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The document examines how Islamic charity, specifically zakat, intersects with migrant remittances and organized diaspora development efforts among Pakistani-origin Muslims in Oslo. It argues that these religious motivations create lasting transnational ties across generations but remain largely invisible or misunderstood by mainstream Norwegian society and the Global North's development sector. The authors suggest a need for greater recognition of religious frameworks in development and a critical re-evaluation of who defines 'development' activities.

The report examines return migration as a complex spectrum of agency and coercion, challenging the 'myth of return' and the binary of forced versus voluntary migration. It identifies ten key findings, highlighting that return intentions are shaped by competing attachments to multiple societies and that reintegration can be as challenging as initial integration due to social expectations, corruption, and security risks. The research emphasizes the critical role of short-term return visits in informing decisions and maintaining transnational ties, while noting that secure legal status in a destination country often paradoxically facilitates the possibility of return by providing a safety net.

The document analyzes India's transition from a borrower to an owner in multilateral financial institutions, its internal development finance structure, and its strategic use of development assistance to project soft power and counterbalance China's influence in South Asia. It highlights the tension between India's global aspirations and its domestic infrastructure deficit, which is estimated at $1 trillion under its 12th Five-Year Plan.

The document examines how extraterritorial obligations (ETOs), as clarified by the Maastricht Principles, are essential for holding states accountable for environmental destruction and climate change that impact human rights beyond their own borders. It highlights gaps in protection caused by globalization, specifically regarding transnational corporations and intergovernmental organizations. Using examples like tropical deforestation and shipbreaking in South Asia, the guide illustrates how state omissions and the failure to regulate non-state actors lead to severe human rights impairments. It concludes that a human rights-based approach to climate change is necessary to ensure equitable mitigation and protection for the world's most vulnerable populations.

The document examines how states' extraterritorial obligations (ETOs), as defined by the Maastricht Principles, are essential for regulating transnational corporations and state actions that cause cross-border environmental damage. It highlights the vulnerability of indigenous peoples and environmental defenders, and uses examples such as illegal logging in tropical forests and shipbreaking in South Asia to illustrate the need for international legal accountability. The report further links climate change to threats against human health, global security, and fundamental human rights, advocating for a human-rights-based approach to climate policy.

South Africa is over-exploiting its freshwater resources, with a projected widening gap between supply and demand by 2035. The authors find that the National Water Resource Strategy 2013 (NWRS2) lacks the aggressive measures needed to close this gap, which is driven by urban migration, industrial growth, and agricultural expansion. Proposed solutions include significant reductions in municipal non-revenue water, increased wastewater reuse, and expanded groundwater extraction.

The research paper argues that India's foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi should shift from the 'strategic confusion' of the previous decade toward a pragmatic, non-doctrinaire approach. It suggests that India must redefine national security to include the 'food-energy-water-climate change nexus' and prioritize regional connectivity and infrastructure in South Asia over military dominance. The author posits that India should leverage BRICS and IBSA to promote a more equitable system of global governance and South-South dialogue to support its domestic developmental priorities.

The report examines the cost-effectiveness of typhoon-resilient housing in Da Nang, Vietnam, testing the hypothesis that such construction provides positive economic returns for households despite rapid urban change and increasing climate risks.

The report examines the intensifying flood risk in Da Nang, Vietnam, driven by a combination of rapid urbanization, land-use change, tidal flooding, and heavy rainfall. It specifically analyzes how climate change is expected to alter the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events—currently caused by typhoons or localized storms—and increase sea levels, potentially leading to unprecedented flooding levels when coupled with continued urban development.

The document examines the vulnerability of Gorakhpur, India, to flooding and temperature increases due to its bowl-shaped geography and high groundwater tables. It argues that while flood-resilient housing is a priority and offers economic benefits, access to construction measures for resilience is not universal, necessitating policy interventions to improve access and promote innovative housing models.

