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The document is an open letter from environmental scientists warning that proposed EU forest accounting rules could allow member states to hide the impact of policies that increase net emissions. The authors argue that including policy-driven harvest increases in the 'Forest Reference Level' baseline would effectively mask up to 400 MtCO2/yr of emissions, undermining the EU's 2030 climate targets, the credibility of bioenergy accounting, and the spirit of the Paris Agreement.

Mighty Earth highlights a new palm oil policy from BNP Paribas that requires financed companies to protect forests, indigenous people, and adhere to human rights and labor standards. The author argues that this shift reflects a growing trend where deforestation is becoming a business liability, citing the $4 billion value decline of IOI following its suspension by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The document calls for other financial institutions to adopt similar policies and urges BNP Paribas and HSBC to apply these standards to POSCO Daewoo, which has cleared 99 square kilometers of forest in Papua, Indonesia, between September 2015 and April 2017.

The paper examines the governance of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, arguing that while integrated approaches are essential for climate compatible development, they are often hindered by siloed government structures, political contestation over mandates, and limited local capacity. Using evidence from Indonesia, Kenya, and the Amazon basin, it highlights that horizontal and vertical coordination are critical but can be undermined by power imbalances between central and local governments. The author suggests a pragmatic approach to nexus governance, focusing on strengthening the technical and administrative capacities of local government institutions rather than striving for an impractical ideal of total comprehensiveness.

The document analyzes data from the TerraClass database showing a significant increase in secondary vegetation in the Brazilian Amazon, growing from under 10 million hectares in 2004 to over 17 million hectares in 2014. It highlights that current monitoring systems, PRODES and DETER, are designed to detect primary forest deforestation and therefore leave secondary vegetation 'invisible'. The authors argue that understanding the drivers of this regeneration is essential for optimizing land use, reducing the costs of implementing the Forest Code, and achieving Brazil's carbon emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement.

New data from the TerraClass dataset reveals that tropical secondary vegetation in the Brazilian Amazon increased by over 70% between 2004 and 2014, growing from 10 million to more than 17 million hectares. This regrowth represents nearly a quarter of the total area ever cleared in the region. Despite this increase, Brazil's primary satellite monitoring systems, PRODES and DETER, are designed to track primary deforestation and do not capture tropical regrowth, leaving the phenomenon largely invisible in official deforestation rates. The document argues that this regeneration does not necessarily equal primary forest in biological or ecological terms and calls for rigorous analysis to determine how it interacts with the Brazilian Forest Code, carbon reduction goals, and land-use efficiency.

The document critiques the 2010 MOU between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link California's cap-and-trade system with jurisdictional REDD+ programs in Brazil and Mexico. It argues that these market-based mechanisms lead to human rights violations, territorial conflicts, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report highlights methodological flaws in emission baselines and the failure of social projects. In Chiapas, it notes the rise of land-grabbing for African palm monocultures and significant public debt to the World Bank and IDB. The report concludes that REDD+ serves as a tool for capital accumulation rather than a genuine solution to climate change, recommending a shift toward recognizing land tenure and autonomous territorial management.

The report critiques the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link jurisdictional REDD+ programs to California's cap-and-trade system. It argues that these mechanisms prioritize market logic over structural climate causes, leading to land grabbing, the criminalization of traditional practices, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report identifies methodological flaws in emission accounting and failures in community-level projects. In Chiapas, it highlights the expropriation of territories for agrofuel monocultures and increasing public debt. The document concludes that REDD+ safeguards are largely rhetorical and recommends the exclusion of carbon markets and offsets from environmental policy.

The Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and Kenya have lost approximately 70% of their original forest cover due to deforestation and degradation. Despite a comprehensive legislative framework and significant donor funding—including $75 million for REDD+ activities in Tanzania between 2009 and 2014—governance remains ineffective. Key drivers include high population growth and a heavy reliance on biomass for energy, with Dar es Salaam residents using over 1,900 tonnes of charcoal daily. The document argues that while participatory forest management through Local Authority and Village Land Forest Reserves shows promise, success is hindered by poor land tenure, lack of economic alternatives to charcoal, and insufficient state capacity. It recommends strengthening the science-policy interface, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and increasing resource allocation for state forestry agencies.

