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A World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency and intensity of April 2024 heatwaves across Asia. In the Philippines, the event would have been "impossible" without climate change, while in West Asia, the probability increased by a factor of 5. In South Asia, extreme temperatures were found to be about 45 times more likely and 0.85ºC hotter. The report highlights disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups, including 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza and outdoor workers, and notes that existing heat action plans often lack mandatory workplace regulations and retrofitting for informal settlements.

The report argues that Southeast Asia is at an energy crossroads, where planned gas infrastructure expansion could lock the region into economically volatile fuels and high capital costs, while renewable energy offers a cost-competitive and sustainable alternative. It highlights that in-development gas power and LNG projects would require over $220 billion in investment and could double the region's gas-fired capacity. The document details specific national strategies in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, noting a trend of viewing gas as a 'transitional fuel'. It further critiques the role of international finance, particularly from Japan and South Korea, and the promotion of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as potential delays to the energy transition. Conversely, it presents data showing that utility-scale solar and wind could meet nearly two-thirds of the projected increase in energy demand by 2030, provided that grid infrastructure and cross-border electricity trade, such as the ASEAN Power Grid, are developed.

Using updated CoastalDEM elevation data and IPCC medium-to-high emissions scenarios, Climate Central projects that by 2100, annual coastal flood risk zones will expand to include areas where an additional 93 million people currently live. The report highlights severe population impacts in Asia, particularly in China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, and provides the first full assessment of population exposure in Arctic nations.

The report details a field visit to the Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (CRSRI) and the Zhanghe Irrigation District in China. It highlights the use of a 'digital twin' system for water management, community-led irrigation through Farmers' Water Users' Associations, and research at the Hubei Provincial Irrigation Experiment Station. The visit aimed to strengthen cooperation between China, Thailand, and other Lancang-Mekong countries to implement climate-resilient agricultural practices.

The briefing critiques the G20's "Better, Bolder and Bigger" MDB reform framework, arguing that its focus on leveraging private capital and streamlining processes undermines accountability, ignores debt vulnerabilities in developing nations, and fails to ensure a genuine fossil fuel phaseout. It highlights risks associated with large-scale renewable energy projects and the lack of gender-sensitive policies, urging a shift toward grants-based financing, stronger safeguards, and democratized decision-making.

The document asserts that international development funding for media is critically insufficient, stagnating at approximately 0.3% of annual expenditure. It links this lack of investment to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, citing examples in the UK, Colombia, Kenya, and Indonesia. WACC calls for an urgent increase in media development spending based on principles of transparency, social cohesion, and inclusivity of marginalized voices.

A joint investigation by Global Witness and the Internet Freedom Foundation found that YouTube and Koo failed to act on the majority of reported misogynistic hate speech in India and the US. YouTube removed none of the 79 reported videos, while Koo removed only six of 23 reported posts. The report argues that profit-driven business models and inadequate content moderation pose risks to women and election integrity in 2024.

The report finds that while China has significant potential for land-based climate mitigation, efforts have historically focused on energy and industry, with forestry being the only land sector with comprehensive targets. Agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands remain underexploited, hampered by a lack of standardized methodologies and a prioritization of food security over carbon sequestration. The relaunch of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme in 2023 offers a potential funding mechanism, though it is currently limited to forestry.

The report details a regional meeting held in Thailand in October 2023, bringing together stakeholders from China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It showcases various climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies—such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—aimed at reducing water footprints and methane emissions in rice farming. The document outlines national policy approaches, identifies barriers like limited finance and technology access, and recommends a shift toward community-centric climate finance and enhanced interagency collaboration to build regional climate resilience.

Hamara Grid is implementing a PPPP model in Mon district, Nagaland, to deploy solar mini-grids (30 kWp to 45 kWp) as a solution to the poor reliability of the national grid. The project integrates energy access with livelihoods, health, and education, utilizing a blended finance structure of grants, debt, and equity. As of August 2023, six mini-grids are operational, with a target of 50 villages by June 2025. Key findings highlight the importance of incubating energy-based livelihoods to accelerate energy utilization and the strategic prioritization of larger villages to reach commercial viability faster.

