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The document advocates for a 'cultural and social revolution' in food systems to replace the industrial agro-industry, which it links to environmental degradation and public health crises. It critiques the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for favoring large-scale production over small farmers and biodiversity. Through various regional case studies—including France's 'malbouffe' crisis, land-grabbing in Hungary, and organic farming in Spain—it promotes short supply chains, agro-ecology, and the reconnection of consumers with producers. It also highlights specific Green political initiatives in Belgium and Germany aimed at promoting organic and GMO-free agriculture.

The report examines water governance in four European countries, focusing on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). It finds that while there is a general shift toward integrated, river-basin-based management, significant challenges remain in coordinating freshwater and marine policies, managing spatial boundaries, and ensuring meaningful stakeholder participation. The study highlights diverse models of service delivery, from the privatized system in the UK to the public-private partnerships and user associations in Spain, and the strong tradition of community-led water protection in Finland.

The paper evaluates the Spanish "Renove" plan, which provides rebates for A+ labelled energy-efficient appliances. Using a model of close substitutes, the authors find that a standalone 80€ subsidy for dishwashers in the Basque Autonomous Community increases total market demand by 1.5%, leading to a "rebound effect" that increases the total energy bill by 197,399€ and costs the government over 1 M€. In contrast, a 40€ tax on non-efficient appliances reduces total appliance demand by 1.6%, generates approximately 0.8 M€ in revenue, and saves nearly 300,000€ in energy costs. The authors argue that combining taxes and subsidies can optimize outcomes; for example, a 40€ subsidy paired with a 20€ tax avoids a deficit, prevents the rebound effect, and reduces deadweight loss compared to single-instrument policies.

The Green Economy Coalition outlines a vision for a global economic transition that prioritizes ecological limits and social equity over traditional GDP growth. It emphasizes that economics is the 'language of power' and must be used to influence treasuries and boardrooms. The briefing identifies five critical action areas—natural systems, people, economic sectors, financial flows, and governance/measurement—and discusses the role of Rio+20 as a stepping stone toward this transition. It also addresses the tension between the need for economic growth in developing nations and the imperative for resource contraction in developed nations, proposing concepts like the circular economy and 'beyond GDP' metrics to resolve the impasse.

The research introduces a modelling framework combining the NGAUGE field-scale model and a new LANDDAIRY farm-scale submodel to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Basque dairy farms. A case study of 17 farms in Bizkaia found mean total GHG emissions of 385 ± 175 t CO2-eq yr-1, with emissions per litre of energy-corrected milk ranging from 0.86 to 2.11 kg CO2-eq. The study identifies methane from enteric fermentation and emissions from purchased feed as the primary contributors to the carbon footprint, suggesting that purchased feed can serve as a proxy for estimating total farm emissions.

The document examines the ESCO model as a budget-neutral financing mechanism to bridge the 'energy efficiency gap'. It identifies significant administrative, technical, financial, and informational barriers in Spain and Barcelona, while providing a case study of a successful solar thermal installation by Sol Solar to demonstrate the model's viability in the private residential sector.

The research paper employs a lab experiment with 195 subjects to compare public support for taxes and subsidies designed to correct a negative externality. The study finds that subsidies consistently receive higher support than taxes, a gap that is widened when participants have only partial information about how tax revenues are spent or subsidies are funded. While full budgetary information increases support for both instruments, it disproportionately benefits taxes. Interestingly, participants expected taxes to be more effective at reducing the externality than subsidies, despite preferring the latter. The authors conclude that the lack of trust or clarity regarding the use of tax revenues is a primary driver of tax aversion.

The report identifies significant gaps in risk mitigation for clean investments, particularly regarding policy and financing risks. It categorizes risks into four groups: political/policy/social, technical/physical, market/commercial, and outcome risks. In developed markets, gaps are most acute for policy risk due to retroactive support cuts and for technical risks in immature technologies. In developing markets, while the supply of political risk insurance is higher, policy risk remains under-covered and financing risks are exacerbated by weak domestic financial institutions. The authors argue that an optimal risk allocation framework should assign exogenous risks (like policy) to the public sector and endogenous risks (like technical) to the private sector.

The document examines policy risk—defined as unexpected government regulatory changes—and its impact on renewable energy investments. It analyzes existing tools like MIGA and OPIC political risk insurance and World Bank partial risk guarantees, while detailing a new OPIC FiT insurance product. The report concludes with recommendations for improving these instruments through standardization, expanded geographic scope, and better integration with credit rating agency methodologies to enhance project bankability.

The report examines the relationship between food price inflation, food security, and trade policy, using Morocco as a case study. It analyzes the drivers of global food price spikes and evaluates Morocco's 'Green Morocco Plan' and its 'guided liberalization' strategy. A specific focus is placed on the lentil market, where high import tariffs on Canadian lentils are argued to encourage irregular trade and increase costs for consumers. The document suggests that reducing these tariffs, combined with targeted social safety nets and productivity investments, could improve food security and accessibility for the Moroccan population.

