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The report examines Brazil's agricultural risk management landscape, focusing on public policies like PSR, PROAGRO, Garantia-Safra, and PGPM. It highlights a market characterized by high concentration, limited geographic reach, and a heavy reliance on soy insurance. The authors argue that inadequate risk management leads to underinvestment and inefficient land use, suggesting a shift in public funding from rural credit toward insurance and the expansion of market-based price risk instruments.

In 2019, the global green bond market reached a record USD258.9 billion in issuance, a 51% increase over 2018. The market saw significant growth in non-financial corporate issuance and the entry of eight new countries. Europe led in cumulative volume, while the USA, China, and France remained the top individual countries by amount issued. Energy, buildings, and transport dominated the use of proceeds, accounting for 82% of the total. The report also notes a rise in green sukuk and the increasing importance of external reviews and Climate Bonds Standard certification.

The document examines how credit cooperatives in Brazil serve as an efficient tool for financial inclusion, particularly for small rural producers. It highlights that while overall rural credit declined by 14% between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, cooperative credit grew by 51.3%, increasing its market share from 11% to 17.5%. The brief explains that cooperatives reduce transaction costs and information asymmetry due to their proximity to producers. Geographically, cooperative presence is strongest in the South, Midwest, and Southeast regions, while it remains scarce in the North and Northeast. The analysis also details the interbank relationship where commercial banks use cooperatives to meet mandatory rural credit application requirements. Finally, it outlines the tax and regulatory advantages cooperatives hold over traditional banks, such as exemptions from Income Tax and CSLL on cooperative acts.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has proposed a revised Scientific Agenda to its Conference of the Parties. This update aligns the agenda with the IAI Strategic Plan, emphasizing transdisciplinary science and the integration of human systems. The proposed agenda is organized into four primary research themes: human dimensions and policy consequences, climate variability in the Americas, ecosystems and biodiversity, and the chemical composition of the atmosphere, oceans, and freshwater. These themes aim to address regional sustainability, including food and water security, climate adaptation, and biodiversity conservation across the Americas.

The document argues for a 'One Health' approach to prevent future pandemics by protecting ecosystem integrity and stopping the illegal wildlife trade, noting that 70% of new emerging diseases are zoonotic. It advocates for systemic recovery strategies, including 'farm-to-fork' agricultural approaches and sustainable supply chains for commodities like coffee, cocoa, and cotton. The text emphasizes the need for 'do no harm' standards in recovery investments, the scaling of green finance—citing that mangrove investments can yield $7 in economic benefits for every dollar spent—and the alignment of biodiversity goals with the Paris Agreement's NDCs and the Convention on Biological Diversity's 2030 goals.

The report examines the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry, comparing conventional farming with hydroponic and aquaponic systems in greenhouse and vertical formats. A life cycle analysis (LCA) reveals that while conventional agriculture currently has the lowest overall environmental impact, CEA excels in land and water efficiency. The document identifies energy and labor as primary cost hurdles but highlights innovations in LED lighting, AI, and renewable energy as potential solutions. It specifically evaluates St. Louis as a viable location for a pilot project due to its market demand, available stranded assets like caves and brownfields, and supportive local policies.

The document advocates for the integration of advanced nuclear energy into a diversified zero-carbon energy portfolio to mitigate the risks and costs associated with relying solely on variable renewables. It highlights nuclear's advantages in power density, dispatchability, and its ability to produce carbon-free hydrogen for hard-to-electrify sectors. While acknowledging challenges such as high costs, waste disposal, and public perception, the author suggests that standardized construction, advanced reactor designs, and supportive federal policies—specifically the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA)—can make nuclear a scalable and cost-effective tool for climate mitigation.

The analysis finds that rural credit for small farmers increases productivity and reduces deforestation pressures, whereas credit for large producers is associated with increased land expansion and deforestation. The document recommends prioritizing credit distribution to small producers to align subsidies with forest conservation goals.

The document evaluates the environmental risks of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railroad, estimating that without mitigation, the project will induce 2,043 square kilometers of deforestation in Mato Grosso. This land-use change is projected to release 75 million tons of carbon, creating an environmental cost of approximately US$1.9 billion, which represents about 60% of the railroad's estimated US$3.1 billion implementation cost.

The WWF-US Emergency Amazon Fire Fund raised approximately $1.5 million to provide firefighting equipment, medical supplies, and food to local civil society organizations and Indigenous peoples in Brazil and Bolivia following the 2019 fire season. The report highlights a vicious cycle where deforestation and climate change intensify droughts, increasing fire risks and reducing the Amazon's capacity to act as a carbon sink. In Brazil, the fund supported the Victoria Amazon Foundation in the Amazonas region to train brigades and conduct prevention workshops. In Bolivia, the fund provided critical water, food, and medical supplies to remote communities in the Santa Cruz and Chiquitano Dry Forest regions, where fires impacted over 5 million acres of forest and displaced families.

