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The 2020 global coal power landscape was characterized by a sharp increase in capacity in China, which offset declines elsewhere and led to the first global increase in coal capacity since 2015. While the US and EU saw record closures, China's provincial governments accelerated coal projects as economic stimulants. Conversely, several Southeast Asian and South Asian nations began canceling planned projects due to financing difficulties and shifting policies.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's rapid expansion and a general global decline. While many countries in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia are decommissioning plants or canceling new projects due to financial pressures and climate goals, China's surge in new capacity offset global reductions, leading to a net increase in global coal capacity for the first time since 2015.

The report 'BÙNG NỔ VÀ THOÁI TRÀO 2021' analyzes global coal power trends in 2020, highlighting a stark contrast between China's surge in new capacity and a general global decline. While many nations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the OECD are canceling projects or accelerating closures, China's rapid development has caused total global coal capacity to increase for the first time since 2015.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Sitra explores how Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) can be used to facilitate the global transition to a circular economy (CE). It identifies specific policy levers—including tariff liberalization, services market access, technical standards, investment protections, subsidy reforms, and public procurement—that can be integrated into trade agreements to promote resource efficiency and discourage linear 'take-make-waste' economic models.

This policy brief provides a stocktaking of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) negotiations on e-commerce as of February 2021. It examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption while widening the digital divide, and analyzes the current state of play in the JSI negotiations, including areas of convergence and persistent divergence among the 86 participating members.

The 'Agua Sin Límites' (Water Without Limits) initiative by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) proposes a new agenda for sustainable water management. It aims to address the limitations of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) by focusing on tele-connections beyond the basin, multi-scale participatory approaches to address social inequalities, and the early integration of ecosystem needs into planning.

The 2021 report 'Energizing Finance: Understanding the Landscape' analyzes finance commitments for electricity and clean cooking in 20 high-impact countries (HICs) based on 2019 data. It finds that investment levels for both sectors fall critically short of the requirements to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), with electricity finance declining in 2019 and clean cooking investment remaining stagnant.

The COP26 Resilience Hub Synthesis Report outlines key messages and future directions for climate adaptation and resilience, emphasizing the need for locally led action, diversified finance, and the integration of nature-based solutions. It synthesizes findings from the Resilience Hub's activities at COP26, focusing on three pillars (urban, coastal, and rural) and ten thematic areas to guide action toward COP27.

The NAP Global Network 2020–2021 Progress Report details the activities of a network dedicated to supporting developing countries in formulating and implementing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). During the reporting period (December 2020 to November 2021), the Network shifted toward providing rapid, short-term technical assistance via its Country Support Hub and focused on integrating gender, health, and finance into adaptation planning to accelerate climate-resilient recovery.

This policy brief, based on the 'Energizing Finance: Taking the Pulse 2021' research, analyzes the financing requirements for Vietnam to achieve universal energy access by 2030, focusing specifically on clean cooking solutions.

This policy brief examines the restart of agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in September 2020 under Chair Gloria Abraham Peralta. It analyzes the challenges of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and shifting global trade dynamics, while outlining seven key negotiating areas and potential pathways for progress.

This report by Ember evaluates the availability, quality, and transparency of timely electricity data across various countries in Asia and Oceania. It establishes a scoring framework based on eight criteria—including time granularity, fuel breakdown, and ease of access—to rank national data sources and identify gaps that hinder the tracking of the energy transition.

The 2020 assessment of NYDF Goal 5 finds that the target of restoring 150 million hectares of forest by 2020 is not on track, with only 18% of the goal met since 2000. While some Central American countries like El Salvador and Costa Rica show net tree cover gains, others like Nicaragua and Honduras show net losses. The report highlights significant challenges in monitoring restoration due to satellite data limitations and emphasizes the need for better financial transparency and planning to scale forest landscape restoration (FLR).

This policy brief examines the scale and structure of the illegal wildlife trade, the historical evolution of international regulatory frameworks—specifically CITES—and the emerging debate over whether a new, legally binding international instrument is needed to address wildlife crime and zoonotic disease risks in a post-COVID-19 world.

This report by the NewClimate Institute, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and IIASA provides an update on climate mitigation policies, COVID-19 response measures, and the status of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Long-Term Strategies (LTS) across 25 countries and regions between July 2019 and August 2020.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the evolution of international efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade, focusing on the role and limitations of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

This policy brief examines how environmental changes and policy interventions, such as hydropower projects and forest conservation, impact natural resource access and livelihoods for ethnic minorities in north-eastern Vietnam, specifically within the Dong Phuc commune.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative examines the role of green bonds and labelled loans in financing waste management and the circular economy. It highlights a significant investment gap, particularly in plastic waste management in Southeast Asia, and analyzes the market activity of corporate and municipal issuers globally, with a detailed focus on Japan's leadership in resource efficiency.

The 2020 Global Electricity Review by Ember analyzes global electricity generation changes in 2019, highlighting a record 3% fall in global coal-fired generation and a corresponding 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions. While the EU and US saw significant coal collapses, China's coal generation rose, making it responsible for over half of global coal generation for the first time. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, though the report notes that this growth rate is slowing and may be insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals without concerted global effort.

This March 2020 report by Global Energy Monitor and partners tracks the global development of coal-fired power plants in 2019. It highlights a general global decline in new coal plant starts and pre-construction activity, contrasted with a net increase in global capacity driven primarily by China. The report details the shift in financing away from Western commercial banks toward public finance, particularly from Japan and China, and notes a record low in global coal plant utilization.