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The report analyzes the Zona Franca de Manaus (ZFM), noting that while it is named a 'free trade zone', it functions more like an 'enterprise zone' by focusing on regional development and local employment rather than international trade. The authors argue that current tax incentives have not significantly improved productivity or wages, with 59% of employees earning up to two minimum wages in 2019. The document recommends redefining the ZFM's identity and linking tax benefits to local hiring quotas, education, infrastructure reinvestment, and sustainable activities that leverage the Amazon biome's comparative advantages.

The report identifies a rural credit market in the Amazon characterized by low competition, limited access for producers, and a heavy concentration on livestock, which is strongly linked to illegal deforestation. It highlights that agricultural activity in the region is less entrepreneurial than in the rest of Brazil, with a predominance of public banks and a historical reliance on the Fundo Constitucional do Norte (FNO), though private resources like Letras de Crédito Agrícola (LCA) are increasing. The authors argue that aligning credit access with compliance with the Forest Code and utilizing tools like the Central Bank's Bureau Verde are essential to incentivize sustainable land use.

The briefing argues that the New Bidding Law provides an opportunity to strengthen the planning of infrastructure projects by introducing more robust preliminary technical studies. It proposes a 'pre-feasibility analysis' methodology to anticipate socio-environmental risks before projects reach the bidding stage, thereby reducing the likelihood of project interruptions or environmental damage. While praising new transparency measures and the role of audit courts, the document warns that the law represents a regression in mandatory social participation.

The briefing examines the 2021 New Bidding Law in Brazil, highlighting the potential for preliminary technical studies to serve as a new planning stage. CPI/PUC-Rio proposes integrating a pre-feasibility analysis—consisting of structuring questions and socio-environmental complexity assessments—to prevent low-quality or infeasible projects from proceeding. While the law improves transparency through a single official website and expands the oversight role of legal advisory bodies and courts of accounts, the authors criticize the reduction in mandatory social participation and the potential for delays in implementing environmental licensing priorities.

The guidance focuses on four critical areas of environmental governance in mining: water management, biodiversity protection, mine waste stability, and emergency preparedness. It advocates for a risk-based approach and the use of environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs) to minimize negative impacts. The document also outlines a five-step gap analysis process—review, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help governments align their national frameworks with international best practices and the IGF Mining Policy Framework.

The document provides a framework for governments to manage four critical environmental areas in the mining sector: water, biodiversity, waste, and emergency response. It emphasizes the use of legislative, regulatory, and policy tools—specifically Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs)—to minimize negative impacts and protect ecosystems and communities. The guide outlines a five-step gap analysis process (review, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor) to help governments align their national legal frameworks with international best practices and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The document outlines four critical areas of environmental management in mining: water, biodiversity, mine waste, and emergency preparedness. It emphasizes the role of national governments in regulating these areas through legislative and policy tools, such as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs). The guide advocates for a risk-based approach to governance, the application of the mitigation hierarchy for biodiversity, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups—including women and indigenous peoples—in emergency planning and monitoring. Finally, it proposes a five-step gap analysis process (review, evaluate, prioritize, implement, and monitor) for governments to align their national legal frameworks with international best practices and Sustainable Development Goals.

The document outlines the role of governments in ensuring sustainable environmental management throughout the mine life cycle. It emphasizes a risk-based approach to governing four critical areas: water resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services, mine waste stability, and emergency response. The guide advocates for the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Management Plans (ESMPs) as primary regulatory tools and introduces a five-step gap analysis process—review, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help governments align their national legal frameworks with international benchmarks such as the IFC Performance Standards and the Mitigation Hierarchy.

The document outlines a comprehensive approach for governments to regulate the environmental impacts of large-scale mining throughout a project's life cycle. It emphasizes the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) to ensure sustainable resource management. The guide details specific standards for water quality and basin-level management, the application of the mitigation hierarchy to achieve 'no net loss' or 'net positive impact' on biodiversity, the technical and financial requirements for stable mine waste storage (particularly tailings dams), and the necessity of inclusive, risk-based emergency response planning. It concludes with a five-step gap analysis process—review, evaluate, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help governments align their national legal frameworks with international sustainability standards.