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 document identifies rice cultivation, animal husbandry, and synthetic fertilizers as the primary sources of on-farm emissions in the Greater Mekong Subregion, accounting for 63% of the region's 1.1 Gt CO2-eq emissions in 2020. It highlights barriers to the adoption of low-emission innovations, including food insecurity, knowledge gaps, lack of training, and insufficient policy support. The briefing proposes high-impact solutions such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), direct-seeded rice, precision livestock feeding, and site-specific nutrient management, while recommending policy interventions like targeted subsidies, verifiable emission targets, and the establishment of multi-stakeholder learning networks.

The report identifies four 'pillars' of protest—demands, strategy, composition, and organization—that influence the size of a movement and the likelihood of regime loyalty shifts. It argues that non-violent, broad-based campaigns demanding regime change are most likely to succeed and lead to democratic consolidation. However, it notes a recent decline in the success rate of such movements and a rise in anti-liberal protests. For international democracy promoters, the report recommends investing in civil society infrastructure during stable periods rather than attempting to instigate regime shifts.

In 2023, 234 new species of vascular plants and vertebrate animals were discovered in the Greater Mekong region, which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. These discoveries, which bring the total since 1997 to 3,624, underscore the region's status as a biodiversity hotspot and the critical role of natural history museums and citizen science in taxonomic research. However, many of these species, such as the critically endangered Truongsonia lecongkietii palm and the Chiloschista quangdangii orchid, face immediate threats from habitat destruction, illegal trade, and climate change.

The Mekong River basin is the world's most productive inland fishery and the third most species-rich river for fish, hosting 1,148 recognized species. However, nearly 20% of these species are threatened with extinction due to hydropower dams, habitat loss, sand mining, pollution, and climate change. The report highlights the critical role of fish in regional food security—providing over half of the animal protein for many Lower Mekong populations—and their economic value in aquaculture, the aquarium trade, and potential eco-tourism. To reverse these declines, the document proposes a six-pillar Emergency Recovery Plan focusing on natural river flow, water quality, habitat restoration, sustainable resource management, control of invasive species, and the removal of obsolete barriers.

The report examines the vulnerability of global trade infrastructure to climate change, highlighting that maritime, land-based, and air transport are all exposed to acute and slow-onset hazards. It identifies critical 'chokepoints' in global supply chains, particularly for food and raw materials, and notes that current adaptation efforts by governments and businesses are insufficient. The document argues for a systemic, global approach to climate-proofing trade infrastructure to prevent catastrophic economic losses and support the low-carbon transition.

On July 7, 2023, the United States destroyed the last of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, marking the elimination of 100 percent of the world's declared chemical weapons. The process was overseen by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and faced delays due to technical challenges and local opposition to incineration methods at sites like the Pueblo Chemical Depot and Blue Grass Army Depot. Despite this milestone, the report highlights ongoing noncompliance by Burma, Iran, Russia, and Syria, and the use of Novichok nerve agents. It argues that the U.S. must retain its scientific and technical countering-WMD expertise to assist in treaty verification and respond to future contingencies, especially as other nonproliferation frameworks, such as the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, face increasing fragility.

ASEAN's solar and wind generation grew by 43% annually between 2015 and 2022, largely driven by Viet Nam's Feed-in Tariff policies. However, growth slowed in 2022, and the region currently utilizes less than 1% of its theoretical solar and wind potential. To meet the IEA's 2050 net zero scenario, ASEAN must reach a 23% share of solar and wind in total electricity generation by 2030, requiring the addition of 164 GW of solar and 65 GW of wind capacity. The report argues that achieving this requires removing regulatory barriers like local content requirements, investing in grid modernization and storage, and implementing attractive pricing mechanisms.

The document highlights a critical lack of tracked financing for oil and gas methane abatement in Southeast Asia, despite the sector being the region's second-largest methane contributor. It identifies key barriers such as limited technical capacity, data gaps, and underdeveloped regulations. The brief argues that methane abatement offers a low-cost, quick-win opportunity for near-term climate mitigation and suggests that state-owned enterprises and international financial institutions play pivotal roles in scaling these efforts.

The Green Climate Fund's Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a second term, maintaining its scope for medium-sized projects and medium environmental and social risk (Category B). The assessment confirms FAO's strong technical expertise in adaptation, REDD+, and the blue economy, and its ability to implement GCF's gender and environmental and social policies. While generally compliant, the Panel identified a gap in explicit policy statements regarding Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), making the re-accreditation conditional upon the formal approval of an AML/CFT policy or the inclusion of consistent statements within its prohibited practices policies.