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Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific presents a series of community-driven projects aimed at transforming the region's economic and political systems. The report details successful initiatives in forest management, social economy, food rights, renewable energy, and sustainable tourism, arguing that these local models can be replicated and expanded if supported by national and regional policies.

The document argues that the current global economic system, driven by neoliberal ideology, has failed by causing environmental destruction and extreme inequality. It proposes five key pillars for transformation: ensuring universal public services through tax justice, scaling up social ownership and cooperatives, supporting local markets and fair trade, adopting wellbeing-based economic indicators instead of GDP, and establishing binding international rules to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses.

The report critiques neoliberalism for causing environmental destruction and inequality, advocating for a transition to a sustainable economy. It proposes five key pillars: expanding public services through tax justice, scaling up cooperatives and solidarity economies, supporting local markets and fair trade, adopting wellbeing-based economic indicators instead of GDP, and establishing binding international regulations to curb the power of transnational corporations.

The document critiques neoliberalism for causing ecological destruction and deep inequalities, proposing a shift toward an economy that prioritizes people and the planet. It outlines five strategic pillars for transformation: ensuring universal public services through tax justice, expanding cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy, supporting local agroecological markets and fair trade, replacing GDP with wellbeing indicators (such as 'Buen vivir' or 'doughnut economics'), and establishing a binding UN treaty to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses.

The document critiques carbon emission markets, including 'cap and trade' and 'offsetting' mechanisms, as ineffective tools for climate action. It asserts that these systems allow historical polluters to avoid reducing emissions at the source while causing human rights abuses and 'climate colonialism' in the Global South. The briefing specifically warns against the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at COP25, arguing that it would institutionalize these flawed mechanisms and prioritize corporate interests over climate justice.

The GCF Whistleblower Protection and Witness Policy outlines the mechanisms for reporting misconduct, the protections afforded to those who report in good faith, and the remedies available in cases of retaliation. It designates the Independent Integrity Unit (IIU) as the primary body for handling reports and investigations, while providing specific channels for reports against high-level officials via the Ethics and Audit Committee (EAC). The policy covers GCF staff, board members, and external counterparties, emphasizing confidentiality, anonymity, and a zero-tolerance approach to retaliation.

The Australian Government committed AUD 200 million to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for the 2015-2018 period, requesting that the funds facilitate private-sector led economic growth in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically targeting infrastructure, energy, forestry, and emissions reduction. The agreement includes a supplemental grant of AUD 100,000 and mandates that the GCF adhere to Australian aid standards regarding fraud, anti-corruption, counter-terrorism, child protection, and transparency.

The document is a compilation of inputs regarding the GCF's accreditation process. Key themes include the need to prioritize National Implementing Entities (NIEs) over international ones to ensure country ownership, the demand for a more 'fit-for-purpose' approach for smaller or private sector entities, and proposals to monitor the overall carbon footprints of accredited entities to ensure they align with the Paris Agreement. Stakeholders highlight systemic delays in the accreditation pipeline and suggest streamlining processes through third-party verification and multi-language support.

The GCF approved USD 3.7 billion for 76 projects across 79 developing countries, targeting a reduction of 1.3 billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Key operational developments include the launch of the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) Pilot Scheme, the adoption of an Indigenous Peoples Policy, and the establishment of an Environmental and Social Policy. The fund is also preparing for its first formal replenishment process and expanding its private sector engagement through dedicated pilot programmes for MSMEs and resource mobilization at scale.

The GCF's Revised Policy on the Prevention and Protection from SEAH mandates a zero-tolerance environment for sexual misconduct. It applies to 'Covered Individuals'—including Board members, officials, and personnel—who must undergo SEAH checks during recruitment and report suspected misconduct to the Independent Integrity Unit (IIU) or Ethics and Audit Committee (EAC). The policy provides survivor-centered protections, whistleblower remedies, and mandates mandatory training and triennial reporting to the Board.

The Green Climate Fund Board decided in June 2013 that its administrative policies—covering human resources, procurement, travel, and finance—would be based on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to ensure cost-effectiveness and institutional efficiency. Consequently, basic salaries for internationally recruited staff for 2014 are identical to ADB's international staff salary structure. For locally recruited staff in the Republic of Korea, where ADB lacks a specific scale, the Fund proposes using the World Bank's salary scale as a proxy.

