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The report analyzes the alignment between the Colombian and EU taxonomies, finding a high degree of similarity in climate change mitigation criteria for 47% of compared activities. While both frameworks share core principles and governance structures, the EU Taxonomy is generally more detailed in its technical eligibility criteria and adaptation objectives, whereas the Colombian Taxonomy offers more specific requirements for land-use sectors and certain circular economy safeguards.

The report finds that while there is a growing shift toward electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, the transition is too slow to meet IEA Net Zero by 2050 targets. Asia, particularly India and China, remains the hub for new coal-based blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) capacity. This continued investment in carbon-intensive technology, alongside persistent global overcapacity, creates a significant stranded asset risk estimated up to US$ 554 billion.

The document analyzes the historical 'lock-in' of SADC's infrastructure, which has been driven by colonial mercantile systems and extractive economic imperatives. It contends that current infrastructure is elitist and ecologically unsustainable, failing to meet the needs of the region's growing population. To counter this, the authors propose a 'regenerative' approach based on circular economies and human wellbeing. The paper presents three visionary scenarios—one driven by political response to climate migration, one by bottom-up civic innovation, and one by ESG-led market incentives—to illustrate potential pathways toward sustainable development. It concludes with recommendations for policy reform, including the creation of a Green Infrastructure Task Team and the adoption of community-based public-private partnerships (C-PPPs).

The document summarizes the outcomes of the WWF Plastic Policy Summit held in March 2023. It argues for an urgent shift from a linear to a circular economy through a full life cycle approach to plastic, emphasizing the need for immediate action before the 2025 global treaty negotiations. The report identifies nine strategic interventions, ranging from reducing virgin plastic production to expanding deposit return systems, and provides specific policy and operational recommendations for federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector. A central theme is the prioritization of environmental justice to protect communities historically burdened by plastic production and waste.

The document details a multi-stakeholder approach to ending plastic pollution, emphasizing source reduction, reuse systems, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). It advocates for a full life cycle approach that integrates environmental justice and data transparency to inform policy at local, state, and federal levels in the United States, while aligning with an upcoming global plastics treaty.

The document outlines five critical policy elements—supply chain traceability, material transport and storage, manufacturing and production, recycling, and reusing—necessary to transition from a linear to a circular EV battery economy. It highlights that current economic conditions often make virgin material extraction cheaper than recycling, necessitating government intervention to catalyze investment and standardize regulations. The brief emphasizes the need for federal guidelines in the US to replace the current piecemeal state-level approach and suggests aligning with global best practices to ensure the economic viability of battery repurposing and recycling.

The authors argue that the EU's current net-zero industry plans are insufficient and propose broadening the scope to include basic material production, introducing a charge on basic materials to raise approximately €50 billion annually for a sovereign wealth fund, and implementing a governance framework that links funding to national reform agendas.

The author assesses the INC-2 negotiations in Paris, noting that while procedural delays occurred, a majority of governments aligned with the vision for comprehensive binding rules across the plastic lifecycle and global bans on high-risk materials. The text emphasizes the need for a circular economy, the role of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, and the specific responsibility of the US to reduce its disproportionately high waste generation ahead of the INC-3 meeting in Nairobi.

The document asserts that the world is in the midst of a 'renewable revolution' characterized by exponential cost declines and adoption rates for solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles. It identifies China as the current leader of this transition, which is sparking a global race to the top. The report claims that global fossil fuel demand peaked in 2019 and will enter terminal decline after 2025. By 2030, the authors predict that renewables will dominate sector sales and be significantly cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, creating a 'renewable supercycle' for investors and a necessity for petrostates to reform. The report also highlights the potential for the Global South to leapfrog old technologies and the ability of renewables to drastically reduce air pollution deaths and environmental pressure compared to fossil fuels.

The document critiques current green industrialisation (GI) strategies in the SADC region for remaining tethered to linear economic growth models and 'greenwashing'. It proposes a 'regenerative' alternative based on principles of holism, biomimicry, and African indigenous philosophies like Ubuntu and Ukama. Through scenario analysis, the authors present three possible futures: a business-as-usual scenario (Scenario A), a dystopian 'Apocalyptic Africa' (Scenario B) marked by extreme climate disasters and resource wars, and a 'Regenerative Revival' (Scenario C). The brief concludes that SADC must move beyond surface-level policy changes to shift deeper mental models and paradigms, recommending the use of strategic foresight, the empowerment of youth, and a 'bottom-in' approach to reach marginalised populations.

