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The report assesses Mozambique's development outlook to 2040, arguing that while natural gas production will drive significant GDP growth from the mid-2020s, it will not automatically reduce absolute poverty without concerted investments in human capital and governance. Using scenario analysis, the authors demonstrate that integrated pushes in family planning, health, education, agriculture, and governance can significantly reduce extreme poverty and infant mortality, whereas stalled development and delayed gas production could lead to a sharp increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty.

The document examines artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Tanzania as a critical but under-governed source of employment and income. It argues that while the sector provides a vital livelihood for approximately 1.5 million people, it is plagued by severe health and safety risks, specifically mercury poisoning and pit collapses, and environmental degradation such as deforestation. The author contends that current legislation, specifically the 2010 Mining Act, prioritizes large-scale mining (LSM) and creates bureaucratic and financial barriers that marginalize artisanal miners. To harness the sector's potential, the paper recommends lowering licensing costs, improving geological information access, and implementing context-sensitive technology rollouts, such as mercury-recycling retorts, through partnerships between the government, private sector, and international organizations.

The document highlights Peru's vulnerability to climate events, citing the severe impacts of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the high economic risks of climate change. It advocates for the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to build resilience in priority sectors including water, agriculture, fisheries, forests, and health.

The Bhutan for Life (BFL) project is a 14-year initiative designed to provide a financial bridge for the sustainable management of Bhutan's protected areas (PAs) and biological corridors (BCs), covering approximately 51% of the country's territory. The project is categorized as 'Category B' by WWF, meaning potential adverse impacts are site-specific and reversible. The ESMF provides a structured process for screening, impact assessment, and the development of activity-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs). Key project components include forestry and land use climate mitigation, community-based adaptation, climate-smart conservation, and institutional capacity building. The framework emphasizes Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) for affected communities and establishes a multi-tiered Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) ranging from local negotiation to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF).

The document outlines the structural and methodological questions countries must address to implement the global stocktake, the five-year cycle designed to assess collective progress toward the Paris Agreement's goals. It emphasizes the need for common methodologies to aggregate diverse mitigation commitments, a framework for tracking context-specific adaptation progress, and clear modalities for accounting for public and private finance flows. The author argues that the stocktake must be both backward-looking (assessing progress) and forward-looking (identifying opportunities for enhanced action) to serve as the 'engine' of the Paris Agreement.

The paper examines interactions between six specific SDGs (1, 2, 3, 5, 9, and 14) using a seven-point scale to categorize relationships as reinforcing, enabling, or constraining. It finds that positive interactions generally outweigh negative ones, particularly for gender equality, which acts as a lever for multiple other goals. However, it highlights significant institutional barriers to integrated implementation, as most governments operate through sectoral ministries that lack joint agendas. The author argues for the creation of an international open knowledge platform to systematize SDG interaction analysis and suggests that 'mission-oriented innovation' and strategic foresight mechanisms can help overcome short-termism in infrastructure and industrial policy.

A coalition of NGOs argues that the expansion of Vienna airport is incompatible with Austria's climate goals and the Paris Agreement. They highlight that aviation is the most carbon-intensive transport mode, benefiting from tax exemptions and an ineffective carbon offsetting scheme (CORSIA), and call for the end of airport expansions and fuel tax exemptions to meet emission reduction targets.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the Green Climate Fund's approval of three large hydro dam projects in Nepal, Tajikistan, and the Solomon Islands, arguing that such investments contradict the fund's goal of promoting a paradigm shift and risk repeating the human rights and environmental failures seen in the Barro Blanco project in Panama.

The GCF Board approved eight funding proposals totaling USD 387.5 million and accredited seven new entities. Key administrative outcomes include the approval of a USD 43.4 million budget for 2017 and the establishment of work plans for the Independent Redress Mechanism and Independent Integrity Units. The Board also discussed the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, allocating up to an additional USD 50 million to it.

