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The report examines Australia's exposure to illegally harvested timber, focusing on high-risk supply chains from East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. It highlights the role of China and Vietnam as processing hubs that obscure the origin of timber from high-risk regions like the Congo Basin. The authors argue that current enforcement of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Act (ILPA) is limited and recommend increased transparency, scientific species testing, and a shift toward tracing timber back to the country of harvest rather than the country of export.

The document establishes a consensus across multiple energy models, including the IEA NZE and IPCC pathways, that no new oil and gas fields should be developed to meet the 1.5 target. It argues that oil and gas production must decline by at least 65% by 2050 from 2020 levels. The brief asserts that the energy crisis in Europe caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine does not justify new fossil fuel production, as existing capacity and demand reduction can meet needs. It highlights a significant investment gap in renewables, noting that annual solar and wind investments must reach USD 830 billion by 2030 to bridge a USD 450 billion annual gap. Finally, it recommends that financial institutions cease financing new oil and gas projects and push for the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on June 22, 2023, that the final remnants of chemical weapons at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado have been destroyed. This process involved the destruction of 780,000 mustard agent-filled munitions. The U.S. now has only one remaining site, the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, where destruction is ongoing. The author argues that this compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) serves as a critical signal against the use of such weapons, contrasting U.S. actions with the illegal use of chemical weapons by Syria and Russia.

The report asserts that the Canadian oil and gas sector is ill-prepared for an inevitable drop in global demand, which is being accelerated by climate action and shifts in energy markets. It argues that 'business as usual' is no longer viable and recommends that the federal government implement a four-part strategy: strengthening climate policies and the Sustainable Jobs Action Plan, supporting subnational and Indigenous economic diversification, aligning fiscal policy by eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, and exploring federal tools to end production expansion.

The text addresses the controversy within the UN Security Council over the inclusion of climate change on its agenda, noting that while many members support it, others like Russia, India, and China oppose or abstain. It proposes using the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) to provide a scientific basis for the claim that climate change poses a risk to peace and security.

The document defines water weaponization as the exploitation of the human need for water by deliberately rendering it scarce or insecure. It applies a six-category matrix—Strategic, Tactical, Coercive, Unintentional, Psychological Terror, and Extortion/Incentivization—to the Russia-Ukraine war. Key findings include Russia's draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir, which threatens the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power station, and the use of water denial in cities like Mariupol and Mykolaiv. Ukraine is also noted for strategic water denial in Crimea (2014) and tactical flooding in the Demydiv region. The authors argue for the expansion of U.S. climate finance for water adaptation, the use of the International Court of Justice to prosecute water infrastructure destruction as war crimes, and the integration of water management into the Global Fragility Act.

The document examines the risks posed to Africa by the intensifying geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, particularly in the realms of technology, trade, and global supply chains. It argues that Africa is institutionally underprepared for these tensions due to governance deficiencies and its marginal global position, while emphasizing the need for African countries to project agency to secure optimal outcomes amidst a shifting global power structure.

The report identifies a growing, commercially driven marketplace for 'influence as a service' in Kenya, where digital entrepreneurs monetise their networks to amplify political narratives. While techniques mirror global trends, the operations were predominantly indigenous. The study highlights the use of bots, astroturfing, and conspiratorial narratives—such as the 'deep state'—to undermine democratic institutions and legacy media. It warns that the integration of artificial intelligence could accelerate disinformation, creating an 'automated disinformation arms race' that threatens fragile democracies across Africa.

The Southeast Asian Working Group on Fossil Gas and Energy Transition argues that Vietnam's PDP8 fails to provide a genuine energy transition by maintaining significant roles for coal and fossil gas. While the plan increases renewable capacity to over 70 GW by 2030, the group claims the resulting renewable share of 30.9% to 39% is lackluster. The group specifically warns against the 'meteoric rise' of LNG and the use of ammonia and hydrogen as transition fuels, calling on international financiers to stop promoting gas and instead support a 1.5°C-aligned transition through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

The report argues that Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries can significantly lower wholesale power prices and enhance energy security by accelerating the deployment of wind and solar energy. By targeting 200 GW of capacity by 2030, the region could reach a 63% share of renewables in electricity generation. The analysis emphasizes that cross-country collaboration is essential to unlock over 100 GW of offshore wind potential and that aligning national strategies with EU policy could unlock approximately €137 billion in public funding.

Bangladesh has significantly increased its reliance on imported LNG to meet rising electricity demand as domestic gas reserves decline, but this has left the country vulnerable to global price volatility and supply shocks. This reliance has led to widespread power cuts, industrial losses, and increased electricity costs, while renewable energy growth has stagnated, accounting for only 2% of electricity generation by 2022. The report warns that continued investment in gas infrastructure risks creating stranded assets and exacerbating climate change, to which Bangladesh is highly vulnerable. Specifically, heat stress is projected to cause significant GDP losses and labour productivity declines by 2030. The document argues that scaling up solar and wind power is a cheaper, more reliable alternative that would reduce financial risk and climate vulnerability.

