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The report argues that the food industry's reliance on single-use plastics creates significant ecological and health crises while exposing the sector and its financiers to material financial risks. It highlights a 'financial bubble' in the plastics industry driven by overproduction and impending regulation. Research reveals that seven banks operating in Belgium provided over 78 billion euros in financing to nine food industry companies between 2015 and 2021, with Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, and ING as the primary financiers. The document calls for banks to implement concrete plastic policies and for the Belgian government to use its influence as a shareholder to drive a transition toward a circular economy.

The report argues that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is primarily driven by land grabbing rather than food demand. This is evidenced by a negative correlation between cattle herd growth and land prices in the Amazon, contrasting with the positive correlation found in other Brazilian regions. The authors conclude that policies focusing solely on productivity are insufficient and that land tenure security is essential to decouple cattle production from deforestation.

Carbon Market Watch analyzed 18 "carbon neutral" fossil fuel claims, primarily involving liquefied natural gas (LNG), and found that every claim failed to meet basic criteria for environmental integrity and transparency. The report argues that fossil fuels cannot be carbon neutral because the firms involved are not aligned with 1.5°C pathways and rely on flawed "tonne-for-tonne" offsetting. Key failures include the omission of Scope 3 emissions in one-third of claims, a total lack of transparency regarding the price paid for carbon credits, and the use of impermanent nature-based sinks to offset long-term fossil carbon emissions. The report recommends that fossil fuel firms cease these claims, stop new exploration, and shift toward a "contribution" model for climate finance.

The report evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) and the Paris Agreement, concluding that current efforts are insufficient to end forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that forest mitigation goals are fundamentally conflicted with an economic system based on unlimited production and consumption. To address this, the document outlines six key strategies for governments: strengthening land governance, securing indigenous and local community rights, aligning financial incentives, supporting multi-stakeholder collaboration, improving forest monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, global efforts to end forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 remain insufficient. It argues that current economic systems incentivize forest exploitation and that existing government initiatives—such as REDD+ programs and monitoring systems—have not been enough to counter these drivers. To realize forests' mitigation potential, the authors recommend that governments increase ambition in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), massively scale up domestic and international finance, and implement six specific strategies: strengthening land governance, securing Indigenous Peoples and local communities' (IPLCs) rights, aligning fiscal incentives, promoting multistakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report concludes that while the Paris Agreement has confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, global efforts remain insufficient to stop deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that current economic systems, driven by infinite production and consumption, contradict climate goals. To address this, the report proposes six core strategies: strengthening land governance, securing indigenous and local community rights, aligning fiscal incentives with mitigation, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, ensuring reliable forest monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while Goal 7 of the NYDF—integrating forests into the international climate agenda via the Paris Agreement—has been achieved, overall progress in ending forest loss and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 remains insufficient. It argues that current mitigation efforts are undermined by an economic system driven by infinite production and consumption of forest-risk commodities. To address this, the document proposes six core strategies for governments: strengthening land-use governance, securing Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) rights, aligning financial incentives with mitigation goals, promoting multi-stakeholder jurisdictional collaboration, ensuring robust forest monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has integrated forests into the international climate agenda, current national actions are insufficient to stop forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that governments must increase the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), align financial flows with climate goals, and implement six core strategies: strengthening governance, protecting indigenous land rights, aligning incentives, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report evaluates India's post-pandemic economic recovery through the lens of natural capital, analyzing budgetary allocations in agriculture, MSMEs, power, mining, and the social sector. It finds that while the Union Budget 2021-22 showed more positive natural capital alignment than the initial COVID recovery package, significant gaps remain, particularly a lack of capital expenditure for green infrastructure and a heavy reliance on monetary rather than fiscal instruments to incentivize green practices.

The report finds that while Sierra Leone ratified the AfCFTA on November 7, 2018, actual implementation has been slow and lacks formal policy frameworks, strategic plans, or dedicated implementation structures. The country's economy remains heavily dependent on the extractive sector, particularly minerals like titanium ore and diamonds, which limits its intra-trade competing capacity. Significant barriers to success include a severe lack of access to finance for SMEs—with 65.1% of SMEs citing it as a major impediment—and a lack of data on business preparedness. The report recommends that the Ministry of Trade and Industry lead the development of a national AfCFTA Policy Framework and establish a steering committee to coordinate implementation.