The document reports that a majority of young adults in Senegal wish to emigrate, primarily to Europe, regardless of their gender or relative perceptions of Europe versus Senegal. However, there is a significant gap between these aspirations and actual preparations, such as obtaining passports, with men being far more likely to take preparatory steps than women. The brief argues that migration is demand-driven and suggests that promoting circular migration and local investment can mitigate the risks associated with unfulfilled migration aspirations.

The PROVIA Guidance on Assessing Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change is an executive summary of a technical framework designed to harmonize and communicate knowledge on climate risk. It provides an iterative five-stage adaptation learning cycle—identifying needs, identifying options, appraising options, planning and implementing actions, and monitoring and evaluation—to help researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers navigate the diversity of available assessment methods and tools.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the Basel Convention's Secretariat has created legal loopholes by concluding that the Convention's transboundary movement (TBM) and environmentally sound management (ESM) obligations do not apply to wastes generated on board ships. CIEL proposes that 'marine area' and 'area under national jurisdiction' should be interpreted to include a coastal State's internal waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as well as the ships themselves under flag-State jurisdiction. While CIEL agrees that wastes from 'normal operations of a ship' covered by Marpol are excluded under Article 1(4), it asserts that industrial wastes generated on board vessels fall within Basel's scope. The document emphasizes the principles of 'systemic integration' and 'effet utile' to ensure the Convention effectively protects human health and the environment from illegal waste movements, citing the 2006 Probo Koala incident as a primary example of the risks posed by such loopholes.

The Green European Journal Volume 4 examines the intersection of social equality, economic stability, and environmental sustainability in Europe. It argues that rising inequalities are both a cause and consequence of the economic crisis and a driver of unsustainable consumption. The collection includes analyses of the 'precariat' in Poland, the humanitarian crisis in Greece, and the limitations of equality legislation in the UK. Several authors advocate for a shift toward supranational solidarity, suggesting a 'European welfare state' or a universal basic income to replace failing national models. The journal also debates the future of European federalism, calling for a more transparent, democratic 'European Republic' to recover political sovereignty from financial systems.

The document provides a detailed breakdown of climate finance pledges from various developed nations and the European Union, detailing the amounts pledged, the actual allocations made, the channeling institutions used, and the countries' positions on whether the funds are 'new and additional' to existing Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The statement 'Reclaim Europe!' argues that the European Union has become a 'project of the elites' that has failed young people, citing high youth unemployment and the dismantling of the welfare state. The authors propose a 'Plan B' for Europe based on degrowth, a Fiscal Union with a Financial Transaction Tax, and the democratization of EU institutions. They advocate for free, inclusive education, a guaranteed basic income, and an open-border policy that welcomes asylum seekers and migrants, while calling for the European Parliament to be granted the right of initiative.

The report examines how unilateral carbon pricing leads to carbon leakage—where emissions are shifted to foreign locations—across energy-intensive industries (EII) such as steel, cement, and chemicals. It evaluates the effectiveness of various policy remedies, including border adjustments and output-based free allocations, across different regional contexts. Findings indicate that while the EU can mitigate leakage from a 30% reduction target at moderate cost, a mandatory Japanese ETS would significantly impact steel and cement production. In China, a carbon price of 100 Yuan/t CO2 would most affect ferrous metals, basic chemicals, refining, and cement, potentially serving as a tool to reduce carbon intensity and restrain exports during high growth periods.

The document analyzes the mismatch between the stated environmental goals of biofuel policies and their actual political objectives, such as supporting agricultural constituencies. It argues that subsidies often create market distortions and unintended consequences, such as increasing food prices and harming the environment. The authors recommend phasing out support for food-based biofuels, adopting carbon pricing and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies as 'first-best' alternatives, and adhering to good governance principles and the Precautionary Principle to manage uncertainty regarding indirect land use change and food security.

China has become a global leader in renewable energy investment and wind capacity, though it remains heavily dependent on coal for electricity and heat. While the 12th Five Year Plan sets targets for increasing non-fossil fuel use and reducing carbon emissions intensity, the country faces challenges such as grid connectivity for wind power and water shortages in arid provinces due to coal base construction. The government is also piloting emissions trading schemes in several cities and provinces as a precursor to a national system by 2015.

The document investigates the shift from top-down technocratic approaches to inclusive environmental governance within the Natura 2000 network. It proposes a three-pronged evaluation framework focusing on information quality, legitimacy, and social dynamics. Applying this to the Garate-Santa Barbara SCI in the Basque Country, the authors find that while participatory processes can reduce uncertainty and foster local relationships, they often fail to influence final political decisions, leading to participant frustration.