The document serves as a comprehensive resource for governments to balance resource extraction with environmental protection. It focuses on four critical areas: water management, biodiversity conservation, mining waste stability, and emergency preparedness. For each area, the guide outlines major challenges, international standards (such as IFC Performance Standards and the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management), and specific governmental roles. It emphasizes a risk-based approach, the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), and the importance of inclusive consultation, particularly with women and indigenous groups. The guide concludes with a five-step gap analysis process—examine, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help states align their national legal frameworks with international best practices.

The Climate Action Tracker reports that recent Paris Agreement pledges and targets have reduced the estimated end-of-century warming to 2.4°C, down by 0.2°C. While the 2030 emissions gap for a 1.5°C pathway has narrowed by 11-14%, current policies still project a warming of 2.9°C. The most optimistic scenario, assuming full implementation of net zero targets, suggests warming could be as low as 2.0°C, though this remains above the Paris Agreement limit. The report emphasizes that stronger near-term 2030 targets are more critical for reducing warming than the addition of new net zero targets.

The document analyzes the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a heavy reliance on global imports and a lack of fiscal capacity for social protection. It details how governments primarily used interventionist market, trade, and production policies, while highlighting severe disruptions in input supply, labor, and logistics. The authors argue for a shift toward more agile governance, investment in infrastructure, and the effective implementation of regional trade agreements to build future resilience.

The document examines the cassava value network in Colombia, highlighting its current use in food and industrial sectors and its potential for bioplastics and animal feed. It identifies low productivity, limited technology transfer, and financial barriers for smallholders as key challenges. The paper suggests transitioning toward biorefineries and inclusive supply chains to enhance Colombia's bioeconomy.

As of May 2021, WWF spent $1,390,408 from its Emergency Fund for Amazon Fires to support firefighting equipment, supplies, and risk management in Brazil and Bolivia following the 2019 fire season, which saw over 12 million hectares burned.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzed a new substitute text for PL nº 2633/2020 proposed by Deputy Bosco Saraiva. While the analysis notes improvements in the consultation of public agencies and the requirement for an active Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), it warns that environmental safeguards remain ineffective. Specifically, the document argues that the bill fails to force the regularization of environmental liabilities, potentially rewarding those who committed environmental crimes, and creates an unjustified benefit for properties up to 6 fiscal modules by easing requirements for the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) or Conduct Adjustment Agreements (TAC).

Reclaim Finance argues that Engie is failing its climate ambitions by converting coal power plants to gas and biomass rather than transitioning to sustainable renewables. The document highlights specific conversions in Chile and a proposed gas project in Italy as evidence of a lack of strategic vision, while noting that Engie's current SBTi-certified target of 2°C is insufficient compared to the required 1.5°C trajectory.

WRI Brasil evaluates President Jair Bolsonaro's announcement to advance Brazil's climate neutrality goal to 2050. While acknowledging the gesture, the statement argues that the 2030 emission targets are less ambitious in absolute terms due to base-year adjustments and that the promises of zero illegal deforestation by 2030 contradict the administration's recent relaxation of law enforcement and removal of such targets from the 2020 NDC.

A September 2021 survey of 898 registered U.S. voters shows broad support for international climate action, including a 73% approval rate for the U.S. pledge to reduce carbon pollution by 50% by 2030. While 66% of voters believe the U.S. should reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions, there is even stronger consensus that developing countries (81%) and other industrialized nations (74%) should do more to address global warming. Support for providing financial and technical aid to developing countries for mitigation (66%) and adaptation (61%) has increased since March 2021, though significant partisan divides remain, particularly among conservative Republicans.

The briefing argues that the Leaders Summit on Climate should be used to secure a 50% emissions reduction target from the US by 2030, align the 2030 targets of major economies like China and Japan with net-zero trajectories, increase climate finance for developing nations while ending public coal funding, and ensure COVID-19 recovery packages prioritize green infrastructure over fossil fuels.

Uruguay transitioned its electricity generation to 98% renewable sources by 2019 through the Energy Policy 2005–2030, significantly increasing wind power capacity and creating over 11,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2018. This transition was supported by tripartite social dialogue involving the government, employers, and unions, as well as technical assistance from the International Labour Organization (ILO). While the shift successfully retired fossil-fuel plants with minimal worker impact through early retirement, it introduced challenges including the privatization of the electricity sector and a reliance on foreign manufacturers for renewable energy equipment.