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The global pipeline of proposed coal power plants has collapsed by 76% since the 2015 Paris Agreement, with 1,175GW of projects cancelled. While China remains the largest pursuer of coal, hosting 55% of the remaining pre-construction pipeline, many OECD and non-OECD countries have already committed to or are positioned for 'no new coal'. The report highlights that action by six countries—China, India, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Turkey, and Bangladesh—could remove 82% of the remaining global pre-construction pipeline.

The guide outlines a framework for financial assurance in Argentina's mining sector, emphasizing the need for funds to cover closure and post-closure costs to prevent abandoned mines. It recommends a phased approach to posting assurance based on the mine's life cycle and disturbance levels, suggests various financial instruments (such as letters of credit and surety insurance), and provides a comparative analysis of regional practices in Chile and Peru. The document also addresses the management of future risks like climate change and social transition, and proposes a transitional regime for existing operations.

The guide outlines a framework for implementing financial guarantees in Argentina to prevent abandoned mines and protect the state from closure costs. It details the life cycle of a mine, cost estimation methods, and various financial instruments—such as letters of credit, surety bonds, and trust funds—while comparing regional practices from Chile and Peru. The document recommends a phased approach to guarantee constitution, starting at 10% of total closure costs during construction and reaching 100% within 15 years of operation, and suggests a specific threshold of 5,000 tonnes of monthly extraction for mandatory compliance.

Juliane Schmidt advocates for the EU to transition from basic gender mainstreaming to a 'green feminist foreign policy' that employs an intersectional approach to address the gendered impacts of climate change, conflict, and natural disasters. The author critiques the European External Action Service (EEAS) for its male-dominated leadership and the Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) for lacking inclusive language and gender-responsive budgeting. The text suggests that the EU should follow the lead of pioneer countries like Sweden by implementing mandatory staff training, binding gender chapters in trade agreements, and systemic changes to institutional culture to ensure that women and marginalised groups are agents of change rather than mere beneficiaries.

The document analyzes the devastating impact of COVID-19 on South Africa's economy, noting a 7% contraction in 2020 and a record unemployment rate of 32.6% in Q1 2021. It highlights that initial relief measures, such as the R500 billion rescue package, were poorly implemented, with only one-third materializing by February 2021. The brief details severe job losses in construction, trade, and manufacturing, and notes that women and informal workers were disproportionately affected. It specifically identifies a 'second pandemic' of gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F), with annual costs estimated between R28.4 billion and R42.4 billion. To mitigate these crises, the IEJ recommends replacing the Loan Guarantee Scheme with grants, extending the TERS wage support, reinstating the SRD grant at R585 per month, and increasing public infrastructure spending.

The document introduces the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, a simulation-based tool designed to calculate environmental, social, governance, and climate risks, as well as externalities in infrastructure projects. It details the three-pronged modelling approach—system dynamics, project finance, and spatially explicit models—to provide a more comprehensive cost-benefit analysis than traditional financial valuations. The report provides sector-specific examples (energy, buildings, roads, wastewater, irrigation, and natural infrastructure) and outlines how these modules can be integrated into Indonesia's Vision 2045 (IV2045) system dynamics model to bridge top-down national strategy with bottom-up project implementation.

The document argues that Indonesia must shift from carbon-intensive 'grey' infrastructure to sustainable solutions to meet its low-carbon development goals and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies key barriers to this transition, including a lack of bankable project pipelines, inadequate valuation methods that ignore ESG risks, and a mismatch between infrastructure and budget planning. The author recommends adopting integrated planning, utilizing the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to quantify externalities, and establishing project preparation facilities to attract private investment. The brief also highlights international examples from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Saint Lucia, and South Africa to illustrate successful sustainable infrastructure strategies.

The document analyzes the impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) Network on rail standardization, specifically the shift toward high-speed, standard-gauge rail. Using examples from Malaysia, Cambodia, and Lao PDR, it highlights that while technical standards are a concern, the primary challenges are project costs, debt sustainability, and the need for cross-border trade facilitation. The author recommends that African nations prioritize integrated regional planning, transparency in procurement, and low-carbon transport strategies to maximize the development impacts of rail expansion.

Reclaim Finance assesses Maybank's May 2021 announcement of its first coal sector financing exclusions, concluding that the policy is too limited because it focuses on new coal mining rather than new coal plants and lacks a phase-out commitment. The analysis notes that Maybank provided at least US$1.7 billion to the coal sector between 2018 and 2020 and currently supports companies planning 13.2 GW of additional coal capacity. The author urges Maybank to end all support for coal expansion and exit the sector by 2040.

The document argues that the innovative policy responses used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic can be repurposed to mitigate systemic climate-related risks. It details how prudential regulations, such as stress testing and capital buffers, and monetary instruments, including collateral frameworks and corporate financing facilities, can be 'greened' to support a sustainable recovery in the ASEAN region. The brief emphasizes the need for clear roadmaps and mandatory climate disclosures to manage both physical and transition risks.

