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The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is developing the 'Clean and Green' framework to address gaps in rural sanitation, specifically for smallholder communities. The framework combines a 'Clean' track for risk management (eliminating open defecation and managing waste) and a 'Green' track for resource recovery (recycling nutrients and water for agriculture). It utilizes a stepwise certification system to motivate households and villages, aiming to synergistically meet multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by linking sanitation to agricultural productivity and ecosystem health.

The document evaluates the EU's proposed Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) as a replacement for ad hoc investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. ClientEarth argues that the MIC provides only cosmetic procedural improvements and fails to address systemic imbalances, such as the lack of investor obligations and the marginalization of domestic courts. The briefing provides six key recommendations for reform, including the requirement to exhaust local remedies, the inclusion of 'clean hands' and 'supremacy' clauses to protect public interest legislation, and the limitation of compensation to proven economic damages. Alternatively, the document suggests that states should withdraw consent from ISDS and terminate international investment agreements (IIAs) in favor of domestic judiciaries, political risk insurance, and state-to-state dispute settlement.

The document describes a meeting intended to update OAS Member States on progress in integrated water resources management (IWRM) and address emerging challenges in the Americas, such as rapid urbanization, climate change, and transboundary water conflicts. It emphasizes the role of science in reducing environmental uncertainties and proposes a cooperation-based approach to manage shared water basins, which account for approximately 60% of freshwater resources in the Americas. The session aims to identify new strategic alliances, strengthen public policies through knowledge transfer, and promote a rights-based approach to water and sanitation.

The document outlines the legal obligations of 38 local authorities in England and Wales to address illegal nitrogen dioxide levels. It details a three-part legal test from High Court judgments requiring plans to achieve compliance as soon as possible, reduce human exposure quickly, and ensure compliance is likely rather than just possible. It emphasizes that cost and political difficulties, including election Purdah, are not lawful reasons for delay, and that these duties persist despite Brexit.

The document examines the global green bond market for low-carbon buildings, highlighting the role of securitisations, covered bonds, and public infrastructure financing. It identifies Japan as a key player with significant potential to leverage these instruments for energy efficiency and climate adaptation.

The document examines the role of green bonds in decarbonizing the building sector, which accounts for approximately 28% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. It details various financial instruments, including Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) and covered bonds, used to fund energy-efficient construction and renovations. The briefing highlights the growth of the market, noting that as of November 2018, $126 billion had been allocated to low-carbon building assets. It specifically analyzes the Japanese market, where the Development Bank of Japan is the largest issuer, and suggests that Japan can further leverage its technical expertise in energy efficiency to attract green investment.

The document describes the application of the Integrated Vulnerability Assessment (IVA) Framework in three Pacific island states to enhance their National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes. The IVA Framework uses a standardized approach to analyze 35 intersecting components—five livelihood assets and seven human security objectives—to create vulnerability baselines. In Kiribati, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands, the NAP Global Network supported the use of participatory field tools and tablet-based data collection to capture gender- and age-disaggregated perspectives from local communities. The briefing concludes that while tablet technology improves data accuracy and availability, there is a continuing need for robust information and knowledge management (IKM) systems and national capacity building to fully institutionalize these assessments within national budgeting and planning.

The document argues that public participation is essential for achieving sustainable development goals, as it provides local knowledge and increases the legitimacy of decisions. It distinguishes between 'invited spaces' (formal state-led processes) and 'created spaces' (citizen-led mobilization), noting that these often interact to influence policy. However, the authors warn that without intentional design to address social injustice, participation can reinforce existing inequalities and be hindered by technocratic exclusion.

The document outlines the challenges businesses face when extracting saline groundwater, specifically the production of brine during treatment processes like reverse osmosis. It categorizes brine management into direct discharge and treatment for resource recovery, noting that most solutions are constrained by high capital and operational costs or strict regulatory requirements. Key barriers include a 2019 liquids-to-landfill ban and high costs for sea outfall pipelines and crystallization technologies.

The document identifies that while high upfront capital costs limit the uptake of rooftop solar PV, several innovative green finance options exist for South African businesses. These include commercial bank funding (asset finance, term loans), Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), Pay As You Save (PAYS), power purchase agreements (PPAs), and online impact investing platforms. It highlights that solar PV is technically mature, with payback periods typically between 3-8 years and a lifespan of up to 20 years. The brief also details specific offerings from banks like Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank, and FNB, and lists tax and grant incentives such as 100% accelerated depreciation and the Green Tourism Incentive Programme.