The author contends that the steel industry's exemption from the EU ETS benchmark reform, secured through lobbying—particularly by Germany—shields polluting installations from necessary price signals. While the sector faces high costs for transitioning to Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) technology, the document argues that free allowances do not bridge the investment gap and instead reduce the pressure to modernise. The author suggests that the ETS should make polluting more expensive to incentivise the shift to low-carbon steel, rather than serving as a protectionist tool.

The report assesses the escalating risk of catastrophic biological threats driven by the democratization of biotechnology and climate change. It highlights that future pandemics could be orders of magnitude more lethal than COVID-19, whether through natural emergence, laboratory accidents, or deliberate use. The authors argue that current U.S. biodefense spending is insufficient, representing less than 1% of the defense budget. They propose a "10+10 over 10" investment plan—$20 billion annually for ten years—focusing on pathogen-agnostic defensive tools, strengthened international norms, and improved deterrence through preparedness. The report concludes that such investments are highly cost-effective compared to the trillions of dollars in potential economic losses and millions of lives at risk.

The policy brief examines the implementation of Buy Clean standards for the US steel industry, emphasizing the need to balance near-term emissions reductions with the long-term survival and decarbonization of primary steel producers. It proposes a sliding-scale emissions standard based on the ratio of primary to recycled scrap content in steel products to avoid unintended market shifts and emissions leakage.

President Sauli Niinistö emphasizes that the world is facing a series of interlocking crises—including climate change, food insecurity, and the war in Ukraine—that cannot be solved by any single nation. He highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on African countries and commits Finland to increasing international climate finance for developing nations. Niinistö also discusses Finland's decision to join NATO as a security measure in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, while advocating for a just peace for Ukraine and the importance of African leadership in global governance.

The document asserts that nuclear energy is essential for a decarbonized global energy system to provide 'clean firm' power, reducing reliance on over-built variable renewables and expensive long-duration storage. It identifies a 'profoundly dysfunctional' current delivery model characterized by high costs and delays, exemplified by the Vogtle 3 and 4 projects in Georgia. To achieve a target build rate of hundreds of Gigawatts per year, the author proposes transitioning from bespoke construction projects to standardized, commoditized 'products' with capital costs below $4,000/kw and delivery times of 3-5 years. Key recommendations for U.S. policy include reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to adopt performance-based licensing, establishing a 'sandbox' for testing new designs, creating an International Bank for Nuclear Infrastructure, and ensuring the domestic availability of high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU).

In 2022, solar and wind power continued their rapid growth, with solar being the fastest-growing source and wind recording the largest absolute increase. Conversely, nuclear power saw a significant decline, primarily driven by outages in France and Germany. Coal generation reached an all-time record high of 10,186 TWh, although its overall share of the global electricity mix slightly decreased. Hydro power rebounded after a poor 2021 but remains below 2020 levels due to droughts in Europe. Fossil gas generation remained relatively stable despite supply chain disruptions. To align with the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario by 2030, the report argues that solar and wind must sustain high annual growth rates, coal and unabated gas must be phased out, and nuclear power must grow more rapidly than its recent historical average.

In 2022, global electricity generation remained dominated by fossil fuels at 61%, though wind and solar reached a record 12% share. Despite record growth in renewables, global power sector emissions hit an all-time high of 12,431 mtCO2, driven by rising demand in major economies like China and India. The report highlights a gap between current trends and the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario, which requires a rapid phase-out of unabated coal and gas by 2035-2040.

In 2022, wind and solar reached a record 12% share of global electricity, driving carbon intensity to a record low of 436 gCO2/kWh. However, absolute power sector emissions reached an all-time high of 12,431 mtCO2 because clean power growth did not fully meet rising global demand, which grew by 2.5% (+694 TWh). While coal generation rose by 1.1% to a record 10,186 TWh, the report forecasts that 2023 could be the first year of structural decline in fossil generation and the peak for power sector emissions. The analysis highlights a significant gap between current growth and the IEA NZE pathway, which requires wind and solar to reach 41% of global generation by 2030.

The document argues that U.S. manufacturing is responsible for a quarter to a third of national greenhouse gas emissions and proposes a suite of policy interventions to transition to clean industry. Key recommendations include trade mechanisms like carbon border adjustments, green public procurement, direct financial support for early-stage technologies, and the implementation of emissions and energy efficiency standards. It emphasizes the need for a combination of R&D support, subsidies for clean production, and improved lending mechanisms to ensure U.S. industry remains competitive against international producers while achieving decarbonization.