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Friends of the Earth U.S. proposes a Green New Deal centered on a total transition to 100 percent renewable energy and ecological agriculture. The platform advocates for the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, the elimination of subsidies for carbon-intensive industries, and the rejection of unproven technologies like carbon capture and geoengineering. It emphasizes a 'just transition' based on energy democracy, food sovereignty, and the protection of worker rights and frontline communities, while calling for the United States to address its ecological debt to the Global South.

The document outlines Senegal's commitments to biodiversity and sustainable development, highlighting a $5 million joint program with UNDP to create 100,000 green jobs. It evaluates the agroecology and fisheries sectors, noting successes in organic seed production and artisanal fisher awareness, while warning of systemic failures such as soil degradation, lack of conservation infrastructure, and persistent illegal fishing practices.

The document advocates for federal policy changes in the 2018 farm bill to scale up 'good food' procurement, which prioritizes healthy, local, and sustainably produced foods. It highlights the success of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) and identifies barriers for small farmers, such as lack of infrastructure and food safety certification costs. The brief recommends supporting the Local FARMS Act, the Food and Farm Act, and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act to improve regional food systems, advance racial equity, and protect animal welfare.

The India Green Economy Barometer 2018 finds that while India has high potential for a green transition and has made significant strides in renewable energy and social inclusion, the overall progress is slow and insufficient. The report identifies key blockages, including the perception that environmental protection hinders economic growth and a lack of mature green financial markets. It highlights successes in solar capacity expansion and corporate social responsibility but warns that a 'business-as-usual' approach threatens long-term wellbeing due to natural resource overuse and rising inequality.

The South Africa Green Economy Barometer 2018 evaluates the country's transition to a sustainable economy, awarding it a '5 out of 10'. While South Africa has strong policy foundations like the National Development Plan and the Green Economy Accord, the report finds that the economy remains locked into 'brown' energy systems, with 90% of electricity still generated from coal. Progress in renewable energy has been stalled by a gridlock between the national utility Eskom and independent power producers. The report highlights a critical gap in supporting the informal sector and small enterprises, noting that 'green jobs' created through public works programmes often lack security and decent wages. Environmentally, the country's ecological footprint continues to exceed its biocapacity, and biodiversity hotspots remain in a dire state. Financially, while green bonds and sustainable finance innovations have emerged, fossil fuel subsidies persist. The document concludes that national plans remain too focused on economic growth rather than social development and the integration of natural capital into decision-making.

The document positions India's MSME sector as a critical engine for inclusive and green growth, noting its role in employing 60 million people and contributing 45% of manufacturing output. It highlights significant barriers to growth, including a severe skill gap where only 2% of workers are formally skilled and limited access to institutional finance. While the Union Budget 2018 provided tax cuts and credit support, the brief argues that there is insufficient focus on 'greening' MSMEs to meet climate targets, suggesting a need for targeted investment in sectors like decentralized renewable energy and waste management.

A survey of 176 experts reveals that while there is strong scientific support for agroecology, researchers face significant barriers, including a lack of public funding and pressure from entrenched financial interests. The report advocates for the USDA to prioritize interdisciplinary research, extend grant durations, and explicitly incorporate social justice and racial equity into its funding requests.

The report identifies high vulnerability in wetlands, rivers, and snow leopard habitats in North Sikkim due to rising temperatures, erratic precipitation, and infrastructure development. It recommends climate-smart agriculture, improved water resource management, and the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation into state planning.

The report analyzes environmental pledges from seven parties and two alliances for the 2017 Estonian local elections. It finds a strong focus on urban mobility—specifically cycling and public transport—in Tallinn and Tartu, but a general lack of comprehensive strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. While some parties like the Social Democrats (SDE) and the Greens (Rohelised) provided more detailed environmental sections, the report notes a recurring conflict between promises to increase parking/road infrastructure and the goal of preserving urban green spaces. Nationally, platforms focused more on regional development and organic farming than on specific climate targets.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) supports the draft guiding principles for Canada's next food guide, particularly the shift toward plant-based proteins and unsaturated fats. However, CAPE argues that the current draft incorrectly treats human health and the environment as separate entities. They advocate for a 'planetary health' approach that recognizes the ecosystem as a fundamental determinant of health and suggests incorporating Indigenous wisdom regarding sustainability and seven-generation planning. Additionally, CAPE highlights the absence of guidance on cultivation methods, citing research that links organic foods to higher antioxidant levels and lower pesticide residues, while warning that pesticide exposure is associated with neurodevelopmental deficiencies and certain childhood cancers.

