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The document highlights findings from the 2026 federal assessment of Canada's changing climate, warning that Canada will be nearly 3 C warmer over the next two decades regardless of future emissions. It emphasizes that while some warming is unavoidable, failing to cut global emissions could lead to 5 C of warming by 2100, causing the near-total disappearance of glaciers and severe permafrost thaw. The author calls for immediate investment in infrastructure adaptation—noting that every dollar spent now avoids up to $15 in losses—and a swifter national transition to clean power to avoid uncontrollable devastation.

The report analyzes the impact of Brazilian cattle ranching on greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane from enteric fermentation, which accounts for approximately 60% of national methane emissions. It proposes a four-axis framework for transformation: improving land use and pasture condition, increasing biological productivity through genetics and health, enhancing feed and manure management, and optimizing production system management. The document highlights that extensive ranching, predominant in the North and Midwest, often suffers from low productivity and is linked to deforestation. It recommends integrating methane reduction targets into the Agricultural Plan (Plano Safra), strengthening the link between rural credit and technical assistance, and improving supply chain traceability to decouple cattle growth from land expansion.

The report finds that Pronaf exhibits a regressive distribution of credit, where the most capitalized producers receive the bulk of resources while the most vulnerable are excluded. It highlights that 79% of family farmers did not access Pronaf credit in 2024/25, and resources are heavily concentrated in the South and Southeast regions and in conventional crops like soy, corn, and coffee. The document argues that lines for bioeconomy and agroecology remain marginal, often representing less than 1% of total credit. It emphasizes the critical but underfunded role of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ATER), which received less than 0.3% of the total family agriculture budget in the 2025/26 Plan Safra. To address these failures, the report recommends establishing minimum allocation targets for smallholders and the North/Northeast regions, updating outdated fiscal modules for eligibility, integrating the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy, and blocking subsidized credit for properties with recent deforestation.

The research identifies significant regional and gender disparities in access to PRONAF credit in Brazil, finding that technical assistance (ATER) and cooperative membership are critical determinants of access. While the 2025/26 Agricultural Plan allocated R$ 78.2 billion to PRONAF, a previous study indicated that approximately 85% of smallholders lack credit access. Simulations show that expanding ATER would most effectively increase access in the North and Northeast, while strengthening cooperatives would be most impactful in the Southeast and Midwest. The report warns that declining federal investments in ATER—dropping to approximately R$ 26.48 million by October 2025—compromise the program's ability to build climate resilience among vulnerable smallholders.

The report analyzes inequalities in access to Pronaf credit among Brazilian family farmers, identifying technical assistance (ATER) and cooperatives as key drivers of access. It highlights a stark regional divide, with the South region having significantly higher access than the North and Northeast. The study argues that credit alone is insufficient for climate adaptation and calls for increased investment in ATER, which has seen a downward trend in federal spending, to ensure a just and sustainable agricultural transition.

A joint statement by five environmental and health organizations providing recommendations to the Government of Canada to strengthen the draft Implementation Framework for the Right to a Healthy Environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

Between 2021 and 2023, bioeconomy finance in Brazil averaged US$ 3.213 billion per year, heavily concentrated in the planted forest and bioenergy sectors. While domestic private sources provided 69% of the funding, biodiversity products and native forests remain significantly underfunded, with the Northern region receiving only 12% of biodiversity-related finance.

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that continuing the expansion of gas infrastructure for building heating creates financial risks for ratepayers and hinders climate targets. It advocates for an incremental transition to electric heat pumps and updated regulatory frameworks that consider alternatives to gas expansion, arguing that low-carbon gases like hydrogen and biomethane cannot realistically replace fossil gas for building heat due to cost and supply constraints.

The Canadian Climate Institute responds to criticisms from the Canadian Gas Association, asserting that a gradual transition to electric heating is necessary to avoid costly stranded assets. The Institute argues that continuing to expand gas infrastructure by default risks burdening taxpayers for decades, as these assets may become obsolete before their 40-year lifespan ends. It dismisses the idea that low-carbon gases like hydrogen and biomethane can fully replace fossil gas due to limited supply and high costs, advocating instead for energy-efficient electric heat pumps and better regulatory planning to ensure a just transition.

The policy brief outlines recommendations for the 2024-2025 Plano Safra, focusing on restricting credit for properties linked to deforestation, creating incentives for sustainable practices aligned with the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy, and improving credit access for small-scale farmers via Pronaf. It also suggests harmonizing social and environmental restrictions across rural insurance programs like PSR and Proagro to mitigate climate risks and promote low-carbon agriculture.

