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The document analyzes the relationship between trade and climate change in Latin America, highlighting the region's relatively low greenhouse gas emissions intensity but high vulnerability to climate hazards. It examines domestic climate commitments in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—such as electromobility, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy initiatives—and their trade implications. The paper also assesses external pressures from trading partners, specifically the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and deforestation regulations. It concludes by recommending strengthened international cooperation, technology transfer, and the expansion of 'Aid for Trade' to support a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the United States must fulfill its international climate finance commitments to maintain global credibility and address its historical responsibility for emissions. The brief highlights a gap between President Biden's 2021 pledge of $11.4 billion annually by 2024 and the actual appropriations provided by Congress, including the December 2022 omnibus budget bill. It emphasizes the urgent need for funding to support clean energy transitions, climate resilience, and the operationalization of the loss and damage fund established at COP27 to assist vulnerable nations facing severe climate-driven disasters.

The document outlines the challenges and opportunities in coordinating climate, security, and humanitarian actions, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. It highlights gaps in interagency coordination, the limitations of short-term planning cycles, and the inadequacy of current international financial institution funding mechanisms for volatile regions. The briefing emphasizes the need for disaggregated data, inclusive case studies, and the integration of humanitarian 'demand signals' into security analysis to improve long-term resilience and prevent maladaptation.

The document identifies the Caribbean region as highly vulnerable to rising global temperatures while facing declines in global trade competitiveness. It argues that CARICOM countries should leverage the World Trade Organization's new sustainability agenda to formulate and promote regional priorities for climate mitigation, adaptation, and climate-resilient sustainable development, countering the current dominance of advanced economies in these multilateral discussions.

The report outlines a strategy to transform food systems in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria, requiring an average additional public investment of USD 10 billion per year from 2023 to 2030. This investment, split between donors (USD 5.8 billion) and countries (USD 4.2 billion), aims to reduce undernourishment to under 3% by 2030, double the incomes of 29 million small-scale producers, and transition 248 million people to healthier diets while meeting greenhouse gas emission goals.

The report identifies 41 federal laws enacted since 2017 that support climate adaptation, noting a shift from disaster recovery toward pre-disaster mitigation. It highlights the role of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the National Defense Authorization Act in integrating resilience, while also noting the use of nature-based solutions through conservation laws. The author argues that despite these bipartisan advancements, the U.S. still lacks a cohesive, coordinated federal strategy to address the increasing frequency and cost of climate-related disasters.

The briefing assesses the intersection of climate change and U.S. national security, noting progress in regional strategies and whole-of-government planning while highlighting critical gaps in climate finance and implementation. It recommends that the U.S. institutionalize climate security through expanded personnel training, the development of a National Adaptation Plan, and the use of strategic foresight tools like wargaming to prepare for worst-case climate scenarios.

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) is seeking USD 199,966 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to align its project development processes with the new Integrated Results Management Framework (IRMF). The proposal aims to address human resource constraints within the CCCCC's Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU) to accelerate the flow of climate finance to the Caribbean. Key activities include updating the CCCCC's Project Formulation and Monitoring manuals, delivering capacity-building workshops for 15 PDMU staff, and providing technical support to finalize two critical funding proposals: the Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP) and the Climate Actions for Building Resilience in Coastal communities in the Caribbean (CABRIC Caribbean). The project is slated for a 12-month implementation period.

The ADAPT Jamaica project targets six parishes in Central Jamaica to protect the livelihoods of approximately 503,372 persons. It addresses vulnerabilities to drought, hurricanes, and flooding through a combination of technical training via Farmer Field Schools, the installation of rainwater harvesting and irrigation systems, and the creation of a data-driven agricultural services portal. The project also focuses on reducing food loss (estimated at 30-40%) and improving financial inclusion for smallholders through a partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica to create customized credit products and risk-management tools.

Ethiopia is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with poverty and hunger projected to increase due to conflict, pests, economic slowdown, and climate change. The report argues that sustainable food system transformation is possible within a decade if public investment is increased by USD 4.6 billion and targeted toward interventions that provide multiple development outcomes. It highlights a critical funding gap where long-term investments for Sustainable Development Goal 2 are significantly underfunded compared to short-term emergency food assistance, which increases the country's vulnerability to future shocks.

The document analyzes ASEAN's climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in agriculture, energy, and forestry, arguing for a more inclusive international trade dialogue that prioritizes developing country perspectives over those of advanced economies.

In Iloilo City, Philippines, a long-term partnership between the local government and the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (HPFPI) has transitioned vulnerable residents from informal settlements in flood-prone waterways to secure, centrally located housing. This participatory approach replaced previous forced evictions and underdeveloped relocation sites with community-driven planning and innovative financing. The program has supported 1,250 households in resettlement and established over 560 collective savings groups to provide low-interest loans for land and construction, bypassing traditional finance schemes that often exclude the lowest income segments. The initiative has integrated urban poor representatives into city government boards for resettlement, disaster risk, and land use planning.

