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The global tea market is growing, with retail value projected to reach USD 73 billion by 2024, driven by demand in Asia and the Pacific. While VSS-compliant tea grew significantly from 2.4% of the market in 2008 to 19.4% in 2016, the sector faces challenges including climate change, poor labour conditions, and a highly concentrated value chain. The report identifies significant opportunities to expand sustainable production in China, India, and Sri Lanka, as well as in LHDCs like Burundi and Uganda.

The global cocoa market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2019 to 2025, driven by demand in Western Europe, North America, and emerging Asian economies. While VSS-compliant cocoa grew significantly between 2008 and 2016, the sector faces long-term supply risks from ageing trees, climate change, and systemic poverty. The report highlights the potential for VSS expansion in LHDCs, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Togo, to improve farmer livelihoods and environmental outcomes.

The global palm oil market is dominated by Indonesia and Malaysia, with demand driven by the food, personal care, and biofuel industries. While voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) like RSPO have seen significant growth, the sector continues to face critical challenges including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human rights abuses. The report highlights the potential for expanding VSS-compliant production in Low Human Development Countries (LHDCs) such as Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria to improve livelihoods and mitigate environmental damage.

The 2019 report 'Chilling Prospects' tracks the progress of sustainable cooling access, noting that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to lack of cooling. It highlights the development of National Cooling Plans in China and India and introduces the 'Cooling for All Needs Assessment' to move beyond equipment-based projections toward a holistic approach covering human safety, food security, and health services. The report emphasizes the risk posed by the 2.2 billion lower-middle income people who may adopt inefficient cooling devices, increasing GHG emissions.

The document reports that 1.05 billion people remained at the highest risk of cooling insecurity in 2019, down from 1.1 billion in 2018. It identifies the 'Critical 9' countries with the largest populations at high risk, including India, China, and Nigeria, and notes that China and India have already developed National Cooling Plans, while Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh are currently developing them.

The 2019 Production Gap Report reveals that global fossil fuel production plans are significantly incompatible with the Paris Agreement goals. By 2030, planned production is projected to be 50% higher than consistent with a 2°C pathway and 120% higher than a 1.5°C pathway, with the largest gap occurring in coal. The report identifies that this gap is wider than the global emissions gap because governments continue to support production through subsidies, direct investment, and ambitious national targets. It examines 10 key producer countries and suggests 'supply-side' policies—such as extraction bans, subsidy reform, and just transition plans—to close the gap. The report emphasizes that international cooperation through the UN climate process and financial institutions is essential to manage an equitable decline in fossil fuel extraction.

The Global Commission on Adaptation's report, 'Adapt Now', presents climate adaptation as a human, environmental, and economic imperative. It argues that current responses are insufficient and calls for a 'triple dividend' approach—avoiding losses, gaining economic productivity, and securing social-environmental benefits. The report details specific strategies for food security, natural environments, water management, urban areas, infrastructure, and disaster risk management, while proposing a 15-month 'Year of Action' to jump-start these transitions through eight dedicated Action Tracks.

The report assesses the adoption of electronic vessel tracking (ET), electronic monitoring (EM), electronic reporting (ER), and electronic traceability (ETr) across various countries and RFMOs. It finds that while vessel tracking has grown rapidly, fully integrated EFIS are rare due to proprietary systems, high upfront costs, and a lack of global standards. The authors recommend promoting 'Electronic Fishery and Seafood Information Systems' (EFSIS) to drive interoperability across the entire value chain.

The study finds that while most G20 members are implementing climate policies, only six are projected to meet their unconditional NDC targets with current measures, while eight require further action.

The COP 24 Climate Resilience roundtable emphasized the urgent need to scale up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The document outlines a roadmap of priority actions from 2020 to 2050, advocating for people-centered, nature-based solutions and the development of shared resilience metrics to attract private sector capital. Key commitments include the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) and various financial pledges from the Nordic Development Fund and Bank of America.

