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The document argues that 'Big Food' companies face escalating risks across waste, climate, and health dimensions due to their 'addiction to single-use plastics'. It highlights a wave of new legislation in Europe, increasing public backlash, and emerging legal precedents in the US and EU that could lead to significant financial and legal liabilities. The brief warns investors that many companies are failing to disclose these material risks or are relying on 'false solutions' rather than reducing their plastic footprints.

The document analyzes the growth of commercial aviation and its contribution to climate change, noting that while aircraft efficiency has improved, increasing traffic is driving up total emissions. It details the specific warming effects of CO2 and contrails, the role of air freight, and the economic drivers—particularly the expanding middle class in Asia—that are projected to triple commercial aircraft emissions by 2050. It also discusses international and U.S. regulatory efforts to set CO2 standards for new aircraft.

The document critiques TotalEnergies' plan to issue Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs), asserting that the company's climate targets and overall corporate strategy are misaligned with the Paris Agreement. It highlights flaws in the company's KPIs, specifically regarding scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and points to a projected 50% growth in hydrocarbon production by 2030 as evidence of a strategy at odds with climate science. The briefing concludes that these bonds serve as a marketing tool to secure funding for oil and gas expansion rather than a genuine mechanism for energy transition.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and IKEA are creating a guide for businesses to develop air pollutant emission inventories for their value chains, intended for publication in 2022. The initiative addresses a gap in comprehensive guidance for the private sector, aiming to align air pollution reporting with existing greenhouse gas (GHG) standards to leverage existing corporate resources. The guide will cover pollutants including particulate matter, black carbon, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, providing a framework to identify emission sources and quantify them using activity-based methods. The business case for this action includes meeting customer demands, reducing legal and financial risks—highlighted by multimillion-dollar fines for companies like Toyota and ExxonMobil—and improving operational efficiency.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted African food supply chains through reduced urban demand, export market collapses, and movement restrictions, though it also increased demand for local produce and accelerated the use of digital tools. While agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa grew modestly between 2000 and 2018, innovation is now being driven by urbanization and private sector technical assistance. The author recommends that governments shift from temporary subsidies toward long-term investments in rural infrastructure, health, education, and agricultural research, while establishing 'nerve centers' to analyze food chain data and resolve bottlenecks.

ClientEarth argues that Ofgem's current statutory objectives are outdated and prioritize competition over decarbonisation, hindering long-term climate investments. The submission proposes narrowing Ofgem's principal objective to focus on security of supply and greenhouse gas reduction, introducing sector-specific carbon budgets, and requiring the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to issue periodic Strategy and Policy Statements. Additionally, ClientEarth highlights a failure to regulate and verify non-carbon dioxide emissions, specifically methane and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and advocates for a consumption-based emissions accounting approach to include extraterritorial emissions from imported energy.

The study evaluates seven LULC products—CORINE, S2GLC, LUCAS, a LUCAS-based Landsat map, SIOSE, SIGPAC, and a custom Landsat/CORINE map—for the El Mijares watershed. It finds that no single product provides all necessary LULC details, with raster maps showing only 45.5% overall spatial consistency. While CORINE offers the longest time-series, the authors suggest that extending a Landsat/CORINE approach to the full Landsat series is the most suitable for long-term watershed analysis.

The document outlines the development of certification criteria for electrical grids and storage to mobilise private capital for low-carbon infrastructure. It establishes that most modern grid investments are eligible if they support the integration of renewables or are part of a system on a trajectory toward decarbonisation, adopting the EU taxonomy as a baseline. It specifically excludes pumped hydropower and hydrogen storage from this sector's scope. The criteria also mandate that issuers demonstrate climate resilience by assessing physical risks and implementing mitigation measures over the assets' operational lifetimes.

The document examines how socio-economic factors and gender norms in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) create disproportionate exposure to chemical and noise pollution. It highlights that while men are more exposed in heavy industry, women face higher risks in healthcare, cleaning, and agriculture. It notes a critical lack of official data on environmental health in BiH and recommends gender-sensitive risk assessments, poverty reduction, and targeted awareness campaigns to protect marginalized groups, including Roma communities.

The document details user experiences with three existing climate tools—the Global Climate Monitor, World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal, and Copernicus Climate Information Portal—and provides a set of design recommendations for the upcoming ClimVis tool. Key user preferences include the need for national language support, intuitive layered complexity, high-quality metadata, and the ability to compare real-time weather data with long-term climate trends.

