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The U.S. EPA has proposed a change in how it calculates the benefits of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal- and oil-fired power plants. By excluding 'co-benefits'—reductions in pollutants not directly targeted by the rule, such as particulate matter (PM2.5)—the EPA argues that the regulation is no longer 'appropriate and necessary' under the Clean Air Act. While the MATS originally prevented 11,000 premature deaths and 130,000 asthma attacks annually, removing co-benefits, which account for over 90% of monetized benefits, dramatically lowers the perceived value of the regulation relative to its compliance costs. Although the MATS remain in place for now, this methodological shift opens the door for the EPA to potentially rescind the standards or delist power plants as affected sources. Electric utilities have expressed concern over this shift, noting they have already invested over USD 18 billion in pollution-control upgrades. The report also notes that increased mercury emissions in the U.S. could adversely affect Canada due to transboundary transport.

The report evaluates Ecuador's mining policy framework, identifying a strong constitutional and legal basis for environmental protection and social participation. While the government has successfully attracted large-scale investment and implemented an innovative advance royalty system for community benefit, significant gaps remain in technical regulation for mine closure, environmental monitoring of large-scale waste, and the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The assessment emphasizes the need for more robust community consultation processes and increased technical capacity within state regulatory agencies to ensure sustainable mining development.

The report examines the state of food fortification in Mexico, specifically focusing on the mandatory enrichment of wheat and corn flours to combat 'hidden hunger' and micronutrient deficiencies. While Mexico has legislation (NOM-247-SSA1-2008) requiring the addition of iron, zinc, folic acid, and B vitamins, the document argues that a lack of clear government oversight and reliance on industry self-regulation have led to variable compliance. It highlights a significant drop in folic acid compliance for corn flour between 2015 and 2017 and criticizes the 'bad fortification' of ultra-processed 'junk food' used to mislead consumers. The report concludes with recommendations for the Mexican government to update legislation with specific monitoring protocols, sanctions, and nutritional specifications for end-products like tortillas and bread.

The report examines the 'camp economy' in Rwanda, highlighting how refugees use mobile money and informal savings groups to manage funds due to barriers in formal banking. It identifies expired identity documents and unclear 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) regulations as primary obstacles to financial inclusion. While refugees demonstrate strong business acumen, most NGO-supported livelihoods only provide subsistence-level income, and there is a significant gap in access to credit for business expansion. The document argues that including host communities in financial initiatives and streamlining regulatory requirements for refugee IDs would create a more viable market for financial service providers.

The report evaluates the mining policy framework of the Kyrgyz Republic against international best practices. It identifies strengths in the tax regime and the availability of geological information, but highlights significant gaps in mine closure regulations, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) oversight, and the predictability of the fiscal environment. The assessment recommends prioritizing the optimization of socio-economic benefits and the development of robust financial guarantees for mine closure.

The assessment finds that while Namibia has strong geological data and a fair revenue system, it suffers from outdated legislation, particularly regarding mine closure, water management, and occupational health and safety. The report recommends prioritizing the creation of mandatory financial assurances for mine closure and updating the legal framework for environmental and artisanal mining.

The document argues that the U.S. is unprepared for an accelerating wave of nuclear plant shutdowns. It highlights critical risks including deteriorating spent fuel pools, inadequate dry cask storage, and the potential for long-term environmental contamination. The briefing emphasizes the lack of state and local oversight, the insufficiency of decommissioning funds—estimated by some to be $40 billion short—and the dangers of transporting radioactive waste to consolidated interim storage (CIS) sites. It uses case studies from Zion, Illinois; Rowe, Massachusetts; and San Clemente, California, to illustrate the devastating economic impacts and public health risks associated with decommissioning failures.

In the first half of 2018, China's green bond issuance grew by 14% year-on-year to 130.2 billion RMB (13 billion USD), with 9.3 billion USD aligning with international green bond definitions. Financial institutions remained the largest issuers, while renewable energy was the primary use of proceeds. The report highlights a trend where nearly half of green bonds were excluded from the Climate Bonds Initiative database due to allocating more than 5% of proceeds to general working capital, a practice permitted under Chinese national guidelines but restricted by international standards.

The document examines the negative impacts of seismic surveys on marine fauna and evaluates the adequacy of current mitigation guidelines in South Africa and globally. It recommends that South Africa move away from company-led environmental impact assessments (EIAs) toward a national, legislated regulatory framework to ensure environmental integrity during oil and gas exploration.