The report serves as a glossary for negotiators of the future 'plastics treaty' mandated by UNEA Resolution 5/14. It aggregates definitions across twelve categories, including generic pollution, plastic-specific terms, waste management, and the full life cycle of plastics, drawing from sources such as the Basel Convention, OECD, ISO, and EU directives.

The briefing highlights that material efficiency and recirculation can contribute nearly 20% of the GHG emissions reductions needed by 2050 for the steel and aluminum sectors. It distinguishes between pre-consumer, post-consumer, and internal scrap, noting that only post-consumer scrap provides significant emissions benefits by replacing primary aluminum production, which averages 16 tons of CO2e per ton. To align with 1.5°C trajectories, the aluminum industry must increase the share of post-consumer scrap from 21% in 2020 to 46% by 2050, while reducing pre-consumer scrap from 13% to 9%. The author contends that current reporting, which often only lists 'total recycled content,' obscures these distinctions, and advocates for separate disclosure of post-consumer content to drive market demand and sectoral decarbonization.

The briefing examines the shift toward a feminist foreign policy in Germany, specifically through the BMZ's 2023 Africa strategy. While acknowledging progress in aligning with African priorities like Agenda 2063 and addressing structural inequalities, the author argues that the feminist approach is currently limited primarily to development cooperation. The document calls for a more comprehensive application of feminist principles to peace and security, economic policy (specifically care work), climate action (integrating indigenous knowledge), and migration to dismantle global hierarchies and post-colonial continuities.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Munich Re Foundation, seeks nature-positive agricultural innovations in East Africa. Open to not-for-profit organisations, the challenge provides selected winners with tailored mentoring, a Leadership Academy, communications support, and potential next-stage funding for implementation and scaling. Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale across criteria including innovativeness, impact, equity, scalability, viability, team composition, and risk.

The STeP Fellowship Program aims to build human and institutional capacities in IAI member states to provide expert scientific advice for public policy on global change. Between 2022 and 2023, the program expanded its cohort to 64 fellows from 13 countries, providing training in science diplomacy, communication, and leadership. Key achievements include the graduation of the first cohort of 17 alumni in February 2023 and the development of science diplomacy projects covering topics such as the lithium supply chain, circular economy, and climate justice. The program is currently seeking financial support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Carbon Market Watch critiques the European cement association's (Cembureau) claims that cement production and use can provide carbon removals. The author argues that proposed methods—including the use of sustainable biomass with CCS, enhanced carbonation, and natural carbonation—fail to meet the criteria for permanent and additional removals when full life-cycle assessments are considered. The document urges the EU to focus on proven removal techniques and industrial decarbonization strategies, such as reducing clinker-to-cement ratios and phasing out free pollution permits under the Emissions Trading System.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of Colombia's sustainable debt market, which reached USD 2.4 billion by the end of 2022. It details the dominance of green bonds, the emergence of sustainability-linked bonds, and the role of the Colombian Green Taxonomy in guiding investments. The document also examines the country's climate vulnerability, the policy framework for adaptation and resilience, and specific opportunities across economic sectors such as energy, transport, and construction to support a low-carbon transition.

As of the end of 2022, Colombia's GSS+ debt market totaled USD 2.4 billion, with green bonds being the most prominent segment at USD 1.3 billion. The market is characterized by a strong sovereign presence and a growing regulatory framework, including the pioneering Colombian Green Taxonomy. While the market is primarily domestic, there is significant potential for growth in hard-to-abate sectors through sustainability-linked bonds and in nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. The report recommends scaling sovereign issuance, establishing green securitization facilities, and expanding the taxonomy to include biodiversity and circular economy objectives.

The revised General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), approved on 9 March 2023 and applicable until the end of 2026, allows EU Member States to grant State aid for green transition projects without prior European Commission notification if specific conditions are met. While it introduces new support for clean mobility, biodiversity restoration, and renewable energy communities, it also maintains loopholes for fossil gas through high-efficiency cogeneration, gas-fired district heating, and carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). The regulation significantly raises financial notification thresholds and aid intensity rates to accelerate the Green Deal Industrial Plan, though it lacks an explicit 'energy efficiency first' principle and faces criticism for poor transparency in aid reporting.

The document argues that the pursuit of GDP growth is incompatible with ecological stability and proposes a shift toward 'degrowth' and 'postgrowth' models. It examines the role of new institutions, such as ethical cooperatives and not-for-profit businesses, and discusses policy instruments like working time reduction and the 'Cap and Share' framework. The text also addresses the geopolitical risks of this transition, the rise of eco-fascism, and the need for a just transition for workers and the Global South.