The report examines the drivers of global deforestation, specifically focusing on the role of agriculture and cattle production. It highlights China's significant influence as a major importer of these commodities and proposes a two-pronged approach—short-term demand signals and long-term systemic support—to transition toward deforestation-free supply chains. The document analyzes various certification schemes, traceability tools, and jurisdictional approaches, while providing case studies from companies like COFCO International and Mars Wrigley to illustrate practical implementation of sustainability policies.

The ASEAN sustainable finance market reached a record high of USD 12.8bn in GSS bond and loan issuance in 2020. Singapore leads the region in volume, particularly through green loans for real estate, while Indonesia and Thailand show strong growth driven by sovereign issuances. The market is increasingly diversifying into sustainability-linked instruments and social bonds, although the latter remained less active in 2020. The report highlights the critical role of government support, the development of regional and national taxonomies, and the influence of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in scaling green infrastructure.

The document assesses six policy options to raise cocoa prices and farmer incomes to combat poverty, deforestation, and child labour. It concludes that most trade-based interventions, such as export price regimes or import duties, are unsustainable in the long term due to risks of over-supply, reduced consumer demand, and WTO compatibility issues. The author identifies bilateral partnership agreements as the most promising approach to create the governance and sustainability standards necessary for a comprehensive sector reform.

The Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association (PIFWA) has planted 300,000 mangrove trees on Malaysia's west coast to combat deforestation caused by shrimp farming, infrastructure, and pollution. By combining silviculture with community education and monitoring, PIFWA has achieved a 90% tree survival rate and helped revive local biodiversity, including increased shellfish and crab populations. The association also operates a conservation education centre and a women's group, PIFWANITA, which develops sustainable forest products.

The report highlights Malaysia's leadership in sustainable finance, particularly through the issuance of green sukuk, and identifies a significant pipeline of green infrastructure projects. It emphasizes the need for private capital to meet a cumulative infrastructure investment requirement of roughly USD 460bn from 2016-2040. Key opportunities are detailed in renewable energy (especially solar and biomass), low-carbon transport (rail and EVs), sustainable water management, and waste-to-energy projects.

The report argues that preventing future pandemics requires a systems-based approach to stop zoonotic spillover at its source. It identifies the 'wildlife value chain'—from tropical deforestation frontiers to urban markets—as the primary driver of risk, where human, livestock, and wildlife interactions facilitate pathogen mutation and transmission. The framework proposes a 'Planetary Health Agenda' that integrates conservation, public health, and sustainable food systems, with specific action plans for Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and South America to mitigate both current and emerging risks.

The proposal seeks USD 300,000 to help Malaysia align its economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with climate change priorities. The project, implemented by the Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change Centre (MGTC) under the Ministry of Environment and Water, aims to analyze the impact of pandemic stimulus packages on climate strategies, develop a national resilient recovery strategy and investment plan, and create at least one new project concept note for GCF submission. The initiative focuses on sectors including energy, construction, transport, waste, water, and manufacturing to facilitate a transition to a climate-neutral and inclusive economy.

The report examines the intersection of climate change, energy policy, and security in Southeast Asia. It identifies key vulnerabilities, including sea level rise threatening megacities and the Mekong Delta, and extreme heat reducing economic productivity. These stressors are analyzed as 'threat multipliers' that exacerbate existing geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, fuel violent extremism through livelihood degradation, and complicate transboundary water management of the Mekong River. The document also highlights the 'energy-climate security nexus,' arguing that the region's continued reliance on coal and the pursuit of civilian nuclear power—often involving long-term partnerships with China and Russia—create new strategic risks. It concludes with a call for 'Climate Security Watch Centers,' carbon drawdown plans for ASEAN states, and a systemic shift toward renewable energy to ensure regional stability.

The document examines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in corporate net-zero strategies, emphasizing that while NBS can provide critical finance for conservation and significant co-benefits for biodiversity, they must not substitute for direct fossil fuel abatement. It details 'demand-side' risks, such as the potential for offsets to dilute corporate ambition, and 'supply-side' risks, including leakage, permanence, and additionality. The authors advocate for a 'both/and' approach combining aggressive internal decarbonization with high-quality NBS credits, preferably shifting from project-based to jurisdictional-scale crediting to improve integrity.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook offers evidence-based strategies to increase vaccine uptake and counter misinformation. It emphasizes the role of healthcare providers as trusted influencers, advocating for an 'active listening' approach over directive education. The guide details techniques for 'prebunking' (inoculation) against common reasoning flaws—categorized by the FLICC framework—and provides a structured method for debunking existing myths. It also highlights the importance of community engagement and the use of 'nudges' to reduce the spread of the 'infodemic' on social media.