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This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2015, defines 'frontier landscapes' as remote, sparsely populated areas undergoing rapid transformation due to agricultural expansion and socio-economic shifts. Based on a multi-stakeholder forum at the Global Landscapes Forum in Lima, Peru, the document outlines six propositions to foster sustainable, inclusive, and legitimate development in these regions, emphasizing the need for early action, common ground, institutional capacity, political support, valuation of actor diversity, and robust monitoring.

The document outlines a comprehensive set of demands from Latin American and Caribbean civil society for the COP30 Presidency, focusing on increasing NDC ambition, scaling adaptation and loss and damage financing, reforming the global financial system, and ensuring a multidimensional just transition. It emphasizes the need for the 'Global Mutirão' to be informed by Southern perspectives and calls for a clear timeline for phasing out fossil fuels.

A coalition of 82 civil society organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean urges the COP30 Presidency to move beyond declarative statements toward an integrated framework of accountability. The letter demands ambitious NDC 3.0 submissions from G20 and major emitting nations, a roadmap to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035, and a precise phase-out date for fossil fuels. It emphasizes the need for a transformative adaptation agenda, the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Response Fund, and the integration of climate and biodiversity governance through the Rio Conventions.

As of June 2026, 140 out of 195 Paris Agreement parties have submitted emission reduction commitments for 2035. While 42 of 43 developed countries have published commitments, the document highlights a gap in global coverage, noting that the United States' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and Argentina's lack of an updated NDC hinder the 1.5°C temperature goal. The G20 represents 75.05% of global emissions, but current NDCs from this group cover only 63.01% of those emissions.

The document analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated structural inequalities in Latin America, specifically affecting women's labor participation and health, the vulnerability of indigenous populations regarding food security and healthcare, and the slow integration of green jobs into economic recovery plans. It provides detailed case studies for Mexico, Chile, and Colombia, highlighting gaps in public spending and the need for intersectional policies, improved data collection, and a transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon economy that ensures decent work and social justice.

The document examines the risk of 'stranded assets'—assets that lose economic value before the end of their useful life—driven by climate regulations and the global transition to low-carbon economies. It highlights that Latin America, despite low emissions, holds significant fossil fuel reserves that may become unexploitable to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target. For Colombia, the risk is acute due to a high economic dependence on oil, gas, and coal exports. The report provides a qualitative framework for investors to identify these risks and points toward renewable energy, specifically solar photovoltaics and wind, as profitable alternatives.

The document serves as a journalistic guide to the just energy transition in Colombia. It distinguishes between the country's clean electrical matrix and its fossil-fuel-dependent energy matrix, highlighting the potential for non-conventional renewable energy sources (FNCER) and the strategic importance of transition minerals like copper and lithium. It argues that a just transition must protect social and environmental rights and suggests that decarbonization offers greater employment opportunities than continuing with natural gas. The guide also addresses the environmental risks of mining and the specific case of Vaca Muerta in Argentina as a cautionary example of non-conventional hydrocarbon extraction.

The technical appendices describe the use of a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) general equilibrium model to simulate the effects of adopting the MyPlate and Harvard Healthy Eating Plate dietary guidelines. The analysis focuses on the resulting shifts in U.S. crop acreage, specifically the reduction of cereal grain production in favor of fruits, vegetables, and other crops. Key findings include a projected 8% decline in U.S. cereal grain acreage under the Harvard scenario and significant changes in land rental rates and production levels for various food sectors.

The document identifies key drivers of tropical deforestation, noting that cattle and soy are primary drivers in Latin America, while palm oil and timber dominate in Southeast Asia. It highlights a shift in demand from rural to urban and export markets, driven by urbanization and global dietary trends toward meat. While Brazil has seen success in reducing deforestation through industry moratoria and REDD+ programs, the report warns that biofuel production could create new pressures on forests. Overall, tropical deforestation emissions have decreased by a third or more compared to the late twentieth century.

The document analyzes how media coverage of migration often relies on stereotypes, official sources, and sensationalism, while advocating for ethical journalism based on diversity and factual accuracy.