The Thai Rice Project seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the climate resilience of approximately 253,400 smallholder rice farmers across 21 provinces in Thailand. The project focuses on the adoption of climate-smart technologies such as alternate wetting and drying (AWD), laser land levelling (LLL), and site-specific nutrient management (SSNM). It implements a bottom-up approach, providing farmers with training and financial incentives, while supporting service providers through capacity building and a new Climate-Smart Loan (CSL) scheme via the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). Additionally, the project aims to strengthen the market for sustainable rice through the Thai Agricultural Standard (TAS) and develop a voluntary carbon market via the T-VER Rice Scheme. The project is expected to reduce 12.56 MtCO2e over its 15-year lifespan.

The document reveals that only 15% of Brazilian family farmers access credit, with resources heavily concentrated in the South region, larger family properties, and grain production. It argues that the current eligibility criteria, particularly the outdated 'fiscal module' system, create distortions that exclude the most vulnerable producers. The brief recommends revising these criteria and integrating sustainability requirements to support a transition to low-carbon agriculture.

The report finds that only 15% of Brazilian family farmers access credit, with resources heavily concentrated in the South region, larger properties, and grain production. It argues that the current eligibility criteria, particularly the outdated 'fiscal module' system, create distortions that exclude the most vulnerable producers. The authors recommend revising these criteria and integrating sustainability requirements to support a transition to low-carbon agriculture.

The document argues that Brazil's Plano Safra must align with climate goals by prioritizing low-carbon credit lines, improving rural insurance for climate resilience, and redirecting constitutional funds toward small-scale sustainable producers.

The report examines the gap between soybean production distribution and rural insurance coverage in Brazil, highlighting how climate change—manifesting as severe droughts, hail, and frost—has led to unprecedented insurance claim payments. Using LASSO machine learning models, researchers found that while insurance data is insufficient to predict losses in the North and Northeast regions, agricultural yield data from PAM/IBGE can effectively identify climate variables (precipitation, fire risk, and wind) that correlate with losses. The authors recommend expanding insurance supply to vulnerable regions like MATOPIBA, utilizing production history for pricing in underserved areas, and strengthening the reinsurance market and public-private funds to ensure insurer liquidity.

The report compares the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (PROAGRO) and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR) in Brazil. It finds that PROAGRO's design, where the government bears the risk while financial institutions operate the program, leads to severe information asymmetries, moral hazard, and higher claim rates. In contrast, the PSR, where insurers bear the risk, provides stronger incentives for monitoring and selection, resulting in lower claim rates and a more sustainable financial balance. The authors recommend migrating resources from PROAGRO to the PSR, improving the training of claims adjusters, and incorporating parametric insurance and sustainable management criteria into policy design.

The report compares the Proagro and PSR rural insurance programs in Brazil, finding that Proagro's design—where the government assumes risk while financial institutions operate the program—creates significant information asymmetries and moral hazard. This leads to higher claim rates and increasing costs for the National Treasury. In contrast, the PSR, where private insurers bear the risk, shows greater efficiency and growth, though it struggles to reach small-scale producers. The authors recommend migrating resources toward the PSR, improving claim verification through technology and training, and integrating sustainable farming criteria into risk zoning to enhance the sustainability of Brazilian agriculture.

The policy brief examines the Constitutional Financing Funds (FCFs) in Brazil's North, Northeast, and Midwest regions. It finds that while FCFs are designed to support small producers and low-income areas, the criteria for 'priority' beneficiaries and geographies have become so broad that they encompass nearly all producers and most municipalities. This lack of strict targeting has led to a concentration of resources in higher-value contracts and a small number of municipalities, particularly in the Matopiba region. Despite this concentration, FCFs remain a critical source of credit for the most underdeveloped municipalities in the North and Northeast, where alternative financing is often unavailable.

The document examines the role of BNDES in Brazil's agricultural investment credit, highlighting a significant increase in disbursements between 1995 and 2020. It details the bank's credit structure, noting a predominance of indirect loans and a focus on crop activities, particularly soy. The analysis reveals that credit for equipment is concentrated in the Midwestern region and primarily operated by private financial agents, such as banks owned by machine manufacturers, which contrasts with the broader Brazilian rural credit market dominated by public banks.

The report examines BNDES's impact on Brazilian agricultural investment credit, noting that disbursements nearly quadrupled in real terms between 1995 and 2020. The bank's credit is heavily concentrated in crop activities, particularly soy, and the acquisition of harvesters and tractors. Geographically, the Center-West region has become the primary recipient of these funds, reflecting the expansion of the agricultural frontier. Unlike general rural credit in Brazil, which is dominated by public banks, BNDES equipment credit is primarily channeled through private commercial banks and manufacturer-owned banks.