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This case study profiles Acacia Innovations, a winner of the 2020 Energy Access Booster Award, which produces and distributes Kuni Safi briquettes made from sugarcane waste to schools and small businesses in Kenya to reduce deforestation and improve health.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the impacts of rural credit on agricultural production and land use in Brazil from 2002 to 2017. The analysis reveals that while rural credit generally increases productivity, its environmental impact varies significantly by producer size: credit for small farmers tends to reduce deforestation pressures by intensifying production, whereas credit for large producers is associated with increased land expansion and deforestation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the impact of Brazil's rural credit system on agricultural production and land use between 2002 and 2017. The analysis finds that while rural credit generally boosts production, its environmental impacts vary significantly by producer size: credit for small farmers tends to increase productivity and reduce deforestation pressures, whereas credit for large farmers is associated with the expansion of cropland and pastures, leading to higher deforestation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides an ex-ante assessment of the environmental risks associated with the construction of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railway in Brazil. Using a market access approach, the researchers project that without mitigation measures, the railway will induce significant deforestation in Mato Grosso, leading to substantial carbon emissions and associated economic costs.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio evaluates the projected environmental risks of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railroad project in Brazil. Using a market access approach, the researchers estimate that the railroad will significantly increase deforestation in Mato Grosso by improving market access for farmers and ranchers, leading to substantial carbon emissions and associated social costs.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910/2019, which modifies Law 11.952/2009 regarding the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil. The authors argue that the MP rewards criminal activities such as land grabbing (grilagem) and illegal deforestation by expanding the spatial and temporal scopes for regularization and simplifying the process through self-declaration, thereby benefiting large landowners over traditional communities and family farmers.

This executive summary analyzes the state-level implementation of Brazil's Forest Code (Law no. 12,651/2012), focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Compliance Program (PRA). It evaluates the progress of various Brazilian states in regulating and executing these instruments to align agricultural growth with natural resource protection.

This 2020 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) across Brazilian states, focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). It identifies significant disparities in progress, noting that while CAR registration is widespread, the analysis and validation phase remains a critical bottleneck. The report details state-level regulations for restoring Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves (RL), the role of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) in providing technological infrastructure, and the legal uncertainties surrounding the potential implementation of a Federal PRA.

This report by Friends of the Earth International analyzes the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires as a result of corporate power and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. It argues that the MercoSur-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will accelerate deforestation, violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and reinforce Brazil's neo-colonial dependence by prioritizing the profits of transnational corporations over environmental and human rights.

This report by Friends of the Earth International argues that the destruction of the Amazon, specifically the 2019 fires, is a result of corporate power and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. It contends that the Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) will accelerate this process by increasing demand for raw materials, facilitating land appropriation, and strengthening a 'corporate impunity' architecture that protects transnational companies while violating the rights of indigenous and traditional peoples.

This executive summary of the 2020 NYDF Progress Assessment report evaluates global efforts to end forest loss caused by infrastructure, mining, and extractive industries (Goal 3) and to support sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities and smallholders (Goal 4). The document highlights a disconnect between high-level forest goals and the reality of increasing natural forest loss, noting that top-down development projects often threaten intact tropical forests without providing significant benefits to local populations.

The 2020 Goal 8 Assessment highlights a significant gap between the climate mitigation potential of forests and the financial investment they receive, noting that public finance for forests is dwarfed by investments in renewable energy and domestic 'grey' financing for agriculture.

This report examines the clean cooking landscape in Bangladesh, detailing the prevalence of biomass fuels, the adoption of various clean cooking technologies, and the financing mechanisms and policy barriers affecting the transition to cleaner energy. It highlights the role of government-led initiatives and development finance institutions in promoting improved cookstoves and biogas, while noting a lack of private sector participation outside the LPG market.

This research paper discusses the environmental cost of Brazil's agricultural expansion and proposes four coordinated strategies to increase production and social welfare while reducing deforestation.

This policy brief examines the environmental and socio-economic 'spillovers' of the Argentina-EU soy supply chain, arguing that the externalization of consumption impacts to producer countries complicates the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights how European consumption drives significant environmental degradation and social shifts in Argentina, calling for internationally coordinated governance and shared responsibility to mitigate these negative effects.

This policy brief examines the 'spillover effects' of the Argentine soybean value chain, specifically how consumption in Europe and China externalizes environmental and socioeconomic impacts to Argentina, thereby affecting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This policy brief argues that Brazil's satellite-based monitoring (DETER) and law enforcement (IBAMA) system is a highly cost-effective tool that prevented an average of 27,000 km² of deforestation per year between 2007 and 2016. The document demonstrates that these measures do not hinder agricultural production and avoid nearly 1 billion tCO2 emissions annually. It warns that a proposed 50% budget cut for 2020 could increase deforestation by 45% and recommends strengthening federal financial and institutional support for these systems.

This policy brief argues that Brazil's satellite-based monitoring (DETER) and law enforcement (IBAMA) are highly effective and cost-efficient tools for fighting deforestation. Between 2007 and 2016, these systems avoided the loss of 27,000 km2 of forest per year and nearly 1 billion tCO2 of emissions annually. The authors emphasize that these measures do not harm agricultural production and warn that a proposed 50% budget cut for 2020 could increase deforestation by 45%.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the relationship between livestock productivity and pasture area in Brazil. It argues that increasing productivity is essential to grow meat production without further deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, identifying a negative correlation where smaller pasture proportions often relate to higher productivity.

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of Brazil's DETER satellite-based monitoring system in reducing deforestation in the Amazon between 2006 and 2016. Using an instrumental variable approach based on cloud coverage, the authors find that targeted environmental law enforcement significantly curbed forest clearing without negatively impacting local agricultural production.