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The Mekong floodplains, covering approximately 70,000 km2 and including Cambodia's Tonle Sap, are experiencing environmental deterioration driven by rapid economic growth and climate change. While hydropower dams are a significant concern for biodiversity and livelihoods, the document argues that focusing solely on dams overlooks other local threats affecting water resources, vegetation, and fish.

The document commemorates Bradnee Chambers, a Canadian diplomat and environmental leader who held several senior roles within the United Nations system, including at UNEP and as Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. It highlights his work on international governance, biodiversity assessments, and his collaboration with CIEL to develop the UNEP Compendium on Human Rights and the Environment and the Informea.org database.

The report argues that wealth and wellbeing depend on natural capital—the stock of renewable and non-renewable resources that provide essential ecosystem services. It highlights that natural capital can account for 30% to 50% of national wealth in various countries, yet traditional GDP measures fail to capture this value. The document outlines how governments can generate societal returns (e.g., poverty reduction and public health), economic returns (e.g., business resilience and green infrastructure), and environmental returns (e.g., ecological resilience). To scale these benefits, the report proposes twelve specific levers for government action, ranging from implementing UN-SEEA accounting frameworks and creating public-private partnerships to mainstreaming natural capital into macro indicators and implementing mandatory non-financial disclosures.

A group of NGOs urges MEPs to reject the political agreement on the Western Waters Multi-Annual Plan, claiming it fails to ensure sustainable management for all stocks, allows fishing mortality above sustainable levels, and lacks necessary ecosystem-based management measures.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) convened a global meeting in Cape Town from January 8-10, 2019, bringing together over 130 participants to address the question of how everyone can get a stake in the green economy. The event resulted in five core findings, a set of policy recommendations for the UN-PAGE Ministerial, and a framework for the GEC's next ten-year strategy. The report highlights a global trend toward green investment—noting over 9 trillion of private investment since 2007—while warning that biodiversity is in crisis and the global financial system is structurally unfit for the environmental crisis. It also provides status updates on green economy initiatives in several GEC hub countries, including South Africa, India, Mongolia, Peru, Senegal, and Uganda.

The document analyzes the transition from NAFTA's environmental side agreement to the CUSMA framework, highlighting the preservation of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and the introduction of a broader definition of 'affecting trade or investment' to strengthen environmental law enforcement. It notes the loss of the CEC's authority to produce unsolicited reports and identifies new commitments regarding fisheries, endangered species, and marine litter, while observing that climate change is explicitly absent from the ECA work program.

The report analyzes the current status of Madagascar's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and identifies systemic gender inequalities that increase climate vulnerability. It highlights a lack of gender-disaggregated data and limited leadership in gender mainstreaming across sectoral ministries. The document provides a proposed harmonized definition of a gender-responsive NAP and offers specific recommendations for the National Coordination Office for Climate Change (BNCCC) and sectoral strategies in agriculture, water, health, coastal zones, biodiversity, and infrastructure to ensure equitable adaptation outcomes.

The document describes Arctic wetlands as critical ecosystems that store vast amounts of carbon and support biodiversity and Indigenous livelihoods. It warns that climate-driven permafrost degradation and human activities like drainage turn these areas into a 'time bomb' by releasing greenhouse gases and toxic mercury. Conversely, it argues that restoration and conservation can serve as a 'saving grace' for climate mitigation and adaptation. The briefing highlights the need for better wetland inventories and comparative analysis of management strategies to improve governance across Arctic states.

A petition submitted by eight civil society organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), seeking intervener status in an appeal by the Practice Group (Pty) Ltd on behalf of Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd. The appeal concerns a land-use change application for Portion 1 of Yzermyn 96 HT in the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, to transition the land from agriculture to mining.

The Grand River Environmental Network, the Ontario Headwaters Institute, and 24 other organizations are calling for the withdrawal of Schedule 10 of Bill 66. They argue that the legislation violates campaign promises to protect the Greenbelt and creates unnecessary municipal powers to identify employment lands despite a lack of shortage. The signatories claim the bill is "corrosive to environmental and public health" by exempting land from the Provincial Policy Statement and the Clean Water Act, potentially risking water safety and biodiversity. Furthermore, they assert that the bill "subverts democracy" by allowing municipalities to bypass official plans and deny public consultation and appeal rights.

