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The report analyzes Peru's sustainable finance landscape, noting that while it was a regional pioneer with the first green bond in 2014, its GSS+ market has expanded more slowly than its peers. As of April 2022, the market reached approximately USD 6.6bn across 16 deals, dominated by sovereign sustainability bonds. The document identifies significant investment gaps in infrastructure (USD 110bn) and sanitation (USD 22bn), while highlighting opportunities in renewable energy, low-carbon agriculture, and nature-based solutions. It outlines structural barriers such as low market liquidity, currency hedging challenges, and political instability, and recommends the development of a national green finance taxonomy by 2025 to provide clarity and attract capital.

The briefing addresses the lack of standardised definitions for sustainable agriculture, which increases the risk of greenwashing. It examines four representative production systems—regenerative, ecological intensification, sustainable intensification, and organic agriculture—and argues that sustainability should be assessed based on specific management practices rather than broad system labels. The author categorises practices into 'Always', 'Usually', and 'Sometimes' sustainable based on environmental impact, while emphasizing that all must meet 'do no significant harm' (DNSH) social standards. It identifies uncontrolled deforestation and the conversion of high-carbon stocks as permanently unsustainable practices.

The Green Guarantee Company (GGC) is designed to unlock private institutional capital for climate projects in emerging and frontier markets by providing full hard-currency guarantees for bonds and loans of USD 50-200 million with maturities of 5-20 years. To address technical barriers, the GGC includes a USD 10 million technical assistance (TA) facility to build issuer capabilities and support certification against the Climate Bond Standard (CBS). The instrument will pilot in South Africa before expanding to other large emitters like Brazil, India, and Indonesia, and eventually to more vulnerable least developed countries. Financial modeling suggests the GGC can catalyze up to USD 10.6 billion in climate debt over 20 years, achieving operating breakeven within 3 to 7 years across various scenarios. Expected impacts include the addition of 7.97 GW of renewable energy capacity and the avoidance of approximately 75 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The report identifies subnational pension funds as a significant source of untapped capital for urban climate action, estimating at least USD 9.5 trillion in assets across Brazil, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, the UK, and the US. It details structural barriers such as low risk appetite and limited fund size, as well as external barriers like a lack of bankable project pipelines and ticket size mismatches. To overcome these, the document recommends the use of financial instruments such as blended finance, green bonds, and supply-side aggregation (pooling), while urging funds to make net zero commitments and build internal capacity.

The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon from 2009 to 2019, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale infrastructure, specifically hydroelectric power generation, which often serves the rest of Brazil while local populations remain energy-poor. The authors argue that BNDES has a significant opportunity to pivot toward the energy transition by replacing diesel-based isolated systems with renewable energy and improving basic services like sanitation and internet access to reduce regional inequality.

The Climate Smart Shrimp Fund (CSSF), developed by Conservation International, is a proposed loan bundle and technical assistance facility designed to transition extensive shrimp farms to a 'Climate Smart Shrimp' (CSS) model. This model increases production efficiency in a subset of ponds while restoring mangroves in others to provide carbon sequestration and coastal protection. The instrument is currently in a pilot phase in Indonesia, Ecuador, and the Philippines, with a goal to scale to a USD 100 million fund targeting six countries. Financial modeling suggests the approach can increase farm-level profits fourfold compared to business-as-usual scenarios and offers a viable debt service coverage ratio for investors.

The Reservoir Methane Capture Mechanism (RMCM) is a first-of-its-kind Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) designed to unlock public and private investment for capturing methane from the turbined waters of hydroelectric plants. The mechanism uses a 'methane capture-as-a-service' model to remove the need for initial capital expenditure by hydropower operators. The project follows a three-stage implementation: a USD 6.5 million proof-of-concept, a USD 54 million pilot phase involving five plants, and a scale-up phase targeting 273 projects with a potential capital mobilization of USD 3 billion. Revenues are generated through the sale of electricity and carbon credits, with the latter requiring the development of a new methodology via Gold Standard. At full scale, the RMCM aims to capture 217,000 tons of methane annually, avoiding 6.8 million tons of CO2e.

Global Witness calls for the UK to amend the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022 to introduce mandatory forest-risk commodity due diligence for financial actors and a statutory objective for regulators on nature and net zero. The briefing highlights that the UK financial sector is a major financier of global deforestation, with an estimated $16.6 billion provided to 20 agri-businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020, and faces up to £200 billion in risk exposure in Brazilian beef and soy and Indonesian palm oil supply chains.

The briefing reveals that the US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank have invested in bonds from agribusinesses like Cargill, ADM, and Bunge, which are linked to deforestation and land-grabbing in regions such as the Brazilian Cerrado and Indonesia. The document argues that such investments subsidize environmentally destructive companies and send a negative signal to private investors. It highlights a gap between central banks' public climate commitments and their actual portfolios, noting that deforestation is often missing from their risk assessments and 'stress tests'. Global Witness recommends that central banks divest from deforestation-linked bonds, implement zero-deforestation policies, and increase prudential supervision of the private financial sector's exposure to these risks.