The French National Research Agency (ANR) is leading two Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs). The first, 'Food systems and climate (change)', aims to develop climate-resilient and sustainable food value chains, with a specific focus on the Global South and regional food systems. It involves a partnership with the EU Joint Programme Initiative (JPI) FACCE and ERA-NET LEAP Agri, with 31 ERA-NET partners including entities from Europe, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The second, 'Towards sustainability of soils and groundwater for societal benefit', is in a scoping phase to understand the dynamics of the 'Critical Zone' (from the lower atmosphere to fresh bedrock) and propose management transformations. This second CRA is co-led by AllEnvi and ANR, with a steering committee including the NSF (USA), FAPESP (Brazil), and QNRF (Qatar).

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is facilitating the participation of Latin American and Caribbean funding agencies in a Collaborative Research Action (CRA) on Food Security and Climate Change. This joint initiative, involving the Belmont Forum, the European Commission, and the EU Joint Programme Initiative (JPI) FACCE, aims to develop climate-resilient food value chains and assess the impacts of climate change on food systems across Europe, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The program seeks to provide scientific knowledge to support Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), with the European Commission providing matching funds for eligible participating agencies.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is promoting a joint call by the Belmont Forum and the European Commission for a Collaborative Research Action (CRA) focused on the interactions between climate change and food systems. The initiative seeks to develop sustainable and resilient food value chains and assess climate impacts on markets, specifically targeting regional food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. The CRA aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 13 (Climate Action), offering funding opportunities, including potential matching funds from the European Commission via the ERANET Cofund mechanism, to support interdisciplinary research on agricultural food, waste residues, and socio-economic vulnerabilities in the Global South.

ClientEarth warns that the Governance Regulation (GR) may allow EU Member States to bypass meaningful public participation during the initial drafting of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The briefing argues that waiting until after the first draft is submitted to the European Commission risks ignoring the interests of citizens and renewable energy developers in favor of fossil fuel operators. It highlights potential legal breaches of the Aarhus Convention and the SEA Directive, noting that some countries, such as Romania, have provided insufficient consultation windows (seven days). ClientEarth calls for a minimum eight-week consultation period before the first draft submission to ensure all policy options remain open.

The document argues that public participation is essential for the effective implementation of climate action, citing IPCC findings that stakeholder engagement increases the likelihood of success. It outlines specific entry points for enhancing procedural rights within the Paris Agreement's framework, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Transparency Framework, the Global Stocktake, and Article 6 mechanisms. It also emphasizes the need for an independent grievance redress mechanism for the Sustainable Development Mechanism and the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform to ensure indigenous voices are reflected in the UNFCCC process.

The briefing examines the financial challenges and opportunities associated with the early retirement of coal-fired power plants in the United States, using Colorado as a case study. It highlights that the marginal cost of energy (MCOE) for many coal plants now exceeds the cost of new wind and solar resources. To manage the resulting 'stranded assets' and undepreciated plant balances, the author proposes a transition strategy involving financial analysis of public data, the use of regulatory assets, and refinancing mechanisms such as debt-for-equity swaps and securitization. These tools are intended to reduce consumer costs, maintain utility investor returns, and fund just transition initiatives for affected workers and communities.

The briefing identifies three central pillars for climate finance negotiations at COP24: the replenishment of dedicated funds, the creation of reporting guidelines for tracking financial flows, and the planning of a new collective quantified goal after 2025. It emphasizes the need for developed countries to scale up support, specifically through the Green Climate Fund, and to improve both ex-post reporting of past flows and ex-ante projections of future funding to build trust with developing nations.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) proposes the 'Village propre–Village productif' framework to address the lack of integrated risk and resource management in rural sanitation. The framework uses a dual-axis certification system: a 'clean' axis focused on health and hygiene (e.g., eliminating open defecation and managing greywater) and a 'productive' axis focused on the safe recovery of nutrients and energy from waste (e.g., human excreta, animal waste, and ash). By linking sanitation to agricultural productivity and economic benefits, the framework aims to overcome the sustainability and scaling challenges of previous approaches like Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). It is particularly targeted at smallholder farmers in developing regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, to support multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The document highlights how climate change threatens energy infrastructure through extreme weather and shifting environmental conditions, which can jeopardize the financial viability of projects. It advocates for a resilience-based approach—focusing on robustness, resourcefulness, and recovery—and suggests a combination of technological, green, behavioural, and financial strategies to safeguard energy systems and support NDC mitigation goals.

The FUTURE Act provides tax credits for CO2 captured from power plants, industrial sources, and direct air capture, with rates ramping up to $50/ton for saline storage and $35/ton for enhanced oil recovery by 2026. The credits are available for 12 years to projects that commence construction within a six-year window. Assessments by the IEA and DOE suggest the act could increase capture capacity or reduce emissions by 10 to 30 million tons by 2030, with significant interest from industrial sources and companies like Occidental Petroleum.