The report examines how gender norms and power dynamics influence vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the ocean economy of SIDS and coastal LDCs. It highlights the undervalued roles of women in small-scale fisheries and tourism and analyzes how climate change, market shifts, and COVID-19 disproportionately affect women due to socio-economic structures. The document advocates for the systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data, the implementation of gender-transformative policies, and the alignment of international finance, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate risk insurance, with gender equality goals to enhance overall community resilience.

The report finds that most G20 and Eurosystem central banks lack credible sustainable investment policies for their non-policy portfolios, often relying on opacity or weak ESG criteria to mask continued support for fossil fuel companies. While the Banque de France is highlighted as a leader for its fossil fuel restrictions, the majority of analyzed banks either have no public SRI policy or use 'tricks' such as investing in green bonds without excluding major polluters. The document recommends that central banks adopt strict exclusion policies for coal and new fossil fuel projects to align with a 1.5°C warming trajectory.

Togo's revised NDCs aim for a total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 50.57% by 2030 compared to a reference scenario, consisting of a 20.51% unconditional target and a 30.06% conditional target. The plan prioritizes the energy, agriculture, forestry, and waste sectors for mitigation, while focusing on food security, water management, and coastal protection for adaptation. Implementing these goals requires an estimated total investment of 5.48 billion USD, with 78% of the funding needed as international conditional support. The document also outlines a national Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system and a communication strategy to increase public awareness and local ownership of climate actions.

The document examines the opportunities and barriers to moving UNFCCC climate negotiations online. While digital tools could disrupt outdated and opaque practices, the transition is hindered by a lack of trust among Parties and concerns that virtual formats might exacerbate structural inequities or reduce transparency for media and NGOs. The author recommends the creation of a taskforce to design future session formats and calls for leadership from the UN Secretary-General and the UNFCCC Secretariat to modernize multilateral diplomacy.

The Chindwin River Basin in northwest Myanmar is a highly biodiverse region facing habitat loss and species decline due to economic development and climate change. The document argues that conservation success depends on community buy-in and recommends a community-based natural resource management approach. It evaluates three conservation models—National Parks, Ramsar Wetlands, and Biosphere Reserves—noting that Biosphere Reserves are the most inclusive. While Myanmar has legal frameworks like the Conservation of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law of 2018, implementation is hindered by poor governance, lack of funding, and a failure to recognize customary land rights. The brief recommends enhancing coordination between government levels, prioritizing biodiversity for livelihood enhancement, and formally recognizing customary resource rights.

The document argues that community lands, which cover approximately half of the world's land, are critical for carbon sequestration and biodiversity. It highlights that secure land tenure for IPLCs leads to lower deforestation rates and more effective climate mitigation than state-managed areas, often at a lower cost. However, the report notes that most community land lacks legal recognition, IPLCs receive less than 1% of official development assistance for climate change, and land defenders face increasing violence. It recommends securing land rights, improving law enforcement, and directing international climate funds toward IPLC-led management.

The report examines the application of just transition principles across various sectors in developing and emerging economies to ensure social justice and sustainable development. It specifically analyzes the impacts of policy instruments on employment and identifies ways for the German Development Cooperation to support these efforts. The study covers sectors including coal phase-out, fossil fuel subsidy reform, renewable energy, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture, utilizing case studies from countries such as Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The document highlights the Montreal Protocol as a successful model of multilateralism where science, diplomacy, and the private sector collaborated to phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS). It details how the Protocol and its amendments, including the Kigali Amendment, have prevented millions of skin cancer cases and cataracts while providing significant climate co-benefits by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The brief emphasizes the importance of differentiated responsibilities for developing countries and the role of political will and industry cooperation in achieving global environmental goals.

The Russian coal sector provides a low economic contribution to the national GDP but maintains high social and political significance, particularly in regions like Kuzbass. Despite this, the sector is heavily reliant on indirect state subsidies and faces a deteriorating infrastructure, with the average age of coal power plants reaching 53 years. The report highlights a disconnect between the Russian government's expectations of export growth and the reality of decarbonization trends in key markets such as the EU, China, and India. It argues that Russia lacks an official decarbonization scenario and that conservative views currently dominate policy, ignoring the risks of stranded assets and the impact of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The authors propose a 'just transition' framework consisting of social programs for workers, regional economic diversification, and the introduction of an internal carbon price.

The document examines the dominance of coal in the Kuzbass region, the environmental and health impacts of this industry, and the Russian government's current diversification strategies. It argues that while the government has initiated diversification plans, these remain focused on fossil fuels and matured sectors, neglecting renewable energy and innovative industries. The author suggests that substantive transition is unlikely until global coal demand drops sharply.