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The UK is the second largest oil and gas producer and third largest methane emitter from such operations in Europe. While upstream emissions fell by 29 percent between 2020 and 2022, venting and flaring still accounted for 71 percent of sectoral emissions in 2022. The document highlights that official reporting may underestimate offshore emissions by up to five times. To maintain international leadership and comply with EU regulations—which will require importers to report on methane control this year and meet intensity thresholds by 2030—the UK should adopt a regulation based on prescriptive rules (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), performance standards for emissions intensity, economic incentives, and robust monitoring and verification systems.

The submission argues that the Canadian government's updated approach to PFAS is insufficient, specifically criticizing the proposal to exclude fluoropolymers from the PFAS class and the use of outdated bioaccumulation criteria. The authors call for the fast-tracking of PFAS listing on Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and a more ambitious risk management scope that prioritizes prohibitions over technical feasibility studies.

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that diverting vegetable oils to the energy sector can create supply gaps filled by carbon-intensive palm oil, effectively bypassing the intent of section 45Z. It highlights that while palm oil is excluded from 45Z credits due to high lifecycle assessments—with CORSIA citing 76.5 to 99.1 g CO2e/MJ—its role as the cheapest global backfill for oils like soy oil can drive overall palm oil consumption. The document notes that Congress already banned palm fatty acid distillates (PFADs) for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to address these substitution impacts and urges the Treasury to apply similar rigor to all vegetable oil-based fuel carbon intensity calculations.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the U.S. Department of the Treasury must implement strict guardrails for the Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit to prevent increased greenhouse gas emissions. Key recommendations include requiring project-specific upstream emissions data for natural gas feedstocks, prohibiting negative emissions values from biomethane or fugitive methane, and awarding credits on a kilogram-by-kilogram basis rather than annual averages. CATF strongly supports the 'three pillars' of electricity-based production—incrementality, hourly matching, and deliverability—to avoid systemwide grid emissions, while opposing a blanket 5% incrementality exemption, which Rhodium Group analysis suggests could increase cumulative emissions by 1.5 billion metric tons through 2035.

The briefing examines the necessity of including illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within the scope of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). It highlights that IUU fishing accounts for approximately 20% of wild-caught ocean fish annually and acts as a multiplier for environmental degradation, including the decline of fish stocks and destruction of marine habitats. The document critiques current Commission and Council proposals for being too restrictive and instead recommends a cumulative approach that combines specific categories of environmental impacts (such as biodiversity loss and marine ecosystem degradation) with a comprehensive list of international environmental conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement.

The document provides a detailed critique of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency's (PMRA) Notice of Intent 2023-01, arguing that proposed regulatory changes are insufficient to protect biodiversity and human health. The coalition demands mandatory cumulative risk assessments that go beyond 'common mechanisms of toxicity,' more protective thresholds for species at risk, greater transparency for confidential test data, and the establishment of domestic MRLs based on Canadian use patterns rather than international trade alignment.

The submission argues that the GHCS was developed without sufficient transparency or civil society participation and warns against over-investing in a speculative green hydrogen export market at the expense of addressing South Africa's urgent electricity crisis. It calls for a strict definition of 'green hydrogen' based on additionality, comprehensive cost-benefit analyses, and robust safety and environmental regulations before public funds are committed.

The European Union faces a significant hydrogen supply gap, with demand projected to rise from 8.3 million tonnes per year to over 60 million tonnes by 2050, necessitating imports from regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the USA. The Clean Air Task Force argues that current certification efforts are often voluntary or too narrow, focusing only on production plants rather than the full value chain. To avoid market uncertainty and investment risks, the document recommends that the EU's 'Gas Package' and subsequent delegated acts establish a technology-neutral certification methodology. This methodology must employ a full life-cycle analysis (LCA) that includes upstream methane leaks, transport, storage, and distribution to ensure genuine greenhouse gas reductions.

