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This report provides a guide for policy-makers, particularly in developing countries, on how to use public spending to catalyze private investment for climate-friendly infrastructure and clean energy.

The report analyzes the social, environmental, and business performance of 1,337 SMMEs in developing countries, with a focus on the 2011 applicant cohort. It identifies a strong trend toward the adoption of new technologies and a shift in organizational identity from strictly non-profit to hybrid or for-profit models. Key barriers include a lack of financial resources, limited access to technical research partners, and a deficiency in local-level environmental monitoring and enforcement. The study also highlights gender disparities, noting that women-led enterprises often face greater challenges in accessing business management skills and markets.

The document analyzes the International Bar Association's Model Mining Development Agreement (MMDA 1.0), providing a template and narrative to ensure mining contracts promote sustainable development, transparency, and equitable resource distribution. It details key contractual areas including land tenure, royalties, taxation, and community obligations, while emphasizing the use of international standards like the IFC Performance Standards and EITI. Additionally, the report investigates the existence of similar model agreements for the oil and gas sector, concluding that no internationally accepted model currently exists despite the availability of various national form contracts.

The paper examines disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Zimbabwe through a livelihood-centred lens, analyzing how financial, natural, physical, human, and social assets influence vulnerability. It argues that traditional coping strategies are being undermined by increasing pressures, including climate change, and concludes that DRR must be integrated into all long-term sustainable development activities.

Carbon Market Watch urges the EU to integrate shipping emissions into its climate policy to act as a global leader and ensure real emission reductions with high environmental integrity.

The briefing addresses the urgency of improving air quality in China following severe pollution events in Beijing. It argues that while fuel quality standards are a necessary first step, long-term success requires avoiding car-reliant urban development. The author advocates for 'transit-oriented development' characterized by walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods and high-quality public transit, specifically Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), to reduce transportation-related emissions. Additionally, the document highlights the role of energy-efficient building standards in reducing power plant pollution and the benefit of compact cities in preserving natural ecosystems.

The policy paper advocates for a human rights-based approach to climate finance, emphasizing that mitigation and adaptation measures must not violate human rights. It evaluates existing mechanisms—the Global Environment Facility (GEF), REDD+, and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)—finding that while some integrate social safeguards, others lack transparency and accountability. The authors propose a comprehensive institutional safeguard system for the Green Climate Fund (GCF), including mandatory social and environmental policies, independent monitoring, and a robust grievance mechanism based on international standards.

The document is an annotated bibliography covering various scholarly and policy works on multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). It examines themes of compliance, accountability, and the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in global governance. A significant portion of the text analyzes the 'interplay' between MEAs and the WTO, noting how trade restrictions can either 'chill' environmental negotiations or serve as effective enforcement tools, as seen in the Montreal Protocol. It also details the specific compliance mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, CITES, and the Basel Convention, while highlighting the challenges of climate finance and the need for transparency in the EU's financial commitments to developing countries.

The statement by the Green Economy Coalition emphasizes that while sustainable development models are proven, the global pace of transition is too slow, leaving many economies locked in unsustainable patterns. It calls for bold leadership to overcome government caution following the economic crisis and proposes specific actions for the Rio conference, including clarifying green economy principles, improving progress metrics, and redirecting investment flows to support sustainability.

The document details a side event focused on the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of reforming fossil-fuel subsidies. It highlights the fiscal burden of these subsidies, which totaled an estimated US$409 billion in consumption subsidies in 2010, and their role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The report presents case studies from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Sweden to illustrate different reform trajectories and challenges. It advocates for a comprehensive reform strategy that includes targeted compensation for the poor, transparency, and specific commitments within the Rio+20 outcome document, including financial and technical assistance for developing countries.

The report examines the potential of sugar cane bioenergy to improve rural livelihoods, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease fossil fuel imports in Southern and Eastern Africa. Drawing on experiences from Brazil and India, it asserts that sugar cane is a highly efficient global resource that requires increased investment, technology transfer, and international cooperation to support regional economic competitiveness and sustainable development.

The statement argues for the creation of a special procedure within the UN Human Rights Council to manage the intersection of human rights, environmental crises, and climate change, noting that over 140 states have already incorporated environmental rights into their constitutions.

