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The report by Trend Asia and Walhi Jambi opposes the planned PLTU MT Jambi 1 and 2 projects. It highlights that Jambi already experiences an electricity oversupply, with PLN's capacity at 2,415 MW against a demand of 1,333 MW. The document details the socio-ecological threats to local villages, such as Pemusiran and Lubuk Napal, including water pollution in the Sekamis and Selempado rivers and projected health costs of USD 640 million over 30 years for PLTU MT Jambi 1. It further notes that investors like China Huadian have reportedly withdrawn due to China's policy against building new coal plants abroad, and recommends the immediate cancellation of these projects in favor of renewable energy.

The report examines the proposed construction of the Jambi 1 and 2 mine mouth coal-fired power plants (CFPP), each with a capacity of 2x300 MW. It argues that these projects are unnecessary due to a significant electricity oversupply in the region, where PLN's generating capacity of 2,415 MW far exceeds the community's absorption of 1,333 MW. The document highlights severe social and ecological threats, including the potential for 1,100 premature deaths over 30 years from Jambi 1's pollution and the degradation of the Sekamis and Selempado rivers. It further notes that the projects are primarily designed to create a market for low-calorie coal rather than meet energy needs. Finally, it points to funding instability, specifically the reported withdrawal of China Huadian from the Jambi 2 project following President Xi Jinping's commitment to stop building new CFPPs abroad.

The midterm review finds that while the project's design remains relevant, its overall effectiveness is low, with few measurable outcomes achieved relative to the ~70 million USD investment. Key impediments include significant delays in initiation, inadequate organizational capacity within the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), and a lack of alignment between the project's Theory of Change and implemented activities. The report highlights a critical need to shift resources toward community-level interventions (Component B), improve monitoring and evaluation systems to track behavior change, and strengthen the Project Steering Committee to better mobilize co-financing and ensure long-term sustainability.

The document evaluates G20 progress on international taxation, specifically the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework and the Two-Pillar Solution, noting that while African countries have gained representation—including the African Union's permanent G20 seat—significant gaps remain in technical capacity and revenue generation. It argues that African countries, with a tax-to-GDP ratio of 16%, must prioritise Domestic Resource Mobilisation (DRM) to fund Sustainable Development Goals. The brief recommends that future G20 presidencies focus on digitalising tax administrations, implementing a global carbon taxation system, and adopting more progressive tax policies to fund social protection for the informal sector, which comprises 85.8% of jobs in Africa.

The GCF Board's 37th meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, resulted in the approval of 15 funding proposals totaling USD 736.4 million and the adoption of the 2024 administrative budget of USD 112.4 million. Key strategic outcomes include the endorsement of the Readiness Strategy 2024–2027, which allocates USD 501.5 million to enhance country ownership and direct access, and the confirmation of USD 9.3 billion in pledges for the second formal replenishment (GCF-2). The Board also established an ad hoc Committee on Human Resources Matters to address systemic compensation and policy issues. Significant discussions occurred regarding the potential for a regional presence to reduce operational bottlenecks and the ongoing debate over the financing of results-based payments for REDD+, which was deferred to the next meeting.

Clean Creatives claims the Edelman Trust Barometer is compromised by the firm's ties to climate deniers and autocratic states, alleging that the data overstates trust in governments that are Edelman clients and contradicts the firm's public climate commitments.

The document examines two primary tracks of e-commerce governance at the WTO: the multilateral Work Program on Electronic Commerce and the plurilateral Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It highlights the reinvigorated thematic discussions under the Work Program and the 'slimmed-down' nature of the JSI negotiations following the US decision to withdraw support for data flow and source code proposals. A central point of contention is the provisional moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, where developing economies argue that the loss of government revenue and restricted industrial policy space outweigh the trade cost reductions favored by developed economies.

The report examines the challenges of a just energy transition in Colombia's coal-producing regions of Cesar and La Guajira. It analyzes the differing visions of transition held by national and regional actors, the power dynamics that resist the planned phase-out of coal mining, and the efforts of civil society to promote sustainable futures. This work is part of a broader comparative project involving South Africa and Indonesia to understand energy transition hurdles in Global South coal-producing nations.

The document argues that while African nations have submitted ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), they face a massive climate finance gap and high debt burdens that hinder a just energy transition. It critiques previous G20 presidencies for treating developing countries as a monolith and failing to address Africa's specific needs, such as the disparity between mitigation and adaptation funding. The brief recommends that the Brazilian and South African G20 presidencies focus on increasing the flow and quality of finance through concessional capital, debt-for-nature swaps, and the re-channeling of special drawing rights, while also enhancing Africa's participation in carbon markets and attracting private sector investment.

The document argues that international investment agreements (IIAs) and the ISDS mechanism act as legal barriers to climate action by allowing fossil fuel companies to sue governments for compensation when regulations impact their returns. It outlines a three-part framework for States: removing risk through treaty termination, carveouts, or removal of ISDS clauses; reducing risk via the adoption of 'right to regulate' provisions, interpretative statements, and the careful design of climate measures; and responding to active claims using jurisdictional challenges, the 'necessity defense', and arguments against the 'legitimate expectations' of investors. The toolkit emphasizes that the urgent need to limit warming to 1.5°C may justify the termination of treaties like the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) based on a fundamental change of circumstances.