The report finds that refugees in Rwanda, particularly those with salaried jobs or self-employment, represent a viable and profitable market for financial service providers (FSPs). It highlights a strong demand for savings, transaction, and loan products, driven by the shift from food aid to cash-based transfers. However, the lack of government-issued ID cards creates a significant regulatory barrier for 'know your customer' (KYC) compliance. The report provides a dynamic business case model suggesting that the profitability of serving refugees is comparable to that of typical low-income Rwandan account holders, especially when cross-selling insurance and loan products.

The report finds a significant gap in how UK contract-based pension providers manage climate risk compared to trust-based schemes, urging the FCA to implement mandatory reporting and guidance.

The report details how neonicotinoids contaminate plants, soil, and water, leading to the decline of pollinators and other essential invertebrates. It argues that these chemicals provide marginal economic benefits while posing significant risks to ecosystem services, and criticizes the Canadian regulatory system for its slow re-evaluation process and historical use of conditional registrations.

The report argues that while ECHA has made some progress in transparency, it continues to withhold critical data on tonnage bands, exposure scenarios, and non-compliant companies, thereby hindering the ability of civil society, investors, and innovators to promote safer chemical alternatives.

The review finds that the IWUL was issued based on inadequate specialist studies that failed to identify all potential impacts, particularly regarding groundwater-wetland interlinkages and post-closure mine water decant. It argues that the license conditions are too general and fail to incorporate specific mitigation measures. Additionally, the document assesses the socio-economic landscape of the project area, highlighting the vulnerability of farm tenants and the need for comprehensive skills development and resettlement plans to mitigate negative social impacts.

The document argues that the traditional cost-of-service regulation (COSR) model creates a capital bias that hinders the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs). To transition utilities into distribution system optimizers (DSOs), the author proposes integrated distribution planning (IDP) to reveal the locational value of DERs. Two regulatory pathways are examined: an information-intensive approach that separates the DSO function from asset ownership to create competitive markets, and an outcome-focused approach using performance-based regulation (PBR) to align utility profits with system optimization and public policy goals.

The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517, H.R. 1311) seeks to amend the Clean Air Act to permit the year-round sale of E15 (15 percent ethanol) fuel. Currently, Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards—designed to limit smog-forming evaporative emissions during summer months—effectively block E15 sales from June 1 to September 15, as the existing one-pound RVP waiver only applies to blends between 9 and 10 percent ethanol. The document asserts that E15 is compatible with nearly 90 percent of U.S. vehicles (model year 2001 and newer) and offers environmental benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower toxic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions compared to E10. It further notes that the current seasonal restrictions impose costs on retailers, including an estimated $200 million in 2017 for pump re-labeling, and lead to significant customer loss during the summer. The text advocates for extending the RVP waiver to blends above E10 to lower consumer costs and support the transition to mid-level ethanol blends (E25 to E40) for more efficient internal combustion engines.

The assessment identifies a detailed but fragmented legal framework, noting strengths in geological data platforms and a diversified tax system, while highlighting critical gaps in environmental monitoring, the lack of a consolidated mining code, and the recent, largely informal emergence of artisanal mining.

The report examines the conflict between the EU Water Framework Directive's environmental goals and Sweden's reliance on hydropower for approximately half of its electricity. It details efforts by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) and the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) to create a balanced national strategy, including a proposed cap on annual production loss to define 'significant adverse effect'. The document also reviews the Water Activity Review (WAR) recommendations, guidance for identifying Heavily Modified Water Bodies (HMWBs), and proposed financing mechanisms for environmental upgrades.

The document examines the challenges of applying traditional risk assessment to manufactured nanomaterials, noting that their unique properties—such as high surface-area-to-volume ratios and ability to cross biological barriers—make existing 'bulk' chemical regulations ineffective. It highlights critical gaps in hazard and exposure data, the lack of standardised testing methods, and the limitations of alternative assessment methods like grouping, read-across, and nano-QSAR. The author concludes that robust risk assessments are currently impossible and urges regulatory bodies, particularly the European Commission, to adopt a precaution-based approach to protect human health and the environment.

The document identifies significant gaps in how the European Commission and other stakeholders report on fish stocks and TACs, noting that current methods often fail to track management progress toward MSY and rely on incomplete data. It recommends that the Commission's Article 50 report include direct comparisons between TACs and scientific advice, cover all harvested species regardless of data availability, and explicitly report on biomass levels alongside fishing mortality. The briefing also highlights the need for standardized labeling and clearer methodology across various reports to avoid ambiguous or misleading conclusions about whether stocks are 'fished sustainably'.