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The document examines the regulatory landscape of air quality in Thailand, noting that despite the existence of various Plans and Acts, enforcement remains a critical challenge. It highlights the impact of PM2.5, which caused an estimated 32,200 premature deaths in 2019, and identifies primary pollution sources as industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, and the seasonal burning of crop fields for sugarcane harvesting or biomass removal.

The document details how the Bolsonaro administration has systematically weakened Brazil's environmental state through institutional budget cuts, the exclusion of civil society from policy-making bodies like CONAMA, and the use of infra-legal decrees to bypass congressional scrutiny. It argues that these actions are driven by a coalition of agribusiness and mining interests seeking to expand into biomes such as the Amazon, Pantanal, and Cerrado. The authors highlight the fragility of environmental protections that rely on administrative decisions rather than legislative law and call for the establishment of more resilient protective mechanisms to prevent future reactionary attacks.

The report examines how Ghana and British Columbia manage mine waste, highlighting the importance of risk-based legal frameworks, corporate accountability, and financial assurances. It identifies strengths in both jurisdictions' planning processes while noting specific areas for improvement, such as Ghana's need for stronger polluter-pays principles and British Columbia's focus on enhancing regulatory auditing following the 2014 Mount Polley dam failure.

The authors argue that the Trump Administration exploited ambiguities in conflict-of-interest rules to sideline scientists and prioritize industry interests. To counter this, they recommend establishing statutory job qualifications for high-level positions, closing 'revolving door' loopholes, and creating firewalls between political staff and agency scientists. They also propose reforming the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to prevent the appointment of conflicted members and enhancing the transparency of the scientific peer review process. Finally, the paper calls for strengthening the independence of Inspectors General and granting the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) investigative authority to ensure effective enforcement of ethics laws.

The Clean Air Act has significantly improved U.S. air quality and public health since 1970, with benefits outweighing costs by 30-to-1 in 2020. However, the Clean Air Task Force notes that communities of color and low-income populations still suffer disproportionate pollution burdens, and the Trump Administration's rollbacks of climate and methane regulations have undermined the Act's goals.

A joint statement from Earthjustice and numerous environmental and community organizations urging the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to withdraw a proposed rule that would add mining as a covered sector under FAST-41. The commenters argue that mining's unique environmental risks, including toxic waste and acid mine drainage, require rigorous and flexible permitting rather than the accelerated timelines and limited judicial review provided by FAST-41.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) condemns the EPA's decision to keep ozone standards that the organization claims are insufficient to protect public health, particularly during a respiratory pandemic. CATF argues that evidence supports a stronger primary standard of 60 ppb to prevent respiratory symptoms and lung impairment, and notes the EPA's failure to establish a science-based secondary standard for ecosystems as required by a court.

The Clean Air Task Force criticizes the EPA under Andrew Wheeler for rushing through rules that support "uncontrolled generation" and disregard climate science and public health. The author argues that the EPA is ignoring statutory protections and legal requirements, such as the APA and CRA, to implement rollbacks on methane, ozone, coal ash, and carbon rules before the administration's tenure ends, vowing that these actions will be challenged in court.

The document outlines a series of EPA actions between 2018 and 2020 that reduce oversight of coal ash disposal, including the removal of cleanup obligations, the broadening of 'beneficial use' exemptions, and the establishment of a federal permitting program with minimal oversight.

The report analyzes Brazil's rural credit system, highlighting its complexity and fragmentation. It provides empirical evidence that rural credit, particularly when directed at small farmers, increases land and labor productivity and reduces deforestation by promoting the conversion of degraded pastures into cropland. The document argues for simplifying the credit system, increasing private sector participation, and strengthening the link between credit access and compliance with the Forest Code to ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

The report finds a growing divide in cultural worldviews between U.S. Democrats and Republicans. Since 2008, Democrats have become more egalitarian and less individualistic, increasing their support for government intervention to solve societal problems. In contrast, Republicans' views have remained largely static and individualistic. This divergence suggests that achieving a bipartisan consensus on climate change solutions may be increasingly difficult due to conflicting fundamental beliefs about the role of government.

The report finds a growing divide in cultural worldviews between U.S. Democrats and Republicans. Since 2008, Democrats, particularly liberal Democrats, have become more egalitarian and less individualistic, increasing their support for government-guaranteed basic needs and wealth redistribution. In contrast, Republicans have remained highly individualistic, favoring individual liberty and opposing government intervention. This divergence suggests that building a bipartisan consensus on climate change is becoming more difficult as the two parties hold increasingly opposite views on the role of government in solving societal problems.

The report examines the current state of compensation under investment treaties, highlighting a trend toward increasingly large awards driven by the use of forward-looking valuation methods like Discounted Cash Flow (DCF). It identifies systemic issues, including discrepancies between invested amounts and awarded compensation, the complexity of valuation processes, and the disregard for contextual factors such as public interest or a state's ability to pay. The document reviews emerging treaty practices from Africa, India, and the EU and proposes four reform options: balancing rules, capping compensation at the amount invested, integrating gain-based considerations, or applying the host state's domestic law.

The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical link between ecosystem health and human health, urging policymakers to adopt nature-based solutions for both pandemic prevention and economic recovery. It recommends ending ecosystem degradation, reforming livestock production, regulating wildlife trade, and ensuring that economic stimulus packages include green conditionalities to avoid further environmental damage.

The document asserts that federal leadership has compromised the integrity of the regulatory review process coordinated by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), leading to deregulatory actions that harm public health, safety, the environment, and financial stability. It proposes a path forward that involves removing these distortions, reaffirming established best practices, and implementing corrections to ensure regulations maximize net social welfare.

A legal notice from MacRobert Inc, acting on behalf of ArcelorMittal South Africa (Pty) Ltd (AMSA), addressed to the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries regarding an appeal filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights. The notice argues that the appeal against the postponement of compliance timeframes for Minimum Emission Standards at the Vanderbijlpark facility was submitted late and is therefore invalid unless condonation is granted.

The report examines the compatibility of environmental import restrictions with WTO rules, specifically the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It argues that restrictions based on process and production methods (PPMs) are not prohibited per se and can be justified through the concept of 'likeness' or by invoking general exceptions under Article XX of GATT. The document also provides guidance on using Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to modernise trade rules, suggesting the inclusion of hierarchy clauses and the recognition of domestic regulatory discretion to ensure environmental obligations prevail over trade commitments.

The document examines the risks associated with nanosilver, a nanomaterial used in over 440 consumer products, and highlights the lack of specific regulations in Canada. It details experimental evidence of nanosilver's toxicity to aquatic life and proposes a regulatory framework including risk assessments, standardized testing, and mandatory labelling.

The author contends that the Indian government's response to Covid-19 was characterized by a lack of preparedness, the scapegoating of the Muslim community, and a sudden lockdown that stranded millions of migrant workers. The text asserts that the state leveraged the crisis to arrest activists, create a non-transparent relief fund (PM-CARES), and weaken environmental regulations through the Environment Impact Assessment Draft 2020 to favor private capital.

The Union of Concerned Scientists identifies systemic barriers to public participation in US federal rulemaking, noting that industry interests often have disproportionate influence and that marginalized communities are frequently excluded. The document recommends earlier community involvement, the use of plain language, increased transparency regarding funding and meetings, and improvements to digital accessibility on platforms like regulations.gov.