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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative proposes the 'Indeks Desa Membangun Plus' (IDM+), a reformed evaluation index designed to incentivize sustainable land use and environmental preservation at the village level in Indonesia. Using Berau Regency in East Kalimantan as a case study, the report argues that existing fiscal transfer mechanisms fail to reward ecological performance and suggests a mixed fiscal instrument approach to provide both incentives for high-performing villages and affirmative support for those with low ecological scores.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute describes Thailand's strategic promotion of a bioeconomy to overcome the middle-income trap, reduce social inequality, and mitigate environmental impacts. It focuses on the industrial use of sugarcane and cassava to create value-added products like biofuels and bioplastics, while highlighting regulatory hurdles, land and water scarcity, and social issues such as low wages and food insecurity.

This 2021 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) provides a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) across Brazilian states. It focuses on the progress of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), identifying significant bottlenecks in the analysis and validation of registries and the low rate of producer adherence to regularization programs. The report highlights disparities between states, noting that while registration is advanced nationwide, the transition to actual environmental recovery remains a major challenge.

This executive summary provides a 2021 snapshot of the implementation of Brazil's Native Vegetation Protection Law (Forest Code), specifically focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Compliance Program (PRA). While property registration is well-advanced nationwide, the report identifies significant bottlenecks in the analysis and validation of these registrations and a lack of producer interest in joining the PRA, leaving the final stage of environmental regularization as a major challenge across most states.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the role of rural credit policy in Brazil as a tool for increasing agricultural productivity while reducing deforestation. It argues that improving the efficiency and sustainability alignment of rural credit can allow Brazil to expand food production without further area expansion, leveraging existing cleared lands.

This document is Ember's response to a UK government call for evidence on greenhouse gas removals (GGRs). It specifically critiques the reliance on Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), arguing that the assumption of biomass carbon neutrality is flawed and that the land, environmental, and financial costs of scaling BECCS are prohibitive compared to other GGR methods or direct decarbonisation.

This 2020 report by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio monitors the state-level implementation of Brazil's Native Vegetation Protection Law (Forest Code), specifically focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Compliance Program (PRA). It identifies the analysis and validation of CAR registrations as the primary bottleneck and notes that while some states have made progress, many lack operational PRAs and sufficient normative frameworks for forest restoration.

This research paper examines how land use, climate, and hydropower development drive hydrological alterations in the Srepok River Basin, utilizing IHA software and the Range of Variability Approach to quantify impacts on river ecosystems and water management.

This chapter outlines four strategic pathways to transition Sub-Saharan Africa from a high dependence on traditional biomass fuels, such as fuelwood and charcoal, toward modern and sustainable bioenergy to mitigate negative sustainability outcomes and support climate-compatible development.

This whitepaper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that current environmental and technical feasibility studies for transport infrastructure in the Amazon fail to account for indirect effects, specifically how reduced transport costs induce deforestation far from the project site. The authors propose a 'market access' approach using geoprocessing and statistical analysis to better quantify these risks and recommend that these methodologies be integrated into official project evaluations to avoid underestimating environmental costs.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the instruments and public policies used for agricultural risk management in Brazil. It examines the strengths and failures of current systems, including insurance programs and price guarantees, and provides recommendations to improve efficiency and sustainability in the face of climate change.

This white paper argues that Brazil lacks an official system to monitor secondary vegetation (regeneration) in the Amazon, leaving these areas vulnerable. While the technology for remote monitoring is available and feasible, the authors state that public policy support and financial commitment are required to implement a system that would enable the country to track reforestation goals and enforce environmental laws.

This document consists of a practice note and heads of argument filed by Tendele Coal Mining (Pty) Ltd in the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa. Tendele is responding to an appeal by the Global Environmental Trust and others who seek an interdict to close the Somkhele Coal Mine, alleging that the mine operates without necessary environmental, land use, waste management, and heritage authorizations.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) evaluates the effectiveness of protected areas—including conservation units and indigenous lands—in reducing deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. While the analysis finds that these areas effectively shield the forests within their boundaries, they have a negligible impact on aggregate deforestation levels because they tend to displace deforestation to unprotected regions.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) evaluates the effectiveness of landscape protection—specifically protected areas and indigenous lands—in reducing deforestation within the Brazilian Amazon. While the analysis finds that these territories are effective at shielding the specific forests they cover, they have a negligible impact on aggregate deforestation levels because they tend to deflect forest clearing to unprotected regions.

This fact sheet by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910 of 2019, which proposes changes to the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil, specifically affecting the Amazon region. The authors argue that the measure risks rewarding illegal land grabbing and deforestation by easing the requirements for obtaining land titles.

This fact sheet analyzes Provisional Measure 910 (MP 910), a proposed amendment to Brazilian legislation regarding the regularization of informal settlements on federal lands. The authors argue that the measure rewards illegal land occupation and deforestation, particularly in the Amazon, by loosening the requirements for obtaining property titles.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the impacts of rural credit on agricultural production and land use in Brazil from 2002 to 2017. The analysis reveals that while rural credit generally increases productivity, its environmental impact varies significantly by producer size: credit for small farmers tends to reduce deforestation pressures by intensifying production, whereas credit for large producers is associated with increased land expansion and deforestation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the impact of Brazil's rural credit system on agricultural production and land use between 2002 and 2017. The analysis finds that while rural credit generally boosts production, its environmental impacts vary significantly by producer size: credit for small farmers tends to increase productivity and reduce deforestation pressures, whereas credit for large farmers is associated with the expansion of cropland and pastures, leading to higher deforestation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio evaluates the projected environmental risks of the EF-170 Ferrogrão railroad project in Brazil. Using a market access approach, the researchers estimate that the railroad will significantly increase deforestation in Mato Grosso by improving market access for farmers and ranchers, leading to substantial carbon emissions and associated social costs.