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The paper analyzes water injustice across OECD countries, finding a primary focus on water scarcity and identifying distributive, procedural, and recognitional injustices. It argues that current responses are insufficient to address root causes and recommends a systems perspective and local context focus for future governance.

The document outlines the climate and social risks associated with the expansion of data centers, highlighting their massive energy and water consumption. It warns journalists against uncritically accepting corporate claims about job creation and investment, urging them to investigate local resource competition, 'digital sacrifice zones,' and extractivist dynamics in the Global South.

The document provides a comprehensive critique of the South African food system, highlighting how historical land dispossession and post-apartheid deregulation have led to extreme corporate concentration and persistent food insecurity. It advocates for a transition toward agroecology and food sovereignty, emphasizing the need for secure land tenure—particularly for women—and the realignment of social grants to meet the food poverty line. The submission also details the 'triple burden' of malnutrition affecting children and the increasing risks posed by climate change to a water-scarce agricultural sector.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and Natural Justice (NJ) argue that the proposed MIR for onshore exploration in South Africa lacks the specificity, enforceable standards, and climate integration necessary to protect environmental integrity and community interests. They recommend mandatory greenhouse gas accounting, a regional cumulative impact assessment, and a comprehensive public health baseline. Technical experts in the document highlight critical gaps in groundwater monitoring, the absence of a risk-based 'traffic light protocol' for induced seismicity, and the need for transparent chemical disclosure of fracturing fluids. The authors ultimately argue that hydraulic fracturing is incompatible with South Africa's climate commitments and water scarcity, suggesting it should be prohibited.

The document presents Community-Informed Water Systems Modelling (CI-WSM), a framework that integrates socioeconomic data and stakeholder participation into water planning models to address inequalities in water access. Tested in Bolivia and Cambodia, the approach uses a five-phase process to ensure that marginalization and cultural norms are reflected in water resilience analysis and policy strategies.

Nedbank implemented the TNFD LEAP framework to assess nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities (DIROs) within its credit portfolio, primarily focusing on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Using a double materiality lens and tools like ENCORE and the WWF Water Risk Filter, the bank identified six priority sectors—real estate, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, mining and quarrying, energy, and agriculture—based on financial exposure and nature-related scores. While real estate had the highest financial exposure but low nature impact, primary sectors like agriculture and mining showed high dependency and impact. A specific review of a mining client revealed operational interfaces with Critical Biodiversity Areas and Strategic Groundwater Resource Areas, highlighting risks associated with South Africa's water scarcity. The bank is now moving into Phase 2 to quantify financial risks and identify nature-positive lending opportunities.

The report finds that a majority of Americans believe global warming is happening and is primarily human-caused, though many underestimate the level of public concern. While most perceive global warming as affecting U.S. weather and extreme events, few discuss the topic frequently with others.

South Africa holds approximately 80% of global Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), which are essential catalysts for PEM electrolysers and fuel cells used in green hydrogen production. While this provides a strategic opportunity for re-industrialisation and decarbonisation, the transition faces severe constraints, including an outdated electricity grid, water scarcity in high-resource areas, and a significant skills gap. The shift also threatens the coal and internal combustion engine automotive sectors, risking large-scale job losses in regions like Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape. Geopolitically, South Africa must navigate competition between China and Western powers, particularly as the US has withdrawn support for the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The paper argues that for the transition to be 'just', the government must integrate mineral beneficiation with social safeguards, regional SADC integration, and comprehensive workforce reskilling.

The document details the global copper market, highlighting Chile as the top producer and China's dominance in refining and consumption. It examines the transition to electric vehicles as a demand driver, the challenges of end-of-life recycling, and the environmental risks associated with copper production, particularly water scarcity in producing regions.

The document details the global nickel market, highlighting Indonesia's dominance in production and the shifting demand from stainless steel toward electric vehicle batteries. It outlines the technical processing pathways for Class I and Class II nickel, the geopolitical impact of export bans, and the environmental footprints associated with different mining and refining methods.

A super-rapid attribution study by World Weather Attribution finds that human-induced climate change has significantly increased the likelihood and intensity of a five-year drought in Iran and the Tigris-Euphrates basin. The analysis shows that while low-rainfall years are natural to the region, the current 'extreme' to 'exceptional' drought conditions would have been very rare in a pre-industrial climate. The study highlights that warming increases evaporative demand, prolonging droughts and compounding the effects of socio-economic stressors like unsustainable groundwater extraction and water-intensive agriculture.

