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The report documents a pattern of violence and judicial harassment against land and environmental rights defenders in 2013. It argues that these individuals are particularly vulnerable as global competition for land and resources increases, often facing threats from government forces and corporations. The document provides specific case studies from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, detailing arrests, murders, and forced evictions linked to opposition against extractive industries, mega-projects, and agribusiness.

The document argues that the global agro-food system is increasingly inefficient due to a disconnection between crop production and livestock, driven by rising demands for animal protein and high rates of food waste. It highlights that international trade of food and feed has increased eightfold over the last 50 years, leading to significant nitrogen pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Using Spain as a primary example, the authors demonstrate how a shift from a Mediterranean diet to one rich in animal proteins has increased nitrogen pollution and created 'emission leakage,' where emissions associated with imported feed in non-Annex B countries exceed those from domestic production. The briefing suggests that reducing animal protein intake, decreasing food waste, and reconnecting crops with livestock are essential for global food security and environmental safety.

The document outlines the role of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) in supporting developing countries during international climate negotiations, specifically focusing on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It argues that the Kyoto Protocol failed to address deforestation, which accounts for approximately 20% of annual global CO2 emissions, and details CfRN's strategies for capacity building, including technical support, negotiation training, and securing leadership roles for delegates. Case studies from the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, and Liberia illustrate the practical application of these supports in national policy and international diplomacy.

The Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP) was a publically funded demonstration project (2009–2013) aimed at rehabilitating degraded peat swamp forests in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. While it did not fully achieve its objective of demonstrating effective rehabilitation at scale, it provided critical technical data, an innovative canal-blocking design, and a model for community engagement through 'Village Agreements'. The study estimates that if such projects can save 26 million tons of carbon over 30 years, they could be financially viable for private investors at carbon prices between AUD 4 and AUD 23 per ton. However, significant barriers remain, including contradictory land-zoning laws, uncertain revenue-sharing frameworks, and the need for robust national measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) should not be established or piloted until the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) defines mitigation commitment requirements and common accounting rules. The author contends that carbon markets have failed to incentivize adequate national commitments and warns that without stringent eligibility criteria and international oversight, the FVA could facilitate the use of low-quality units and 'hot air' offsets. Key recommendations include linking market access to high ambition, eliminating all forms of double-counting to ensure a 'net atmospheric benefit', and excluding detrimental sectors like coal power and REDD+ activities from the framework.

The report analyzes the transition of water from a public commons to a financial asset, examining how privatization, commoditization, and financialization are driven by corporate interests and international financial institutions. Through case studies from Palestine, Australia, Sri Lanka, the US, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Switzerland, England, Mozambique, Mexico, and El Salvador, it documents the social and ecological impacts of this shift, including water scarcity, pollution, and the violation of territorial rights. It advocates for a public/community-based management model that prioritizes the human right to water over profit.

The report examines the evolution of low-carbon, climate-resilient development (LCCRD) in developing countries, highlighting the integration of mitigation and adaptation into national planning. It identifies critical barriers, including limited human capacity and a significant imbalance in climate finance, where adaptation receives far less funding than mitigation. The document analyzes the shift from top-down to bottom-up international governance and the role of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) as a vehicle for sustainable development. It also discusses the challenges of monitoring and evaluating adaptation investments and the proliferation of online knowledge platforms, recommending a greater focus on user needs and the translation of high-level strategies into concrete actions.

The report examines the critical role of mangrove ecosystems in Mozambique, highlighting their value in carbon sequestration, coastal protection, and supporting fisheries. It identifies significant threats from urban growth, aquaculture, and the extractive boom in oil, gas, and mining. The author argues that Mozambique's current governance is fragmented across multiple ministries, leading to weak enforcement of environmental laws. The document advocates for the use of ecosystem valuation, Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), and 'Blue Carbon' financing to incentivize conservation and reconcile economic growth with ecological sustainability.

Global climate finance plateaued at USD 359 billion in 2012, falling short of investment needs for a 2°C pathway. While private actors provided 62% of the total, a strong domestic preference exists, with 76% of finance spent within the country of origin. Public finance, particularly through Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), remains critical for addressing risk and funding adaptation, though significant knowledge gaps persist in tracking private adaptation and energy efficiency flows.

The report argues that 'sustainable' and 'legal' timber policies in producer and consumer countries are often rudimentary technical responses that fail to address systemic governance flaws, corruption, and human rights violations. In Malaysia, the report highlights a lack of transparency in logging license awards and systemic violations of indigenous customary land rights. In Japan, South Korea, and Australia, the report identifies weaknesses in procurement frameworks, such as a reliance on exporter-provided paperwork and a failure to reduce overall tropical timber consumption. It concludes that without fundamental governance reforms and a reduction in consumption, certification schemes and procurement guidelines remain insufficient to prevent deforestation and social injustice.