The document argues that energy transitions are fundamentally about people and that early action is necessary to minimize negative impacts and maximize opportunities. It emphasizes that a just transition is a negotiated process involving workers, industry, and governments, rather than a fixed set of rules, and warns that protecting the status quo of carbon-intensive industries can lead to higher costs and missed economic diversification.

The report finds that 16 of the 25 analyzed major emitting countries and regions are not on track to meet their self-determined NDC targets. While some countries like China and India are likely to achieve their targets, others, including the United States and Japan, require additional measures. Furthermore, current policies are projected to fail in preventing emissions increases up to 2030 relative to 2010 levels in a majority of the analyzed nations, including both developing and OECD economies.

The December 2018 report 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals a continued upward trend in American concern about global warming. Key findings include that 73% of Americans believe global warming is happening, 62% attribute it primarily to human activities, and 69% express worry about the issue. The report also notes that 46% of respondents claim to have personally experienced the effects of global warming and 48% believe people in the U.S. are being harmed 'right now.' While a majority are interested in the topic, social norms for taking action remain weak, with fewer than half perceiving an expectation from family and friends to act.

The report documents an upward trend in American concern about global warming, with 73% believing it is happening and 69% feeling at least somewhat worried. While 62% recognize it as mostly human-caused and 57% acknowledge scientific consensus, only 20% understand that over 90% of climate scientists agree on human-caused warming. Personal experience of effects has risen to 46%, and 48% believe people in the U.S. are being harmed 'right now'. Despite these trends, fewer than half of Americans perceive social norms encouraging action, and 59% rarely or never discuss the issue with family and friends.

The report details two workshops held in 2018 focused on South-South and triangular cooperation for climate action. It highlights case studies of technological exchange in agriculture, water management, and urban resilience, while identifying systemic barriers such as funding gaps and a lack of institutional capacity at the subnational level.

The report argues that early action on just energy transitions can minimize negative impacts on workers and communities while maximizing opportunities in low-carbon sectors. It outlines a 'How-To' framework consisting of four key stages: understanding the political economy context, identifying champions, making the case through inclusive communication, and implementing complementary policies such as retraining and economic diversification. The document emphasizes that a just transition is not a fixed set of rules but a negotiated process based on social dialogue and tripartism. Through case studies, it demonstrates various approaches: Canada's use of a high-level Task Force, Egypt and Indonesia's reallocation of fossil fuel subsidies into social and infrastructure programs, and Poland's use of 'golden handshakes' and regional support for mining communes. It concludes that overcoming 'carbon lock-in' requires transparent communication, tangible short-term benefits, and the mobilization of dedicated funding from sources like energy taxes or subsidy reforms.

The report argues that the complexity of high seas fisheries makes single-tool solutions ineffective, necessitating a combination of State regulation and economic incentives. It outlines nine principles for creating these 'smart mixes,' emphasizing the need for compatible instruments, targeted interventions, and the empowerment of non-State 'surrogate regulators.' The document supports these principles with case studies, including the Parties to the Nauru Agreement's Vessel Day Scheme and various tuna fishery initiatives in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

The document outlines various mechanisms through which G20 nations can redirect public money—including subsidies, tax revenues, state-owned enterprise investments, and credit support—away from fossil fuels. It highlights specific national and regional successes, such as Indonesia's subsidy reforms and the EU's phase-out of coal mining subsidies, while emphasizing the need for a faster transition that protects vulnerable groups and ensures a just transition for workers.

The report finds that G20 countries are not on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, with energy-related CO2 emissions increasing again in 2017 and 82% of energy supply still coming from fossil fuels. It highlights significant gaps in sectoral actions—particularly in power, transport, and industry—and notes that fossil fuel subsidies in the G20 nearly doubled between 2007 and 2016. While some countries are implementing 'just transition' initiatives for workers, others lack dialogue or action.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a greenwashing tool for the industrial palm oil industry, failing to address a production model based on land grabbing, deforestation, and labor exploitation. It asserts that voluntary certification cannot replace state regulation and calls for a moratorium on plantation expansion and a reduction in palm oil demand.