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Global Witness reports that Mondelez has shifted from supporting the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to actively lobbying for its weakening and delay. The company has engaged with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder, joined the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, and targeted conservative MEPs and government officials in France, Germany, Ireland, and Luxembourg. This lobbying occurs despite Mondelez's lack of transparency regarding its deforestation-free cocoa supply and its links to forest destruction in West Africa.

The report criticizes the FAO for promoting a target of 75% growth in 'sustainable aquaculture' by 2040 without distinguishing between low-impact and feed-intensive production systems. Modelling suggests that if current trends continue, demand for wild fish could rise by 85–88%, potentially diverting nutritious fish from vulnerable populations in Africa and Asia. The document highlights a 'policy drift' in the GSA, where earlier safeguards regarding nutrition and competition between aquafeed and human food were removed, allegedly influenced by the aquaculture industry and Norway. It concludes that FAO should prioritize non-fed, low-trophic aquatic foods and eliminate edible wild fish from aquafeeds to align with its founding mandate.

The document outlines the expected impacts of El Niño across Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting risks such as water shortages in Colombia, agricultural losses in Mexico and Central America, and fisheries disruptions in the South Pacific. It emphasizes that while El Niño is a natural phenomenon, climate change intensifies its effects, leading to more frequent extreme weather events. The guide also lists specific resources, expert contacts, and training programs for journalists covering these issues.

Madagascar has implemented a National Strategy for Organic Agriculture and Law No. 2020-003 to transition traditional farming into a certified organic sector. Supported by IISD, the government is piloting "organic territories" (TVABs) in the Diana, Sava, and Analanjirofo regions to achieve economies of scale and protect crops from contamination. Between 2020 and 2024, organic farmland increased from 103,817 to 169,893 hectares, and the number of organic producers grew to 62,000. Key priorities include strengthening internal control systems for certification and navigating new regulations like the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation.

The HimGra® pilot project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district transforms degraded, rocky Himalayan slopes into productive land by cultivating a climate-resilient grass for sustainable textiles. Managed by women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and supported by the Dev UK (Uttarakhand) Foundation, the initiative reduces soil erosion and provides diversified income for marginalized communities. The project integrates grassroots innovation with global luxury fashion markets and is undergoing independent impact assessments to validate its carbon and soil regeneration outcomes.

The document outlines Rwanda's transition from a low-income country to its aspirations for high-income status by 2050. It details the 'Vision 2050' strategic plan, which focuses on human development, competitiveness, agriculture, urbanisation, and state institutions. While Rwanda has seen significant GDP growth—averaging 7.2% from 2009 to 2019—it faces structural challenges including high inflation, rising external debt, and a large informal sector. The report also notes the role of the Rwanda Energy Group and the use of Lake Kivu for biogas extraction to meet energy needs.

The IEU report for February to May 2026 outlines the progress of several independent evaluations, including those on gender, the Project Preparation Facility, and the private sector. It highlights the ongoing Third Performance Review (TPR) and the LORTA impact evaluation programme, which supports 23 evaluations. The Unit also reports on its strategic engagement with other multilateral climate funds, the use of AI in evaluation synthesis, and its budget expenditure, which stood at 19% (USD 1.5 million) of the annual budget as of 30 April 2026.

The document inventories nature-based solutions (NbS) in Zambia, emphasizing the integration of community-driven conservation, gender-responsive approaches, and livelihood development. It highlights Zambia's high economic dependency on natural resources—with agriculture, forests, and fisheries contributing significantly to GDP—which increases vulnerability to climate threats like erratic rainfall and droughts. The inventory aims to align these projects with national frameworks and avoid duplication among stakeholders.

The report inventories nature-based solutions (NbS) in Uganda since 2015, noting that these interventions are distributed across diverse ecosystems including wetlands, forests, and savannahs. It highlights that NbS projects typically address coupled societal challenges—such as food insecurity and water stress—and focus on reducing habitat degradation rather than species-specific conservation. While social inclusion is present, the report notes it is uneven across the project portfolio.

An analysis of 393 environmental and energy bills introduced in the first quarter of 2026 reveals that 45% were bipartisan. Bipartisan bills showed a higher rate of legislative advancement (22%) compared to non-bipartisan bills (15%). The highest level of consensus was found in oceans and biodiversity, where approximately 67% of bills were bipartisan. Other areas of strong cooperation include disaster management, wildfires, and permitting reform. The report notes that successful bipartisan legislation often focuses on concrete economic impacts or specific, narrow scopes and typically avoids using the terminology of climate change. In contrast, energy bills were less bipartisan, with Republicans focusing on deregulation and Democrats on clean energy tax credits, although specific technologies like geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, and waste-to-energy maintain bipartisan support.

