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The Brazilian sustainable debt market reached USD 33.3bn by H1 2023, with green bonds dominating at 45.2%. Within the agriculture sector, forestry is the most financed land-use category, followed by agriculture and bioenergy. The report highlights the role of sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) for hard-to-abate sectors and recommends government guarantees and a national taxonomy to scale GSS+ financing.

The report examines how international taxonomies and the national policies of the US, China, and Germany handle fossil fuels to inform the development of a Canadian taxonomy. It finds that while most taxonomies exclude new oil and coal capacity, fossil gas is often treated as a transitional fuel with strict emission limits and phase-out dates (typically 2030–2035). The document highlights the critical role of fugitive methane emissions in determining the actual climate impact of natural gas, arguing that lifecycle assessments are necessary to avoid 'carbon lock-in'. It concludes that Canada's main trading partners are using economic incentives and regulations to reduce hydrocarbon consumption, suggesting that a science-based taxonomy is essential for attracting private capital for decarbonization.

The document advocates for the inclusion of all financial institutions—including banks, insurers, asset managers, and institutional investors—within the scope of the CSDDD. It argues that the sector's immense scale and influence make it integral to preventing human rights and environmental harms. The briefing highlights that excluding the sector would contradict UN Guiding Principles and OECD Guidelines, and would leave a gap in conduct requirements that existing EU regulations like the SFDR and CSRD do not fill. It recommends that the CSDDD explicitly cover financing, investment, and advisory activities, while allowing for proportionate differentiation in how different types of financial entities meet their obligations without diluting the fundamental duties.

The document details the management cycles and legal deadlines of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), emphasizing the obligation to achieve 'good status' for water bodies and the strict conditions under which deadlines may be extended. It highlights that while the primary deadline for good status was 22 December 2015, extensions for technical feasibility or disproportionate costs are limited until 2027, after which only 'natural conditions' can justify further delays. The paper also addresses the immediate requirement to prevent water deterioration and the inferred deadline of 18 December 2028 for phasing out priority hazardous substances. A case study on mercury pollution in North Rhine-Westphalia illustrates the legal consequences of failing to implement necessary measures to meet these standards.

The briefing examines the necessity of including illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within the scope of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). It highlights that IUU fishing accounts for approximately 20% of wild-caught ocean fish annually and acts as a multiplier for environmental degradation, including the decline of fish stocks and destruction of marine habitats. The document critiques current Commission and Council proposals for being too restrictive and instead recommends a cumulative approach that combines specific categories of environmental impacts (such as biodiversity loss and marine ecosystem degradation) with a comprehensive list of international environmental conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement.

ClientEarth critiques the European Commission's proposed Soil Monitoring Law for lacking legally-binding targets and implementation timetables. The briefing recommends establishing a long-term target of 100% healthy soils by 2050 with intermediate milestones, requiring Member States to implement detailed soil district management plans, and ensuring meaningful public participation and access to justice to prevent the law from being ineffective.

The document analyzes the role of access to justice within the proposed Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law). It argues that Article 22 is essential for holding public authorities accountable and ensuring compliance with the Aarhus Convention. The briefing recommends explicitly including human health organizations and prohibiting restrictive procedural standing rules to prevent obstacles to legal recourse.

The document analyzes the impact of the EUDR on Brazilian exports of commodities such as cattle, soy, and coffee. It argues that while Brazil possesses a sophisticated framework of environmental policies—including the Forest Code and satellite monitoring systems—that align with EU goals, significant challenges remain. These include the short implementation timeline, the high cost of due diligence for smallholders, and the lack of a comprehensive national traceability system. The authors suggest that the EUDR could serve as a catalyst for Brazil to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030 and enhance its market share in Europe by utilizing the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) as a sustainability certificate.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds the world is off track to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. In 2022, global gross deforestation reached 6.6 million hectares, a 4% increase from 2021. While some countries like Indonesia and Malaysia show progress, massive losses continue in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that 'gray' public finance (subsidies driving deforestation) vastly outweighs 'green' finance. It also emphasizes the ongoing violence against environmental defenders and the systemic lack of legal recognition for Indigenous Peoples' and local communities' land rights.

The submission critiques the National Treasury's use of IFI loans, highlighting how World Bank conditionalities and IMF variable interest rates restrict policy autonomy and increase financial risk. It specifically warns that the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) may exacerbate debt dependency. The authors call for mandatory parliamentary oversight, human rights impact assessments, and gender-responsive budgeting for all future IFI lending.