The report examines the shift from public ownership to private, unbundled utility models in the electricity sector, arguing that these reforms are fundamentally issues of sustainable development. Based on case studies from Argentina, Bulgaria, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, the authors find that electricity reforms have been primarily driven by financial concerns and donor conditions rather than social or environmental goals. The document advocates for a reform process that addresses the needs of the 1.7 billion people lacking electricity access and aligns investor incentives with a clean energy future to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The document advocates for a shift in how Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) approach climate action, moving beyond simply maximizing climate finance volumes to ensuring their entire investment portfolios align with the Paris Agreement. It emphasizes the need for MDBs to stop supporting CO2-emitting energy sources, mainstream climate risks for a world 3-4°C warmer, and support the strengthening of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The World Resources Institute and partners have developed a standardized geospatial dataset to operationalize the GHG Protocol’s Land Sector and Removals Guidance for corporate reporting. The dataset provides emission factors for 42 major crops across global, national, provincial, and municipal levels for the years 2020–24, covering carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Findings indicate significant variation in emissions by crop and region, with subnational data revealing 'hotspots' that national averages obscure.

The case study argues that forests influence climate stability through biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—beyond the carbon cycle. In Chile, the loss of over 40% of forest cover, particularly the matorral in the central region, has likely contributed to local temperature increases and exacerbated the 'Mega Drought' (2010-2018). The authors propose enhancing Chile's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Long-Term Climate Strategy, and REDD+ frameworks by incorporating non-carbon cooling effects as performance indicators and targets. They also suggest expanding the ARClim risk assessment platform to include deforestation-induced warming to better prioritize adaptation measures in agriculture and public health.

The document argues that forests influence climate not only through carbon sequestration but also through biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—which affect temperature and precipitation. In Chile, the conversion of native vegetation to crops and pastures has been linked to local surface temperature increases of up to 4°C. The authors suggest that Chile can enhance its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Long-Term Climate Strategy, and REDD+ strategies by incorporating these non-carbon effects as performance indicators and adaptation goals. Specifically, they recommend prioritizing native species over exotic plantations to maximize cooling effects and utilizing the ARClim digital platform to identify areas at risk of non-carbon warming.

The report examines the non-carbon biophysical effects of forests—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—and their impact on local and global temperatures and precipitation. Using Chile as a case study, it highlights how deforestation of native vegetation, such as the matorral, has contributed to local surface temperature increases. The document proposes specific policy enhancements for Chile, including adjusting its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to favor native species over exotic plantations, expanding the ARClim risk assessment platform, and incorporating biophysical indicators into the National Strategy for Climate Change and Plant Resources (ENCCRV). It suggests that Chile's approach can serve as a model for other UNFCCC parties to recognize deforestation as a climate hazard beyond carbon emissions.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions, failing to account for biophysical processes—such as evapotranspiration and albedo—that make tropical forests critical for cooling the planet. This omission leads to overly conservative credit valuations for tropical nations and indigenous communities, while potentially overvaluing credits from higher latitudes. The authors suggest integrating these biophysical benefits as premium attributes or CO2 equivalents to ensure a just transition and better incentivize large-scale forest conservation.

The research paper contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals, failing to account for the biophysical processes of tropical forests—such as evapotranspiration and albedo—that contribute significantly to global cooling. This omission leads to overly conservative crediting for tropical regions and an underestimation of their mitigation potential, which the authors estimate could provide an additional 1.4 to 1.8 gigatons of CO2-equivalent annual mitigation. The paper also highlights the concept of 'positive biophysical leakage,' where protecting forests enhances the resilience of surrounding landscapes against wildfire and drought. To address these inequities, the authors recommend that norm-setting bodies balance risk assessments, allow for premium pricing based on non-carbon attributes, and work toward quantifying biophysical effects as CO2 equivalents.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions, ignoring four key biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—that allow tropical forests to cool the planet. This omission leads to a significant underestimation of the climate mitigation potential of tropical forests, which the authors claim contribute 50% more to global warming prevention than carbon alone. The document highlights that conservative risk-management standards (such as additionality and leakage tests) further penalize tropical forest credits, particularly in High Forest Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries. It proposes that these non-carbon benefits be treated as additional attributes for pricing or eventually quantified as CO2 equivalents to ensure a more equitable transition for indigenous peoples and local communities.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, failing to account for four key biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—that allow tropical forests to cool the planet. This omission leads to an underestimation of the mitigation potential of tropical forests, which could provide an additional 1.4 to 1.8 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent mitigation per year. The authors argue that this creates an inequitable system that penalizes tropical nations and indigenous communities while overvaluing forests in higher latitudes. To correct this, the document recommends incorporating biophysical effects as additional credit attributes, recognizing 'positive biophysical leakage' that enhances landscape resilience, and developing long-term methods to quantify these benefits as CO2 equivalents.