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Marco de Manejo Ambiental y Social para el proyecto Manejo Integrado Transfronterizo con Enfoque de la Cuenca al Arrecife para el Sistema Arrecifal Mesoamericano
The document provides an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for a project aimed at conserving freshwater, marine, and coastal resources in the Mesoamerican Reef System (MAR). It defines the institutional roles of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) and partner NGOs, establishes a project classification system (Categories A, B, and C) based on risk, and outlines procedures for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs). The framework identifies priority river basins—including the Hondo, Motagua, Belice, Chamelecón, and Ulúa—and details the threats facing the reef, such as agricultural runoff, deforestation, and urban waste. It also sets strict safeguards for indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, and the use of hazardous pesticides, while proposing various 'ridge-to-reef' interventions like agroforestry and habitat restoration.
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Document type: Report
Grow Green – Tackling Climate Change through Plant Protein Agriculture
The author contends that animal agriculture is a major but ignored driver of climate change, responsible for at least 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The text calls for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy to shift subsidies away from meat and dairy and toward farmers diversifying into plant protein crops, such as fava beans and hemp in the UK. It highlights that reducing animal farming is essential for the UK to meet its 80% emissions reduction target by 2050 and suggests that dietary shifts toward veganism could yield carbon savings greater than removing all cars from UK roads.
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Document type: Statement
No one is safe
The report by Eyes on the Forest (EoF) reveals systemic illegality in the Indonesian palm oil sector, specifically in Riau and Sumatra. Through chain-of-custody tracking, EoF demonstrated that FFB illegally grown in Tesso Nilo National Park and the ex Dalek area reached CPO mills and refineries operated by global giants including Wilmar, RGE (Asian Agri and Apical), Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), and Musim Mas. The findings suggest that current traceability efforts focusing on the mill level are insufficient to prevent the seepage of illegal products, as illegal FFB can travel up to 128 km to reach mills. The report argues that the high prevalence of illegal plantations—estimated by the Indonesian government at 50% in Riau—makes almost all CPO mills in the region high-risk, necessitating a shift toward full traceability to the plantation level.
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Document type: Report
NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS À RESOLUÇÃO CONJUNTA SMA/SAA Nº 1/2016 SOBRE O PROGRAMA DE REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL - PRA NO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO
The document evaluates the Joint Resolution SMA/SAA No. 1/2016, which regulates the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) in São Paulo. While it praises the move toward electronic processes and clear rules for those adhering to the PRA, it warns that the resolution may have exceeded its regulatory power by establishing penalties—such as the loss of land-use rights for consolidated areas—not explicitly provided for in federal or state law. It also highlights gaps in the regulation of Legal Reserve compensation, particularly for the Cerrado biome, and the lack of complementary norms necessary for full implementation.
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Document type: Briefing
The ABCs of Global Climate Change
The document outlines the role of human activity in increasing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, the resulting environmental and health risks, and the emission reduction targets required to limit temperature increases to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
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Document type: Briefing
Industrial and terrestrial carbon leakage under climate policy fragmentation
The study examines how fragmented climate policies, where some regions implement carbon taxes while others do not, lead to 'carbon leakage'—the relocation of emissions to non-participating regions. It distinguishes between industrial carbon leakage (ICL), driven by fossil fuel price changes, and terrestrial carbon leakage (TCL), driven by land-use changes. The findings indicate that TCL is the dominant form of leakage until 2050, primarily due to deforestation in non-participating regions as food and bioenergy production shift away from participating areas. The research concludes that the total leakage rate decreases as the size of the climate coalition increases, but even the most inclusive fragmented scenarios fail to limit global temperature rise to below 2°C by 2100.
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Document type: Research paper
Obama Administration FY 2017 Budget Proposal: Sustainable Energy, Buildings, Transportation and Climate
The FY 2017 budget proposal seeks to increase clean energy R&D funding to $12.8 billion by 2021, featuring a $10.25-per-barrel crude oil tax to fund sustainable transportation and significant increases for the Department of Energy's renewable energy and efficiency programs. It also includes $1.3 billion for the Global Climate Change Initiative and $291 million for Power Africa, while targeting a 83 percent reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Policy brief
County energy planning in Kenya: Local participation and local solutions in Migori County
The study identifies a strong desire for citizen involvement in energy planning in Migori County, where energy use is dominated by biomass and kerosene. It proposes a participatory framework consisting of six key activities to move away from top-down planning and better meet local energy needs.
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Document type: Research paper
Fueling a Clean Transportation Future
The document analyzes the evolution of ethanol use in the U.S., noting that while E10 blends have reduced oil dependence, corn-based ethanol causes significant environmental damage and can spike global food prices. It argues for a shift toward advanced biofuels derived from wastes, agricultural residues, and perennial crops to lower lifecycle emissions and protect biodiversity. The report forecasts that by 2050, emissions from biorefineries, agriculture, and land use can be substantially reduced through technological optimization and smarter crop choices.
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Document type: Report
Palm Oil
The document details how palm oil production, primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia, drives deforestation and releases significant carbon and methane emissions, particularly through the draining and burning of peatlands. It notes that while Indonesia and Malaysia have implemented some protections and the RSPO seeks to improve sustainability, RSPO standards remain insufficient. The text highlights a shift in the supply chain, with over 60 percent of globally traded palm oil covered by deforestation-free commitments as of 2016, while warning that future expansion in countries like Brazil and Colombia must be managed to protect forests.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Human Migration and Ecosystems: Insights from the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa
The report examines the relationship between human migration and ecosystem degradation in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, focusing on case studies in Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It argues that while migration is not the primary cause of environmental pressure, it acts as an exacerbating factor that increases habitat destruction and unsustainable resource use. The document provides a framework for conservationists to integrate migration trends into land-use planning and natural resource governance.
