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The text calls for a shift in political ecology from a discourse of renunciation to one of positive horizons. It suggests redefining the state as a 'social-ecological state', re-evaluating work, and building alliances with non-green movements to expand its social base and counter neoliberalism.

The author calls for Green political movements to shift their approach from focusing on prohibitions to promoting a positive vision of societal well-being. This involves reinventing democracy to counter authoritarianism, transitioning the welfare state into a 'social-ecological state' capable of functioning without economic growth, and building strategic alliances with non-Green entities to mainstream ecological discourse and overcome public resistance to lifestyle changes.

The Quebec Pesticides Strategy 2015-2018 proposes expanding the list of banned pesticides to 60 active ingredients, including neonicotinoids, atrazine, and chlorpyrifos. These substances are linked to bee colony deaths, endocrine disruption, and developmental neurotoxicity. CAPE intends to partner with Équiterre to advocate for these bans to protect public health and the environment.

A systematic review of scientific literature on bioenergy production and sustainable development reveals a limited evidence base for policy-making, with research concentrated in a few countries and focused primarily on agricultural biomass plantations. While economic and technological impacts are often reported as positive, social and environmental impacts tend to be negative, except for the direct substitution of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.

The Paris agreement is characterized as a balance between ambitious emission reductions and the principle of differentiation between developed and developing nations. It emphasizes the mobilization of financial resources for decarbonization and creates space for sustainable, people-centered development for the poorest populations.

The guide outlines a framework for negotiating farmland and water investment contracts, emphasizing the primacy of domestic law over contracts and international treaties. It provides a comprehensive preparation checklist and a model contract containing clauses on land rights, environmental and social impact assessments, financial obligations, and community development agreements. The document warns against 'stabilization clauses' and advocates for transparency and rigorous investor screening to mitigate the high failure rate of large-scale agricultural projects.

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.

The document examines the interaction between the G-20 and Africa, noting that while South Africa is the only permanent African member, the G-20's agenda significantly impacts the continent. It evaluates the G-20 Development Working Group's (DWG) progress on priorities such as infrastructure, domestic resource mobilisation, and financial inclusion. The author argues that while there is overlap with the AU's Agenda 2063, momentum has been lost in supporting African regional economic integration, and further efforts are needed to leverage G-20 resources for sustainable infrastructure and local capital markets.

The document details the impact of SUMERNET's research projects across the Mekong Region, focusing on flood risk reduction, urbanization, green tourism, forest conservation, and water governance. It highlights the network's growth from 14 to over 60 institutes and its shift toward cross-border collaboration and 'Outcome Mapping' to ensure research findings influence policy and improve local livelihoods.

The document analyzes the transition from conventional low-pressure cogeneration to high pressure cogeneration (HPC) in Pakistan's sugar industry. While Pakistan has the potential to generate 1000 MW of electricity from its 4.4 million metric tonnes of annual bagasse, adoption is hindered by high costs, technical risks, and regulatory gaps. The study highlights the experiences of Almoiz Sugar Mills, which faced initial failures, and JDW, which successfully integrated 53 MW into the national grid. It concludes that scaling low-emission strategies requires leadership from industry champions and improved risk profiling to attract investment.

The document argues that the 'commons'—resources managed by autonomous citizens through cooperation and reciprocity—offer a necessary third way between the state and the market. It explores various applications, from urban 'commoning' in Italy and France to seed-saving in India and the legal challenges of space mining. The text highlights how neoliberal privatisation has driven a 'third wave' of collective action and calls for EU policy to shift from a growth-centric model to one that supports stewardship and social-ecological sustainability.

The document outlines the legacy of Dr. Mostafa Tolba, who led the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for nearly 20 years. It highlights his role as a bridge between science and policy, his leadership in creating the Montreal Protocol, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the Convention on Biodiversity, and his commitment to integrating developing country perspectives into the global environmental agenda.