South Korea aims to triple its renewable energy capacity to 100GW by 2030 to mitigate the economic impact of volatile fossil fuel prices. Since 2010, wind and solar have saved the country USD 25 billion in LNG import costs. While the country possesses strong industrial capabilities in solar panels, batteries, and transformers, it faces significant land constraints and grid bottlenecks, particularly in transmitting power from Honam to Seoul. The government is prioritizing a high-voltage direct current energy highway and digital grid integration to support this transition.

This document is a Vietnamese translation of excerpts from the 'Boom & Burst Coal 2024' report by Global Energy Monitor and its partners. It analyzes global coal power trends in 2023, highlighting a dichotomy where new construction has hit a 9-year low outside China but an 8-year high within China. The report provides a detailed assessment of Vietnam's energy transition, focusing on the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), while noting that global coal capacity reached an all-time high in 2023.

The report identifies a widening gap between coal capacity and generation, particularly in China and India, where new plants are built as 'system insurance' while renewables displace coal in actual output. Globally, the coal pipeline is narrowing geographically, with 95% of construction concentrated in China and India. However, the report notes a significant slowdown in retirements in the U.S. and EU due to policy interventions and energy security concerns. Regional analyses highlight Indonesia's growth in captive coal for industrial processing, the U.S.'s political push to sustain aging plants, and the EU's structural shift toward a coal-free system. The document also examines the impact of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the Western Balkans and the challenges of rebuilding Ukraine's energy system.

The document asserts that wood biomass power in Japan and South Korea is not carbon neutral and often emits more CO2 than coal. It criticizes the use of subsidies—such as Japan's FIT system and South Korea's REC system—to support these facilities, arguing that such policies prolong the operation of coal plants and divert investment from wind and solar energy. The report highlights safety risks, including fires and explosions, and notes that the carbon debt of wood biomass can take 44 to 104 years to repay.

The document describes the 'Blue Acceleration'—the rapid, unprecedented growth of ocean-based industries—and argues that its benefits disproportionately flow to powerful states and corporations while risks are borne by SIDS and LDCs. It highlights the multidimensional nature of ocean risks, including biophysical, social, and financial dimensions, and emphasizes the need for gender-transformative approaches and intersectional analysis to ensure an equitable ocean economy. The text calls for increased domestic technical capacity in SIDS and LDCs, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the mainstreaming of gender equality and equity in ocean finance and Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The document outlines the challenges and opportunities in financing climate resilience, particularly in conflict-affected and fragile regions. It highlights the mismatch between private sector short-term return expectations and the long-term nature of resilience projects, suggesting de-risking tools like mega guarantees and parametric insurance. The report emphasizes the need for governments to address data scarcity in the Global South and the importance of supporting locally led, indigenous initiatives. Examples of successful interventions include resilience bonds in the Philippines and bundled insurance and seeds in Mozambique.

The document criticizes the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists and petrostates on the UN's Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, specifically at INC-5. It highlights how oil-producing nations have blocked agreements to curtail plastic production as the industry seeks new markets for petroleum products. The text details the environmental and health impacts of plastic, including greenhouse gas emissions, flooding in Mumbai and Indonesia, and toxic pollution in Alberta, Canada. It calls for the 2025 INC-5.2 session to establish specific global reduction targets and ensure the inclusion of Indigenous and civil society voices.

The briefing argues that current global social protection is fragmented and rooted in colonial structures, with a stark divide between the comprehensive systems of the Global North and the exclusionary, low-value assistance in the Global South. It highlights that in countries like South Africa, social assistance is under attack through austerity and exclusionary digital modalities. The author contends that a global UBI is fiscally impossible under the current economic paradigm of wealth concentration and austerity, necessitating a shift in economic power relations. Proposed solutions include a global minimum tax above 15%, an 'extreme wealth line', and debt regulation for the Global South. The document identifies Brazil, South Korea, and South Africa as front-runners in national UBI agendas and suggests a holistic strategy combining UBI with living wages and universal public services to counter economic insecurity and rising right-wing populism.

The paper analyzes the shift toward concrete implementation of climate-related trade measures, such as carbon border adjustment mechanisms and deforestation regulations. It details recent activities within the WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment and the outcomes of COP30, emphasizing the need for international cooperation on transparency, interoperability, and development support to avoid market fragmentation.