The document details the development of SELECT ECOTECH, a serious game system (SGS) designed as a learning platform for stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The game aims to foster systemic awareness and adaptive capacity when selecting eco-technologies to reduce nutrient and carbon emissions while maximizing co-benefits. Co-designed with stakeholders from three case study catchments—Fyrisån (Sweden), Vantaanjoki (Finland), and Slupia (Poland)—the game uses a board game format to simulate 'wicked' situations, including system shocks and policy changes. The report outlines a three-phase participatory design process, the game's rules regarding baseline emissions and resource management, and the specific eco-technologies and developments integrated into the system. The findings suggest that the iterative, playful nature of the SGS allows stakeholders to cross knowledge boundaries and experiment with innovative technology constellations beyond technocratic solutions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) asserts that current US dietary advice fails to support long-term environmental sustainability. A systematic review of 22 studies published between 2015 and 2019 indicates that the 'Healthy U.S.-Style' diet may not reduce, and could even increase, heat-trapping emissions, energy use, and water use compared to the average US diet. The brief highlights that diets higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods—specifically those with less meat and dairy—offer greater benefits for both human health and the environment. It also emphasizes that sustainable diets must address social and economic inequalities, noting that marginalized populations and food system workers face disproportionate health hazards and economic disparities. The document recommends that the scientific advisory committee for the 2020-2025 guidelines address sustainability, that Congress support its inclusion, and that funding be increased for interdisciplinary research on healthy, sustainable diets.

The report evaluates the state-level implementation of Brazil's Forest Code, highlighting that while most states have made progress in CAR registration, significant bottlenecks exist in the validation phase and the rollout of the PRA. It argues against amending the federal law without considering state-level efforts and emphasizes the need for technical resources, transparency, and a clearer role for the federal government to support lagging states, particularly in the northeast region.

The report provides a detailed 'radiography' of how Brazilian states are implementing the 2012 Forest Code. It identifies the analysis and validation of the CAR as the primary bottleneck and notes that while some states like Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, and Pará have made significant progress, others remain severely delayed in regulating and operationalizing the PRA. The document also highlights the role of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) in developing technological tools to scale these processes.

The report analyzes technical and policy pathways for Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050-2070. It argues that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficiently ambitious and recommends a shift toward widespread electrification, zero-carbon electricity, and sustainable land-use management. The study highlights that while technical solutions exist, achieving these goals requires profound structural changes in energy and transport systems, as well as the development of Long-Term Strategies (LTS) to avoid stranded assets and ensure a just transition.

The report analyzes how shifting from current diets to planet-based diets—which prioritize plant-based foods over animal-source foods—can mitigate biodiversity loss, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lower premature mortality globally. It identifies five strategic actions: reversing biodiversity loss, living within a global carbon budget for food, feeding humanity on existing cropland, achieving negative emissions, and optimizing crop yields. While global trends show clear benefits, the report emphasizes that impacts vary by country; for instance, some undernourished nations may see increased land-use pressure if dietary improvements are not coupled with sustainable production and reduced waste. The document concludes with policy recommendations for national governments to integrate sustainable diets into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and update National Dietary Guidelines (NDGs).

The report provides a comprehensive 'radiography' of how Brazilian states are implementing the Forest Code. It identifies a significant gap between the high rates of CAR registration and the slow progress of CAR validation and PRA implementation. While some states in the North and Center-West regions are advanced, the Northeast region lags behind. The document highlights systemic barriers, including a lack of technical resources, poor quality of self-declared data, and a heavy dependence on the federal government's SICAR system. It also examines state-specific rules for restoring Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves (RL), noting wide variations in restoration deadlines and methodologies.

Annual tracked climate finance averaged USD 579 billion in 2017/2018, a 25% increase from 2015/2016, though it remains far below the USD 1.6 trillion to USD 3.8 trillion annually needed for energy system transitions. Renewable energy remains the largest destination for finance, while low-carbon transport is growing rapidly. Private finance accounts for 56% of total flows, with a strong domestic preference as 76% of investment stays within the sourcing country.

The report examines the legal framework protecting Sami reindeer husbandry from hydropower exploitation in Sweden. It details the historical marginalisation of Sami rights, the current permit process under the Environmental Code, and the implications of new 2019 legislation requiring the review of existing hydropower plants for modern environmental conditions. The analysis highlights the challenges Sami villages face in being recognised as stakeholders and the financial burdens of legal proceedings during reviews.

The document argues that cattle productivity in Brazil is inversely related to the share of farmland devoted to pastures, meaning productivity increases as ranch size declines. It identifies land values as a key driver of this relationship, noting that higher land costs incentivize more intensive ranching or a switch to crop cultivation. The authors suggest that combating illegal deforestation, reducing agricultural modernization bottlenecks, and improving access to credit can drive cattle intensification and reduce pressure on forests.