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The document outlines Grenada's approach to strengthening climate resilience following significant damage from Hurricane Ivan (2004) and Hurricane Emily (2005). It highlights the Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) as a mechanism for mainstreaming resilience and sustainable development. Key lessons identified include the need for country-specific responses that prioritize resilience in highly vulnerable Small Island Developing States, the adoption of comprehensive rather than piecemeal approaches, and the importance of cross-sectoral, participatory design. The text also notes the role of the Climate Investment Funds in supplementing domestic funding for the Disaster Vulnerability and Climate Risk Reduction Project and the potential for SPCR technical assistance to attract further international or private finance.

The authors introduce a method for evaluating Sustainable Development – Policies and Measures (SD-PAMs), which are policy instruments designed to achieve sustainable development with climate benefits as side effects. The proposed approach involves reconstructing intervention theories to identify leverage mechanisms and implementation assumptions, while using value chains to determine the targeted aspects of socio-technical systems. The text notes that SD-PAMs incentivized by carbon credits require an institutional framework that is too intricate to be effective compared to those focused on funding or technology transfer.

The author argues that while China's economic decline (the 'Chindown') creates concern, the BRICS grouping remains vital due to its collective weight—representing 25% of global GDP and 45% of the world's population. The group is evolving from a set of economic growth projections into a political economy force, asserting itself in multilateral engagements such as the WTO and G20. Key actions include efforts to trade in national currencies to reduce reliance on the US dollar and pledging funds to the IMF to push for governance and quota reforms. Despite challenges like a lack of cohesive identity and fragile trade linkages, the BRICS are expanding cooperation into food security, sustainable development, and energy.

The author analyzes the electoral performance of European Green parties following the 2009 financial crisis, noting a trend of decline in several countries. To counter this, the text proposes five strategic challenges: focusing on societal needs over internal struggles, embracing diversity in leadership and membership, transitioning from 'whistleblowers' to 'solution providers', establishing credibility on economic issues by promoting alternative green economic concepts, and asserting a strong commitment to social justice and equity. The author advocates for a 'Green New Deal' as a practical first step toward a radical paradigm shift in the development model, emphasizing that proposed efforts must be effective, fair, and legitimate to restore public trust.

The briefing argues that Shell exerts significant influence over the Rio+20 process by occupying senior leadership roles in a 'complex and hermetic web' of interlinked business associations and UN-affiliated initiatives. It details Shell's presence in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), UN Global Compact, IPIECA, and IETA, highlighting how these entities coordinate through Business Action for Sustainable Development 2012 (BASD) to shape sustainable development policy.

The document identifies freshwater, climate change, and environmental governance as universal priorities across regions. It highlights that successful policies—such as the removal of fossil fuel subsidies and integrated water resources management—rely on robust governance structures, multi-stakeholder participation, and the addressing of underlying drivers of degradation. The text emphasizes the importance of transboundary cooperation and the potential for successful policies to leverage societal transformation toward sustainable development objectives.

The document highlights the complexity and unpredictability of the Earth System, noting that human pressures are pushing critical thresholds that could lead to abrupt changes affecting food security, health, and social cohesion. It argues that traditional top-down problem-solving is insufficient and advocates for an integrated approach combining basic research, long-term monitoring, and regular evaluation to address underlying drivers of environmental pressure.

The document examines the Asia and the Pacific region as a critical driver of global environmental outcomes, highlighting its role as the fastest-growing region with rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that while some progress has been made in mitigation and adaptation, urgent action is needed to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient societies. The text identifies key pressures from unsustainable economic growth, population increase, and urbanization, and recommends integrated water management, the '3Rs' approach to waste, and governance improvements to ensure sustainable development.

The document serves as a discussion guide for the Rio+20 conference, arguing that the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Internet on sustainable development should be a central part of the agenda. It posits that these technologies have transformed life globally over the 20 years since the first Rio conference and calls for actions to manage their associated benefits and harms.

The document describes the need for a transformational change in how CARICOM countries approach climate resilience, advocating for the integration of risk management into national planning and policy. It highlights the failures of previous guidelines and proposes a new process involving pilot projects in up to five countries, the 'three ones' principle for coordination, and the use of 'stress-tests' for budget approvals to ensure climate resilience is built into sustainable development.

