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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides 33 recommendations to reorient the Brazilian Harvest Plan (Plano Safra) 2026/2027 toward higher social, environmental, and productive returns. The authors argue that public resources should be prioritized for sustainable, low-carbon agriculture and the most vulnerable producers, while strengthening socio-environmental safeguards to prevent the financing of illegal deforestation and land grabbing.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-RIO) examines barriers to accessing the National Program for Strengthening Family Farming (PRONAF) in Brazil. It identifies significant regional disparities in credit access, particularly favoring the South, and highlights technical assistance (ATER) and cooperative membership as critical determinants for expanding financial inclusion among smallholder farmers.

This briefing by RMI outlines the economic, health, and environmental benefits of transitioning over 10 million US homes that rely on delivered fuels (oil and propane) to electric heat pumps. It provides data on potential energy savings, carbon pollution reduction, and recommends specific policy interventions and outreach strategies to accelerate this transition.

RMI proposes a "Power Couples" strategy to meet the surging electricity demands of AI data centers in the United States. This approach involves pairing large electricity consumers with new-build wind, solar, and battery resources located near existing generators with approved grid interconnections, allowing for rapid deployment of clean energy without compromising grid reliability or increasing costs for other ratepayers.

This report by Ember analyses Energy Information Administration (EIA) data to demonstrate how solar power and battery storage met a significant portion of the United States' rising electricity demand in 2025.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzes financial flows for the bioeconomy in Brazil between 2021 and 2023. It finds that while total finance averaged US$ 3.213 billion per year, the vast majority is concentrated in the planted forest and bioenergy sectors, leaving biodiversity-based products and native forests significantly underfunded.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzes financial flows disbursed to the bioeconomy in Brazil between 2021 and 2023. It identifies a heavy concentration of funding in the planted forest and bioenergy sectors, driven largely by private domestic sources and innovative financial instruments, while highlighting a significant funding gap for biodiversity products and the native forest sector.

This policy brief by RMI outlines the potential for 'clean repowering'—siting new renewable energy projects at existing fossil fuel interconnection points—to accelerate the energy transition and reduce costs for customers in the United States by leveraging Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes inequalities in access to rural credit for family farmers in Brazil, specifically focusing on the National Plan for Family Farming (PRONAF). The report finds that credit is highly concentrated among larger family properties, producers in the South region, and those producing grains, while the smallest producers and those in the North and Northeast face significant financial constraints.

This policy brief examines the challenges of rural insurance in Brazil amidst climate change, using soybean production as a case study. It finds that while the insurance market has grown, it remains geographically concentrated in the South and Center-West, leaving high-production, high-risk areas like MATOPIBA underserved. Using machine learning, the authors identify precipitation, wind, and fire risk as primary drivers of losses. The report recommends expanding insurance coverage to vulnerable regions, utilizing yield data for pricing in areas with limited insurance history, and aligning government subsidies with sustainable agricultural practices.

This policy brief analyzes two public rural insurance programs in Brazil: the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (PROAGRO) and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR). The authors find that PROAGRO's design, where the government bears the risk while financial institutions operate the program, creates severe information asymmetries and moral hazard, leading 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 producers. The report recommends migrating resources from PROAGRO to the PSR, improving the training of claims adjusters, and adopting parametric insurance to reduce fraud and monitoring costs.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes two Brazilian rural insurance programs: the Programa de Garantia da Atividade Agropecuária (Proagro) and the Programa de Subvenção ao Prêmio do Seguro Rural (PSR). It examines how the design of these policies creates different incentives for producers, experts, and financial agents, arguing that Proagro's structure leads to higher information asymmetry and lower public spending efficiency compared to the PSR.

This report provides a gendered analysis of employment and skills within Brazil's large-scale mining (LSM) sector from 2009 to 2019. It examines the 'feminization' of the workforce, identifying that while female employment has increased, significant gaps remain in remuneration, leadership representation, and the division of technical tasks. The study combines quantitative data from the Annual Social Information List (RAIS) with qualitative interviews from three mining companies to assess how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategies are being implemented.

This research paper analyzes the role of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) in financing agricultural investments in Brazil. It finds that BNDES credit has grown significantly since 1995, primarily supporting crop activities (especially soy) and the acquisition of tractors and harvesting equipment. The credit is heavily concentrated in the Midwestern region and is predominantly 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.

This report analyzes the role of the Brazilian National Development Economic and Social Bank (BNDES) in providing investment credit for the Brazilian agricultural sector, focusing on the financing of machinery and equipment.

This guide by RMI provides a framework for updating electricity resource procurement processes for vertically integrated utilities in the US. It advocates for 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement to optimize the deployment of clean energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) during a period of significant projected investment.

This policy brief analyzes the role of credit cooperatives in Brazil's rural credit system, highlighting their growth during economic instability and their function as a mechanism for financial inclusion for small and medium-sized rural producers.

This policy brief analyzes the role of credit cooperatives in Brazil's rural credit system, highlighting their ability to provide financial inclusion for small-scale producers, particularly during economic crises. It examines the structural relationship between cooperatives and commercial banks, the geographical distribution of credit, and the regulatory advantages that allow cooperatives to operate more efficiently than traditional banks in rural areas.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the adoption dynamics of three agricultural technologies in Brazil between 2006 and 2017: no-till farming (Plantio Direto), tractors, and fertilizers. Using data from the 2017 Agricultural Census, the study identifies three distinct spatial patterns of adoption, suggesting that the drivers and environmental consequences of agricultural intensification vary by technology.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the adoption of three agricultural intensification technologies in Brazil between 2006 and 2017: the Direct Planting System (DPS), tractors, and fertilizers. Using data from Brazil's 2017 Agricultural Census, the study identifies divergent spatial patterns of adoption, noting that while DPS is becoming more widespread, tractor use is becoming more concentrated in wealthier regions, and fertilizer use is increasing without a clear spatial pattern.