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The paper examines Tanzania's electrification challenges, noting that only 32.8% of the population had electricity access in 2016. It critiques the proposed $3.6 billion Stiegler's Gorge hydroelectric dam, arguing that its benefits are outweighed by risks to the Selous World Heritage Site and downstream livelihoods in the Lower Rufiji. The author suggests that Tanzania should leapfrog traditional centralized infrastructure in favor of a combination of large-scale and micro-scale solar and wind power to achieve inclusive development without causing significant biodiversity loss.

The document examines the crisis of marine plastic pollution, noting that while Asia is currently the most polluted continent, Africa is on track to take this title due to rapid population growth, industrialisation, and a lack of waste management capacity. It details the environmental impacts of plastic, including entanglement and ingestion by 344 and 331 marine species respectively, and the economic losses associated with tourism and material waste. The brief surveys a wide array of international treaties—such as UNCLOS, MARPOL, and the Basel Convention—and regional frameworks like the RSCAPs, arguing that policies must shift from focusing on ocean-based waste to targeting land-based sources. It highlights South Africa's legislative framework as an example of established policy that still lacks ground-level implementation, and promotes the African Marine Waste Network (AMWN) as a holistic model for research, economic incentives, and capacity building.

This document is a formal objection submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights on behalf of a coalition of eight civil society and community non-profit organisations. The objection opposes an application by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd to change the land use of Portion 1 of the Farm Yzermyn 96 in Mpumalanga from agricultural to mining purposes to facilitate the construction of the Yzermyn Underground Coal Mine. The objectors argue that the project would cause irreparable harm to a strategic water source area, threaten biodiversity in the Mabola Protected Environment, and negatively impact vulnerable local communities, while failing to comply with municipal spatial development frameworks and national interest requirements under the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).

The report outlines mitigation and management measures for the operational and closure phases of two unlawful activities at the Tormin Mine: the expansion of a processing area and the construction of a process water dam. It identifies low to insignificant environmental impacts and provides a detailed framework for monitoring and rehabilitation to comply with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

The report argues that the proliferation of certification labels creates consumer confusion and allows companies to greenwash their operations without achieving substantive environmental improvements. In fisheries, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Friends of the Sea (FOS) are criticized for certifying overfished areas and lacking transparency. In the palm oil sector, programs like RSPO, ISCC, and ISPO are found to have failed in slowing deforestation or peatland drainage. In textiles, the Higg Index and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) are highlighted for weaknesses such as reliance on self-assessment and allowing GMO seeds. The authors call for a shift toward mandatory government regulations and a reform of certifications based on transparency, independence, holistic life-cycle approaches, and scientific standards.

The report assesses voluntary sustainability certifications in fisheries, palm oil, and textiles, concluding that many schemes act as 'greenwash' and fail to prevent deforestation, overfishing, or pollution. It argues that the proliferation of labels creates consumer confusion and a 'race to the bottom' in standards. The authors call for the abolition of ineffective schemes and a transition toward science-based, transparent, and holistic regulations that cover the entire product life-cycle.

The report examines voluntary sustainability certifications in the palm oil, fisheries, and textile industries, concluding that these schemes often lack transparency, lower their standards to increase volume, and fail to prevent deforestation or overfishing. It argues that certifications are being used as 'greenwashing' tools by corporations and governments and calls for a shift toward strict, independent, and comprehensive standards that cover the entire product life cycle, while emphasizing that voluntary initiatives cannot replace government regulation.

The document argues that the proliferation of voluntary certifications in the palm oil, fisheries, and textile sectors has created consumer confusion and a 'race to the bottom' in standards. It finds that these schemes often fail to stop deforestation, overfishing, or pollution, and are sometimes used by companies to mask unsustainable operations. The report calls for the abolition of most current schemes in favor of a few high-ambition, transparent, and science-based standards that complement, rather than replace, government regulation.

The report investigates voluntary certification in three high-impact sectors: fisheries, palm oil, and textiles. It concludes that a proliferation of low-ambition schemes creates consumer confusion and allows companies to 'greenwash' unsustainable practices. In fisheries, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Friend of the Sea (FOS) are criticized for certifying fisheries with high bycatch and destructive methods. In palm oil, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and government-led schemes like ISPO are found ineffective at stopping deforestation and peatland drainage. In textiles, the report highlights the lack of transparency in the Higg Index and the low standards of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) compared to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). The authors call for the abolition of the least ambitious schemes and a shift toward mandatory due diligence, transparency, and science-based regulations.