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 author contends that NAFTA's original framework treated environmental and labour issues as parallel agreements rather than integral components. While Mexico developed robust environmental legislation and institutions like the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources following NAFTA, economic growth has still led to environmental degradation costing 7% of Mexico's annual GDP. The author highlights the investor-state dispute mechanism in Chapter 11 as a critical area for reform, noting it has been used to challenge environmental regulations as de facto expropriations, resulting in $170 million in claims against Canada and $240 million against Mexico. The document suggests that the renegotiation should align the treaty with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and empower the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to lead a regional environmental agenda.

The assessment finds that while Suriname's Constitution and Mining Decree provide a general basis for mining governance, the legal framework is outdated, lacking a national environmental authority and specific legislation on indigenous rights and mercury use. Key strengths include the use of comprehensive environmental assessment guidelines by NIMOS and the role of the OGS in managing the small-scale gold sector. However, significant gaps exist in financial benefit optimization, socioeconomic planning, and post-mining transition, particularly regarding financial assurances for mine closure. The report recommends updating the Mining Decree, establishing an environmental ministry, and further formalizing the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.

Mighty Earth's May 2017 update reveals that major soy traders Cargill and Bunge continue to be linked to deforestation in Brazil and Bolivia despite public commitments. Using satellite monitoring, the organization identified 60 square kilometers of new deforestation and 120 square kilometers of planned deforestation across previously visited sites. The report highlights a disconnect between corporate environmental advertising and operational reality, while noting that several global consumer brands, such as Unilever and Tesco, support expanding collective action to protect other Latin American regions beyond the Brazilian Amazon.

Mighty Earth's May 2017 update uses satellite monitoring to demonstrate that deforestation continues at soy farms supplying major traders Cargill and Bunge in Brazil and Bolivia. Despite public commitments and pressure from consumer companies, the report identifies 60 square kilometers of new clearing and 120 square kilometers of planned clearing across visited sites. The document highlights a disconnect between the corporate image of traders and the reality on the ground, while detailing the varying levels of support and action from global consumer brands regarding the expansion of deforestation-free soy commitments across South America.

The document assesses the financial links between natural resource extraction and violent extremism in Africa, finding that while the LRA relies heavily on ivory and the Janjaweed on gold, al-Shabaab primarily funds itself through charcoal taxation, and Boko Haram derives little to no revenue from resource extraction.

The document argues that the EU is not "living within the limits of our planet," significantly exceeding its equal-per-capita fair share of the global safe operating space for climate change and biogeochemical flows. It proposes downscaling global boundaries to regional levels to create benchmarks for both production- and consumption-based performance, highlighting that EU consumption often exerts higher pressure than the global average. While the EU has various policy instruments addressing individual boundaries, the brief notes a lack of integration regarding interlinkages between processes and the EU's international environmental footprint.

The document outlines twelve key signs of climate change, including rising global, ocean, and soil temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, and rising sea levels. It attributes these phenomena to the buildup of heat-trapping gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of tropical forests. The text highlights specific regional impacts, such as the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine and the thawing of permafrost in the Arctic, and notes the resulting increase in extreme weather events and shifts in species ranges.

The document examines the application of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) to corporate 'deforestation free' pledges, arguing that such commitments can be legally challenged if they are used in commercial practices to mislead consumers. It details the criteria for 'misleading' claims, the role of 'codes of conduct', and the enforcement mechanisms available in EU Member States.

The document analyzes the deep-rooted insecurity of rural property rights in Brazil, attributing it to a complex history of disordered land occupation and an inefficient, fragmented governance system. It highlights how this insecurity fuels land conflicts, deforestation, and under-developed rental markets. The report identifies four primary challenges: institutional complexity, the lack of a unified national land registry, bureaucratic regularization processes, and ineffective enforcement of existing rights. It evaluates current initiatives like the Terra Legal program and the SIG-Fundiário pilot, and proposes a series of recommendations across governance, law enforcement, regulation, and knowledge production to secure land tenure and enhance the implementation of the Forest Code.

The report examines Brazil's complex rural land tenure system, tracing its origins from colonial 'sesmarias' to the current framework. It highlights how institutional complexity, the lack of a unified land cadastre, and weak enforcement contribute to land conflicts, deforestation, and inefficient land use. The document evaluates current initiatives like the Terra Legal Program and the SIG-Fundiário system, concluding with recommendations to streamline regularization, centralize registries under the CNIR, and clarify the application of the Forest Code to collective lands.

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.