The British Columbia Low Carbon Fuel Standard has reduced annual transport emissions by an average of 6% from 2010 to 2020 and is projected to meet 31% of the province's 2030 reduction goals. The author proposes two main modifications: expanding the scope to include aviation and marine fuels—which are expected to represent 51% of transport emissions by 2050—and allowing compliance credits for direct air capture with permanent storage. To succeed, the document argues the province must address incentive gaps that currently favor renewable diesel over low-carbon jet fuels, account for indirect land-use change in carbon footprint calculations to support advanced biofuels, and expand the geographic eligibility of direct air capture projects beyond provincial borders to accelerate deployment and reduce costs.

British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard reduced transportation emissions by an average of 6% annually from 2010 to 2020 and is projected to drive 31% of the province's 2030 reduction targets. The document proposes expanding the regulation to include jet and marine fuels, as well as direct air capture with permanent storage, to address hard-to-abate sectors and negative emissions. To maximize effectiveness, the author recommends closing the incentive gap that currently favors renewable diesel over low-carbon jet fuel, incorporating indirect land-use change (ILUC) into carbon footprint measurements to support advanced biofuels, and allowing direct air capture credits for projects located outside British Columbia to accelerate technology deployment.

The New Bidding Law (Lei nº 14.133) passed in April 2021 introduces detailed requirements for preliminary technical studies in Brazilian infrastructure projects. CPI/PUC-Rio argues that this creates an opportunity to introduce a formal pre-feasibility analysis phase to prevent low-quality or infeasible projects from proceeding. While the law improves transparency via a single official website and expands the oversight role of legal advisory bodies and courts of accounts, it is criticized for reducing mandatory social participation. The authors recommend that future regulatory decrees mandate the publication of key preparatory documents and formally integrate pre-feasibility assessments to better align technical studies with environmental licensing.

ClientEarth argues that while the EUTR and FLEGT Regulation have improved transparency in timber supply chains, significant gaps in enforcement, funding, and scope persist. The organization highlights a critical lack of staff and financial resources in EU Member States, uneven implementation that disrupts the market, and a low volume of compliance checks relative to the number of operators. It recommends expanding the EUTR's product scope, introducing stricter responsibilities for traders, and harmonizing penalties to ensure they are 'effective, proportionate and dissuasive'. Regarding FLEGT, ClientEarth notes its success in driving systemic law reform and civil society participation in producer countries but warns that the EU's reduced market weight and the technical complexity of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) may hinder progress. Finally, it calls for new mandatory due diligence legislation to address forest conversion driven by commodities like soy, cocoa, palm oil, and beef.

The Bering Strait is experiencing a significant increase in vessel transits due to climate-driven sea ice decline and the expansion of the Northern Sea Route. This growth elevates risks of oil spills, ship strikes on marine mammals, and pollution in a biologically productive region vital to Indigenous subsistence. While the IMO approved two-way routes and Areas to Be Avoided in 2018, the report argues that current frameworks like the Polar Code have gaps regarding heavy fuel oil and underwater noise. WWF recommends that the US and Russia collaborate to implement e-navigation technologies, a joint Sea Traffic Coordination Center, and a transboundary Area to Be Avoided around the Diomede Islands, alongside industry-led speed restrictions and zero-discharge zones.

The report argues that traditional bundled, volumetric block rates are obsolete for a grid with increasing distributed energy resources (DERs) because they fail to reflect the temporal and locational value of electricity. It proposes evolving rate design along three continuums: attribute unbundling (separating energy and capacity), temporal granularity (moving toward real-time pricing), and locational granularity (addressing distribution 'hot spots'). The authors suggest a transition strategy using a combination of evolving default rates and opt-in alternatives, supported by third-party technologies to maintain a simple customer experience. Recommendations for regulators include increasing data transparency, enhancing valuation methodologies for DER attributes, and establishing clear timelines for rate transitions.

This report, produced for the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), provides an international review of air emission standards to support the implementation of Section 21 of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA). It analyzes regulatory frameworks in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia (specifically New South Wales), with additional references to India, Japan, Poland, and China. The document recommends a phased approach to listing industrial activities and setting minimum emission standards based on Best Available Technology (BAT), while suggesting the integration of command-and-control measures with market-based mechanisms like emissions trading.