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Brazil is characterized as a global leader in renewable energy and a sophisticated nuclear actor, yet it faces severe systemic risks. The country is pursuing a nuclear-powered submarine program while managing rising deforestation in the Amazon and significant climate threats, including projected temperature increases of 1°C to 2.2°C by 2060. These environmental stressors intersect with deep socioeconomic inequality, a fragile healthcare system strained by COVID-19, and political instability marked by a shift toward authoritarianism and widespread corruption. The document argues that the intersection of these climate, health, and political crises could undermine Brazil's stability and its role in the international order.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) convened a youth working meeting on 8 October 2020 to determine the priorities for a civil society submission to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). Participants defined a 'picture of success' for South Africa, emphasizing the need for committed leadership, youth representation in decision-making, and the eradication of gender-based violence and corruption. The meeting identified a broad range of governance concerns, including unemployment, climate change, and the digital divide, which will be organized into 12 working groups to develop evidence-based recommendations by January 2021.

The statement highlights the health and environmental impacts of methane pollution and routine flaring in Texas's Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale regions. It criticizes the EPA for rolling back methane safeguards and the Railroad Commission of Texas for approving all 27,000 venting and flaring requests over seven years. The authors demand an end to routine flaring by 2025 to mitigate risks such as preterm births and childhood asthma in disproportionately affected communities of color.

The document argues that Wikipedia is a critical tool for communicating climate change information to a wider audience than academic journals, noting that it is often the first port of call for the general public and policymakers. It highlights a 'systemic bias' in Wikipedia's contributor base, which tends to be male and from developed countries, resulting in a lack of content from the Global South, particularly Africa. To address this, the guide provides detailed technical instructions on creating accounts, adding citations, using the Visual and Source editors, and navigating Talk pages. It also outlines the 'five pillars' of Wikipedia editing, emphasizing a neutral point of view and the necessity of verifiable sources. Furthermore, the guide explains how to join WikiProjects, such as WikiProject Climate Change, and provides a step-by-step framework for organizing 'edit-a-thons' to collaboratively improve specific topic areas.

The document examines the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA), a preparatory body created in 1960 that bypasses the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) when tabling work to the Council. ClientEarth argues this 'historic oddity' lacks a clear legal basis and conflicts with Coreper's exclusive competence to prepare Council work. Because the SCA is viewed as an 'expert group' focused on national interests rather than a horizontal policy perspective, the author suggests it may be structurally unable to ensure the environmental integration and consistency required by the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, and the Biodiversity strategy.

The Council on Strategic Risks argues that the United States must adopt an integrated, whole-of-government approach to confront existential security threats. The authors propose the creation of a dedicated White House Strategy on Confronting Strategic Security Risks and specific National Security Presidential Directives to coordinate the Pentagon, intelligence community, and diplomatic agencies. Key recommendations include establishing a comprehensive Climate Security Strategy, creating a rapid response system for biological outbreaks, and reshaping nuclear doctrine to move away from destabilizing 'low yield' weapons and toward renewed arms control agreements.

The document explores the precautionary principle as a guide for decision-makers to protect the environment and public health despite scientific uncertainty. It traces the principle's origins from Swedish national law and the 1972 Stockholm Conference to its formalization in the 1992 Rio Declaration and integration into the EU's Maastricht Treaty. The text highlights the principle's role in addressing climate change and biodiversity, while noting the ongoing tension between environmental precaution and economic development.

The report examines the global soybean market, noting that production is highly concentrated in the US, Brazil, and Argentina, with demand driven by meat consumption and Asia. It highlights significant environmental and social risks, including deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes and the use of GM crops. While voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) aim to mitigate these risks, their adoption remains low, representing only 1.8% of global production in 2018. The report identifies potential for VSS growth in LHDCs like Nigeria and Benin, though challenges such as mechanization and market competition persist.

A survey of 800 registered Michigan voters indicates a majority oppose spending $1.5 trillion to replace the U.S. nuclear arsenal and nearly $100 billion to replace land-based nuclear missiles. Voters expressed a preference for federal spending on cleaning up polluted drinking water, expanding health care, increasing job opportunities, and improving infrastructure. The data shows that women, voters of color, college-educated voters, and those in suburbs near cities are most likely to oppose the nuclear overhaul, with nearly 60% of Black voters in opposition.

