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The landing obligation, in force since January 2019, requires EU fishers to bring almost all catches to shore to eliminate wasteful discarding and provide accurate catch data. However, ClientEarth argues that compliance is poor and the system is riddled with exemptions, with 48% of 2019 and 55% of 2020 Total Allowable Catches (TACs) subject to one or more exemptions. These gaps in reporting, combined with a 'margin of tolerance' for underreporting, make it difficult to monitor illegal discarding and risk overfishing. Because TACs were 'topped up' to reflect total catches rather than just landings, they were on average 50% higher in 2020 than landings-based scientific advice. The document recommends removing the 50 kg reporting threshold, requiring electronic reporting for all vessels (including those under 10 metres), installing Remote Electronic Monitoring, and transparently deducting exemption discards from TACs.

The report argues that current utility regulation is incompatible with an all-electric future and proposes ten strategies to decarbonize US buildings. It emphasizes electrification via heat pumps as the primary solution, warning that alternative fuels like biomethane are costly and limited in scale. Key recommendations include reforming electricity rate designs, updating energy efficiency standards to account for total emissions, and proactively managing the retirement of gas infrastructure to avoid stranded asset risks and inequitable cost burdens on low-income customers.

The report evaluates the state-level implementation of Brazil's Forest Code, highlighting that while most states have made progress in CAR registration, significant bottlenecks exist in the validation phase and the rollout of the PRA. It argues against amending the federal law without considering state-level efforts and emphasizes the need for technical resources, transparency, and a clearer role for the federal government to support lagging states, particularly in the northeast region.

The report provides a detailed 'radiography' of how Brazilian states are implementing the 2012 Forest Code. It identifies the analysis and validation of the CAR as the primary bottleneck and notes that while some states like Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, and Pará have made significant progress, others remain severely delayed in regulating and operationalizing the PRA. The document also highlights the role of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) in developing technological tools to scale these processes.

The document argues that on-site wastewater treatment is a key intervention to mitigate South Africa's projected 30% water supply deficit by 2030. It details the processes for treating organic wastewater (greywater and blackwater) to non-potable standards for uses such as toilet flushing and irrigation. The brief outlines three technology variants—tank assemblies, pre-fabricated systems, and brick-and-mortar constructions—while highlighting operational risks like bacterial die-off due to variable loading. It also maps the regulatory landscape, including the National Water Act (1998) and SANS 30500:2019, and provides case studies from the Western Cape demonstrating cost savings and regulatory compliance.

A coalition of environmental and health NGOs calls on the European Commission to establish a long-term chemicals regulatory framework for 2030. The document argues that current EU legislation, including REACH, has significant compliance gaps and fails to protect vulnerable populations from hazardous substances like endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials. The authors propose a 'non-toxic circular economy' that eliminates 'toxic recycling' through full chemical disclosure and stricter standards for recycled materials. Key demands include the phase-out of the most dangerous chemical groups, the creation of an industry-funded independent safety testing system, and the reorganization of Commission governance to give DG Environment full responsibility for chemical pollution policies.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) estimates that two EPA rollback proposals from 2018 and 2019 would increase 2025 emissions by 4.3 million metric tons of methane, 1 million metric tons of VOCs, and 38,000 metric tons of HAPs. The 2018 proposal focuses on reducing the frequency of leak detection and repair (LDAR) surveys, while the 2019 proposal seeks to remove regulations for the natural gas transmission and storage segment and eliminate methane standards for the entire sector, which would remove the EPA's obligation to regulate existing facilities. CATF's estimates are significantly higher than the EPA's because CATF accounts for emissions from existing sources and abnormal process conditions, both of which the EPA excludes. The near-term climate impact of the additional methane is compared to the carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 100 coal-fired power plants.

The 'Sustainable Infrastructure in the Amazon' project, running from July 2019 to December 2020, aims to strengthen socio-environmental criteria in the decision-making process for infrastructure projects. It combines economic analysis via a market access tool with regulatory and governance analysis to identify the most effective stages of a project's life cycle for incorporating socio-environmental variables, specifically targeting the feasibility study phase to reduce impacts during implementation.

The 'Sustainable Infrastructure in the Amazon' project, running from July 2019 to December 2020, aims to improve the quality of infrastructure in Brazil by incorporating social and environmental risk assessments into the decision-making process. The initiative specifically targets the feasibility study phase as the optimal time to anticipate these risks to ensure more robust and sustainable project implementation. The project employs a dual approach consisting of economic analysis and regulatory/governance analysis to develop evidence-based proposals for the Brazilian government.

The report identifies a significant gap between the regulatory allowance for private equity investments (up to 20% in some countries) and the actual muted allocation by East African pension funds. Key barriers include a lack of technical knowledge among trustees, a strong bias toward high-yielding government bonds, and a perceived risk associated with the asset class. The study recommends tailored capacity building for trustees and regulators, the development of specialist investment policy statements, and the use of multi-manager models to mitigate risk and governance burdens.