The report argues that empowering consumers to manage their energy demand and production can shift approximately 900 TWh—about 27% of global residential electricity consumption—away from fossil fuels. It categorizes empowerment solutions into supply-side (e.g., 24/7 PPAs, energy cooperatives, P2P trading), demand-side (e.g., time-of-use tariffs, on-bill schemes), and data-based (e.g., smart meters, granular energy certificates) interventions. The document emphasizes that the path to 24/7 CFE varies by country maturity, dividing nations into 'Potential', 'Progressive', 'Aspirer', and 'Frontier' archetypes, each requiring different policy 'recipes' to overcome barriers such as low smart meter penetration and restrictive electricity market regulations.

The report argues that the IMF's economic surveillance of Colombia and Indonesia reveals significant 'blind spots' regarding the green transition. It finds that the IMF prioritizes austerity and market-based pricing mechanisms over green industrial policies and fails to adequately quantify long-term climate risks or the financing needs for adaptation and mitigation. The authors call for a systematic integration of climate issues into policy recommendations, better sequencing of fiscal advice, and wider engagement with civil society.

The report identifies clinker production as the primary source of emissions in the cement sector, accounting for 88% of total emissions. It evaluates three main decarbonization levers: substituting clinker with materials like fly ash and calcined clay, replacing coal and gas with biomass, waste, or green hydrogen, and deploying CCUS. While some progress is noted in developed markets, the report warns that absolute emissions will rise as production grows in emerging markets like India and Africa unless green processes are scaled. Key barriers include supply constraints for substitutes, high upfront costs for CCUS, and a lack of carbon transport infrastructure in high-growth regions.

The global steel sector faces significant challenges in decarbonization, with emissions intensity growing by 0.5% annually since 2010. While hydrogen-based Direct Reduced Iron (H-DRI) and Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) offer paths to near-zero emissions, their deployment is hindered by high costs, limited green hydrogen supply, and a shortage of high-grade iron ore. The report highlights a geographic divide: the EU and US are shifting toward low-emission tech supported by subsidies and carbon pricing, while high-growth regions like India continue to expand high-emission Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) capacity. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is viewed as a necessary but expensive tool for abating existing capacity, though commercial-scale projects remain limited.

The report analyzes the global transition of road transport to electric vehicles, noting that while passenger EV adoption is on an exponential growth trajectory, freight and emerging markets face significant hurdles. Key barriers include insufficient charging infrastructure, power grid limitations, and high total cost of ownership (TCO) for heavy-duty trucks. The document emphasizes the need for a shift from demand-side subsidies to supply-side policies, such as prioritized permitting for battery production and direct funding for charging networks, to sustain the transition toward net-zero emissions.

The statement warns that fossil fuel companies are leveraging taxpayer-funded DACCS technology to offset emissions and maintain their social license to operate. It highlights Occidental Petroleum's Stratos project as a primary example of how carbon capture can be linked to enhanced oil recovery (EOR), which may actually increase net CO2 emissions. The author urges EU policymakers to ensure the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) bans the use of removals for offsetting to prevent similar corporate greenwashing in Europe.

The document advocates for a shift from extractive-centered development to 'anticipatory governance' for critical minerals in the SADC region. It proposes transitioning to a 'Resource Balanced Economy' (RBE) that accounts for energy constraints and resource flows, rather than relying on traditional linear or circular economy models. The brief emphasizes the need for a new social contract to protect workers against automation, financial innovations to reduce risk ratings and currency devaluation, and a 'bioregional' approach to value chains to prevent regional fragmentation and ensure fair benefit distribution among member states.

The report finds that importing large quantities of low-carbon hydrogen to Europe is expensive and energy-inefficient due to hydrogen's low volumetric energy density. Pipeline transport is consistently more cost-effective than maritime shipping, with Norway and Algeria identified as the most competitive pipeline sources. Among maritime options, ammonia is the lowest-cost carrier, with the Arabian Gulf being the most economical exporter. The analysis suggests that importing LNG to produce hydrogen at the point of import may be more feasible than long-distance hydrogen transport. CATF recommends that the European Commission re-examine its 2030 target of 20 million tonnes of clean hydrogen per year, as it may lack a clear basis.

The document critiques the use of temporary carbon storage as a climate solution, asserting that unless carbon is stored for significantly more than a century, it cannot physically offset the permanent impact of fossil fuel emissions. It argues that such schemes are often driven by economic interests seeking to avoid emission reductions and that they unfairly burden future generations with the risk of carbon release. The author calls for policymakers, particularly in the European Union, to prohibit temporary storage as carbon offsets and establish minimum durability requirements.

The Great Lakes region—comprising Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—is positioned to drive US aviation fuel targets due to its strong industrial networks and feedstock availability. While the region possesses significant strengths in ethanol supply chains and logistics, a policy gap analysis reveals that no state currently has a comprehensive, coordinated approach to SAF demand and supply. The brief argues that leveraging existing infrastructure, such as the O'Hare International Airport hub and the St. Lawrence Seaway, alongside federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, can catalyze a regional bioeconomy and reduce aviation emissions.