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The BBNJ Agreement, or High Seas Treaty, aims to regulate 64% of the ocean's surface through four pillars: marine genetic resources, area-based management, environmental impact assessments, and capacity building. While the African Group of Negotiators helped shape the treaty, ratification among African states remains low, with only seven of 55 countries having completed the process. Non-ratifying states risk exclusion from the Conference of the Parties (COP) decision-making and benefit-sharing arrangements for marine genetic resources. The document highlights the potential for designating marine protected areas near Africa, such as the Walvis Ridge and Saya de Malha Bank, and suggests that African states coordinate ministries and adopt cost-effective surveillance technologies, like uncrewed vessels, to manage these areas.

China is advancing a 1.3 TW pipeline of utility-scale solar and wind projects, with operating capacity reaching 1.4 TW by 2025. The country has become a global leader in offshore wind, growing its capacity to 42.7 GW by March 2025. While offshore wind is being used to decarbonize coastal industries and produce green hydrogen, the sector faces challenges from the 2021 phaseout of national subsidies and competition from ongoing coal and gas developments. The report suggests adopting hybrid auction mechanisms and centralized marine spatial planning to ensure sustainable growth.

The document examines the threats to Africa's development financing, including trade fragmentation, the 'securitisation' of economic policy, and high debt burdens. It proposes five ring-fencing mechanisms—public expenditure reviews, medium-term expenditure frameworks, independent funds, statutory protections, and debt-relief linkages—to ensure continuity in funding for education, infrastructure, and climate resilience. It further suggests that African governments frame development as complementary to security to leverage international financing and calls for reforms in the international financial architecture to support these protections.

India's export economy is increasingly vulnerable to carbon-based trade measures, with 68% of its exports going to countries committed to net zero. The report highlights that 7.5 million jobs are exposed to active Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), and sectors like professional services are among the most carbon-intensive globally. To maintain competitiveness against rivals like Vietnam and China, the document argues India must accelerate grid decarbonisation and update its 2025 Nationally Determined Contribution.

Ember proposes a comprehensive overhaul of European grid policy, arguing that electricity grids should be treated as strategic infrastructure for economic growth. Key recommendations include establishing a 'one-stop-shop' for financing, mandating independent and integrated infrastructure planning across energy carriers, and extending national planning horizons to 20 years. The briefing also advocates for a shift toward TOTEX-based regulatory approaches to incentivise flexibility and grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), alongside the standardisation of data sharing between transmission and distribution system operators to improve visibility of distributed assets and grid capacity.

A coalition of 15 NGOs calls on EU fisheries ministers to align 2026 Baltic fishing opportunities with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to ensure fish populations remain above biomass levels capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and to protect ecosystem health.

The document identifies fundamental shortcomings in the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) regarding fishing opportunities in the EU and UK. It asserts that current advice and the requests guiding it do not fully align with legal requirements and policy goals. The authors call on EU and UK decision-makers to request that ICES clarify these shortcomings, address identified issues, and provide interim recommendations to ensure fisheries decisions effectively support stock recovery and ocean health.

The document is an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Denmark, calling for the resumption of negotiations on the EU Green Claims Directive to combat greenwashing and provide legal certainty for businesses. The signatories argue that existing enforcement under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is insufficient, citing EU Commission data that 53% of green claims are vague, misleading, or unfounded, and 40% lack supporting evidence. They contend that the Directive would establish minimum standards for substantiating and verifying environmental claims, thereby protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition without creating an undue administrative burden.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes proposals to compensate EU exporters under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), arguing that the actual competitiveness risk is limited and that subsidies would reward polluters. The author contends that CBAM revenue should not be used to subsidize EU producers, as this could conflict with WTO rules and encourage the export of polluting products. Instead, the document advocates for targeted financial support for clean technology innovation and the global expansion of carbon pricing.

The report documents a systematic campaign in Guatemala where social media platforms—specifically Facebook, X, and TikTok—are used to disseminate disinformation to justify the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders and land defenders. It highlights the role of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the Prosecutor's Office in pursuing charges of terrorism and sedition against activists like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document identifies a network of 'net centres,' including the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT) and fake news sites like XelaNews, that coordinate with state authorities to delegitimise defenders by labelling them as 'terrorists' or 'puppets' of foreign interests. It further details the criminalisation of the Maya Poqomchi’ communities of Washington and Dos Fuentes in land disputes with Agropecuaria Pananish, and calls on social media giants to improve content moderation to protect vulnerable activists.

