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The report identifies 24 'deforestation fronts' across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania where over 43 million hectares of forest were lost between 2004 and 2017. It argues that while commercial agriculture, tree plantations, and extractive activities are primary drivers, responses must be tailored to local contexts and integrated across area-based and sector-specific approaches to be effective.

The report details a widespread snaring crisis in Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam, where an estimated 12.3 million snares exist in protected areas. These indiscriminate traps threaten over 700 mammal species and disrupt critical ecosystem services like seed dispersal and nutrient cycling. The document links snaring to increased zoonotic disease risk due to the handling of high-risk taxa and highlights the role of urban demand for wildlife meat. It argues that current legal frameworks are insufficient, often lacking clear definitions of snares or penalties for possession, and recommends strengthening legislation, increasing ranger densities, and partnering with indigenous peoples to combat the crisis.

The document identifies key obstacles to the growth of Indonesia's green bond market, including currency hedging costs, market illiquidity, and a lack of bankable green projects. It provides a roadmap of solutions involving government subsidies, MDB credit enhancements, and regulatory reforms to attract international investors.

The report criticizes Sumitomo Corporation for its continued investment in coal-fired power plants and its role as a leading importer of wood pellets for biomass energy. It argues that these activities drive deforestation in the US, Canada, and Vietnam, and cause severe air pollution and human rights violations in Southeast Asia. The document calls for Sumitomo to commit to a full exit from coal by 2030 and adopt a 'zero deforestation' policy for its biomass supply chain.

The document argues that climate action must be rights-based to be effective, urging COP-25 to ensure that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Article 6 mechanisms include social and environmental safeguards. It specifically calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the establishment of a financial mechanism for loss and damage under the Warsaw International Mechanism, and the integration of gender-responsive approaches in the Lima Work Programme. The briefing also emphasizes the need for independent grievance mechanisms in the Sustainable Development Mechanism to remedy harms to local communities and indigenous peoples.

The document advocates for enhancing public participation in climate policies by leveraging international legal instruments like the Aarhus Convention and the Escazú Agreement. It identifies specific entry points at COP-25—including Article 6 market mechanisms, the Lima Work Programme on Gender, and the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform—where procedural rights and safeguards for environmental defenders should be strengthened. It further suggests using the transparency framework's interactive dialogues to review how public participation improves national climate ambition.

The report documents the risks faced by 'Defenders of Territories' in the Asia Pacific, linking violence and impunity to resource extraction, infrastructure projects, and weak rule of law. Through case studies in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palestine, Russia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, it illustrates how corporate and state actors displace communities and suppress dissent. The document advocates for a systemic shift away from neoliberalism toward agroecology and renewable energy, while calling for a binding UN Treaty on transnational corporations to ensure accountability for human rights violations.

The report documents the systemic persecution of environmental and land defenders in the Asia-Pacific region, linking this violence to a neoliberal economic model that prioritizes corporate profit and resource extraction over human rights. It provides case studies from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palestine, Russia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines to illustrate how large-scale infrastructure, energy, and agribusiness projects lead to land grabbing, environmental degradation, and the criminalization of activists. The document calls for a transition to community-led renewable energy, agroecology, and a legally binding UN treaty on transnational corporations to ensure corporate accountability and the protection of defenders.

The document highlights a global trend of violence against land defenders, particularly indigenous peoples, who face attacks from state and non-state actors to facilitate extractive projects. It provides case studies from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palestine, Russia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines to illustrate how infrastructure, energy, and agribusiness projects lead to land grabbing and environmental degradation. The report argues that the current economic system prioritizes corporate profit over human rights and recommends the establishment of a binding UN treaty on transnational corporations, the transformation of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights into a judicial body, and a transition to renewable energy and agroecology.

The report examines Indonesia's transport fuel subsidy regime, noting that while 2015 reforms initially saved over USD 15 billion, subsidies re-emerged as the government fixed prices despite rising international oil costs. This underpricing, particularly of 'Premium' gasoline, resulted in an estimated IDR 54.5 trillion in foregone revenue for Pertamina between 2014 and 2019. The author argues that subsidizing low-quality, high-sulphur fuels exacerbates urban air pollution and health costs, citing a 2010 study where air pollution-related treatment costs in Jakarta reached IDR 38.5 trillion. The document also analyzes the life-cycle emissions of biodiesel and electric vehicles, noting that EVs powered by Indonesia's coal-heavy grid may increase global warming potential compared to internal combustion engines. To resolve these issues, the report proposes three pricing models—smoothing, ratcheting, and cap-and-floor—to minimize price volatility while ensuring fiscal sustainability.

Unilever is implementing the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) to reduce its environmental footprint, with goals to be carbon positive by 2030 and achieve 100% renewable electricity by 2030. While direct and indirect emissions declined 8% between 2017 and 2018, total emissions including the value chain rose by 3%. The company reports that consumer use of its products accounts for over 60% of its total greenhouse gas footprint. Unilever has achieved 100% renewable electricity across five continents and is trialling alternative fuels for transport, including HVO100 in Sweden and CNG in the US, India, and Turkey.

