy'. It recommends the establishment of a dedicated maritime office within the AU Commission and the revitalization of the 2050 AIMS Strategic Task Force to move beyond current institutional inertia.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) evaluates whether the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) can effectively monitor the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the authors identify strong normative and thematic alignment between the three initiatives, they argue that the APRM currently lacks the administrative capacity, funding, and technical rigor to handle the extensive monitoring responsibilities required.

This policy briefing examines the impact of invasive plant species on food security in Africa and advocates for the use of Earth Observation (EO) data to map and manage these species. It highlights gaps in current policy frameworks and recommends that international and regional bodies integrate EO tools to protect agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.

This report describes a project to analyze the vulnerability of Belize's coastal tourism sector to climate change, focusing on the ecosystems—such as coral reefs, mangroves, and beaches—that support the industry and local livelihoods.

This research paper analyzes the impact of climate change on hydropower within the Zambezi River Basin and the Southern African Power Pool, focusing on electricity generation costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and the necessity for cooperative governance.

This research paper analyzes the investment regulations published on December 30, 2016, by South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry to bring the Protection of Investment Act into force. The author argues that the regulations are overly focused on dispute settlement through mediation, which may be insufficient for high-stakes investment disputes and raises concerns regarding the confidentiality of privileged information.

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) advocates for the widespread ratification of the Mauritius Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration. The document explains how the Convention provides a mechanism for states to 'opt-in' to the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency for disputes arising from investment treaties concluded before April 2014, thereby increasing public accountability and democratic governance in investor-state arbitrations.

This briefing paper proposes a systematic, science-informed methodology to assess the adequacy of Canadian public policy in addressing threats to freshwater resources and aquatic biodiversity. It introduces a hierarchical threat classification system and a framework for identifying gaps between existing management instruments and scientific research needs to inform a pan-Canadian approach to freshwater management.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines climate adaptation readiness in Southern Africa by analyzing the region's response to the severe 2015/16 El Niño-induced drought. The author argues that while the El Niño cycle is a natural phenomenon, the resulting drought serves as a critical test of the region's institutional and policy capacity to handle severe environmental stress. The paper identifies significant gaps in national and regional response capacities, highlighting the need for a shift from reactive 'response' to proactive 'prevention' and the scaling of successful local and regional adaptation strategies.

This policy brief discusses the application of attribution science to disaster risk management in Kenya, highlighting how climate science can bridge the gap between scientific data and policy action to improve risk awareness, preparedness, and resource allocation.

This case study examines the intersection of gender and climate change in Latin America, analyzing how biological and sociocultural factors increase women's vulnerability. It evaluates the state of the art regarding gender-sensitive climate strategies and provides detailed analyses of two national frameworks: Peru's Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (2016–2021) and Mexico's Special Programme on Climate Change (2014–2018).

This policy brief examines the extreme rainfall event in Chennai on 1 December 2015, which saw a record 494 mm of rain in 24 hours. While climate attribution studies concluded the event was not caused by anthropogenic global warming, the document highlights how unplanned urbanisation and poor infrastructure exacerbated the disaster's impact, costing the Indian economy an estimated US$3 billion.

This report details the outcomes of a two-day workshop held in Cape Town in March 2017, focused on the role of civil society in supporting the implementation of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) legislation in South Africa. The event, hosted by the Centre for Environmental Rights, the International Ocean Institute-Africa, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, and WWF-South Africa, aimed to identify resource needs, data requirements, and institutional structures to ensure a participatory, ecosystem-based approach to ocean governance.