The document warns that reforming the MSR2 before the ETS2 launches in 2027 could lead to an oversupply of allowances, weakening the price signal and jeopardizing the EU's 2030 climate target of a 42% reduction in covered emissions. It argues that high prices should be managed through 'complementary measures'—such as CO2 standards for vehicles and boiler phase-outs—and the strategic use of the Social Climate Fund and €300 billion in ETS2 revenue. The authors contend that existing safeguards, including a 'soft price cap' of approximately €55 per tonne and the early auctioning of 30% more allowances, are sufficient for the initial phase. They caution that any increase in allowance supply must be 'cap neutral' to avoid exceeding the carbon budget.

The EU agrifood sector has significant untapped potential for climate action, but current policies are expected to yield only modest emissions reductions. Key opportunities for deep reductions include food waste reduction and the shift toward plant-based foods, which could improve public health and farmer income. However, progress is hindered by CAP subsidies that favour animal-based production and a lack of economic incentives for sustainable protein innovation. While EU long-term climate scenarios rely heavily on technology and assume only moderate dietary shifts, current trends in declining beef consumption suggest that more ambitious progress is feasible if supported by targeted policy and investment.

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) opposes the UK government's proposed reliance on market-based mechanisms and the VCMI Scope 3 Action Code of Practice, arguing that allowing carbon credits to 'close scope 3 emissions gaps' effectively legitimises offsetting and risks rewarding 'climate laggards'. CMW advocates for a 'contribution' or 'beyond value chain mitigation' (BVCM) model over offsetting and insetting, and suggests that the UK's Environmental Reporting Guidelines (ERG) should mandate, rather than encourage, the disclosure of carbon credit information. The document also recommends 'temperature-alignment claims' (specifically referencing 1.5°C) as a more precise alternative to 'Paris alignment' claims.

A coalition of NGOs, including Carbon Market Watch, warns that the European Commission's draft delegated act for permanent carbon removals—covering DACCS, BioCCS, and biochar—fails to meet the legal requirements of the CRCF regulation. The group argues the methodologies are of low quality, fail to address indirect land use change, assume automatic additionality, and lack sufficient MRV and liability rules for biochar. They call on the European Parliament and Council to object to the draft and urge the Commission to prevent the integration of these units into the EU ETS until quality is ensured.

In June 2025, solar power became the largest source of electricity in the EU, generating 22.1% of the total supply. This milestone coincided with record-high wind generation for May and June and a record low for coal's share of electricity. However, the first half of 2025 saw an overall increase in fossil fuel generation, driven by higher gas use and lower hydropower output due to drought.

The report contends that Canadian LNG projects are high-risk investments due to capital intensity, market volatility, and declining global demand. It highlights that importers in Europe and Asia are shifting toward renewables to avoid the price spikes and supply shocks associated with LNG. The authors argue that new LNG infrastructure threatens to become stranded assets, potentially requiring further taxpayer subsidies, while simultaneously increasing global greenhouse gas emissions and delaying the energy transition.

The report analyzes green hydrogen production in India, finding that state-level transmission waivers and capital subsidies are critical for cost competitiveness. It compares on-site, ISTS-connected, and STU-connected project models, highlighting that while on-site projects avoid transmission costs, they face land and demand constraints. The study identifies Odisha as a leader in cost competitiveness due to aggressive incentive packages and emphasizes that off-site projects require at least a 50% cost reduction to compete with grey hydrogen.

The document is a formal letter from ClientEarth and other civil society organisations to the European Commission expressing strong opposition to the Sixth Omnibus on chemicals. The authors argue that the proposal, which seeks to simplify requirements in the CLP, Cosmetic Products, and Fertilising Products Regulations, actually promotes deregulation and undermines EU competitiveness by creating regulatory instability. They specifically highlight 'severe cases of maladministration' regarding the proposed rollback of CLP Regulation formatting rules, claiming the Commission bypassed public consultation and lacked a proper evidence basis. The letter warns that these procedural flaws violate EU primary law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, potentially leading to the legislation being annulled by EU courts.

The document outlines the structure of the EU's Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) certification framework and its associated methodologies for permanent removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products. It highlights the 'QU.A.L.ITY' criteria used for certification and expresses concern that the EU Carbon Removals Expert Group (CREG) is dominated by industry lobbyists, prompting Carbon Market Watch to commission independent expert reviews of the draft methodologies published in April 2025.

The document contends that the EU's decision to exempt international aviation from the ETS since 2012, largely due to US political and industry pressure, has failed to reduce emissions. It criticizes the ICAO's CORSIA framework as ineffective and calls for the EU to resume pricing international aviation emissions, proposing that the resulting revenue be directed toward global climate finance for vulnerable countries.