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The report highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon—defined as the partial loss of vegetation—is a critical but neglected threat to climate goals. It asserts that degradation often exceeds deforestation in terms of annual area affected and carbon emissions, driven by selective logging, forest fires, and the edge effects of deforestation. The author argues that Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor this phenomenon but fails to include it in official environmental performance metrics or greenhouse gas inventories. The document calls for Brazil to integrate degradation measures into its policies and international reporting to reclaim a global leadership role in climate action.

The document highlights the critical role of youth activists in addressing the climate and economic crises, emphasizing that the burden of action should not fall on a single generation. It provides examples of youth-led initiatives, including students proposing climate legislation in Indiana, the global #FridaysForFuture movement, and legal challenges filed by young people in Portugal and Peru against government inaction regarding emissions and deforestation.

The policy brief highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon is a critical but overlooked driver of greenhouse gas emissions, often exceeding the impact of clear-cut deforestation. It identifies selective logging, fire, and the edge effects of deforestation as primary drivers. The author contends that while Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor degradation, it fails to include these emissions in national inventories or set specific reduction targets. The document calls for the integration of degradation metrics into environmental performance indicators and the application of Brazil's experience in combating deforestation to address this complex phenomenon.

Trend Asia challenges PT PLN's claim that biomass co-firing facilitates an energy transition and reduces emissions. The report argues that the massive land requirements for energy plantation forests (HTE) to supply wood pellets would lead to significant deforestation, resulting in net carbon emissions rather than reductions. It finds that biomass has become a complement to, rather than a substitute for, coal, with total coal consumption continuing to rise.

Trend Asia argues that PT PLN's biomass co-firing strategy does not reduce coal utilization and instead increases overall emissions due to deforestation and the carbon-intensive production of wood pellets. The report calculates that implementing 10% co-firing across 107 power plants could generate between 7.9 and 26.5 million tonnes of CO2e annually, depending on the tree species used, while potentially requiring millions of hectares of land for energy timber plantations (HTE).

The document analyzes the collapse of Sri Lanka in 2022, attributing the crisis to the corruption of the Rajapaksa family, a massive international debt burden, and failed neoliberal policies. It details how the ban on chemical fertilizers caused food insecurity, how dependence on fossil fuels led to energy poverty, and how 'debt-for-nature' swaps are viewed as false solutions. The text highlights a severe humanitarian crisis where millions require immediate assistance and calls for a systemic change, debt cancellation, and a just energy transition.

The document discusses the integration of biodiversity protections into mining policy in Senegal and Turkey, emphasizing the use of the mitigation hierarchy to minimize ecological damage. It highlights that while mining activities—from exploration to post-mining—can cause deforestation, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, collaborative planning can aim for no net loss or a net gain for nature.

The Government of Jamaica is seeking USD 322,148.00 over 12 months to strengthen its REDD+ readiness. Building on the initial JAM-RS-003 project, this supplement focuses on establishing a National Bureau for REDD+ Management, enhancing Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) capacity, engaging private forest landowners who own over 70% of the island's forest resources, and creating a Social Safeguard Information System (SIS). The proposal identifies critical gaps in jurisdictional control of forested lands and the lack of systematic social and gender-disaggregated data. Key deliverables include a Forest Disturbance Index for broadleaf forests and non-binding agreements with 15 private landowners.

Mighty Earth is calling on Groupe Carrefour to sever ties with major suppliers linked to deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, specifically JBS, Bunge, and Cargill. The organization demands the adoption of a 'Zero Deforestation, Zero Conversion' policy by 2025 for beef and 2023 for soy, alongside a commitment to reduce animal product sales by 50% and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Amigos de la Tierra Internacional condemns the 'Masacre de Guapoy' that occurred on June 24, 2022, in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. During an illegal eviction of the tekoha Guapoy Mirin Tujury territory, the Military Police caused one death and at least 10 injuries, including a child shot with a 5.56 rifle. The document links this violence to the expansion of agrobusiness, the failure of the National Indigenous People Foundation (FUNAI) under Jair Bolsonaro's government, and a systemic pattern of state violence against indigenous land reclamation efforts.