The report analyzes the legal frameworks of 22 IGF member countries to identify systemic gaps in the implementation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) in mining. Key issues include ambiguity over the rights of exploration permit holders to transition to exploitation, inadequate timing for submitting closure plans and financial guarantees, and a lack of coordination between mining and environmental authorities. The document argues for a shift toward using ESIAs as genuine decision-making tools that can lead to project rejection, the adoption of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) to identify sensitive zones, and the strengthening of community participation and independent monitoring to ensure sustainable mine closure.

Colombia is developing a National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for climate change adaptation to support its National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC). Initial efforts led to the creation of the National Indicator System for Adaptation to Climate Change (SNIACC), which identified 34 indicators across seven categories. However, the government is now redesigning the system to move beyond vulnerability tracking toward measuring the efficiency of adaptation actions, tracking NDC commitments, and integrating data across national and subnational levels.

In 2019, IDFC members committed $197 billion in green finance, a 47% increase from 2018. The vast majority of this funding (95%) was dedicated to climate finance, with green energy and GHG mitigation receiving 87% of those funds. While 87% of commitments remained in the home countries of member institutions, the East Asia and Pacific region received the largest share of total commitments at 69%.

The document outlines Senegal's commitments to biodiversity and sustainable development, highlighting a $5 million joint program with UNDP to create 100,000 green jobs. It evaluates the agroecology and fisheries sectors, noting successes in organic seed production and artisanal fisher awareness, while warning of systemic failures such as soil degradation, lack of conservation infrastructure, and persistent illegal fishing practices.

The document explores the use of industrial symbiosis to divert wood waste from landfills and reduce reliance on virgin timber in Cape Town. It details how the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) matches businesses to exchange under-utilised resources, such as using sawdust for brick manufacturing or refurbishing old pallets. These circular economy practices are presented as a means to build resilience against resource depletion and climate change while creating jobs and reducing the carbon footprint of local industries.

The IAI Strategic Plan (2019–2044) establishes a long-term framework to bridge the gap between science and policy in the Americas. The plan is organized into three themes: meeting the needs of member Parties, advancing science for regional sustainability, and ensuring the organizational sustainability of the IAI. Key priorities include promoting transdisciplinary research on climate action, water and energy security, and biodiversity, while expanding the institute's membership and establishing a 100 million USD endowment fund.

The IAI Strategic Plan (2019–2044) establishes a 25-year framework to bridge the gap between science and policy across the Americas. The plan is organized into three themes: meeting the needs of member states regarding global environmental change, advancing science for regional sustainability, and ensuring the IAI's own organizational sustainability. Key priorities include promoting open data, supporting underrepresented groups, and focusing research on critical areas such as food and water security, renewable energy, and climate action. The institute aims to expand its membership to all nations in the Americas and establish a $100 million endowment fund to secure its long-term operations.

The report evaluates global environmental governance in 2019, highlighting a disconnect between urgent scientific warnings and stalled political action. While progress was made in managing hazardous wastes and plastics, climate and biodiversity governance faced significant setbacks. The document emphasizes the growing need for integrated governance to address the interlinked nature of climate, ocean, and land degradation, while noting that most Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not on track for 2030.

The report reviews global environmental governance in 2019, highlighting progress in plastic waste regulation and scientific reporting, while noting failures in climate ambition and biodiversity negotiations. It emphasizes the growing need for integrated governance and forecasts 2020 as a critical year for the Paris Agreement and the post-2020 biodiversity framework.

The report examines how environmental issues in Cyprus can either exacerbate conflict or serve as a tool for peacebuilding. It analyzes the political, legal, and administrative asymmetries between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot administration, highlighting how these divisions hinder holistic ecosystem management. The document details various levels of cooperation, from intergovernmental bodies like the UN and EU to academic networks and grassroots movements. It specifically evaluates the roles of the Cyprus Environmental Forum (CESF) and the Bicommunal Technical Committee for the Environment (BTCE). The report concludes with proposals for sustainable bi-communal initiatives, including the establishment of a Peace Park in the buffer zone, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, and a bi-communal ecological study center in Varisea.