The report examines how Carbon Removal and Solar Geoengineering might interact with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that at least 13 of the 17 SDGs would be affected by these technologies, with at least 9 facing significant risks. While these interventions could mitigate some climate-driven threats to development, they introduce novel physical, socio-economic, and political risks, including land-use conflicts, water scarcity, and international political tensions. The authors emphasize substantial knowledge gaps and call for transdisciplinary, geographically diverse research and robust global governance to ensure such technologies do not hinder sustainable development.

The document highlights the critical but often invisible role of women in Africa's small-scale fisheries, particularly in post-harvest activities. It argues that gender-blind policies and a lack of disaggregated data lead to the exclusion of women from governance and economic benefits. The author recommends context-specific interventions, the collection of gender-disaggregated data, and the promotion of livelihood diversification, such as aquaculture, to improve women's human rights and economic security.

The report details research and stakeholder discussions regarding the under-utilization of specialty crops in the US. It highlights significant in-field losses—such as 50% for fresh tomatoes and 36% on average for crops in North Carolina—driven by strict cosmetic standards and economic barriers. The document outlines four envisioned future states: implementing full-cost accounting for food, increasing ubiquitous access to healthy produce, integrating regional food systems with industrial agriculture, and removing food safety barriers to donation. It concludes with a practical example of 'concurrent harvesting' used by Imperfect Produce to create markets for 'seconds'.

The document details how transnational corporations and agribusinesses in Central America disproportionately affect women through the looting of natural resources and environmental degradation. In El Salvador, Coca Cola's water extraction in Nejapa has depleted aquifers and polluted water sources, increasing the domestic burden on women. In Honduras, hydroelectric dams in La Paz have caused water scarcity and led to the murder of environmental activists, including Berta Cáceres. In Costa Rica, pineapple monocultures have contaminated water with agrotoxics, impacting women's health and care work. In Guatemala, sugarcane plantations on the Southern Coast have caused land grabbing, water shortages, and health issues due to aerial spraying and burning. Across all cases, women have emerged as key leaders in community resistance, organizing to defend their rights to water, land, and a healthy environment.

The report examines how corporate activities—including water extraction by Coca-Cola in El Salvador, hydroelectric projects in Honduras, pineapple monocultures in Costa Rica, and sugarcane production in Guatemala—disproportionately affect women's health, labor, and access to resources. It details the specific burdens placed on women, such as increased domestic labor due to water scarcity and health risks from agrotóxicos, while showcasing the emergence of women-led resistance movements and community-based research to challenge corporate power and state negligence.

The report analyzes how different temperature rise scenarios (2°C, 3.2°C, and 4.5°C) affect species richness in 35 biodiversity-rich 'Priority Places'. It finds that while a 2°C limit significantly reduces extinction risks, a 'business as usual' 4.5°C scenario could put nearly 50% of species in these areas at risk of local extinction. The research emphasizes that species dispersal—the ability to move to new suitable habitats—can lower extinction rates, though this is less effective for plants, reptiles, and amphibians. The document concludes that urgent cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions and the creation of ecological corridors and refugia are essential to prevent widespread biodiversity loss.

The document is a joint statement from various environmental organisations warning that the Fisheries Committee's position on the regulation to conserve the marine environment through fisheries technical measures (COM(2016)0134) would dangerously undermine existing environmental standards. The authors argue that the proposed legislation fails to ensure coherence with existing environmental laws or follow scientific evidence, potentially leading to the depletion of protected species, increased juvenile fish bycatch, and the use of damaging fishing gears such as electric pulse fishing.

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 document identifies five critical areas for legal reform to prevent illegal forest conversion: land allocation, clearance permits, conversion timber rules, environmental protections, and community rights. It highlights how contradictory laws, lack of transparency, and failure to recognize customary land tenure lead to uncontrolled deforestation and social conflict. The toolkit uses case studies from nine tropical countries to illustrate legal gaps and provides checklists for policy-makers to ensure comprehensive and enforceable regulations.

The document serves as an overview for a legal toolkit designed to help law-makers address the complexities of forest conversion laws. It identifies five key areas for legal attention: land allocation, clearing permits, timber rules, environmental protection, and community rights. The toolkit is based on an analysis of legal frameworks in nine tropical countries and focuses primarily on the regulation of large-scale projects to balance economic growth with environmental and social protections.

The document outlines the necessity of detailed, binding environmental legal tools to mitigate the impacts of forest conversion, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. It emphasizes the role of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), the importance of transparency, and the need for laws to be fit for the specific national context. Through case studies from Gabon, Ghana, Brazil, and Liberia, it illustrates how non-binding guidelines, limited agency capacity, and sustainability policies affect forest protection.