The research argues that a universal basic income grant (UBIG) in South Africa could move beyond immediate poverty relief to dismantle structural poverty by improving labour market participation, health, women's empowerment, and social cohesion. Drawing on local and international evidence, the authors contend that a UBIG funded through progressive taxation would stimulate local economies via multiplier effects and increase human capital. The paper emphasizes that for a UBIG to be effective, it must be unconditional, universal, and integrated with quality public services, rather than serving as a replacement for them.

The report examines the global coffee market, highlighting the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change and price volatility. It analyzes the impact of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), noting that while VSS-compliant production grew significantly between 2008 and 2019, it has recently faced a decline due to oversupply and a shift toward corporate sustainability programs. The document argues that sustaining the sector requires internalizing environmental costs, increasing demand for sustainable coffee in producing countries, and implementing living income reference prices to ensure fair compensation for farmers.

The report analyzes the alignment between three voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs)—the East African Organic Products Standard (EAOPS), the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard, and GLOBALG.A.P.—and the agricultural policies of the East African Community (EAC). It focuses on staple crops (beans, maize, rice, and wheat) which are critical for food security and regional trade. The findings indicate strong alignment with climate resilience goals and medium alignment with productivity and trade objectives. Key barriers to scaling VSSs include high certification costs for smallholders, low domestic demand for certified products, and a lack of official political recognition from national standards bureaus. The report recommends that VSS bodies use pilot projects to prove their value and that EAC policy-makers provide targeted financial support and official recognition to integrate these standards into regional trade and development frameworks.

The report details a conference hosted by PARI and CASAC to examine the Zondo Commission's findings on state capture in South Africa. It identifies systemic failures across Parliament, public procurement, and personnel practices, while proposing the creation of an independent anti-corruption agency and stronger whistleblower protections. The document emphasises that 'greed on steroids' and institutional deficiencies enabled state capture, and calls for a coordinated effort between government, civil society, and the private sector to implement reforms and ensure accountability.

The report highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon—defined as the partial loss of vegetation—is a critical but neglected threat to climate goals. It asserts that degradation often exceeds deforestation in terms of annual area affected and carbon emissions, driven by selective logging, forest fires, and the edge effects of deforestation. The author argues that Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor this phenomenon but fails to include it in official environmental performance metrics or greenhouse gas inventories. The document calls for Brazil to integrate degradation measures into its policies and international reporting to reclaim a global leadership role in climate action.

The 30th meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP-30) focused on administrative governance, financial sustainability, and the advancement of transdisciplinary climate research in the Americas. Key outcomes included the approval of the 2022-2023 operating budget, the adoption of a revised Scientific Agenda, and the establishment of a Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy. The meeting also initiated the recruitment process for a new Executive Director and planned for the 31st meeting to be hosted by Panama in 2023.

Research on cattle pastures in the Brazilian Pantanal reveals that seasonally flooded pastures are significant net emitters of CO2 carbon, particularly during aerobic phases, suggesting that improved livestock management and drought-resistant grasses could mitigate these emissions.

The document advocates for a de-siloed approach to climate change and global health, emphasizing that public health is both a prerequisite for and a critical indicator of the Paris Agreement's success. It highlights the significant health co-benefits of mitigation in energy, food, and transport sectors, while noting that the healthcare sector itself contributes 4.9% of global emissions. The submission calls for the Global Stocktake to monitor public health implications across sectors, track the healthcare sector's progress in mitigation and adaptation, and address the severe lack of climate finance directed toward health resilience.

The policy brief highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon is a critical but overlooked driver of greenhouse gas emissions, often exceeding the impact of clear-cut deforestation. It identifies selective logging, fire, and the edge effects of deforestation as primary drivers. The author contends that while Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor degradation, it fails to include these emissions in national inventories or set specific reduction targets. The document calls for the integration of degradation metrics into environmental performance indicators and the application of Brazil's experience in combating deforestation to address this complex phenomenon.

The report examines the systemic underrepresentation of women in Peru's large-scale mining sector, where female labor participation remained around 6% between 2010 and 2019. It identifies key barriers including a lack of women in STEM degrees, traditional gender biases, and challenges in retaining mothers. The document analyzes employment data, regulatory frameworks, and private sector practices, concluding with policy recommendations to improve inclusion, such as implementing gender quotas in recruitment and enhancing labor flexibility for parents.

Comparing 2021 and 2015 projections, G20 absolute emissions for 2030 are now expected to be 15% lower, with average annual growth rates slowing from 1.2% to 0.3%. Despite these improvements, collective emissions are still projected to increase until 2030, leaving the G20 off track to meet the 1.5 °C warming limit of the Paris Agreement.