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The waste sector contributes approximately 20% of global human-caused methane emissions, yet adoption of proven technologies like anaerobic digestion and landfill gas to energy remains slow in emerging economies due to a lack of bankable projects. RMI identifies São Paulo and Bangkok as prime opportunity hubs for near-term private investment. Scaling this finance requires de-risking through investment-ready project pipelines, concessional capital, grant funding, and strengthened carbon markets to improve returns.

The report identifies that approximately 80% of residential EV charger projects in Chile are rejected by co-owner communities because electrical networks are classified as common property under Law No. 21.442, requiring high assembly quorums for any intervention. While technical standards (RIC N°15) and urban ordinances (OGUC) provide pathways for installation, they do not override the need for community consent. Comparing jurisdictions in the US, Europe, and Brazil, the report finds a global trend toward recognizing an individual's right to install charging infrastructure. It concludes that the only scalable solution for Chile is a punctual modification of Law No. 21.442 to allow installations via simple notification, provided the owner bears all costs and adheres to safety standards.

In February 2026, intense rainfall in Minas Gerais, Brazil, caused over 70 deaths and displaced nearly 10,000 people, with Juiz de Fora being the most affected city. While climate models project a 7% increase in February rainfall with future warming, the immediate severity of the disaster was driven by high social vulnerability and unplanned urban expansion on steep slopes. Risk assessments had previously identified 130,000 residents in high-risk zones in Juiz de Fora. The study found that while early warnings were issued, topographical constraints and a lack of evacuation options hindered their effectiveness.

The 2025 report on Brazil's Forest Code implementation reveals a significant increase in CAR registration validation, rising from 3.3% to 9% of the national database, driven largely by automation in states like São Paulo and Paraná. While federal governance of the SICAR system has improved through new intergovernmental coordination and the operationalization of Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRAs), progress remains uneven across regions. The Northern region shows limited progress, while the Southeast is the most advanced. A critical bottleneck remains the lack of verifiable land tenure information, with approximately 30% of registrations in Mato Grosso showing spatial overlaps. Implementation of the PRA remains limited, with a small number of Environmental Compliance Agreements (TCs) relative to the volume of properties requiring restoration.

The document examines three private natural reserves in Brazil (Legado das Águas, Reserva Natural Vale, and Parque das Neblinas) as models of private sector contribution to biodiversity conservation. It details their histories, governance, and ecological impacts, while discussing the challenges of social inclusion and the potential for these areas to be recognized as OECMs to support global and national biodiversity targets.

The report examines the potential for implementing OECMs (meccs) in Brazil to achieve the '30x30' biodiversity goals. It analyzes various spatial mechanisms, including protected areas (UCs), Indigenous lands (TIs), Quilombola territories (TQs), and private lands. The document highlights that while formal protected areas are established, significant conservation occurs in traditional territories and private lands that lack formal recognition. It identifies land tenure insecurity as a primary obstacle to inclusive conservation and proposes that the mecc framework be used to prioritize land regularization for traditional peoples and communities (PCTs). The report concludes with recommendations to integrate meccs with social policies, ensure equitable governance, and provide technical and financial support to local actors.

Marfrig, the world's second-largest beef producer, has committed to becoming the first major beef company to disclose third-party supplier (Scope 3) methane emissions and aims for a 33% reduction by 2035. This target represents an annual reduction of 196,920 tons of methane. The announcement was made during a Mighty Earth event at the Belém climate summit (COP30). Marfrig intends to achieve these reductions through feed additives and farming practices. Mighty Earth is using this as a catalyst to call for similar transparency and targets from other meat industry leaders, such as JBS, and is advocating for an increase in plant-based protein sales to complement regenerative agriculture.

The report examines methane emissions from Brazil's waste sector, which accounts for 15% of the country's methane emissions. It identifies significant infrastructure gaps, such as the continued operation of approximately 2,000 inadequate disposal sites and a low organic waste recovery rate of 1%. While Brazil has a comprehensive regulatory framework, including the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and the 'Fuel of the Future' law, implementation is hindered by financial constraints and a lack of technical capacity at the municipal level. The report recommends expanding composting, anaerobic digestion, and landfill gas capture to meet Paris Agreement commitments and the targets of the National Solid Waste Plan (PLANARES).

The report analyzes the 'petroganda' strategies of oil companies like Equinor, Shell, and BP, focusing on their use of community 'gifts' and cultural sponsorships to build social legitimacy and silence critics. It highlights specific cases in Norway and Brazil, such as the First Lego League and the Rouanet Youth Program, and discusses resistance strategies including civil disobedience and the 'Petroganda Prize'.

