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The report argues that artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is an underestimated but significant contributor to the global supply of critical minerals, particularly cobalt, tin, and tantalum. It highlights that while some minerals like lithium have high potential for ASM extraction in pegmatite deposits, others like graphite are less viable due to low value per unit of weight. The document emphasizes that the sector's deep informality, lack of geological data, and restrictive licensing frameworks hinder its potential. It presents case studies from the DRC, Indonesia, and Chile to demonstrate both the challenges of informality and the success of formalization models like Chile's ENAMI. The report concludes that for ASM to become a reliable supplier, governments must streamline licensing, provide geological foundations for small-scale plots, and create tailored regulatory frameworks specifically for critical minerals rather than relying on generic gold or gemstone policies.

The report analyzes the cost gaps for battery energy storage systems (BESSs), offshore wind, solar PV, electric vehicles (EVs), and green hydrogen (GH2) in India. It finds that while current subsidies are sufficient for solar PV and BESSs, significant additional support is needed for offshore wind, EVs, and GH2. Macroeconomic modeling suggests that bridging these gaps generally boosts GDP and employment, except for GH2, which remains cost-uncompetitive until after 2050.

The report examines Cyprus's role as a migration hub, highlighting a shift toward restrictive asylum policies, increased border security, and a lack of comprehensive integration strategies. It details the impact of regional conflicts and climate change on migration flows, the rise of xenophobic violence, and the tension between national deterrence efforts and EU-led resilience and integration frameworks.

Greece serves as a front-line state for the EU, managing mixed migratory flows through a policy that prioritizes deterrence over legal migration. While the country has seen shifts in arriving nationalities—with increases in Egyptians, Palestinians, and Iraqis—it faces significant challenges in the social and economic integration of refugees and asylum seekers. The government is currently attempting to expand legal labor pathways through bilateral agreements and domestic reforms to address labor shortages, while continuing to rely on EU funding to maintain border security and reception infrastructure.

Egypt is increasingly a destination and transit point for migrants from Africa and the MENA region, while simultaneously seeing a surge in its own citizens emigrating to the EU due to severe economic instability. The document details how Egypt leverages its geopolitical position to secure EU financial support and strategic partnerships, primarily focusing on curbing irregular migration and managing refugees. It highlights the critical impact of IMF-mandated austerity, currency devaluation, and climate change—specifically sea-level rise in the Nile Delta and water security threats from Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam—as primary drivers of displacement and emigration.

The report establishes a comprehensive framework for banks, investors, and insurers to create climate transition plans aligned with the 1.5°C goal. It details requirements for decarbonization targets, action plans, and engagement strategies, while providing 'red flag' indicators to identify greenwashing. The authors argue that current regulations are too vague and call for mandatory, standardized plans that include an immediate end to financing new fossil fuel production.

The 2024 Scorecard by Insure Our Future argues that the global insurance industry is in a 'vicious cycle,' where it continues to underwrite fossil fuel expansion while simultaneously withdrawing coverage from communities facing the resulting climate risks. Using climate attribution science, the report estimates that over one-third of weather-related insured losses between 2002 and 2022—approximately $600 billion—are attributable to human-caused climate change. The analysis reveals a stark mismatch in underwriting, with renewable energy premiums representing less than 30% of the size of the fossil fuel insurance market in 2023. For 15 of the 28 major property and casualty insurers analyzed, estimated climate-attributable losses exceeded the premiums they collected from fossil fuel clients. While Generali is noted as the first insurer to restrict oil and gas expansion across the entire value chain, the report concludes that voluntary corporate leadership has stalled, necessitating urgent regulatory intervention to mandate 1.5°C-aligned transition plans and higher capital requirements for fossil fuel exposure.

The document examines the transition of energy-intensive heavy industries toward net-zero emissions, highlighting how global trade dynamics and national policies in developed economies impact emerging markets. It identifies four primary technological levers for decarbonization: energy efficiency, alternative fuel use/electrification, material efficiency, and carbon capture and storage. The author argues that while developing countries with abundant renewables can become new green industrial hubs, they face significant risks from carbon border measures, green protectionism, and reduced access to secondary materials. The briefing emphasizes the need for international coordination on standards, technology transfer, and finance to ensure a just transition for emerging and developing economies.

The policy brief argues that CARICOM lacks a cohesive trade strategy aligned with the global 'Sustainability and Inclusiveness' (S&I) agenda. It analyzes the region's economic vulnerabilities—including small market size, dependence on fossil fuels, and climate risk—and evaluates existing trade agreements like the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the CARIFORUM-EU EPA. The authors recommend a regional approach that integrates trade with policies on energy, climate change, the blue economy, and food security, while increasing the participation of non-traditional stakeholders such as MSMEs and civil society.

The report argues that the US can significantly reduce its reliance on newly mined minerals for electric vehicle (EV) batteries by prioritizing energy efficiency, right-sizing battery range, and implementing robust recycling policies. Through a 'Very Low Demand Scenario,' the authors demonstrate that newly mined lithium needs could be reduced by 48% from 2025 to 2050, saving 1.5 million metric tons of material. The analysis emphasizes that while electrification is essential for decarbonization, a systems-wide approach—including investments in public transit and rail to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT)—is necessary to create a sustainable and just supply chain.

