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The paper surveys 29 long-term climate strategies (LTSs) submitted to the UNFCCC, representing 42 countries and 28% of global emissions. It finds a growing trend toward net-zero targets, an increasing focus on the fundamental economic and societal shifts required for transition, and a reliance on both natural and technological carbon removals. The analysis highlights that while most strategies include midcentury goals and modeling, the level of detail regarding adaptation and just transition varies, and some parties acknowledge gaps between their most ambitious scenarios and their final targets.

Analysis of 2020 vessel tracking and manifest data reveals that a small number of mega-traders dominate U.S. cocoa imports through opaque networks and 'cocoa-laundering' via third countries. The report highlights how 43% of cocoa from Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire passes through Europe and significant volumes from Peru and Ecuador funnel through Panama and Colombia, diverting revenue from producers. It identifies systemic obfuscation in import data, including the use of multiple company name variations by traders like Barry Callebaut to hide market dominance, and calls for U.S. legislative action to restrict imported deforestation and improve traceability.

The document analyzes the devastating impact of COVID-19 on South Africa's economy, noting a 7% contraction in 2020 and a record unemployment rate of 32.6% in Q1 2021. It highlights that initial relief measures, such as the R500 billion rescue package, were poorly implemented, with only one-third materializing by February 2021. The brief details severe job losses in construction, trade, and manufacturing, and notes that women and informal workers were disproportionately affected. It specifically identifies a 'second pandemic' of gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F), with annual costs estimated between R28.4 billion and R42.4 billion. To mitigate these crises, the IEJ recommends replacing the Loan Guarantee Scheme with grants, extending the TERS wage support, reinstating the SRD grant at R585 per month, and increasing public infrastructure spending.

The document introduces the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, a simulation-based tool designed to calculate environmental, social, governance, and climate risks, as well as externalities in infrastructure projects. It details the three-pronged modelling approach—system dynamics, project finance, and spatially explicit models—to provide a more comprehensive cost-benefit analysis than traditional financial valuations. The report provides sector-specific examples (energy, buildings, roads, wastewater, irrigation, and natural infrastructure) and outlines how these modules can be integrated into Indonesia's Vision 2045 (IV2045) system dynamics model to bridge top-down national strategy with bottom-up project implementation.

The document argues that Indonesia must shift from carbon-intensive 'grey' infrastructure to sustainable solutions to meet its low-carbon development goals and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies key barriers to this transition, including a lack of bankable project pipelines, inadequate valuation methods that ignore ESG risks, and a mismatch between infrastructure and budget planning. The author recommends adopting integrated planning, utilizing the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to quantify externalities, and establishing project preparation facilities to attract private investment. The brief also highlights international examples from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Saint Lucia, and South Africa to illustrate successful sustainable infrastructure strategies.

The EU–China Environment Project (2018–2021) facilitated policy alignment and knowledge exchange between the EU and China across several key environmental domains. Major achievements include supporting the development of China's National Pollutant Discharge Permitting Regulation, contributing to the drafting of the Yangtze River Protection Law, and co-hosting workshops to inform the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework ahead of COP15 in Kunming. The project also provided research and workshops that influenced China's 14th Five-Year Plan and the 'Guiding Opinions on Integrating and Strengthening Efforts in Climate Action and Ecological and Environmental Protection'. Additionally, the initiative addressed plastic pollution, global deforestation in supply chains, and carbon leakage, while promoting a green economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document examines the role of energy cooperatives in the European energy transition, highlighting the Middleground offshore wind farm in Copenhagen as a successful model of community-led decarbonization. It argues that such cooperatives foster 'energy democracy' by combining local financial investment with social capital, though they face barriers like limited capital access and monopolistic competition. The author calls for the European Commission to integrate specific support mechanisms for community energy projects into the EU's legal and investment frameworks to ensure a just and sustainable transition.

Between 2008 and 2019, fifteen CO2-intensive industrial sectors in nineteen EU countries earned estimated additional profits between €30 billion and over €50 billion from the EU ETS. These profits were derived from three primary sources: the overallocation of free emission allowances, the use of cheaper international credits (CERs/ERUs) for compliance, and the passing through of opportunity costs of free allowances into product prices. The iron and steel sector was the largest beneficiary, with profits ranging from €11.9 billion to €16.1 billion. In contrast, the aviation sector experienced a net loss of €151.2 million due to the need to purchase allowances. The report argues that free allocation may no longer be fit for purpose and recommends increasing the share of auctioning combined with targeted investment subsidies or a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to reduce windfall profits and encourage decarbonization.

The document analyzes the drivers of protests against pandemic restrictions across Europe, Germany, and the US. It finds that protest intensity is influenced by the perceived asynchronicity between mortality rates and policy stringency, levels of trust in government, and political polarization. In Europe, higher trust and lower civil liberties correlate with fewer protests. In Germany, districts with lower support for mainstream parties saw more protests, particularly in the East. In the US, protest intensity was higher in Democratic-governed states, driven both by stricter measures and political polarization.

Former OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü details the challenges of investigating chemical weapons use in Syria, the failure of the UN-led Joint Investigative Mechanism due to a Russian veto, and the subsequent creation of the OPCW's Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) to attribute responsibility for attacks.