The document analyzes the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), highlighting its shift toward mandatory due diligence for commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood. It argues that while the EUDR is a significant step, it contains gaps regarding ecosystem coverage and the exclusion of financial institutions. The paper recommends expanding the regulation to include high-carbon biomes (such as savannahs and grasslands) and financial institutions to ensure capital flows toward sustainable agriculture. It also warns of a 'two-tier commodity trading system' where high-risk products are diverted to markets with less restrictive rules, such as the US and China, and emphasizes the need for collaborative frameworks with producer countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Finally, it suggests using transition plans and third-party certifications, including the Climate Bonds Standard, to facilitate compliance and mobilize investment for a net-zero transition.

The report evaluates climate transition performance across 18 Asia-Pacific markets and four key sectors: automotive, tech-electronics, healthcare, and basic industries. It finds that while mitigation goals are increasingly integrated into corporate strategies, adaptation and physical risk management remain significantly neglected. Regional analysis highlights Australia and China as leaders in low-carbon transition, while noting that coal still dominates the APAC power mix. Sectoral findings indicate the auto industry is leading in product-level decarbonisation, whereas basic industries show modest progress. The report emphasizes a critical lack of standardised ESG data reporting across all sectors, which hinders accurate assessment of corporate progress.

The report finds that while Southeast Asia has increased its operating utility-scale solar and wind capacity by 20% since January 2023 to 28 GW, the transition is hindered by low construction rates for prospective projects and continued reliance on fossil fuels. Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand are regional leaders, but only 3% of the region's 220 GW prospective capacity is currently under construction. Despite these hurdles, the report suggests the ASEAN collective target of 35% renewable energy capacity by 2025 is attainable given existing capacity and pipelines.

The SAVi assessment of the Tirana–Durres railway in Albania reveals that while the project is not economically viable under conventional financial metrics (BCR of 0.12), it is highly profitable from a societal perspective with a Sustainable Benefit-Cost Ratio (S-BCR) of 4.79. Over a 30-year period (2023–2053), the project is projected to generate cumulative discounted net benefits of EUR 270.34 million. The most significant financial gains come from avoided vehicle operating costs (EUR 96.79 million), followed by health benefits (EUR 44.93 million), time savings (EUR 44.39 million), and avoided accident costs (EUR 41.61 million). The report argues that integrating non-tangible social and environmental externalities—such as reduced CO2 emissions and improved public health—provides a stronger business case for sustainable transport infrastructure in Albania.

The briefing argues that conventional neoclassical financial analysis fails to account for long-term non-financial risks and externalities, often leading to underinvestment in sustainable transport. It proposes an 'integrated financial analysis' where positive externalities—such as health benefits and time savings—are monetized and converted into revenue streams. Using a case study of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Bandung, Indonesia, the paper demonstrates that while the project is financially unviable based on ticket sales alone, it becomes viable if a small fraction (12% to 19%) of its societal externalities are internalized. The author recommends lowering social discount rates to better incentivize long-term sustainable investments.

The report evaluates three primary net-zero transport scenarios for Indonesia: investment in public transport (Scenario 1), 100% private vehicle electrification powered by renewable energy (Scenario 2), and a mixed approach (Scenario 3). Using the SAVi methodology, the analysis finds that Scenario 3 delivers the highest cumulative discounted net benefit of IDR 6,926.03 trillion (USD 450.1 billion) by 2050. While Scenario 2 offers the most attractive benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.97 due to lower infrastructure costs, Scenario 3 provides the greatest overall societal value by combining 'avoid, shift, and improve' strategies. The report emphasizes that achieving net-zero in transport is inextricably linked to the decarbonization of the electricity supply, as sensitivity analyses show that the current energy mix significantly reduces net benefits.

The report evaluates the technical feasibility of drilling superhot rock (SHR) geothermal wells—defined as depths >5 km and temperatures >374°C. It concludes that while the necessary technologies exist or are emerging, significant gaps remain in rate of penetration (ROP) for hard rock, high-temperature electronic tool durability, and temperature management. The analysis categorizes rock-destroying equipment into conventional rotary, hybrid, and direct energy methods, assigning Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) to each. It emphasizes that the primary barrier to progress is a lack of access to SHR conditions in both laboratory and field settings, which prevents the iterative testing needed to reduce costs and risks.

The manual establishes a framework for mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) within Ethiopia's national development and climate change projects. It provides facilitators with a structured eight-session module covering basic GESI concepts, analysis tools, and gender-responsive budgeting. A significant portion of the document focuses on the intersection of climate change and GESI, arguing that climate impacts are distributed unequally and can amplify existing social disparities. The manual advocates for a transition from 'GESI blind' or 'sensitive' approaches toward 'GESI transformative' initiatives that challenge structural power dynamics and norms. It includes practical tools for gender analysis at the household and community levels, such as activity profiles and decision-making matrices, and offers strategies for achieving gender parity within government institutions.

The report advocates for the mainstreaming of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as a tool to align climate and biodiversity actions across the Rio Conventions. It highlights the potential of EbA to reduce climate hazard intensity by 26% and provide significant economic benefits, such as USD 65 billion in flood protection from mangroves. The document emphasizes the need for policy coherence between National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), while stressing that equity and human rights-based approaches are essential for sustainable implementation.

The document examines the ecological and human rights risks of various geoengineering approaches, asserting that these speculative technologies could lead to ecosystem collapse and perpetuate neocolonialism.