Rapid urban development in Da Nang's floodplains is increasing the frequency and severity of floods during extreme rain events. Climate change is projected to further increase rainfall intensity, potentially raising the intensity of events similar to the 2007 storms by 3 to 24% by the end of the 2020s. The document warns that construction standards based on historical data, including the 1999 storm, are insufficient for future risks, and that continued expansion into low-lying areas without multi-hazard resilient construction could lead to severe damage and loss of life.

The report examines how the combination of rapid urbanization and climate change is increasing flood risks in Gorakhpur. It highlights that the loss of water bodies and construction in the floodplains of the Rapti and Rohini rivers have reduced drainage capacity. Projections indicate that climate change will increase the intensity of rainfall events by the 2050s, potentially increasing the intensity of small rain events by 10 to 20% and more severe 24-hour events by 2 to 25%.

The document identifies typhoons as the most dangerous climate hazard in Da Nang, noting that housing vulnerability is driven by both climate extremes and poor construction techniques. It evaluates three risk-reduction options—rebuilding homes, repairing homes, and building public shelters—finding that rebuilding is the most preferred approach among local households and governments, while public shelters are the least preferred. Barriers to safe construction include financial constraints, limited awareness, social pressures for more living space, and a lack of technical assistance.

The document identifies typhoons as the most dangerous climate hazard in Da Nang, specifically impacting housing. It highlights that semi-permanent housing is particularly vulnerable due to technical structural weaknesses, with roof damage often leading to further destruction of walls, doors, and windows. The brief argues that these homes can generally be reinforced or renovated for disaster resistance and calls for research into the costs and benefits of alternative designs to reduce future risks.

The report examines temperature resilience in Pakistan's urban areas, highlighting the critical role of minimum temperature (T-min) in shelter design and the disproportionate impact of heat on the poor, gender, and occupation. It advocates for passive heat reduction technologies over concrete to ensure urban affordability and resilience.

The document evaluates the performance of the 'Storm Resistant Housing for a Resilient Da Nang City' project during Typhoon Nari. It finds that while the storm caused severe damage to infrastructure and thousands of homes in Da Nang, the 244 households in the project incurred no damages, demonstrating that proactive storm-resistant preparation is more cost-effective than post-disaster recovery.

The document is a statement from various EU, U.S., and international organizations urging the U.S. Trade Representative and the European Commission to exclude chemicals—including pesticides and industrial chemicals—from the TTIP. The authors argue that regulatory cooperation frameworks, investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, and harmonization efforts would freeze the development of stronger health-protective laws, empower corporations to challenge environmental regulations, and erode the EU's leadership on emerging issues like endocrine disruptors and nanomaterials.

The report analyzes the mitigation efforts of 14 priority countries and regions, highlighting a wide variation in ambition and activity. While large emitters like India and Indonesia have established legislation and quantitative targets, many other partner countries, particularly in Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), prioritize adaptation due to extreme vulnerability. The analysis identifies key trends, such as the integration of low-emissions paths into economic development strategies and a heavy reliance on donor-funded projects for capacity building and MRV systems.

Agricultural emissions accounted for approximately 13 percent of total global emissions in 2011, totaling 6 billion tonnes. The primary sources are methane from cattle and nitrous oxide from fertilizers and soil waste, which together comprise 65 percent of the sector's emissions. Global agricultural emissions grew by 8 percent between 1990 and 2010 and are projected to reach nearly 7 billion tonnes per year by 2030, driven largely by population growth and dietary shifts in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Mitigation opportunities include improving crop and grazing management, reducing food loss and waste, and shifting dietary preferences away from meat, particularly beef.

The document outlines the scale and sources of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, identifying the sector as the second largest global emitter. It highlights the role of methane and nitrous oxide, lists the top emitting countries, and discusses the impact of land-use change and dietary shifts. Finally, it presents the GHG Protocol guidelines as a tool for farms to inventory and reduce their carbon footprint through improved production practices and demand-side changes.