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Document type: Report
Migration and Conservation in the Misotshi–Kabogo Ecosystem
The report examines how migration into the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem in the eastern DRC, driven by conflict and economic opportunity, is causing significant deforestation and biodiversity loss. It recommends the formal establishment of Ngamikka National Park with a zoned approach to balance conservation with local livelihood needs.
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Document type: Report
Sustainability Impacts of Chinese Outward Direct Investment: A review of the literature
The report analyzes 384 sources in English, Chinese, and Spanish to assess the sustainability impacts of Chinese outward direct investment. It identifies a tension between the positive contributions to infrastructure and economic growth and the negative impacts related to labor conditions, environmental degradation, and governance. The review highlights a 'learning curve' where Chinese firms and policymakers are increasingly adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and international standards, though a gap remains between policy and project-level implementation.
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Document type: Report
Fighting behind the frontlines: Army wives in the eastern DRC
The report examines the precarious lives of FARDC army wives in the DRC, who often follow their husbands to insecure deployment zones due to a lack of family benefits and the high cost of travel. These women face severe housing shortages, irregular salaries, and social stigmatization, forcing them into diverse survival strategies ranging from petty trade and day labor to illicit activities. The document also highlights the extreme vulnerability of army widows and argues that military reform must address the social and service conditions of personnel and their families to be effective.
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Document type: Report
Mainstreaming climate compatible development: Achieving deep political and societal change to deliver the ambition of the Paris climate agreement
The document argues that bridging the emissions gap requires both 'getting the economics right' through financial mobilisation and carbon pricing, and 'getting the politics right' through leadership and stakeholder engagement. It emphasizes a 'development first' approach for developing countries, using the 'cost of inaction' to build national consensus. To avoid maladaptation and protect the poorest, the text advocates for the inclusion of socially marginalised groups and women in decision-making, while managing the 'water-energy-food nexus' and removing laws that undermine climate goals.
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Document type: Fact sheet
POR QUE É IMPORTANTE DISCUTIR OS direitos de propriedade NO BRASIL RURAL?
The fact sheet highlights the systemic instability of rural property rights in Brazil, noting that the country ranks 76th out of 129 countries in property rights security. It links this uncertainty to increased deforestation, as clearing forest is used to prove land productivity to avoid expropriation. The document also connects land disputes to violence, citing 770 land-related homicides between 1994 and 2015 and Brazil's position as a global leader in murders of environmental and land rights activists. Institutional failures contributing to the problem include a lack of georeferencing before 2004, poor integration between the 11 federal agencies managing property rights, and the prevalence of 'grilagem' (land grabbing), with suspected grilagem affecting 23% of the state of Pará.
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Document type: Fact sheet
RULES FOR BUSINESS RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE
The fact sheet advocates for a binding international treaty to regulate transnational corporations (TNCs), highlighting the inadequacy of voluntary corporate policies. It presents evidence of corporate-linked harms, including deforestation and forest fires in Indonesia caused by palm oil and paper companies, hazardous shipbreaking practices in Bangladesh, water rights violations by Mekorot in Palestine, and a chemical disaster in South Korea involving Reckitt Benckiser's humidifier sterilisers. The document emphasizes that TNCs often operate across jurisdictions to escape accountability, necessitating a legal framework supported by the UN Human Rights Council and various global governments.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests: Eliminating Deforestation from the Production of Agricultural Commodities – Goal 2 Assessment Report
The 2016 assessment of NYDF Goal 2 finds that while corporate commitments to deforestation-free supply chains are increasing—reaching 415 companies and 701 commitments—implementation remains uneven. Progress is most advanced for palm oil and wood products, while soy and cattle lag behind. Despite improvements in risk assessment and procurement rules, fewer than half of assessed companies have time-bound actionable plans, and only 45% report on compliance. The report highlights that over 90% of assessed companies operate in deforestation hotspots, specifically Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Paraguay. However, the overall impact on global forest loss cannot yet be measured due to a lack of comprehensive global data sets linking supply-chain efforts to actual deforestation reductions.
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Document type: Executive summary
REGULATING RISK
The document contends that voluntary sustainability initiatives are fundamentally flawed and insufficient to curb the global land grabbing crisis. It provides evidence of the significant financial involvement of EU-based institutions in agribusinesses that cause environmental and social harm, particularly in developing countries. The authors argue that the lack of monitoring, sanctions, and accessibility in voluntary schemes allows irresponsible actors to continue harmful practices. To address this, the briefing recommends mandatory human rights due diligence, expanded reporting requirements under EU directives, and binding regulations for financial investors to ensure only legally compliant agribusiness concessions are eligible for investment.
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Document type: Briefing
MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION
The Migration and Conservation Toolkit, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), offers a four-phase roadmap for practitioners to integrate migration dynamics into conservation planning. The process moves from defining scope and analyzing migration and conservation contexts to assessing ecosystem impacts and implementing targeted interventions. The toolkit emphasizes participatory research, including surveys, focus group discussions, and participatory mapping, to understand the links between migration, livelihood choices, and biodiversity loss. It highlights the need for conflict-sensitive and gender-aware approaches, particularly in critical ecosystems where population pressures can exacerbate existing environmental stresses.
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Document type: Guide