Air pollution is the second deadliest risk for children under five globally, causing over 709,000 deaths in 2021. Children are more vulnerable due to developing immune systems and higher breathing rates. The burden is heavily skewed by economic disparity, with children in the least-developed countries facing death rates 94 times higher than those in the most-developed nations. The document highlights how structural lock-ins to fossil fuels and polluting land-use practices drive this crisis, noting that less than 1% of fossil fuel subsidies were spent on outdoor air quality between 2018 and 2022. Case studies in South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh illustrate the specific drivers—such as coal power, biomass burning, brick kilns, and oil extraction—that contribute to high child mortality and lifelong developmental impairments.

The report argues that the Amazon forest is a strategic economic asset for Brazil because it regulates the 'flying rivers' that distribute rainfall across the country. Deforestation of approximately 20% of the biome has already led to significant financial losses in the hydroelectric sector and increases vulnerability in agriculture, urban water systems, and logistics. The authors conclude that protecting the forest is a national strategic imperative to ensure economic stability and development.

The We Mean Business Coalition urges companies to attend COP30 in Brazil, asserting that corporate presence provides essential innovation, capital, and operational expertise to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The statement emphasizes that business engagement is necessary to signal policy needs to governments and to ensure an inclusive transition that protects livelihoods across value chains. While acknowledging logistical uncertainties in Belém, the Coalition encourages global businesses to join regional peers in Brazil to showcase scalable solutions in energy, industry, nature protection, and infrastructure.

International climate finance for Brazil grew by 84% between the 2019–2020 and 2021–2022 biennia, reaching an average of US$ 5.1 billion per year. This growth was primarily driven by the energy sector, specifically solar and wind power, and was characterized by a shift toward commercial financing instruments. While Western Europe, led by France, was the largest regional provider, the AFOLU sector—responsible for most of Brazil's GHG emissions—received only 11% of the total finance. Public institutions provided 58% of the funds, with multilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) playing a dominant role, while private finance grew fourfold to reach 42% of the total.

International climate finance for Brazil averaged US$ 5.1 billion per year in 2021–2022, an 84% increase from the 2019–2020 period. This growth was primarily driven by the energy sector, particularly solar and wind power, and a significant rise in private capital from commercial financial institutions. While Western Europe was the largest regional provider, the report highlights a stark imbalance in sectoral allocation: the AFOLU sector, responsible for most of Brazil's GHG emissions, received only 11% of total finance. The majority of funds were earmarked for mitigation (80%) and delivered via commercial debt and equity, while grants and concessional finance declined by 43%.

International climate finance to Brazil averaged R$ 26.6 billion per year in 2021–2022, an 84% increase from 2019–2020. Growth was primarily driven by the energy sector, specifically solar and wind power, and a significant rise in private commercial financing. While Western Europe, led by France, was the primary source, the AFOLU sector—responsible for most of Brazil's emissions—received only 11% of total funding, mostly through public multilateral sources.

The document describes a methodology for bridging the gap between high-level global water risk assessments and local ground truths. Using Unilever as a case study, it illustrates how global tools like Aqueduct provide a necessary starting point for screening hundreds of sites, but require validation through facility manager feedback and expert consultants to correct for limitations in global modeling, such as the inability to account for human-made water transfers or local water quality issues.

Dr Basani Baloyi argues that unpaid care work is an invisible economic powerhouse that sustains global systems but remains excluded from GDP calculations. The address highlights Brazil's National Caregiving Policy and South Africa's G20 priorities as models for transformation. It asserts that investing in care infrastructure—guided by the ILO's 5R framework—would generate significant GDP returns, create millions of jobs, and address the looming demographic crisis of an aging global population.

The document details how illegal gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon is sustained by a complex network of corrupt politicians, logistics providers, and international smuggling routes for mercury and aviation fuel. It highlights a systemic failure of Brazilian regulatory agencies to coordinate efforts, leading to significant gold exports lacking proper documentation. The report also establishes strong links between illegal mining and other serious crimes, including drug trafficking by organizations like the First Capital Command (PCC), forced labor, and sexual exploitation. Geographically, the illicit activity extends across borders into Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela, with specific hotspots identified in Roraima, Rondônia, Pará, and Amapá states.

The report analyzes organic waste management models in Indonesia and Brazil, finding that decentralized, community-based, and household-level systems often offer greater cost-efficiency (lower Levelized Cost of Waste Management) than large-scale centralized projects. While private operators achieve economies of scale, community groups face severe financial pressure due to low operational margins and reliance on short-lived assets. The study recommends holistic policy approaches, legal recognition for informal workers, and the integration of co-benefits like job creation and methane reduction to attract more diverse funding, such as green bonds and carbon credits.

This report analyzes the financial viability and cost-efficiency of decentralized organic waste management models in Indonesia and Brazil. It compares government-operated, private, and community-led systems, finding that decentralized models—such as community groups in Indonesia and home composting in Brazil—often achieve lower Levelized Cost of Waste (LCOW) despite facing significant financial tensions and limited public funding. The study highlights that labor is the primary operating expense across all models and recommends a holistic approach that integrates informal workers and community actors into formal legal and financial frameworks to scale methane abatement.