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The document critiques the concept of 'net zero' and the use of carbon offsetting, distinguishing between 'real zero' (actual emission elimination) and 'false zero' (reliance on offsets). It asserts that carbon markets and 'nature-based solutions' are used as distractions by the fossil fuel industry and financial sectors to maintain the status quo, which risks further land grabbing and the violation of Indigenous and local community rights. The report emphasizes that fossil carbon cannot be simply absorbed by the biosphere and calls for a coordinated phase-out of fossil fuels and a transition to a climate-just economy.

The document analyzes the risks associated with Colombia's dependence on thermal coal exports amidst declining global demand and proposes a transition strategy based on economic diversification and social equity. It highlights the severe poverty and environmental degradation in the Cesar and La Guajira regions, where coal mining contributes significantly to regional GDP but provides limited local employment. The brief recommends shifting from carbon-intensive industrialization to low-carbon asset diversification, implementing active labor policies, and establishing mechanisms to quantify and repair socio-environmental liabilities. It critiques current government strategies, such as 'neutral coal,' for extending the life of a declining sector rather than accelerating decarbonization.

The report argues that a significant 'urban services divide' exists in the global South, where over 1.2 billion people lack reliable access to housing, water, sanitation, energy, and transport. This divide creates a cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. To break this cycle, the authors propose seven transformations: prioritizing the vulnerable in infrastructure design, partnering with alternative service providers, improving local data through community engagement, supporting informal workers, innovating financing and subsidies, promoting transparent land management, and creating diverse governance coalitions. The report emphasizes that these shifts can yield cascading economic and environmental benefits, including reduced GHG emissions and improved public health.

The report finds that while the industrial fishing sector in South Africa was better able to absorb the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic due to existing resources and networks, small-scale fisheries faced devastating impacts. These included severe income loss, food insecurity, and harassment by law enforcement despite being designated as essential workers. The study highlights that historical exclusions from formal policy processes left many traditional fishers without essential permits, exacerbating their vulnerability. While some functional co-operatives showed potential for building resilience, the report argues that a lack of infrastructure, education, and formal market access continues to hinder small-scale fishers. It recommends a collaborative governance approach to address historical inequities and empower local co-operatives to withstand future shocks.

The document examines how Covid-19 restrictions in Kenya disproportionately affected the informal sector, which comprises 83.6% of the employed population. It argues that a compromised fiscal social contract—characterized by poor healthcare delivery, corruption, and limited transparency—discourages tax compliance among informal workers. While the government implemented some tax reliefs, the authors contend that true fiscal legitimacy requires systemic reforms in accountability, access to fiscal information, and sustainable debt management to ensure an inclusive system.

The document examines the decline of the U.S. coal industry, driven by cheaper natural gas and renewables, and the resulting workforce crisis. It argues that a successful transition requires more than just shifting to another single industry; it necessitates broad economic diversification. The brief outlines potential employment opportunities in clean energy, energy efficiency, environmental remediation (such as mine reclamation and forest restoration), broadband deployment, and entrepreneurship. It also reviews proposed federal frameworks, such as the National Economic Transition Office, and highlights regional initiatives in Appalachia and the West that support displaced workers through retraining and community-led development.

The paper examines the impact of environmental policies on ethnic minorities in the Dong Phuc commune of Vietnam, finding that tenure and environmental policies often reinforce pre-existing ethnic inequalities and use conservation discourses to justify the appropriation of natural resources.

The document examines India's energy sector response to COVID-19, noting a trend of continued support for domestic coal and thermal power despite global clean energy goals. It highlights that while some clean energy initiatives exist, such as electric vehicle policies in Delhi and solar power for farmers in Andhra Pradesh, fossil fuel support remains dominant. The briefing advocates for a comprehensive green industrial policy for solar manufacturing, the phase-out of inefficient thermal plants, and the implementation of 'just transition' frameworks to support coal-dependent communities.

The Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) attributes the July 2020 unrest in South Africa to a combination of food and economic insecurity, state capture, and the government's adherence to austerity budgets. The BJC highlights that the termination of the R350 COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant and the caregiver allowance in October 2020 increased hunger for millions. The coalition criticizes the 2021 budget for implementing R265 billion in cuts to public services, including R50.3 billion from health care, R9 billion from public schools, and R39 billion from the police budget. To address the root causes of violence, the BJC demands the implementation of a Universal Basic Income Grant, the reinstatement of COVID-related grants at a rate of R585 per month, and the reversal of austerity measures in health, education, and social welfare.

