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This report analyzes the impact of transport infrastructure on employment in Brazil between 1990 and 2019 using a 'market access' approach. The study finds a positive correlation between increased connectivity and employment growth, with the most significant benefits occurring in poorer and more isolated regions, suggesting that infrastructure investment can reduce regional inequality.

This working paper provides an overview of climate commitments and actions by non-state and subnational actors in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a specific focus on the land use sector and the Amazon region.

Infrastructure and extractive industries act as catalysts for deforestation by opening access to intact forests. Despite representing a smaller share of direct forest loss than agriculture, their indirect impacts are vast, driven by massive planned investments in roads and economic corridors. While some high-level policy alignments and financial safeguards have emerged, the document argues that a fundamental realignment of economic incentives and stronger enforcement of IPLC rights and environmental regulations are required to achieve forest protection goals.

The Climate Policy Initiative warns that Brazil faces a potential cessation of official deforestation data for the Cerrado biome starting in April 2022 due to a lack of guaranteed funding for the National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the legislative report by Senator Carlos Fávaro regarding Bill (PL) no 510/2021 and Bill (PL) no 2633/2020, which propose changes to land regularization laws. The authors argue that the Senator's report favors medium and large land occupants while failing to improve conditions for small farmers, potentially incentivizing illegal deforestation and land grabbing.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes a legislative report by Senator Carlos Fávaro regarding Bill (PL) nº 510/2021, which proposes changes to the legal framework for land regularization in Brazil. The authors argue that the report favors medium and large land occupants while offering no benefits to small farmers, potentially incentivizing illegal deforestation and land grabbing (grilagem).

The Climate Action Handbook is a guide published by Natural Justice in December 2021 designed to help communities in South Africa build climate resilience through legal empowerment. It provides educational material on the causes and impacts of climate change, outlines the legal framework of South Africa, and offers a ten-step practical toolkit for communities to advocate for their rights and hold governments and corporations accountable.

This report analyzes the role of Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) in the prior oversight of federal railway and highway concessions under the Investment Partnership Program (PPI). It examines how the TCU manages socio-environmental risks and the impact of its timing in the project life cycle, specifically regarding the approval of Technical, Economical and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA).

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 pledge to halt deforestation as a rebranding of flawed initiatives that allow corporations and polluting nations to offset emissions rather than reduce them, warning that it risks facilitating land grabbing and human rights violations.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 commitment to end deforestation, characterizing it as a superficial effort that allows major polluters to continue emitting carbon through carbon offsets and market-based mechanisms rather than implementing regulatory action and protecting indigenous rights.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 pledge to end deforestation, arguing it serves as a facade for continued fossil fuel use and carbon emissions through offsetting mechanisms. The organization warns that the pledge lacks regulatory teeth and risks repeating the failures of REDD+, potentially leading to land grabbing and human rights violations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the role of the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) in the prior control of socio-environmental risks for federal railway and highway concessions. It argues that the TCU has become the primary, albeit late, instance for approving Technical, Economic, and Environmental Viability Studies (EVTEA), often filling a governance gap left by the Executive branch. The document examines specific cases to illustrate how the TCU manages environmental liabilities and the risks associated with the 'Manifestation of Interest' (PMI) procurement model.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio uses an atmospheric transport model to analyze how deforestation in the Amazon, specifically within the Xingu River Basin, impacts rainfall in the state of Mato Grosso. The study demonstrates that forest areas are critical for maintaining air humidity and that their removal leads to a measurable decrease in precipitation, affecting agriculture, energy production, and urban water supplies.

This report by the World Resources Institute outlines the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) and community lands in climate change mitigation. It argues that while community lands cover approximately half of the world's land and provide immense ecosystem services and carbon sequestration, they are often legally unrecognized and underfunded. The document provides evidence that secure land tenure leads to lower deforestation rates and proposes six strategic steps to better integrate community land management into global climate action.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics prepares readers for the release of the IPCC's 6th Assessment Report (AR6) 'The Physical Science Basis'. It outlines major climate science developments since the 5th Assessment Report (AR5), focusing on human attribution of extreme weather, updated carbon budgets, refined climate sensitivity models, the role of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, and the complexities of net-zero and carbon dioxide removal.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes Bill (PL) No. 1709/2019, which proposes to reduce the width of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) along watercourses across Brazil. The authors warn that the bill's substitute text would halve the required protection widths, potentially enabling the deforestation of over 2 million hectares of native forest in the Amazon.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the 2021 New Bidding Law in Brazil, arguing that it provides a critical opportunity to improve the planning of infrastructure projects. The authors propose the introduction of a pre-feasibility analysis to better anticipate socio-environmental risks and prevent the implementation of low-quality or infeasible projects.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how climate action is becoming more inclusive and effective by integrating intersectional social justice movements. Through various case studies, it illustrates collaborations between climate activists and groups fighting for debt cancellation, vaccine equity, homeless rights, racial and indigenous justice, gender equality, and fair labor transitions.

This report details the activities of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Directorate during the 2020-2021 intersessional period. It outlines progress in science, capacity building, and science-policy interfaces, specifically highlighting the adaptation of programs to the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of transdisciplinary research and strategic partnerships across the Americas.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Directorate's summary report for the 2020-2021 intersessional period details progress in scientific research, capacity building, and science-policy interfaces despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Key achievements include the launch of the Science, Technology and Policy (STeP) fellowship program, the establishment of new strategic partnerships with entities like the Wellcome Trust and Mitacs Canada, and the implementation of transdisciplinary projects on climate-driven infectious diseases in the Caribbean.