The case study examines the implementation of REDD+ within the SADC region, highlighting the tension between global carbon sequestration goals and regional needs for sustainable development. It details the SADC FANR Directorate's efforts to provide a 'regional value add' through a support programme, specifically focusing on a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) project funded by GIZ. The analysis emphasizes that while carbon is the primary global driver, local and regional benefits—such as hydrological services and non-timber forest products—are often more critical to the region's population. The document concludes that SADC's approach to REDD+ pilots balances carbon effectiveness with regional equity to avoid marginalizing countries with lower forest cover.

The report argues that while trade integration in SADC has been stagnant, integration in public goods sectors like water, power, and conservation has seen varying degrees of success. It finds that these processes are heavily dependent on third-party financing and often suffer from a disconnect between donor-driven regional agendas and national service delivery priorities. The document highlights that SADC lacks the institutional capacity to implement policies, often requiring independent entities or NGOs to manage funds and projects. Case studies on REDD+, transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) illustrate that bottom-up collaboration and the transposition of regional goals into national law are more effective than top-down mandates.

The report evaluates the 'Doha Gateway' decisions from a human rights perspective, noting that while human rights are not explicitly mentioned in the Doha outcomes, they are referenced via the Cancun Agreements. The analysis covers mitigation ambition, loss and damage mechanisms, REDD+ safeguards, the Clean Development Mechanism's lack of appeals processes, public participation under Article 6, and the adoption of 'gender balance' over 'gender equality'.

The document analyzes the Brazilian Forest Code through the lens of property rights theory, arguing that the gap between formal laws (de jure) and actual practice (de facto) creates uncertainty that hinders environmental protection. It traces the historical path dependence of Brazilian land ownership, which resulted in extreme concentration of wealth and power. The author links insecure property rights to several 'pathologies,' including land conflicts, the absence of tenancy markets, and increased deforestation in the Amazon. The paper concludes that for the Forest Code to succeed, the government must provide credible signals to converge de facto and de jure rights and reduce transaction costs for compliance.

The document identifies two contradictory trends in tropical land tenure: a 'global land rush' where agricultural land is transferred from governments and communities to corporate control, and a simultaneous increase in forestland tenure granted to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The author argues that while agricultural land transfers are driven by economic factors—such as rising food prices, changing diets, and biofuel demand—forestland transfers are primarily political, driven by rights campaigns and the financial incentives of national-scale REDD+ programs. The paper notes regional disparities, with community tenure increasing significantly in Latin America, while corporate land-grabbing is most prevalent in Africa.

The report examines the increasing pressure on Indonesia's land resources due to national development plans and palm oil expansion. It proposes the use of Natural Capital Assessment (NCA)—a process of mapping social, biophysical, and economic data—to identify land suitable for production while protecting critical ecosystems. The document outlines NCA principles based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, reviews various technical mapping tools, and provides case studies from Kalimantan and Trinidad & Tobago to illustrate the necessity of combining technical data with political commitment to achieve sustainable land-use changes.

The briefing explores how natural capital assessment (NCA) can help Indonesia resolve tensions between short-term economic gains and long-term environmental and social health. It highlights a 'window of opportunity' created by legal developments, such as Law No. 32/2009 and Constitutional Court ruling MK45, and the need for low-carbon development. The text details the principles of NCA—relevance, credibility, and legitimacy—and reviews technical tools like WRI's Suitability Mapper, which identified 3.3 million hectares of potentially suitable degraded land for oil palm in Central Kalimantan. It concludes that technical data alone is insufficient without the political will and commitment of local decision-makers to integrate these findings into spatial planning.

The submission emphasizes that climate change is a major human rights challenge and urges that the 2015 Agreement's Preamble and Shared Vision explicitly recognize the link between human rights and climate change. It calls for a rights-based approach to adaptation, the regulation of corporations to prevent rights abuses during mitigation, and the establishment of an international mechanism to provide compensation for loss and damage. Additionally, it advocates for strong safeguard policies and accountability mechanisms within climate finance, specifically mentioning the Green Climate Fund, and demands guaranteed access to information and justice for all affected communities.

The document details CDKN's support for Pakistan, focusing on three main areas: climate-resilient reconstruction in Punjab, the development of a national disaster risk insurance strategy, and technical capacity building for UNFCCC COP negotiations. It also highlights the launch of Pakistan's National Climate Change Policy in February 2013, which prioritizes adaptation in water, agriculture, and forestry, while addressing mitigation and disaster preparedness.

The document identifies five primary drivers for adopting CCD: national awareness of climate adaptation needs, the pursuit of energy security and resource efficiency, the desire to capture new green economic opportunities, the goal of improving access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. Conversely, it outlines seven key challenges: high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of reliable data on risks and trade-offs, political short-termism, limited state capacity, institutional constraints (such as inter-ministerial conflict), and technological uncertainties. The paper suggests solutions including the use of carbon markets, participatory dialogue processes, the integration of climate goals into long-term legislation, and the creation of inter-ministerial committees with direct accountability to the presidency.