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This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) analyzes the trade dynamics between South Africa and its BRICS partners (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) from 1995 to 2011. It examines trade value, intensity, complementarity, and structure, noting a significant shift in South Africa's trade balance and a growing reliance on primary commodity exports to meet the demand of emerging economies, particularly China.

This statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and ClientEarth critiques a response from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) regarding industry proposals for chemicals regulation within the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (TTIP). The authors argue that the industry's proposals seek to undermine the implementation of existing EU and US chemical laws and reflect a pattern of delaying protective regulations.

A statement by Friends of the Earth Europe and Friends of the Earth U.S. urging U.S. President Obama and European Commission President Barroso to prioritize environmental and health protections over corporate interests during their summit in Brussels.

A critique of the ACC-CEFIC proposal for chemical regulatory cooperation under TTIP, arguing that the industry seeks to lower safety standards, bypass democratic oversight, and delay the regulation of toxic substances by exploiting differences between EU and US laws.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) critiques a joint proposal by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) regarding regulatory cooperation on chemicals within the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). CIEL argues that the industry's proposals are designed to exploit regulatory differences between the US and EU to slow the regulation of toxic chemicals, bypass democratic processes, and prioritize commercial interests over public health and environmental safety.

This report provides a comparative analysis of the trade policies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It examines their political coordination, their specific roles and proposals during the Doha Round negotiations, and their use of trade instruments such as tariffs, subsidies, and anti-dumping measures. The document highlights areas of convergence, particularly in defending the interests of developing countries, and areas of divergence stemming from different economic growth models.

This policy brief examines South Africa's energy transition and its strategic international partnerships. It highlights the country's reliance on coal while pursuing a target of 30% clean energy for new capacity by 2025. The document details South Africa's role as a regional energy hub via the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and its complex relationship with the EU, which balances broad strategic partnerships with specific bilateral cooperation and South-South engagements (BRICS, IBSA).

The paper argues that single-year emissions targets are fundamentally flawed compared to continuous multi-year targets because they create uncertainty regarding cumulative emissions, are more susceptible to annual variability, and are incompatible with domestic emissions trading schemes. The authors highlight that the use of tradable units can further reduce the ambition of single-year targets, potentially allowing countries to meet goals without domestic mitigation. They recommend that future international agreements mandate continuous multi-year targets to ensure comparability and align with global carbon budgets.

This research paper analyzes the European Union's struggle to include foreign airlines in its Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) amid international resistance, arguing that the opposition is driven by political realism rather than policy design and warning that EU retreats could undermine its future regulatory credibility.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States (TTIP or TAFTA) threaten to undermine public health protections by hindering the regulation of toxic chemicals.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States (TTIP or TaFTA) threaten to undermine chemical safety regulations by weakening the EU's stronger policies and hindering improvements to the US federal system.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that EU-US trade negotiations threaten to undermine the European Union's stronger chemical regulation policies and hinder improvements to the flawed US federal chemical management system.

This report, authored by Jessica Robinson of the Asia Sustainable Investment Association (ASrIA) for the 'Greening China's Financial Markets' project, examines how policy and regulatory innovations can incentivize the investment industry to integrate sustainability, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their strategies. It identifies systemic barriers such as 'short-termism' and a lack of standardized data, and proposes solutions including the reform of compensation structures, the implementation of carbon pricing, and the use of green investment banks to mobilize private capital for a low-carbon transition.

This commentary analyzes the limitations of the draft European Union (EU) Regulation on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), arguing that its narrow scope, administrative 'light touch' approach, and specific loopholes undermine the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol.

Friends of the Earth issued a statement opposing the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act" (HR 3830/S 1900), also known as "Fast Track" legislation. The organization argues that this bill would shift power from Congress to the executive branch to expedite the approval of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) without significant debate or amendment.

The research paper examines the MRV requirements of the CDM, finding them to be overly complex and stricter than those of the EU ETS, which hinders project issuance and creates avoidable barriers without adding to environmental integrity.

This briefing, produced by the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) for the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, analyzes strategies for the LDC Group to increase global ambition for climate mitigation within the negotiations for a new climate agreement intended to enter into force in 2020.

This policy brief examines the intersection of bioenergy market development and climate change adaptation in the Nordic region, specifically focusing on Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. It analyzes how globalization and climate-driven shifts in productivity and logistics affect the supply chains of bioethanol, biodiesel, wood pellets, and wood chips.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the use of a systematic equity review to assess intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) for climate mitigation. Using the Climate Equity Reference Calculator, the authors demonstrate how different 'equity settings' regarding capacity and responsibility can define a country's 'fair share' of global mitigation, often revealing a gap between a nation's fair share and its domestic mitigation potential.

This research synthesis brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) examines the challenges of managing chemicals for sustainable development, focusing on the gap in chemical safety between developed and developing nations, the role of international agreements like SAICM, and the need for new hazard assessments to address planetary boundary threats.