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A qualitative study in Kurigram, Bangladesh, finds that intersecting factors of marginalization and inequality make women fisherfolk particularly vulnerable to climate change. The research highlights that elite capture of inland fisheries by wealthy men restricts access to beels and erodes traditional ecological knowledge. The authors argue that current gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction efforts are insufficient and advocate for a shift toward transformative resilience and bottom-up fisheries governance.

The document examines the challenges of Indonesia's transition away from coal, highlighting the severe economic risks to coal-dependent provinces and vulnerable groups. It advocates for a mixed-method approach to planning that combines quantitative economic modelling with qualitative social analysis to ensure that women, youth, and informal workers are not marginalized. Key recommendations include strategic investment in labour-intensive green sectors, tailored social protection, and the empowerment of local governments to manage the transition.

The report identifies a critical need to accelerate the integration of health and climate policies in the Caribbean to address climatic vulnerability and a dual burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases. While there is general support for this integration, current links remain nascent and tenuous. Key barriers include siloed government operations, a rigid top-down policymaking process, inadequate financial and technical resources, and significant data gaps. Opportunities for progress lie in national development plans, international climate commitments, and the health co-benefits of renewable energy. The authors advocate for a 'climate in all policies' approach, enhanced multi-sectoral communication, and the use of analytical risk assessment tools to move from awareness to decisive policy action.

The report details the negative impacts of Ikwezi Mining's blasting operations on local communities, including structural damage to homes, psychosocial trauma in children, and cultural disruption. It highlights a lack of adequate blasting notices and a non-functional grievance mechanism, while recommending formalized blasting standards for rural South African communities.

The report analyzes fossil fuel marketing in Asia, identifying two primary strategies: incentivizing increased fuel consumption through loyalty programs and prizes, and 'purpose-washing' to shift climate responsibility onto individuals or project a sustainable image. It notes a gap between Asian consumers' sustainable intent and action, partly due to misleading marketing, while highlighting a trend toward mandatory climate disclosures in countries like India, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The report examines how 'maldevelopment'—development that prioritizes economic growth over social equity—increases the vulnerability of marginalized groups, particularly women and Indigenous peoples, to disasters in Nepal and the Philippines. It details how inadequate planning and failed free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) processes lead to land grabs and forced displacements, which are experienced as disasters. The study highlights the role of WEHRDs in resisting these processes through grassroots mobilization, legal advocacy, and capacity building, while also documenting the severe hostility, violence, and systemic fragmentation they face.

The report documents the physical, mental, and community-level impacts of fracking in Northeastern British Columbia through interviews and surveys. Residents report chronic stress and sleep disruption caused by constant noise, light, and odours, alongside acute symptoms like sore throats and headaches following emissions. Long-term health concerns raised include multiple chemical sensitivities, year-round allergies, respiratory issues, and elevated cancer rates in young people. The document also highlights community degradation, including the loss of social networks as residents move away, food insecurity for Indigenous peoples due to contaminated traditional foods, and public safety risks from transient workers. The authors recommend a moratorium on new natural gas wells in Canada and the implementation of the precautionary principle to protect residents.

The document examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in supporting smallholder farmer resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a study of six countries and commodities, it finds that VSS compliance can provide higher incomes through premiums, stronger buyer relationships, and better access to training. However, VSSs do not fully protect farmers from international price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics in supply chains. The brief recommends that governments leverage VSSs alongside social protection programs, minimum producer prices, and sustainable sourcing frameworks to enhance farmer livelihoods.

The document assesses the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. While VSS can provide higher incomes through price premiums, stronger supply chain links, and better access to training, they do not fully protect producers from international price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics. The brief recommends that governments complement VSS with social protection, minimum pricing, and policies to stimulate demand for sustainable products.

The document assesses the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a study of six countries and commodities, it finds that VSS can provide higher prices, stronger buyer relationships, and better training, which help farmers mitigate shocks. However, VSS alone cannot protect against global price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics in supply chains. The brief recommends that governments complement VSS with social protection programs, minimum price guarantees, and policies to stimulate demand for sustainable products.

The document examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in supporting smallholder farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. While VSSs generally do not protect farmers from global price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics, they can enhance resilience through higher prices/premiums, stronger buyer-producer relationships, market diversification, and better access to training. The study analyzes six sectors: rice in Cambodia, cotton in India, avocado in Colombia, banana in Guatemala, cashew in Guinea-Bissau, and coffee in Rwanda. It concludes that governments should complement VSSs with policies such as minimum producer prices, expanded social protection, and incentives for sustainable consumption to further build farmer resilience.

The study examined the alignment between the sustainability perspectives of palm oil smallholders in Indonesia's Riau province and the frameworks of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) schemes. While smallholders define sustainability through the long-term viability of their families and communities—emphasizing access to credit, inputs, and fair pricing—the study found that the rhetoric of both RSPO and ISPO has evolved to include these priorities. However, the effectiveness of these schemes remains limited by low smallholder participation; as of 2016, only 3,500 independent households and 80,300 'plasma' scheme producers in Indonesia were certified, despite smallholders accounting for 36% of total production.

The report identifies several systemic barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agriculture in Nepal, including a gap between policy recognition and actual implementation, a lack of scientific evidence tailored to specific agro-ecological zones, and poor coordination among government institutions. It highlights that many initiatives rely on unsustainable project-based approaches and that economically poor smallholder farmers are unable to afford expensive technologies like solar-pump irrigation and machine-based zero-tillage.

The document examines the transition of sustainable investing from a fringe approach to the mainstream among US institutional investors. It identifies key drivers such as the financial materiality of ESG factors, supportive policy frameworks like the Paris Agreement, and a desire for mission alignment. The paper categorizes sustainable investing into five main strategies: negative screens, positive screens, ESG integration, impact investing, and shareholder engagement. Despite growth, the authors identify significant systemic barriers, including short-term performance biases, inadequate ESG data and disclosure standards, and a lack of institutional-quality sustainable investment products. The paper concludes with recommendations for asset owners to build internal capacity and for market actors to provide more actionable frameworks and improved data.

The report examines the precarious lives of women linked to rebel and militia groups in eastern DRC, arguing that these women are often less dependent on their partners than assumed and instead rely on opportunistic coping strategies. It highlights their role in the illegal trade of natural resources and the failure of national disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) policies to account for female dependants, which perpetuates a cycle of conflict for subsequent generations.

The document examines climate-induced migration in Bangladesh, highlighting it as an effective adaptation strategy for rural populations facing droughts, floods, and cyclones. While migration helps diversify livelihoods, migrants often face precarious living conditions in urban slums. The brief argues for a policy shift to support internal migration through improved infrastructure and services in destination areas.

This research paper, based on a qualitative study conducted in April and May 2003, examines the exploitative gender dynamics and sexual abuse of local women and girls by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). The author analyzes how financial disparities, power imbalances, and a 'peacekeeping economy' contribute to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), while evaluating the effectiveness of gender training and conduct committees in these missions.

The document explores the difficulties of mainstreaming gender within the 'epistemologically masculine' fields of environmental science and natural resource management. Through conversations with SEI researchers, it identifies a tension between 'gender specialists'—who often face a lack of legitimacy compared to technical scientists—and women in technical roles who encounter 'testimonial injustice' and are frequently relegated to administrative tasks. The authors argue that overcoming these barriers requires moving beyond simple quantitative data (like counting people) toward a methodology that addresses power asymmetries, intersectionality, and the 'opportunity cost' of gender-unequal resource access.