The Climate Solutions Reporting Guide, produced by Covering Climate Now and Solutions Journalism Network, argues that while problem-focused reporting is necessary, newsrooms must broaden their coverage to include solutions to empower audiences and policymakers. It advocates for a rigorous approach that interrogates the effectiveness and limitations of proposed solutions rather than 'cheerleading'. The guide emphasizes equity and justice, noting that marginalized communities often possess effective climate action records despite contributing the least to the crisis. It organizes potential story ideas into five categories: politics and government, economics and business, technologies and practices, civil society, and culture. Key technical distinctions are provided between 'mitigation' (reducing emissions and drawing down existing gases) and 'adaptation' (increasing resilience to unavoidable impacts).

The Forest Territories Facility (FTF) is a proposed USD 160 million programme targeting 15 countries in Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. Managed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the facility aims to maintain the extent and functionality of tropical forests through four paradigm-shift pathways: protecting biodiversity, promoting inclusive sustainable forest management, intensifying agriculture to achieve 'zero deforestation', and stabilizing land use. The programme employs a programmatic approach, combining national-level regulatory support with local landscape-based pilot projects. Funding is requested primarily from the Green Climate Fund (USD 120 million), utilizing a mix of grants and senior loans over a 20-year lifespan.

The report argues that current global economic responses to COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the climate crisis have been too focused on short-term stabilisation and stimulus rather than long-term structural reform. It highlights that only 18% of the USD 14.6tn allocated to COVID-19 recovery in 2020 was green spending, and that such investments have been concentrated in wealthier nations and focused primarily on decarbonisation. The authors advocate for a 'systems mind-set' that integrates circular economy principles, nature-based solutions, and just transition policies. Key recommendations include the use of debt-for-nature swaps, increased multilateral funding for the Global South, and the implementation of a 'Green Structural Recovery Menu' featuring fiscal reforms and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies.

The report analyzes the global cotton industry, highlighting the growth of sustainable cotton produced under voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) and the challenges posed by climate change and market volatility. It examines the disparity in value distribution across the textile supply chain, where smallholder farmers receive a minimal fraction of retail prices. While VSS like Better Cotton and Organic can improve yields and incomes, the report notes that many sustainable products are sold at conventional prices. It recommends improving contract transparency, internalizing external costs, and developing regional value chains, particularly in West Africa, to enhance resilience and farmer income.

The report evaluates how the African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and World Bank integrate climate adaptation into their projects in Kenya, Nepal, and Peru. While global adaptation finance is increasing, country-level trends are mixed and often skewed by large individual projects. MDBs have largely standardized climate risk screening, though capacity gaps remain within national finance ministries. Alignment with National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is improving but remains nascent, with a need for more programmatic finance and transformational adaptation projects.

The report identifies a significant financing gap of USD 10 billion per year needed to achieve sustainable food system transformation in Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. It argues that current funding is overly skewed toward short-term emergency assistance rather than long-term agricultural development. By investing in on-farm productivity, social protection, and climate-resilient infrastructure, the report projects that undernourishment could drop below 3% and the incomes of 29 million small-scale producers could double by 2030, all while meeting nationally determined contribution goals for greenhouse gas emissions.

The document examines the clash between the rural African donkey market, where the animal is a vital workhorse for the poor, and the lucrative Chinese market for ejiao (donkey-hide glue). It highlights how explosive demand in China has led to donkey shortages, illicit smuggling, and severe welfare abuses, which in turn diminish the socio-economic mobility of rural Africans, particularly women and girls. The author argues that the current unregulated trade risks damaging China-Africa relations and suggests implementing sustainability certifications, breeding programs, and a distinction between medicinal and wellness-based ejiao consumption to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

The report introduces a technology-neutral sustainability assessment method based on five pillars: social, environmental, economic, health and hygiene, and technical/institutional sustainability. Applying this to Montero, Bolivia, the study compares four systems: conventional gravity-fed sewers (System 1), condominial sewers (System 2), septic tanks with soak pits (System 3), and urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs) (System 4). Findings indicate that while conventional systems have high social acceptability, they are the least affordable and most vulnerable to water scarcity and flooding. System 4 (UDDTs) performs best in health, water use, and climate resilience. Optimization—such as adding inlet screens, using personal protection equipment (PPE), and implementing scheduled emptying—generally improves health and environmental outcomes but increases technical complexity and reduces economic sustainability. The report argues for a city-wide inclusive sanitation approach using a mix of these systems to balance trade-offs between cost, health, and environmental protection.