ClientEarth argues that the ECB's Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP) and Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) exhibit a structural bias toward greenhouse gas-intensive companies, which undermines EU climate targets and increases systemic financial risk. The organization asserts that the ECB has legal obligations under EU treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights to integrate environmental protection into its monetary policy. ClientEarth proposes three specific actions: the immediate exclusion of bonds from companies incompatible with Paris Goals (including coal and unconventional oil and gas), requiring companies to adopt credible net-zero transition strategies by January 2023, and implementing annual TCFD-aligned reporting starting in 2022. The letter challenges the ECB's 'market neutral' approach, claiming it locks in high-carbon business models and fails to account for climate-related financial risks.

The document calls for an urgent ban on nanographene-containing face masks in the European Union, citing a Canadian health advisory that identified these masks as potentially toxic to human lung health. The authors highlight that masks from the China-based Shengquan Group, specifically the 'healfiber' brand, are available on the EU market and have been worn by high-ranking officials, including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The signatories advocate for the precautionary regulation of all personal protective equipment containing nanoparticles, such as nanosilver and nanometal oxides, to protect public health.

The report assesses the economic and environmental viability of an agroforestry project in Welkenraedt, Belgium, using the SAVi methodology and Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) data. The analysis finds that the project, involving approximately 100,000 m2 of hedges and trees, generates net benefits of EUR 3.9 million over 20 years against an investment cost of EUR 607,629. Key benefits include increased agricultural yields via windbreak effects, reduced heat stress for livestock, and enhanced ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient removal. Climate projections under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 suggest that increasing temperatures and precipitation will make the project more economically attractive by increasing the value of avoided flood damage and water treatment costs.

The report assesses a simulated agroforestry project in Welkenraedt, Belgium, covering approximately 100,000 m2 of hedges and trees. Using the SAVi tool and C3S climate data, the analysis demonstrates that the project is financially viable when environmental and social externalities are included. Key findings include estimated net benefits of 3.9 million euros over 20 years against an investment of 607,629 euros. The study highlights how agroforestry mitigates climate risks, such as reducing heat stress for livestock and preventing soil erosion and nutrient runoff, with benefits expected to increase under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 climate scenarios.

The LIFE-A2J-EARL project focused on bridging the 'implementation gap' of EU environmental laws by empowering the judiciary, public administrations, and public interest lawyers. Operating across eight EU Member States, the project produced a comprehensive legal guide, national toolkits, and a digital platform to facilitate access to justice. It delivered 48 training sessions and 12 webinars, reaching over 2,000 participants. Despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting judicial attitudes in some regions, the project successfully increased stakeholder awareness of the Aarhus Convention and EU case-law. Key outputs included a database of 117 public interest lawyers from 15 countries and a final virtual conference attended by 285 participants.

The research paper examines the Anglophone separatist conflict in Cameroon, tracing its origins to long-standing grievances over marginalisation and 'Francophonisation'. It asserts that the escalation into civil war was triggered by the violent repression of peaceful protests in 2017 and is sustained by President Paul Biya's insistence on a military solution over political accountability. The author highlights the humanitarian toll, including over 3,000 deaths and 750,000 internally displaced persons, and calls for a joint UN and African Union framework to negotiate reforms regarding Anglophone autonomy and resource management.

The NAP Global Network responds to an external evaluation of its 2015–2020 activities, committing to integrate findings into its 2021–2025 Strategy. Key commitments include revising its Theory of Change, expanding support to 30 new countries by 2025, and shifting focus from 'paper NAPs' toward the actual implementation of adaptation priorities. The Network also aims to enhance private sector engagement, vertical integration, and the alignment of NAP processes with the Paris Agreement's Global Stocktake and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The report argues that ENGIE's transition strategy is not aligned with the Paris Agreement due to the lack of confirmed shutdown dates for 70% of its remaining coal fleet and a reliance on converting coal plants to fossil gas and biomass. While ENGIE aims for renewables to provide 58% of its power by 2030, the document identifies significant financial and regulatory risks associated with its gas and biomass assets, including the potential for stranded assets and high methane emissions from shale gas procurement.

The report examines the tension between Ethiopian nationalists and ethno-nationalists, noting that while most agree on federalism, they disagree on its purpose. It analyzes three primary constitutional frameworks—consociationalism, centripetalism, and integration—and proposes five hybrid models to balance inclusion, moderation, and national cohesion. The author concludes that no single design is sufficient and recommends a negotiated blend of these mechanisms to ensure stability and protect individual and minority rights.

The document argues that the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'—characterized by AI, cloud computing, and IoT—is providing the tools necessary to overcome legacy modeling and accelerate decarbonization. It identifies data and transparency as one of six key market catalysts and provides examples of how corporations (Tesla), cities (Shenzhen), and financial instruments (Sustainability Linked Loans) are leveraging data to reduce emissions and capture economic value. The brief concludes with recommendations for policymakers, corporations, and financial institutions to integrate climate-relevant data into their strategic decision-making to mitigate risk and seize a projected $26 trillion economic opportunity by 2030.