The policy brief examines how water scarcity empowers non-state armed groups, delegitimizes state authority, and fuels transboundary disputes, while proposing that the US utilize its technological leadership and mediation experience to maintain geopolitical stability.

The report evaluates the impact of SUNCASA-implemented nature-based solutions (NbS) in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, focusing on the Dechatu River Catchment. Using the SAVi methodology, it projects that interventions including afforestation, agroforestry, and urban tree planting will generate a discounted net benefit of ETB 101.6 million from 2025 to 2050, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.36. The primary economic driver is the avoidance of flood-related infrastructure damage, valued at ETB 188.1 million. The assessment also highlights significant intangible benefits, such as avoided health costs from water pollution (ETB 65.8 million) and carbon sequestration (ETB 54.2 million). Sensitivity analyses indicate the project remains viable even with a 94% tree survival rate or under higher carbon pricing scenarios.

The Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning (WEAP) platform is a scenario-based modelling tool used in 190 countries to integrate supply- and demand-side perspectives for water resilience. It enables users to simulate climate-driven scenarios, evaluate adaptation strategies such as infrastructure upgrades and demand management, and analyze trade-offs at the water-energy-food nexus through integration with the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) and macroeconomic models. WEAP supports both top-down and locally led initiatives across various scales, from local watersheds to transboundary river basins.

The report finds that Basrah City's sanitation and waste systems suffer from critical infrastructure gaps, with minimal resource recovery despite high potential. While over 90% of solid waste is recyclable or compostable, most is landfilled or dumped. The entrepreneurial ecosystem is rated as having 'medium maturity' nationally but remains underdeveloped in Basrah, particularly regarding finance and specialized support. Opportunities for circularity exist in planned infrastructure upgrades, such as the Hamdan Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Al-Nakheila waste complex, and in the emerging demand for treated wastewater in agriculture.

The Fall 2025 'Climate Change in the American Mind' report finds that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it primarily to human activities. While 64% of adults express worry about global warming, a significant majority (61%) underestimate the prevalence of this concern among the general public. The report highlights a high level of perceived risk, with majorities believing global warming will harm plant and animal species (69%) and future generations (68%). However, personal and social engagement remains relatively low, as 44% of respondents say they never discuss global warming with family and friends. Consumer activism is present but limited, with 31% of Americans reporting they have rewarded companies taking steps to reduce global warming through their purchases in the past year.

The Fall 2025 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that 72% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it primarily to human activity. While 64% express worry about global warming, a significant majority (61%) underestimate the prevalence of this concern among their fellow citizens. The report highlights a strong perception that global warming is currently affecting U.S. weather, particularly extreme heat (74%), wildfires (72%), and droughts (72%). Despite these beliefs, frequent discussion of the topic remains low, with 44% of adults stating they never discuss global warming with family and friends. Personal importance of the issue has declined to 59%, the lowest level in 10 years. Consumer activism is present but limited, with 31% rewarding climate-friendly companies and 26% punishing those opposing climate action over the past year.

The report examines governance in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, highlighting a systemic gap between the adoption of policy frameworks and their actual implementation. It identifies executive dominance as a primary barrier to the separation of powers and notes that corruption and structural inequality continue to undermine economic development. Environmentally, the report emphasizes that while Africa contributes the least to global emissions, it remains the most vulnerable region to climate change, with poor environmental practices and inadequate policy coordination exacerbating the crisis. The author argues that empowering civil society and youth is essential for building state resilience and achieving sustainable development.

The report outlines the challenges of implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) in Indian cities, where rapid urban expansion has increased heat and flood risks. Based on a multi-stakeholder workshop, it identifies systemic barriers across design, finance, governance, operations, and policy. The central conclusion is that NbS efforts in India are currently fragmented and limited to isolated pilots due to the lack of a national or state-level policy framework. The document argues that establishing such a framework is a foundational imperative to provide the legal and operational scaffolding necessary to scale integrated blue-green-gray infrastructure.

The document outlines how climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' for water scarcity, noting that nearly two-thirds of the global population faces severe water shortages at least one month per year. It highlights that freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, exacerbated by agricultural use and outdated infrastructure. The guide suggests reporting on solutions such as wastewater reuse, sustainable agriculture, and transboundary cooperation, while providing specific examples of water crises in the United States, Mexico, and South Africa.