The document provides a comparative analysis of the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy against two Chinese green frameworks: the NDRC Green Industry Guiding Catalogue and the PBC Green Bond Endorsed Project Catalogue. It highlights that while the EU Taxonomy is rooted in the Paris Agreement and employs a systemic approach with six environmental objectives and strict carbon thresholds, the Chinese catalogues focus more on pollution prevention and industry guidance without specifying carbon emission thresholds. The EU framework explicitly excludes fossil fuel activities without carbon capture, whereas the Chinese catalogues include them. The report also details the EU's 'Substantial Contribution' and 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principles, which require activities to benefit at least one environmental goal without harming others.

The report finds that the world is not on track to meet the Goal 1 target of halving natural forest loss by 2020. Between 2014 and 2018, average annual global gross tree cover loss increased by 43 percent compared to a 2001-13 baseline. Carbon emissions from tropical tree cover loss also rose, averaging 57 percent higher than before the declaration. While Indonesia saw a significant decline in primary forest loss in 2018, tropical Africa experienced the highest percent increase in loss. The report highlights that primary forests are particularly critical due to their carbon storage and the fact that they cannot be restored within the NYDF timeframe.

The report finds that current efforts by companies and governments are insufficient to meet the 2020 goal of eliminating deforestation from agricultural supply chains. While some progress has been made in palm oil and timber, commitments for soy and cattle remain low, and reporting on implementation is often inadequate and self-reported. The document highlights a shift toward jurisdictional approaches in producer countries and the introduction of demand-side regulations in consumer regions like the EU and California.

The report evaluates the five-year progress of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), concluding that while localized successes exist, global efforts are not on track to meet 2020 and 2030 goals. It identifies eight core lessons, emphasizing that political will, strong governance, and secure land tenure for indigenous peoples are critical for success. The document highlights a significant gap between high-level commitments and ground-level implementation, noting that deforestation has accelerated by up to 44% since 2014. It calls for a paradigm shift in financing, moving from 'grey' to 'green' finance, and a stronger integration of nature-based solutions into national climate agendas.

The report evaluates the experiences of over 80 NYDF signatories, including governments, companies, NGOs, and indigenous peoples. It finds that while individual projects show success, global progress is insufficient, with tropical deforestation increasing by 44% since 2014. The document identifies eight key lessons, emphasizing that high-level political will, multi-stakeholder partnerships, and secure land tenure for indigenous peoples are critical for success. It highlights systemic failures in finance, where investments in deforestation drivers vastly outweigh those for forest protection, and calls for a paradigm shift toward 'nature-based solutions' and 'green finance' to meet climate and biodiversity goals after 2020.

The report analyzes agricultural transformation across 117 countries from 1970 to 2015, identifying six phases of transformation and five structural contexts based on land fertility, availability, and population dynamics. It argues that successful transformation requires a tailored mix of 'push' strategies (increasing agricultural productivity) or 'pull' strategies (growing non-agricultural sectors), depending on a country's endowments. Key drivers of success include removing 'anti-agricultural bias' in price policies, strategic public investment in R&D and extension services, and critical institutional reforms such as land redistribution. The report provides specific policy recommendations for 13 focus countries in Africa and Asia, matching them with historically successful 'analogue' countries based on their 2015 structural contexts.

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the economic transition of the Berau District in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, from a coal-dependent economy to one based on palm oil. The study finds that shifting from coal to a palm oil mono-crop is unsustainable and risks food security. It recommends a transition plan focusing on RSPO certification, increasing production efficiency, diversifying into other high-value crops like pepper and cocoa, and developing downstream processing refineries to capture added value and increase government revenue.

The report analyzes the economic fragility of Berau, East Kalimantan, caused by its heavy reliance on coal mining, which contributes over 60% of its GRDP. While the district is shifting toward palm oil, the study warns that mono-cropping palm oil risks replicating the same commodity-dependency trap. It recommends a transition plan based on increasing productivity and efficiency over land expansion, diversifying into high-value crops like pepper and cocoa, and developing downstream processing refineries to capture added value. Additionally, the report suggests optimizing government revenue through 'Own-Source Revenue' and implementing innovative ecological fiscal transfer mechanisms to reward sustainable land management.

The report examines the Hévécam rubber plantation in southern Cameroon, owned by Halcyon Agri. It details extensive deforestation, including 3,196 hectares of virgin forest cleared since 2008, and severe biodiversity loss. Socially, it documents the dispossession of ancestral lands from the indigenous Bagyeli people, water pollution causing health issues, and a lack of access to basic services like education and healthcare. While noting recent improvements in company-community dialogue and the adoption of a sustainable supply chain policy by Halcyon, the report argues that significant reparations and restoration are still required. It recommends establishing a legitimate Cameroon Sustainability Council, implementing neutral dispute resolution mechanisms, and ensuring the rights and citizenship of indigenous populations.