The author contends that the 'Feed the World' narrative used by agribusiness multinationals masks a system that exacerbates hunger and poverty. Industrial agriculture is criticized for destroying the natural resources it depends on, promoting dependency through food dumping and seed monopolies, and contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The text asserts that food insecurity is primarily caused by poverty rather than structural shortages. It proposes a shift toward endogenous development, intercropping, and agroecology to ensure a resilient, high-quality, and accessible food system.

The 2017 Green Economy Barometer reports a dual reality: while renewable energy capacity is growing and green technologies are hitting mass markets, the 'brown economy' remains dominant, biodiversity is in crisis, and financial systems continue to subsidise fossil fuels. The document argues that the transition is gathering speed but risks failure if it does not address the needs of rural economies, informal workers, and the youth unemployment crisis.

The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for a coordinated federal food policy to replace a dysfunctional system that prioritizes commodity crop subsidies over public health and sustainable farming. The document advocates for shifting subsidies toward healthy foods, supporting mid-sized family farms, and adopting agroecological practices to mitigate climate change impacts and reduce healthcare costs.

The document advocates for the revitalization of publicly funded classical breeding programs in the U.S., asserting that this low-cost technology is more effective than genetic engineering for developing seeds adapted to sustainable, organic, and regional farming systems. It highlights a severe decline in public breeding resources, noting that the shift toward corporate-led seed development threatens food security by reducing genetic diversity. The author recommends that the USDA's National Institute for Food and Agriculture prioritize long-term funding for cultivars suited to agroecological systems to improve crop resilience, nutrient efficiency, and productivity.

The report documents the rapid growth of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in agriculture and forestry between 2008 and 2014. It highlights that all surveyed standards experienced growth in compliant areas, with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil showing the most significant expansion. The document provides detailed statistics for commodities including bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybeans, sugarcane, tea, and forestry, while identifying critical data gaps in multiple certification, pricing, and consumption patterns that hinder policy planning.

The document examines the challenges facing the subaks of Bali—traditional farmers' organizations managing irrigation and water temples—following the 2012 UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription. It highlights a disconnect between the initial nomination vision and the actual implementation, which has been hindered by bureaucratic hurdles and the exclusion of key local stakeholders. The brief identifies critical threats to the landscape's viability, including the high cost of rituals, water scarcity, land conversion driven by high taxes, and a shift toward intensive farming. It argues that the existing democratic governance of the subaks, exemplified by the Forum Pekaseh Catur Angga Batukaru, provides a foundation for a successful farmer-led management system. The author recommends implementing the UNESCO-approved management plan, establishing a comprehensive regency-level management body, and meaningfully engaging subak leaders to ensure the long-term preservation of the living cultural landscape.

The document examines the struggle to implement a participatory management system for Bali's UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. It highlights that while the Subak (traditional farmer organisations) possess the democratic organisational capacity to manage the land, they face existential threats from high ritual costs, water scarcity, land conversion, and a lack of youth interest in farming. The brief argues that successful preservation requires moving away from top-down bureaucracy toward a model that actively integrates Subak leadership and addresses the economic viability of traditional organic farming.

The report examines the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in Bali, focusing on the Catur Angga Batukaru (CAB) region. It identifies significant governance gaps, where initial top-down structures failed to include key stakeholders like the subak farmers, leading to the creation of a more inclusive Coordination Forum in 2014. The document details existential threats to the subak system, including rising ritual costs, high land taxes driving land conversion, water scarcity due to tourism priority, and a declining interest in farming among the youth. It argues that the long-term viability of the landscape depends on empowering farmers through a regency-level management body and community-based monitoring aligned with the Tri Hita Karana philosophy.

The document details the first carbon and water footprint assessments for the city and municipal government of La Paz, Bolivia, using 2012 as a base year. It identifies the transport sector as the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions and the residential sector as the main contributor to the water footprint. The project led to the creation of a reduction action plan, the inclusion of environmental measures in the 2014 municipal budget, and the implementation of pilot projects such as a waste-to-energy system at the Municipal Zoo and peri-urban organic farming. Key challenges identified include data scarcity, the need for high-level political commitment, and the impact of a polarized political environment.

The document promotes agricultural cooperatives as a socially and politically acceptable alternative to 'land grabbing,' allowing farmers to retain control of their resources while accessing markets and finance. It distinguishes between production and service cooperatives and highlights the benefits of collective bargaining and resource sharing. The text emphasizes that while foreign investment can reduce risk and provide capital, government support should be limited to creating a favorable legal environment and providing technical training, rather than direct interference in management.