The document examines how Cape Town and eThekwini integrated climate change into their statutory Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), highlighting that prior climate initiatives, political leadership, and research were critical for success. While IDPs are essential for resource allocation and strategic focus, the brief argues that mainstreaming alone is insufficient and must be supported by sectoral plans, by-laws, and capacity building.

The briefing proposes the concept of 'life-cycle characteristics' to allow public procurement authorities to legally account for non-physical product attributes, such as fair trade or sustainable sourcing, during the bidding process. It argues that the European Commission's current proposal is insufficient to eliminate legal uncertainty regarding whether social factors and specific production processes can be used as technical specifications. Drawing on case law like the North Holland case, the document asserts that social and environmental impacts should be treated equally and linked to the subject matter of the contract across all stages of a product's life cycle.

The document examines the Basel III framework, which introduces higher capital standards, liquidity ratios, and leverage limits to prevent systemic risk. While intended to increase resilience, the author argues that Basel III may increase borrowing costs, reduce lending to small businesses in emerging economies, and encourage the growth of the unregulated 'shadow banking' sector. The paper also highlights that Basel III inherits flaws from Basel II, such as a failure to account for the specific macroeconomic needs of lower-income countries.

The report argues that solving complex policy problems requires networked governance, which depends on the accumulation of social capital (trust, mutuality, and reciprocity) and collective cognition (shared mental models and relational skills). It introduces a four-stage 'lock-step' approach: network architecture, preparing the grounds, collaborative visioning, and reflexive governance. Each stage requires a higher threshold of social capital than the previous one. The authors detail methods to enhance this capital, including institutional brokering via bridging organizations, social learning techniques such as hexagon modelling and card sorting, and collaborative visioning to achieve strategic alignment. The framework emphasizes that organizational innovation (building social capital) is a prerequisite for institutional innovation (policy and governance outcomes).

The document examines the conflict between Vattenfall and Germany arising from the 13th Amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, which mandated the closure of nuclear plants by 2022. It explores how the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) allows foreign investors to bypass domestic courts and seek compensation through the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The report compares the investor-friendly standards of international arbitration—such as 'fair and equitable treatment' and 'indirect expropriation'—with the more public-interest-oriented protections of the German Basic Law. It concludes that the current investor-state dispute settlement system lacks transparency and predictability, potentially creating a 'chilling effect' on environmental policy-making.

CDM Watch asserts that the CDM Executive Board must integrate human rights considerations into its project selection and review processes, citing the UN Charter and the Cancun Agreements. The organization criticizes the Board for registering projects in 2011 despite evidence of human rights abuses and advocates for the creation of a grievance mechanism to provide remedies for affected people.

The document argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has failed its dual goals of reducing emissions and promoting sustainable development. It highlights that 40-70% of projects are non-additional, meaning they would have occurred without CDM registration, and that many projects cause social and environmental harm. The signatories call for the exclusion of fossil fuel and large hydro projects, the implementation of 'do no harm' assessments, and the creation of meaningful public participation and grievance mechanisms.

Carbon Market Watch outlines its priorities for the high-level panel reviewing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), emphasizing the need for the panel to assess the mechanism's impact on mitigation and sustainable development, ensure environmental integrity among co-existing market mechanisms, and improve stakeholder involvement.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the proposed revisions to the CDM coal crediting methodology (ACM0013), stating that they do not sufficiently address technical flaws such as data quality and project emissions. The organization warns that 45 coal projects in the pipeline, primarily in India and China, risk locking in over 400 million tCO2 in annual emissions, which contradicts the 2°C warming objective. It specifically highlights that six already registered projects will bypass the new rules and could generate 89 million credits based on a flawed methodology.

Minister Molewa's 2012 Budget Vote Speech details South Africa's commitment to a 'just transition' to a low-carbon, green economy. Key initiatives include the implementation of the National Climate Change Response Policy, the rollout of a 800 million Rand Green Fund, and the creation of biodiversity jobs through SANBI. The speech also addresses the National Waste Management Strategy, the fight against rhino poaching through SADC collaboration and CITES engagement, and the streamlining of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) to balance economic growth with sustainability.