The document denounces the "Guapoy Massacre" occurring on 24 June 2022, where Mato Grosso do Sul Military Police conducted an illegal eviction in the Tekoha Guapoy Mirin Tujury indigenous territory, resulting in one death and at least 10 injuries, including a child shot with a 5.56 rifle. It attributes the escalating violence to the struggle for land demarcation against agribusiness and the Jair Bolsonaro government's defunding of the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI). The organization calls for international pressure on the Brazilian state to protect Indigenous Peoples and hold illegal actors accountable.

The report argues that land transport infrastructure is a primary driver of deforestation in the Amazon, noting that until 2006, approximately 95% of deforestation occurred within 5.5 km of a road. To address this, the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) proposes a roadmap based on three pillars: anticipating socio-environmental analysis in decision-making, improving the quality of socio-environmental studies, and increasing transparency. Key recommendations include introducing a pre-feasibility phase, utilizing a 'market access' approach to define indirect areas of influence, and creating a single publicly available georeferenced database for infrastructure projects. The report highlights systemic failures, such as the fact that 57% of primary documents for ten analyzed federal concessions were unavailable and that no analyzed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) completely complied with its terms of reference.

The report highlights a disconnect between business-as-usual growth projections for animal agriculture and climate science, which predicts significant production losses and stranded assets. A survey of 201 investors reveals that while 82% view climate change as a material risk to meat and dairy investments, 55% believe investors are not sufficiently addressing these risks. The document emphasizes the critical need for methane reduction, noting that livestock is responsible for 32% of anthropogenic methane emissions, and calls for financial institutions to demand transparent reporting and support a transition toward alternative proteins.

The document outlines the complex regulatory environment of Ghana's cocoa sector, highlighting the central role of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the tensions between production targets and forest conservation. It details the hierarchy of Ghanaian law, specific primary legislation affecting land and agriculture, and the roles of various state institutions. The briefing also addresses socio-economic challenges, such as poverty and child labour, and examines international treaties and emerging sustainability standards like the Ghana Climate-Smart Cocoa Production Standard (GCSCPS) and the African Regional Standard for Sustainable Cocoa (ARS 1000).

The report argues that land transport infrastructure is a primary driver of deforestation in the Amazon, noting that 95% of forest conversion occurred within 5.5 km of roads up to 2006. To decouple infrastructure from deforestation, the authors propose three pillars of reform: reforming the public administration's decision-making flow to anticipate socio-environmental analysis, improving the technical quality and scope of socio-environmental studies (specifically the delimitation of indirect influence areas), and increasing transparency through open georeferenced databases. The report identifies significant gaps in current practices, such as the lack of available approval minutes for Technical, Economic, and Environmental Viability Studies (EVTEA) and the failure of Environmental Impact Studies (EIA) to fully comply with their terms of reference.

The report argues that land transport infrastructure is a primary driver of deforestation in the Amazon, noting that until 2006, approximately 95% of deforestation occurred within 5.5 km of a road. It identifies critical failures in the current project life cycle, including a lack of linear decision-making, poor quality of socio-environmental studies, and a severe lack of transparency. To address this, the authors propose a roadmap based on three pillars: anticipating socio-environmental analysis, improving study quality, and increasing transparency. Key recommendations include introducing a pre-feasibility phase, requiring Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) to precede Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), and implementing a georeferenced database (GIS) to track projects and their impacts on conservation units and indigenous lands.

The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale hydroelectric infrastructure, often serving the rest of Brazil while local populations remain dependent on expensive, polluting diesel generation. The authors argue for a transition toward renewable energy, decentralized solar power, and improved basic services to reduce regional inequality.

The GCF has approved USD 2.73 billion in forest finance, split between REDD+ (USD 851.1 million) and JMA (USD 1.73 billion). The report highlights that these two approaches are complementary, with significant overlap in readiness and implementation phases. The GCF aims to leverage both public and private finance to scale up deforestation-free supply chains and high-quality carbon credits.

The UK imports over 3 million metric tons of soy annually, primarily from Argentina, Brazil, and the US, with 90% used as livestock feed. The poultry sector is identified as the most vulnerable to supply or price shocks due to its high dependency on soy. The primary risk is deforestation and associated Scope 3 emissions. Recommendations include industry collaboration via the UK Soy Manifesto, aligned due diligence legislation, and long-term contracts for sustainable soy.

The paper analyzes the EU's proposal for a regulation on deforestation-free products and the UK's Environment Act 2021, detailing their respective scopes, due diligence processes, and enforcement mechanisms while highlighting challenges related to WTO consistency and impacts on smallholders in developing countries.