The report assesses the impact of mining automation on the shared-value paradigm, which relies on local employment and procurement to provide socioeconomic benefits to host communities. Using case studies from a high-income OECD country and a lower-middle-income country, the authors model workforce reductions of 30%, 50%, and 70%. They find that while absolute GDP impacts may be small at a national level, the loss of wages, salaries, and local procurement can significantly reduce the total value a mine contributes to its host economy. The report concludes that developing countries may be more vulnerable due to over-dependence on extractives and lower technical capacity to adapt. It suggests shifting the shared-value focus toward downstream beneficiation, horizontal industry linkages, knowledge transfer, and revised fiscal regimes, such as resource rent taxes or increased government ownership.

The document examines the socio-economic and environmental dynamics in Barcarena, Pará, focusing on the role of extractive industries like Norsk Hydro. It highlights a significant power imbalance between industry/government and civil society, alongside widespread public distrust in local governance. The brief recommends strengthening the Intersectoral Dialogue Forum (IDF) by improving government transparency, requiring companies to set tangible community goals, and empowering civil society to ensure equitable sustainable development.

The 'Hållbara Hökarängen' project (2012-2015) demonstrated that sustainable urban development is most effective when it leverages local socio-demographic contexts and focuses on activities where residents have direct influence, such as urban gardening and communal cooking, rather than technical energy issues. The project utilized action research, a diverse communication strategy, and the creation of 'Local Sustainability Ambassadors' to foster long-term behavioral change and social cohesion. While a parallel investment program by Stockholmshem reduced heat energy consumption by over 30% per square meter compared to 2007, the behavioral project found that engagement was highest for 'lustful' activities and resource efficiency rather than residential energy use, where tenants had limited control.

The document argues that the Sendai Framework's emphasis on multi-level collaboration, learning, and innovation aligns with adaptive governance, which can help manage the complexity of social-ecological systems. While the Framework provides a window for transformative change, its implementation faces hurdles including high operational costs, power imbalances, and the lack of a dedicated funding mechanism.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) provides scientific research and technical support to reduce human vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. Through its Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk, SEI works to ensure development does not create new risks but instead enhances resilience. The institute supports global frameworks like the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while providing regional support to ASEAN in Southeast Asia and IGAD in Eastern Africa. SEI's capacity-building efforts include developing analytical tools (such as the BalticClimate Toolkit and RISC-KIT), hosting knowledge platforms like weADAPT.org, and sponsoring 'writeshops' for early-career scientists from developing countries.

The SEI Gender and Social Equity Programme seeks to address knowledge and policy gaps by mainstreaming gender and social equity into the institute's research and technical tools. The programme is structured around three main tasks: developing new research projects with a gender and social equity lens, adapting modelling tools like WEAP and LEAP for social inclusion, and aligning these perspectives across all SEI research and operations. Current initiatives include studying the gender pay gap in Estonia's bioeconomy, analyzing social factors in SMEs' sustainability agendas, and using agent-based modelling to simulate inclusive sustainability pathways for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The document outlines a research initiative to break down barriers between disaster risk reduction (DRR), adaptation, and development. It argues that development processes often create the very risks they seek to mitigate, and proposes a framework based on understanding risk trade-offs, promoting 'equitable resilience' to address social injustice, and implementing adaptive governance. The brief highlights the Sendai Framework as a key opportunity to integrate these transformative practices globally.

Bhutan has a constitutional mandate to maintain 60% forest cover and manages a connected network of 10 protected areas covering 5 million acres. However, this system faces threats from poaching, illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, and a declining youth population in rural areas. Additionally, the region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing melting glaciers and intense rainstorms. To address these challenges and a decrease in foreign aid, WWF and the Bhutanese government have launched 'Bhutan for Life', a funding initiative with a goal of $35 million to $45 million. This fund uses a project finance model to support enforcement, wildlife monitoring, and community job creation, transitioning the country toward a self-sustaining conservation business plan over 15 years.