The guidance outlines a target-setting framework for the aviation sector based on the Science Based Targets initiative's (SBTi) Sectoral Decarbonization Approach (SDA). It defines carbon intensity pathways derived from the IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario, requiring the sector to reduce average carbon intensity by approximately 35-40% between 2019 and 2035, and 65% by 2050. The framework covers Well-to-Wake (WTW) emissions, excluding non-CO2 factors due to scientific uncertainty. It provides specific instructions for aircraft operators to converge toward sector intensity levels and for aviation service users to address Scope 3 emissions, including a linear annual reduction rate of 0.4% for business air travel. The document also specifies criteria for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and explicitly excludes out-of-value-chain carbon offsets from meeting science-based reduction targets.

Reclaim Finance argues that Eurizon's March 2021 coal exclusion policy is insufficient due to vague definitions of 'clear direct involvement' in thermal coal and a lack of transparency regarding its implementation. The policy notably fails to address coal expansion plans and excludes index funds, 'LTE' funds, and certain mandates from its scope.

The document traces the history of hazardous waste regulation from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the 2019 entry into force of the Basel Convention's Ban Amendment. It highlights the risks of 'toxic colonialism,' where developed nations export hazardous materials to vulnerable regions. A significant focus is placed on the rapid growth of e-waste and the complexities of defining 'waste' versus 'recyclable products.' The author argues for a more proactive, equity-based approach to waste management to address emerging streams from the energy transition, such as lithium and cobalt.

The testimony advocates for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a vital tool for Pennsylvania to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. It identifies Western Pennsylvania as the most geologically favorable region for CO2 storage, estimating a potential capacity of 75.6 gigatonnes in deep saline formations, though it notes this figure may be overly optimistic. The author suggests that initial CCS projects should target 15 identified steel, cement, and power plants in the west to minimize transport costs, proposing a 'hub' model to achieve economies of scale. The testimony also highlights the potential for Pennsylvania to use its natural gas resources to produce clean hydrogen via reforming with CCS. To enable this transition, the author calls for federal policy support, specifically the enhancement of 45Q tax credits to $85 per metric ton and the passage of the SCALE Act, as well as the adoption of a state-level Clean Energy Standard.

The energy transition increases demand for minerals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium, which are often sourced from poorly regulated mines in a few countries, leading to human rights abuses and environmental damage. While recycling and new battery technologies could reduce this demand, current recycling rates remain low, and the industry requires more transparent, enforceable sustainability standards.

The briefing details advancements in extreme event attribution, updated temperature datasets, and refined climate sensitivity models. It highlights the shrinking carbon budget for the 1.5°C target, the risks of climate tipping points, and the critical role of non-CO2 greenhouse gases like methane. Additionally, it discusses the scientific requirements for net-zero targets and the limitations of carbon dioxide removal and geoengineering.

Allianz Global Investors (Allianz GI) introduced its first coal exclusion policy in July 2021, excluding companies that derive over 30% of revenues from thermal coal or produce over 30% of electricity from coal. Reclaim Finance argues this policy is outdated, mirroring a 2015 standard rather than the more stringent current Allianz Group policy. The analysis highlights that Allianz GI remains invested in 96 coal companies, including 43 coal developers, and lacks commitments to end support for coal expansion or set a full exit date for the coal sector. The document calls for the adoption of absolute exclusion thresholds and alignment with the Allianz Group's goal to exit coal by 2040.

A group of 27 leaders from industry, academia, and civil society argue that the TEN-E Regulation must be expanded to include geological CO2 storage and multiple transport modalities—such as rail, ship, barge, and truck—to effectively support the development of European CO2 networks. They state that without including storage, the regulation supports "pipelines to nowhere" and fails to align with the European Green Deal's climate targets.

The report identifies significant ESG risks in the aquaculture industry, specifically high fish mortality and the use of wild-caught fish in feed, which threaten long-term profitability and food security. It finds that most investors lack robust policies to mitigate these risks and warns that some 'green bonds' in the sector may be used for greenwashing. The document recommends that investors require investees to disclose supply chains, reduce mortality rates, and eliminate wild-caught fish in feed by 2025.

The document challenges the notion that heavy transport and industrial heat are 'hard-to-abate' sectors, suggesting that they can be decarbonized profitably. It emphasizes the role of plummeting renewable energy costs and the potential for massive efficiency gains in trucking, aviation, shipping, and the production of steel and cement. The author advocates for 'integrative design' and structural efficiency to drastically reduce the volume of materials needed, thereby lowering both costs and emissions.