The report examines the legal and administrative challenges of removing obsolete river barriers in Poland, Finland, and France. It finds that while France employs a systemic approach with prioritised lists and dedicated funding, Poland lacks a comprehensive registry and effective enforcement of removal obligations. Finland relies heavily on voluntary cooperation and funding through the NOUSU program but struggles with the permanence of water permits. The document recommends that Member States adopt systemic policies, maintain field-verified barrier registries, establish clear prioritisation criteria for 'obsolete barriers', and create inclusive funding schemes to meet EU nature restoration targets.

The report critiques the EU's CRCF carbon farming methodologies, highlighting systemic flaws in quantification, additionality, and sustainability safeguards. It argues that the current framework allows for potential overcrediting and greenwashing, particularly if units are used for offsetting. The author recommends shifting from a credit-based system to an activity-based performance model to ensure environmental integrity.

The document advocates for a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), emphasizing that biodiversity-led climate strategies are most effective when they address power imbalances and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. It highlights Section C of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) as a critical guide for ensuring equity and avoiding maladaptation. Case studies from Benin, focusing on the protection of sacred forests through Indigenous knowledge, and Kenya, focusing on rangeland restoration in Mount Marsabit via pastoralist stewardship, demonstrate how inclusive practices enhance resilience. The brief recommends establishing national coordination mechanisms to track EbA across sectors and increasing climate finance for locally led actions, noting that currently less than 0.2% of such finance specifically targets locally led outcomes.

The document argues that legal recognition of rivers as entities with personhood rights is a catalyst for transforming environmental governance, but it is insufficient on its own to ensure ecological or social outcomes. Drawing on cases from Bangladesh and Colombia, the brief identifies critical implementation gaps, including a lack of operational clarity, fragmented governance, and the marginalization of local community knowledge. It recommends that effective river governance requires clearly defined legal obligations, coordinated institutional leadership, inclusive multi-stakeholder participation, and integrated social and ecological health indicators, all supported by long-term financial resourcing.

The 2026 US National Grasslands Survey reveals that while 71% of Americans are likely to support grassland conservation, grasslands are perceived as the seventh most threatened ecosystem. The report segments the population into five groups—Passionates, Leisures, Environmentalists, Materialists, and Indifferents—and finds that providing information significantly increases the perceived importance of grasslands, moving them from the fourth to the first most important ecosystem among respondents.

The document introduces Madagascar as a low-income island nation with high biodiversity and significant vulnerability to extreme weather. It details the country's diverse precipitation patterns, its history of colonial rule and political instability—including a 2009 coup—and its current political landscape under President Andry Rajoelina. The text serves as a foundational context for the 'Current Path' development trajectory forecasts produced by the African Futures & Innovation program.

Comoros is a lower-middle-income island state characterized by a tropical climate prone to intense cyclones and a history of political instability. Its economy relies heavily on subsistence farming, fishing, and EU budgetary support, while its development is hindered by frequent coups and the compounding effects of natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document argues that commercial insect farming in high-income northern hemisphere countries often fails to deliver its theoretical environmental benefits. It notes that greenhouse gas emissions from insect protein can approach those of chicken and pork, and that the industry often supports conventional animal agriculture by providing feed rather than replacing meat in human diets. Additionally, the report highlights risks to biodiversity, animal welfare concerns, and the opportunity cost of diverting investment from other alternative proteins like plant-based or cultivated options.

The document introduces a social impact framework developed by the NBSPLUS project to improve the intentional design and assessment of nature-based solutions (NbS). It defines NbS as the use of natural processes and blue-green infrastructure—including parks, wetlands, green roofs, and restored waterways—to tackle climate, biodiversity, and societal challenges. The framework categorizes social impacts into several dimensions, including physical and mental health, recreational value, place attachment, knowledge and learning, pro-environmental behavior, social cohesion, justice (recognitional, distributive, and procedural), economic value, food security, and empowerment.

The statement asserts that the destruction of nature and attacks on its defenders are part of the same corporate machinery. It highlights the experience of the A’i Cofán people in Ecuador facing oil extraction and argues that voluntary corporate sustainability commitments are insufficient to protect biodiversity or human rights. The author calls for a legally binding international instrument to regulate transnational corporations.