The report analyses Tunisia's socio-economic challenges, including stagnant growth, high youth unemployment, and a large informal sector, while projecting development pathways to 2040. It highlights the country's strong human capital but warns that poor governance and an opaque economic system hinder progress. The analysis compares a 'Current Path' with three scenarios: 'Going for Growth', 'Leapfrogging', and 'Sustainability & Equality', concluding that substantive governance reform is essential for any successful transition.

The document analyzes the digital divide in Africa, exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns, focusing on socio-economic barriers, weak infrastructure, information access, and government-mandated internet shutdowns. It argues that while global and continental frameworks like the AU's Digital Transformation Strategy exist, a multi-stakeholder approach is required to improve affordability, infrastructure, and digital literacy while ending political internet blackouts.

The report analyzes the 2020 Burundian elections, highlighting a transition from President Pierre Nkurunziza to Evariste Ndayishimiye within the CNDD-FDD. It describes a political environment marked by an "autocratic drift," systemic repression of opposition parties like the CNL, and a fragile economy where 65% of the population lives below the poverty line. The author argues that the new president faces a "double guardianship" from Nkurunziza and a circle of powerful generals, which may hinder necessary democratic and socio-economic reforms.

The document examines the Covid-19 pandemic as a systemic shock that exposed deep inequalities and the fragility of market-driven systems. It explores the intersection of public health and biodiversity loss, the role of the welfare state versus authoritarian and populist models, the digital divide in urban centers, and the disproportionate impact of the crisis on marginalized groups, including migrant workers and the elderly. The text advocates for a 'green recovery' that prioritizes a 'foundational economy' of basic needs over growth, promotes digital inclusion as a human right, and recognizes the link between environmental degradation and zoonotic disease emergence.

The paper examines the risks climate change poses to rural livelihoods in Asia, Africa, and Central America, noting that current adaptation efforts are insufficient. It advocates for a systemic transformation involving policy reform, digital agriculture, innovative finance, and the scaling of climate-resilient technologies. The authors propose five distinct pathways for adaptation—ranging from market integration and farming system shifts to exiting agriculture—tailored to different household types such as those 'stepping up', 'stepping out', 'hanging in', or those who are 'food insecure'.

The author argues that while Central and Eastern Europe has a long tradition of informal mutual help and solidarity practices, these have historically functioned as 'bottom-up subsidies' to capital by absorbing the costs of social reproduction. The paper suggests that for a modern solidarity economy to be emancipative in this region, it must move beyond mere survival strategies and address the hierarchical, patriarchal, and extractive nature of existing informal networks.

The document examines how mega-mergers and the 'financialization' of agriculture have concentrated control of the food chain in a few giant corporations. It highlights the emerging threat of 'big data' platforms, which allow tech and agribusiness giants to monopolize information, further marginalizing small farmers. The report details negative impacts including reduced farmer autonomy, environmental degradation, and labor exploitation, while advocating for agroecology and the protection of peasant rights as a sustainable alternative.

The document examines how mega-mergers and the integration of Big Data are consolidating power within the global agri-food system, marginalizing small farmers and increasing environmental risks.

South Africa is identified as the most economically unequal country in the world, with the wealthiest 10% of the population holding 90–95% of the wealth. The document asserts that poverty rates have increased, with 55.5% of the population living below the official national upper bound poverty line in 2015. It criticizes the government's use of fiscal austerity, noting real-term spending cuts in health and education, and argues that the tax system is insufficiently progressive, citing a corporate income tax rate that dropped from 50% in 1990 to 28% today. The report concludes that these policy choices threaten the fulfillment of social and economic rights and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The 2019 Lower Kafue River Basin Report Card assigns an overall health grade of 'C' (moderate) to the basin, indicating that while some indicators meet objectives, others do not. The assessment, developed by WARMA and WWF, highlights critical failures in human health and nutrition—specifically disease burden and sanitation—and declines in keystone species like the Kafue Lechwe. While economic indicators and water quantity generally performed better, the report identifies urgent needs for improved water quality data, climate-smart agriculture to combat malnutrition, and a comprehensive review of environmental flow releases from the Itezhi-tezhi and Kafue Gorge dams.

The document examines the proliferation of slums in Ghana, identifying drivers such as rapid urbanization, poverty, and the failure to implement national housing and environmental policies. Based on research in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, it highlights the severe lack of sanitation, healthcare, and secure housing, as well as the negative impacts on children and the environment. It argues that current housing policies are deficient because they ignore the needs of the poor and the role of social networks. The brief recommends against forced evictions, calling instead for slum upgrading, strategic private-sector partnerships for affordable housing, and the integration of slum dwellers' perspectives into urban planning.