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Ethiopia is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with poverty and hunger projected to increase due to conflict, pests, economic slowdown, and climate change. The report argues that sustainable food system transformation is possible within a decade if public investment is increased by USD 4.6 billion and targeted toward interventions that provide multiple development outcomes. It highlights a critical funding gap where long-term investments for Sustainable Development Goal 2 are significantly underfunded compared to short-term emergency food assistance, which increases the country's vulnerability to future shocks.

The author argues that international trade policy is shifting from a primary focus on trade liberalization and economic efficiency toward a 'multipurpose' approach. This new framework integrates broader objectives—including climate action, supply chain resilience, and national security—directly into trade policy rather than treating them as externalities. The document outlines domestic challenges, such as balancing incommensurable goals and breaking down departmental silos, and international challenges, including the increasing tension between national policy imperatives and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. It concludes that while this shift addresses the perceived failures of globalization, it risks fragmenting international cooperation and increasing the divide between developed and developing nations.

The NZ–EU FTA represents a significant shift in trade policy by integrating enforceable sustainability and climate goals into a legally binding framework. Most notably, it is the first agreement for both parties to allow trade sanctions for breaches of commitments to the Paris Agreement. The agreement also includes the EU's first FTA articles on fossil fuel subsidy reform and harmful fisheries subsidies, as well as enforceable gender commitments. Additionally, it establishes a cooperation chapter on sustainable food systems covering organic farming and biodiversity. The author argues that this integration of trade and climate policy signals a future where trade negotiators must be proficient in sustainability to maintain a social licence to operate.

The author argues that while the EU views the energy transition as a path to energy security and global leadership, it currently lacks a comprehensive strategic plan. Internally, the EU faces risks of redundant spending and political friction between Western and Eastern member states over the distribution of benefits. Externally, the transition shifts dependencies from fossil fuel imports to critical materials and clean technology competition with the US and China. The document suggests the EU must integrate energy, infrastructure, and industrial policy to secure its markets and maintain stability in its neighborhood.

Turkey has rapidly become a global exporter of military drones, specifically the Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı models, using this technology to enhance its soft power and establish new geopolitical alliances. This shift is part of a broader quest for 'strategic autonomy'—the ability to make defense decisions independently—driven by past arms sanctions from the US and technical failures with Israeli technology. While the drone sector has provided a significant economic boost, with defense and aerospace exports exceeding $4 billion in 2022, the brief highlights critical concerns regarding the lack of parliamentary oversight, centralized decision-making in the President's office, and alleged human rights violations by end-users in conflict zones like Ethiopia and Libya.

The document argues that energy transitions in Latin America are often reductionist, focusing on decarbonization while continuing to support fossil fuels as economic drivers or transition catalysts. Through case studies of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, it highlights a disconnect between international climate commitments and public investment, warning that the current approach risks creating carbon 'lock-in' and prolonging extractivism.

The report analyzes how the Russian War in Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions have disrupted decades of energy diplomacy. While Russian crude oil exports proved resilient by redirecting volumes to India and China, the gas sector faced a severe crisis due to its reliance on European pipelines. The document details the use of 'shadow fleets' and blending to circumvent oil price caps and the limited feasibility of redirecting pipeline gas. It concludes that Russia is becoming increasingly dependent on China and that the focus on survival and new fossil fuel markets has marginalized its domestic low-carbon agenda.

The 2023 Sustainable Agriculture Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape examines the transition to sustainable farming in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape. It identifies key investment opportunities in renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, smart farming, and circular agriculture to mitigate climate risks such as water scarcity and rising temperatures. The report provides market sizing for specific technologies, discusses the impact of national policies like the Carbon Tax Act and the Agriculture and Agro-Processing Master Plan, and highlights the Western Cape's role as a greentech hub.

The document explores the 'anti-green backlash' and the practical dilemmas of the energy transition, focusing on social inequality, territorial disputes over renewables and mining, and the geopolitical implications of critical raw material sourcing. It argues that a just transition requires rebuilding the welfare state, increasing democratic participation, and addressing historical ecological debts to avoid 'eco-apartheid' and political polarisation.

The 2023 state of global environmental governance was characterized by a tension between significant multilateral achievements and deepening geopolitical fractures. While the world saw the adoption of the BBNJ treaty and the Global Framework on Chemicals, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains dire, with only 15% of targets on track. Climate action reached a milestone with the first Global Stocktake (GST) in Dubai, calling for a transition away from fossil fuels, though critics noted the absence of a full phase-out. Geopolitical tensions, particularly Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have hindered scientific collaboration in the Arctic and increased the use of voting over consensus in treaty negotiations. Financial gaps remain a critical barrier, with calls for a New Global Financing Pact to address the needs of the Global South.