The report highlights a significant gap between the public sustainability commitments of major seafood companies and their actual implementation of robust traceability. While some companies like Thai Union and CP Foods have group-level commitments, most lack time-bound targets, detailed implementation plans, or annual progress reporting. The document argues that full-chain, digital, and interoperable traceability—specifically aligned with Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) standards—is essential for managing material risks such as IUU fishing, forced labour, and overfishing, and for complying with emerging regulations in the EU, US, and Japan.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) identifies that five major oil and gas plant owners failed to disclose 10.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022, resulting in an annual social cost of $2 billion. The report highlights how companies use the 'operational control' and 'financial control' approaches of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to exclude assets from their reporting boundaries. Specifically, the Saudi Electricity Company failed to disclose over 7 million tonnes of CO2 from three plants, representing $1.3 billion in annual climate costs. Other analyzed entities, including Egyptian Electricity Holding Company, Calpine Corporation, Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc., and Entergy Corporation, also exhibited gaps between their reported emissions and their actual asset ownership.

The document argues that Africa-EU and Africa-Germany relations are still defined by 'coloniality', manifesting as power imbalances that marginalise African agency. It critiques the EU's security-development nexus and the 'Samoa Agreement' for prioritising European interests, and examines German development aid through the GIZ as often intrusive or tokenistic. The author highlights the exploitation of raw materials and the use of intelligence services to acquire indigenous medicines as contemporary colonial practices. To decolonise, the paper recommends respecting African demands on trade and resource beneficiation, ending the 'Europeanisation' of security missions, and shifting from development aid to industrialisation projects.

Zero Carbon Analytics finds that Japanese households with rooftop solar panels would have saved nearly 135% compared to those without in FY 2020, resulting in a net benefit of JPY 37,422 (USD 353). The report argues that Japan, which has the lowest clean energy share among G7 countries, can accelerate its energy transition by leveraging rooftop solar to overcome mountainous terrain constraints. It highlights the role of policy incentives like feed-in-tariffs (FiT) and tax credits in driving adoption in the US, EU, and UK, and suggests that Japan needs low-cost finance to reduce upfront costs and avoid diverting support toward unproven technologies like hydrogen.

Ember argues that the EU must accelerate the deployment of wind, solar, and clean flexibility solutions to achieve energy self-sufficiency and security. The response emphasizes the need for a "Smart Electrification" Action Plan, the complete cessation of Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027, and the modernization of grid infrastructure and cross-border interconnections, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Citizen Forum for Economic Justice opposes the European Commission's plan to use an "Omnibus" directive to review and potentially roll back the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Green Taxonomy. The authors contend that private sector lobbies are using "competitiveness" and "administrative simplification" as pretexts to weaken corporate responsibility, specifically threatening the principle of civil liability and the requirement for science-aligned climate transition plans. They argue that these regulations are essential for meeting Paris Agreement commitments and protecting human and environmental rights.

The document argues that the European Commission's plan to use 'Omnibus' legislation to revise the CS3D, CSRD, and EU Taxonomy is a response to private sector lobbying under the guise of 'competitiveness' and 'administrative simplification'. The authors warn that this could undermine corporate accountability for human rights and environmental abuses, weaken civil liability for multinational companies, and jeopardize the EU's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and the Paris Agreement objectives.

The author contends that the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), while a step forward, is too reactive because it only mandates tracking when a product is suspected of being counterfeit. To close this loophole, the paper recommends implementing 'end-of-commerce' scanning—proactive verification and decommissioning of serial numbers at the point of dispense. This is framed as a national security priority, particularly for the Department of Defense and HHS stockpiles, given that over 58% of US-procured pharmaceuticals originate overseas. The document suggests an Executive Order to mandate these practices across federal health systems by 2027 and calls for international collaboration and the re-shoring of pharmaceutical manufacturing to mitigate risks from adversarial nations.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that a successful global plastics treaty must address the crisis at its source by capping production, as 99 percent of plastics are fossil-fuel derived and production is projected to triple by 2050. CIEL recommends a minimum 70 percent reduction in plastic production by 2050 relative to 2019 levels to align with 1.5°C climate goals. The document warns that current draft texts and the proposed "non-paper" by Chair Luis Vayas may lead to a weak agreement. Essential elements for an effective treaty include binding national targets, bans on hazardous chemicals (of which over 4,200 are known to pose risks), enforceable trade measures, and a financial mechanism such as a fee on primary polymer production. The authors highlight risks from industry lobbying and potential shifts in US policy following the re-election of Donald Trump.

The CCPI 2025 reports that while 61 of 64 assessed countries increased their renewable energy share over five years, the top three ranks remain vacant as no country performs well enough to meet Paris Agreement goals. Denmark ranks 4th, while oil and gas producers like Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Russia are the lowest performers. The G20, responsible for over 75% of global emissions, shows poor overall performance with only the UK and India ranking as high performers.