A survey of 842 registered Wisconsin voters indicates a majority oppose the estimated $1.5 trillion plan to replace the US nuclear arsenal and the $100 billion plan to replace land-based nuclear missiles. Voters prioritize federal spending on health care, job opportunities, clean drinking water, and infrastructure over nuclear weapons. Opposition is particularly high among younger voters, college graduates, non-White voters, and those in urban areas.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and its subsidiaries reported total assets of $261,740,321 as of September 30, 2020, an increase from $169,995,735 in 2019. The organization's total operating revenues for the 2020 fiscal year were $235,894,882, with total operating expenses of $143,915,998. Independent auditors Grant Thornton LLP issued an unmodified opinion on the financial statements and confirmed compliance with the major federal program identified as the USAID Hay Tao Program. WRI's work focuses on seven critical issues: Climate, Energy, Food, Forests, Water, Cities and Ocean, supported by disciplinary centers in Business, Economics, Finance, and Governance. The organization maintains a donor-restricted endowment of $25 million (cost basis) and operates regional offices in China and Africa, as well as subsidiaries in India and Europe.

The document outlines the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which aims to conserve biodiversity, ensure sustainable use of its components, and facilitate fair benefit-sharing of genetic resources. It details the roles of the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols in managing access to genetic resources and the biosafety of living modified organisms. The brief highlights the failure to meet the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and discusses the impact of emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology and digital sequence information, on global biodiversity governance. It concludes by emphasizing the need for a post-2020 global biodiversity framework to reverse the extinction risk facing up to one million species.

The policy brief highlights the 'value-addition gap' in African agriculture, where low productivity and lack of energy access limit economic growth. It proposes that the AU-EU partnership focus on deploying solar mini-grids to power village-level agro-processing, reforming cooperatives to improve farmer bargaining power, and providing micro-finance and micro-enterprise training to smallholders. Using Uganda's maize sector as an example, the document demonstrates that over 60% of maize croplands could be served by mini-grids, which would displace inefficient diesel mills and reduce post-harvest losses.

The document reports that while the total number of hurricanes is not increasing, the probability of storms reaching major hurricane status (Category 3-5) has risen significantly, particularly in the North Atlantic. It attributes this trend to rising sea surface temperatures and atmospheric warming, which also contribute to heavier rainfall, slower storm speeds, and deeper coastal flooding due to sea level rise.

A coalition of international church-based organisations urges the European Commission to reform its migration and asylum policies, arguing that the current system is 'fundamentally broken'. The statement highlights the failure of the 'hotspot' approach and the 2016 EU-Turkey deal, calling for a shift from 'crisis mode' to a system based on solidarity, human dignity, and the equitable sharing of responsibility among all EU member states. It specifically advocates for safe passage channels and the rejection of policies that externalise border controls.

The report details the proceedings of the 50th meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held via videoconference on 19 August 2020. The meeting focused on implementing decisions from the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-28) and discussing the feasibility of virtual meetings.

The IAI CoP-28 meeting focused on administrative governance, financial stability, and the expansion of institutional partnerships. Key outcomes included the approval of the 2020-2021 operating budget and the 2021-2023 preliminary request, the election of a new Executive Council led by the United States, and the invitation to the Canadian non-profit Mitacs to become an Associate of the Institute. The meeting also established new mandates for the Executive Council to conduct annual performance evaluations of the Executive Director and for the IAI to develop a gender policy and a whistleblower mechanism. Notably, the Parties deferred approval of the IAI Scientific Agenda to allow for further member contributions before CoP-29.

The 1972 Stockholm Conference marked the beginning of global environmental cooperation, introducing the concept of sustainable development and leading to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Despite Cold War tensions and conflicts between industrialized and developing nations, the conference produced the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan, which provided the first global principles for environmental law. Its legacy includes the democratization of environmental policy through NGO participation and the establishment of foundational treaties on marine pollution and biodiversity.

Climate change is intensifying wildfires in the United States by raising temperatures and drying out forests, while a century of fire suppression has increased fuel loads. These fires cause significant loss of life, property destruction, and high federal costs, while simultaneously releasing greenhouse gases that further accelerate global warming.

The document asserts that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental hazards, noting a historical lack of attention to environmental racism in the mainstream environmental movement. It highlights a significant funding disparity, where environmental justice non-profits receive only slightly more than one percent of the funding awarded to environmental non-profits by 12 national foundations. The author calls for the climate movement to dismantle structural racism by allocating more resources to organizations led by Black individuals and prioritizing diversity and inclusion within advocacy spaces.