The document presents evidence from the NAPC/CPI project (INPUT) showing that agricultural modernization in Brazil is compatible with environmental conservation. It analyzes four case studies—soy adaptation in the Cerrado, rural electrification, sugarcane expansion in Mato Grosso do Sul, and relative price shifts between crops and beef—to demonstrate that productivity gains often lead to the substitution of pasture land rather than the deforestation of native vegetation. The brief concludes that the 2012 Forest Code can act as a catalyst for this transition, aligning economic growth with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The document presents evidence that agricultural modernization in Brazil is compatible with forest protection. It highlights that a significant portion of Brazil's cleared land is underused, primarily for low-productivity cattle grazing. Through four case studies, the authors demonstrate that technological innovations, infrastructure improvements, and market shifts lead to yield gains and the conversion of pastures to croplands, which in turn reduces the pressure to clear new forests. The brief concludes that combining the enforcement of the 2012 Forest Code with sustainable marketing strategies can further decouple agricultural growth from deforestation.

The document identifies three primary barriers to green investment in developing countries: risk gaps (policy, technology, financial, and sovereign), viability gaps (access to finance and high costs), and knowledge gaps. It argues that while sufficient global capital exists, public policy and finance must be better targeted to unlock it. The briefing provides case studies on fiscal policy adjustments in Indonesia to promote sustainable land use, the use of public-private partnerships and government guarantees to develop geothermal power in Kenya, and various innovative instruments developed through the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, such as Energy Savings Insurance and FX hedging facilities.

The document outlines strategies for mainstreaming gender into technical modelling, identifying key barriers such as data gaps and lack of awareness, and offering practical frameworks for inclusive project design and data collection.

The City of Cape Town is issuing a Green Bond of up to R1 billion, accredited by the Climate Bonds Initiative’s Standard, to fund a variety of climate action projects. These projects include the procurement of electric buses, building energy efficiency, water management, sewerage effluent treatment, and coastal protection. The City intends to raise the bond in July 2017, requiring updates to its Domestic Medium Term Note (DMTN) programme to comply with JSE Debt Listing Requirements and the Municipal Finance Management Act.

The GCF Secretariat reports progress across several operational areas, including the approval of USD 1.5 billion in funding and the signing of 19 accreditation master agreements. Key activities include the development of a gender and climate change training manual with UN Women, the processing of Project Preparation Facility (PPF) requests, and efforts to secure privileges and immunities (P&Is) through bilateral and multilateral agreements. The report also notes the recruitment of risk and monitoring specialists and ongoing engagement with UNFCCC thematic bodies.

As of 31 January 2017, the GCF pipeline consists of 50 funding proposals requesting USD 3.5 billion and 189 concept notes with a potential funding request of USD 9.1 billion. The pipeline is split between public-sector (37 proposals) and private-sector (13 proposals) requests, with a significant focus on adaptation and mitigation in least developed countries, small island developing States, and African States. The document also outlines the progress of the first pilot programme for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which aims for a total portfolio of up to five proposals within a USD 100 million envelope.

Earthjustice asserts that Scott Pruitt is unfit to lead the EPA, citing his history of suing the agency 14 times to fight public health protections, his denial of climate change, and his opposition to the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

The paper argues that African countries should pivot away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy toward minerals and metals essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as copper and platinum. It highlights a decline in mineral exploration in Africa, particularly South Africa, and warns against the 'resource curse' associated with oil wealth. The author contends that the falling cost of renewables and the rise of smart technologies make fossil fuel investments risky, urging African policymakers to align industrial policies with the demand for green energy minerals to avoid premature de-industrialisation.

Ethiopia is positioned as a climate leader, being the first Least Developed Country to submit an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). The government aims to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions from 150 Mt CO2eq in 2010 to 145 Mt CO2eq by 2030. To support these goals, CDKN has assisted the Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) in achieving accreditation as a National Implementing Entity for the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund in March 2016. Infrastructure investments include a 34-km light rail transit in Addis Ababa and a 750-km railway to Djibouti. Additionally, CDKN is supporting the development of geothermal risk insurance and research into greening the industrial sector, specifically leather, garments, and cement.

The 2017 survey of US broadcast meteorologists reveals a high consensus that climate change is occurring (95%), though views on its causes and the potential to avert future harm vary. While most weathercasters feel confident in their ability to report on climate change and believe their audiences are interested, many rely on social media and community events rather than on-air segments to share local impacts. The report also highlights the influence of news consultants on weather segments and the utility of the Climate Matters educational resource.