The report analyzes 12 social media platforms and various fundraising mechanisms used by actors in the Irish mis- and disinformation ecosystem. It finds that Twitter (X) is the most popular platform for these activities, while Telegram has seen exponential growth as a hub for original content and Russian state-backed media. Mainstream platforms like Facebook and Instagram show a shift in focus from COVID-19 health misinformation toward anti-immigration narratives. Alternative platforms such as Gab, Gettr, BitChute, and Rumble are used to host more explicit hate speech, including Holocaust denial and neo-Nazism, often serving as storage for content that would be banned on mainstream sites. Additionally, the report identifies 41 entities using 27 different donation platforms, including Stripe and PayPal, often in violation of the platforms' terms of service regarding hate speech and disinformation.

The document explores how ethics functions within peace negotiations, arguing that while often implicit or subordinated to power and strategy, ethical considerations significantly impact the process. Using the 'situated holism framework'—which analyzes positions, participants, practices, procedures, and principles—the author identifies key ethical dilemmas, such as the tradeoff between immediate peace and long-term justice, the legitimacy of including controversial stakeholders, and the tension between a negotiator's mandate and the urgency of reaching an agreement. The findings suggest that ethics in this field is often a matter of 'principled realism,' where normative concerns coexist with realpolitik.

The document examines the intersection of disruptive technologies and the 'total defence' concept, focusing on Norway. It argues that the rise of dual-use technologies and hybrid warfare necessitates a re-evaluation of civil-military relations and societal resilience. The authors introduce a framework consisting of temporality, performativity, and imagination to guide policy and operational adaptation. The report highlights lessons from the war in Ukraine, such as the role of commercial tech giants and the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure, and recommends increased civil-military R&D and improved digital literacy to enhance national security.

The report analyzes how non-Western powers are extending their influence in Afghanistan and the Sahel through economic, political, and security tools. While China and Russia are the most visible actors, their strategies differ: Russia often employs a 'harder' security-focused approach, while China focuses on 'softer' developmental and economic interests. The document finds that while there are expectations that these powers will fill the vacuum left by Western withdrawals, there is limited evidence that a major power shift has materialized. It concludes that the engagement of autocratic states likely allows for the continuation of existing illiberal tendencies rather than actively exporting them, and recommends that Norway focus on its own unique benefits when engaging with these regions.

The 2023 Production Gap Report finds that global governments plan to produce significantly more fossil fuels by 2030 and 2050 than is consistent with the 1.5°C warming limit. Despite net-zero pledges, many major producers continue to plan increases in coal, oil, and gas extraction. The report argues for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, noting that reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is risky due to technical and economic uncertainties.

The 2023 Production Gap Report finds that governments plan to produce significantly more fossil fuels by 2030 and 2050 than is compatible with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Despite net-zero commitments, major producers continue to plan expansions, with coal production projected to increase until 2030 and oil and gas until at least 2050. The report emphasizes that relying on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is risky due to technical failures and scale issues, urging a phase-out of coal by 2040 and a reduction of oil and gas to 25% of 2020 levels by 2050.

The author contends that inflation in the Eurozone is caused by vulnerability to global shocks—such as the energy crisis and supply chain disruptions—rather than a 'wage-price spiral'. The text criticizes the use of restrictive monetary policies (raising interest rates) as harmful and suggests that companies are maintaining or increasing margins by passing costs to consumers. To counter the decline in the wage share of GDP, the document proposes indexing wages to inflation, taxing superprofits, and investing in domestic transport, housing insulation, and agriculture to reduce reliance on imported inputs.

The document examines the critical safety risks at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, highlighting the dangers of power failures, cooling system instability, and military attacks. It details how the loss of electricity could lead to core meltdowns similar to Fukushima and Chernobyl, and analyzes the catastrophic potential of a nuclear weapon strike on the site. The paper also notes the continued reliance of the US and France on Russian nuclear fuel despite the conflict.

The assessment finds that while Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania all commit to climate neutrality by 2050, their strategies are largely aspirational and lack the rigorous sectoral modelling, investment analysis, and socioeconomic impact assessments required by EU regulations. Lithuania's strategy is the most recent and detailed regarding targets, while Latvia's is the most legible. Estonia's original LTS is outdated and brief, though supplemented by the broader 'Eesti 2035' plan. Common regional weaknesses include a lack of integrated financial planning and insufficient detail on a 'just transition,' particularly for Estonia's oil-shale region. The report recommends structural harmonisation, comprehensive sectoral modelling, and increased regional collaboration to enhance energy security and achieve decarbonisation goals.

The document argues that current agri-food transition finance is often unambitious and lacks alignment with science-based pathways, particularly regarding scope 3 emissions. It introduces five Transition Principles and five Hallmarks to ensure that corporate transition plans are rooted in action rather than pledges, exclude offsets, and align with a 1.5°C trajectory. The paper also reviews various existing frameworks, such as SBTi FLAG and the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, to identify how they address broader goals like biodiversity, water use, and just transition.