The author analyzes the collapse of the liberal-productivist model, which combined neoliberal deregulation with a drive for continuous material growth. This model failed due to a convergence of financial debt crises and ecological constraints, specifically the 'energy-climate crisis' and food price volatility. The author proposes a 'Green Deal' characterized by a shift toward labor-intensive green investments, a reduction in working hours, and a global cooperative framework for greenhouse gas (GHG) quotas. To fund this transition, the document suggests the 'monetization of debts'—canceling or rescheduling old debts while directing new credit toward green conversion. The text warns that without a democratic, cooperative transition, the world risks repeating the 1930s' slide into fascism or totalitarianism.

The author characterizes the current global crisis as the collapse of a 'liberal-productivist' model, which combined neoliberal deregulation with a productivist drive that ignored ecological limits. This model failed due to a combination of financial instability (a 'debt economy'), extreme revenue inequality, and a 'climate-energy crisis' where the demand for staple commodities like food and energy crowded out durable goods. The author argues that traditional Keynesian solutions are insufficient because they would accelerate climate change, while 'green-washing' ignores the social inequalities at the root of the crisis. A proposed 'Green Deal' would involve a global redistribution of productivity—prioritizing the reduction of labor time over material consumption—and a shift toward a labor-intensive technological paradigm focused on public transportation and care services. Financing this transition would require the 'monetization of debts' and the creation of new credit strictly oriented toward green investments. The author warns that without a coordinated, democratic transition, the world risks a repeat of the 1930s, where economic desperation led to the rise of fascism and Stalinism.

Carbon Market Watch urges the CDM Executive Board to reform additionality requirements, shorten crediting periods, and mandate human rights compliance. The organization recommends establishing global sustainability standards, improving civil society participation through grievance mechanisms, reforming the appointment and payment of Designated Operational Entities (DOEs), and implementing a strict code of conduct for the Executive Board to prevent conflicts of interest.

The author identifies three failures of 'first wave' environmentalism: a failure to establish the relative urgency of environmental crises compared to immediate economic crises, the lack of a convincing narrative on growth in Agenda 21, and the tendency for environmental agendas to be managed by environmental ministers rather than economic development ministers. While the author praises the UN Secretary General's High Level Panel report for addressing these issues through recommendations on fiscal policy and a sustainable economy, he warns that the 'zero draft' of the Rio+20 outcome document remains largely aspirational and risks falling back into the 'environmental trap'.

The author argues that first-wave environmentalism failed because it lacked a convincing narrative on economic growth, failed to establish relative urgency against immediate poverty and debt crises, and remained isolated within environmental ministries. He evaluates the High Level Panel on Global Sustainability's report as a successful attempt to address these gaps through recommendations on green jobs, carbon pricing, and private sector engagement. However, he warns that the 'zero draft' for the Rio+20 outcome document remains largely aspirational and risks falling back into the 'environmental trap'.

The document examines the historical evolution of the link between human rights and the environment across UN conferences and argues that the Rio+20 process, specifically its 'Zero Draft' outcome document, fails to adequately operationalize this linkage. It suggests that a rights-based approach is essential to prevent the 'green economy' theme from eclipsing social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The brief recommends that Rio+20 explicitly recognize the right to a healthy environment, integrate this right into the mandates of new environmental organizations or the Ombudsman for Future Generations, and pursue a global or regional treaty to elaborate on the procedural rights of access to information, public participation, and access to justice as outlined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration.

The report examines the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in sustainable development, contrasting theoretical advantages—such as efficiency, risk transfer, and access to capital—with practical challenges including high tender costs, reduced transparency, and a lack of institutional capacity. It argues that while PPPs can drive innovation if governments provide correct incentives, they are currently not being used to advance environmental and social sustainability. The author recommends adopting a whole life value approach and integrating sustainability safeguards into pre-project approvals and performance evaluations to ensure PPPs support sustainable development rather than just economic growth.

The document examines the drivers of India's climate policy, arguing that these policies are embedded in broader strategic interests: foreign policy at the international level and development interests at the national and sub-national levels.