The report examines climate adaptation frameworks in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), finding that while all nine studied countries have national strategies, only Denmark mandates local-level adaptation plans. Most BSR countries encourage but do not require municipalities to develop specific adaptation strategies, often relying on project-based funding or integrating climate risks into broader spatial and emergency planning. The analysis highlights a strong focus on flood risk management and identifies critical knowledge gaps regarding the comprehensiveness of local risk assessments and the sufficiency of stable funding and guidance for local authorities.

ClientEarth argues that the PSI Guide must explicitly distinguish between reputational ESG risks and financially material risks, such as climate change, to ensure insurers do not adopt approaches less stringent than those required by law. The response highlights that regulators like the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) and EIOPA already integrate sustainability risks into risk management frameworks, making board-level oversight and specific responsibility allocation a legal necessity rather than an optional best practice. ClientEarth further suggests that certain high-polluting sectors, such as coal and tar sands, should be managed through straightforward exclusion policies rather than ESG frameworks. Additionally, the document critiques the PSI's risk heat maps for underestimating the climate risks associated with agriculture, livestock, and real estate.

The report finds that the vast majority of industrially produced breads and tortillas in Mexico fail to meet the minimum iron and zinc levels mandated by the NOM-247-SSA1-2008 regulation. Testing revealed that only 14% of bread products and 1.5% of tortilla products were adequately fortified. Furthermore, 84% of both product types were suspected of using elemental iron, a less-bioavailable source not recommended by the regulation or WHO guidelines. The report highlights a regulatory loophole where the law mandates fortification for flour producers but does not explicitly require food processors to procure and use that fortified flour. Major companies like Grupo Bimbo and Gruma were specifically analyzed, with Gruma's tested products failing to meet any minimum requirements for iron or zinc.

The report proposes a three-year plan to transition Canada from voluntary to mandatory climate-related financial disclosure by 2021, aligning with TCFD recommendations. It highlights a market failure where Canadian clean technology firms face significant capital barriers and negative retained earnings, while the oil and gas sector carries substantial undisclosed 'tail risks' relative to global carbon budgets. The author recommends updating federal and provincial laws, such as the Canadian Business Corporations Act, and suggests that Canada align its sustainable finance frameworks with emerging EU taxonomies to diversify trade and attract international capital.

The document details a GEF-funded project to increase Madagascar's MPA coverage from 1.1 million hectares to over 2.1 million hectares. It focuses on three main components: establishing a representative network of protected areas, improving the regulatory environment for MPAs and LMMAs, and enhancing site-level management effectiveness through community-led revenue generation and standardized toolkits. The project emphasizes a co-management approach involving the Ministry of the Environment, Ecology and Forests (MEEF), various NGOs, and local communities to balance biodiversity conservation with sustainable economic development.

The document details allegations that Monsanto engaged in ghostwriting scientific papers and coordinating with regulatory bodies to counter the International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) 2015 designation of glyphosate as 'probably carcinogenic to humans'. It highlights specific instances where Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) relied on studies that were allegedly edited or co-written by Monsanto scientists without proper credit. Consequently, several environmental and health organizations have requested an independent review of the PMRA's 2017 decision to authorize the continued use of glyphosate in Canada.

Uganda is a major net recipient of remittances, with inflows contributing approximately 4% to its GDP in 2016. While mobile money has expanded access, the sector faces significant hurdles, including high costs for transfers from developed countries, an oligopolistic mobile money market, and restrictive KYC requirements that exclude approximately 16% of adults without national IDs. Infrastructure gaps in rural areas—specifically poor roads and low electrification—further hinder the expansion of formal services. The report highlights the disruptive potential of the 2018 mobile money tax and recommends mandating interoperability, adopting a risk-based approach to AML/CFT, and transitioning from interim guidelines to a formal e-money law.

Tanzania has liberalized its economy and leveraged political stability and strategic location to become a leading FDI destination in the East African Community. However, the country faces significant structural challenges, including a lack of skilled labor, cumbersome land tenure systems, and an outdated network of first-generation bilateral investment treaties that limit the government's policy space for industrial development. The paper recommends modernizing investment treaties, reforming land laws to empower smallholders, and strengthening the Tanzania Investment Centre to better integrate local SMEs into global value chains.

The document provides a detailed analysis of energy access and efficiency across high-impact countries, highlighting a significant gap between urban and rural electrification and the critical role of enabling policy frameworks. It reports that 3.04 billion people lacked clean cooking access in 2014 and 1.06 billion lacked electricity. While some countries like India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda show strong policy support for energy access, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least electrified region with underdeveloped policy environments. The report also examines energy efficiency and renewable energy, noting that while renewable energy targets are nearly universal, energy efficiency mandates often lag, particularly in developing nations.

The document outlines a structured approach to grid modernization, emphasizing integrated distribution planning and the use of outcome-oriented metrics for affordability, resilience, and environmental performance. It suggests tying utility revenue to these performance targets through conditional rates of return or budget caps with shared savings to align utility incentives with public benefits.