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This report examines a toolkit of regulatory and economic policy instruments used to curb deforestation and promote forest restoration in tropical regions. It analyzes the effectiveness of command-and-control measures, financial incentives, and the critical role of land tenure security, while highlighting how political cycles and electoral incentives create risks for long-term conservation success.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and diversity of the forest-climate nexus across 91 tropical countries. It quantifies forest extent, carbon stocks, and deforestation rates to argue for differentiated, fit-for-purpose policy strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The analysis concludes that there is no inherent trade-off between forest conservation and economic development.

The document highlights the critical role of waste characterization in reducing methane emissions, which account for nearly 20% of global totals. It details available global tools for emissions estimation, examines the varied regulatory approaches to waste data in several Latin American countries, and advocates for the integration of field-based assessments with satellite monitoring to identify methane super-emitters.

Mexico possesses world-leading solar resources that could technically supply 90% of its electricity when paired with battery storage. While reaching a 45% clean electricity target by 2030 could reduce US gas imports by 20%, a more ambitious 'solar superpower' scenario could eliminate these imports entirely. However, high local installation costs—38% higher for solar and nearly double for batteries compared to global averages—act as a significant barrier to this transition.

Mexico's Directorate-General for Climate Action Policies confirms its alignment with the LAC Common Position on Climate Change and Health, detailing how its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 integrates health as a cross-cutting issue across adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage components.

China is rapidly transitioning its energy system through massive investment in renewables, grid infrastructure, and whole-economy electrification. This shift is moving China toward a peak in fossil fuel use and is driving down the global cost of clean technologies, enabling emerging markets to leapfrog traditional development paths and potentially triggering a structural decline in global fossil fuel demand by 2030.

China's massive scale in producing solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles has significantly lowered global costs, with solar module prices falling over 70% between 2022 and mid-2025. This manufacturing capacity allows China to potentially supply the entire world's solar needs for 2030 as defined by the IEA. These affordable technologies are facilitating an 'energy leapfrog' in emerging markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where some countries now have higher solar shares in power generation than the US. Consequently, China's own fossil fuel demand is approaching a plateau, and the global demand for fossil fuels is projected to be in structural decline by 2030.

The Production Gap Report 2025 finds that governments are collectively planning more fossil fuel production than in 2023, with 2030 projected levels exceeding 1.5°C-consistent pathways by over 120%. While some countries are developing net-zero aligned scenarios, most continue to expand production and provide substantial financial support for fossil fuels, undermining Paris Agreement commitments.

The report examines climate litigation in the oil and gas sectors of Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting a strong reliance on human rights and constitutional frameworks. While the region leads the Global South in climate cases, it faces significant barriers including institutional weaknesses, violence against environmental defenders, and a gap in scientific evidence. The study contrasts these with Global North trends, such as 'climate washing' and corporate-focused lawsuits, and discusses the potential for transnational litigation to hold Northern companies accountable for Southern impacts.

A forecast for extreme heat across the Southwest U.S. and northern Mexico indicates temperatures up to 18°F above normal, with the Climate Shift Index (CSI) attributing a level 5 likelihood to human-caused climate change. Approximately 53 million people are expected to be affected by these conditions, which are compounded by persistent drought in the region.

The report examines how G20 nations, which generate approximately two-thirds of global plastic waste, can utilize extended producer responsibility (EPR) to combat marine plastic pollution. Through a scoping review of 100 sources, it identifies a disparity in effectiveness between mandatory and voluntary EPR schemes, noting that mandatory systems generally achieve higher recycling collection rates. The document provides a detailed mapping of EPR regulations across G20 members and proposes a multi-level approach combining legislative strengthening, market incentives for recycled plastics, technological innovation in ecodesign, and the formal integration of informal waste workers to prevent plastic leakage into the oceans.

Two years after the COP28 agreement to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, national targets remain largely stagnant. As of July 2025, the global sum of national targets has increased by only 2% since COP28, reaching 7.4 TW, which is significantly below the 11 TW required to meet the tripling goal. Only 22 countries have updated their targets, with the majority of these being EU member states revising plans through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) process. Most non-EU updates occurred through routine planning cycles rather than as a direct response to COP pledges. Major electricity markets, including the US, Russia, and Canada, have either not set explicit targets or are unlikely to update them in 2025.

Canada is falling behind its major non-U.S. trading partners in the implementation of key climate and sustainable finance policies, particularly in mandatory climate disclosure and the development of a national climate investment taxonomy. While Canada aligns on net zero commitments and carbon pricing, the lack of progress in other areas creates economic friction and risks exposing Canadian businesses to carbon tariffs. The report argues that accelerating these policies will help Canada diversify its trade and identify new growth opportunities in a global economy increasingly aligned on climate fundamentals.

The Canadian Climate Institute finds that Canada is lagging behind its major global trading partners in the adoption of key climate and sustainable finance policies. While Canada has implemented carbon pricing and net-zero commitments, it lacks a national taxonomy, mandatory climate disclosure, and formal transition plan frameworks. This policy gap risks increasing costs for Canadian businesses and hindering their ability to compete in markets that are increasingly aligning around carbon neutrality and transparent climate risk reporting.

U.S. tariffs have created a mixed impact across Latin America, with Mexico and Central American countries facing the highest effective tariff rates due to their export profiles and reliance on the U.S. market. However, the authors argue that South American nations are more vulnerable to indirect spillovers from China, which is now the primary trading partner for most of the subregion. A slowdown in Chinese demand for minerals, metals, and energy products, driven by high U.S. tariffs on China, could depress regional growth and commodity prices if China fails to implement effective countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies.

The Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health outlines a multisectoral framework to center health in climate governance. It identifies critical gaps, such as the fact that only 11 countries in the region have national health and climate change plans and only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund investments in the region address health. The position advocates for six pillars: protecting health from climate impacts, mitigation with health co-benefits, climate justice and equity, adaptation and health system resilience, health leadership, and financing.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes proposals to compensate EU exporters under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), arguing that the actual competitiveness risk is limited and that subsidies would reward polluters. The author contends that CBAM revenue should not be used to subsidize EU producers, as this could conflict with WTO rules and encourage the export of polluting products. Instead, the document advocates for targeted financial support for clean technology innovation and the global expansion of carbon pricing.

Analysis of 247 major U.S. cities shows that under high-emissions scenarios, summer high temperatures are projected to increase by an average of 3.6°F by 2060 and 7.9°F by 2100. For many cities, these future conditions will resemble current climates in locations hundreds of miles to the south, with 16 cities projected to reach temperatures only currently found in Pakistan, the Middle East, and North Africa.

The document outlines how climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' for water scarcity, noting that nearly two-thirds of the global population faces severe water shortages at least one month per year. It highlights that freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, exacerbated by agricultural use and outdated infrastructure. The guide suggests reporting on solutions such as wastewater reuse, sustainable agriculture, and transboundary cooperation, while providing specific examples of water crises in the United States, Mexico, and South Africa.

The document outlines how climate change and mismanagement are exacerbating global water scarcity, noting that freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030. It highlights the role of water scarcity as a 'threat multiplier' for conflict and suggests that journalists explore solutions such as infrastructure updates, sustainable agriculture, and international cooperation.