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Global Witness argues that switching European home heating from fossil gas to hydrogen would be unaffordable for consumers and potentially cost €240 billion in infrastructure expenses. Based on analysis by Element Energy, the report claims hydrogen energy could cost more than double the price of gas, potentially exacerbating energy poverty for up to 80 million Europeans. The document further alleges that gas companies and distribution system operators (DSOs) are lobbying the European Commission to 'mutualize' these costs, meaning all gas users—including those not using hydrogen—would pay for the new infrastructure. Global Witness recommends that the EU limit hydrogen use to heavy industry and transport, instead prioritizing heat pumps and district heating for residential use.

Global Witness reports that the 'rush for lithium' in Africa is failing to deliver a just energy transition, instead risking the entrenchment of corruption and ESG failures. In Zimbabwe, the Sandawana mine is linked to sanctioned elites and ZANU-PF allies, with reports of child labour and the illegal export of unprocessed ore. In Namibia, Xinfeng Investments is accused of using bribery to acquire licenses and operating an industrial-scale mine under small-scale permits to avoid environmental assessments. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Manono project has been stalled by ownership disputes and allegations that shell companies linked to former President Joseph Kabila's associates profited by millions while the state treasury received negligible funds.

The document urges the UK's new Prime Minister to use the Financial Services and Markets Bill to align financial flows with climate and nature goals. Global Witness claims the current draft prioritises 'international competitiveness' over climate targets and fails to meet COP26 pledges. The author proposes two amendments: a statutory objective for regulators to consider nature and climate, and a 'forest finance amendment' requiring due diligence on clients dealing with forest-risk commodities. The text highlights that over £300 billion of UK pension money is invested in high deforestation risk entities, with £200 billion in exposure specifically to Brazilian beef and soy and Indonesian palm oil supply chains.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds approximately 60% of the Congo Basin tropical forest, storing 30 billion tonnes of carbon, yet it faces one of the world's highest deforestation rates, losing over one million hectares of cover in 2023. Despite a 20-year moratorium on new logging concessions and a 2022 decree suspending 12 illegal concessions covering over 1.9 million hectares, illegal logging persists due to selective law enforcement and government complicity. Specifically, Chinese companies Booming Green and Wan Peng (via Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development) are accused of systematic illegalities and ignoring export quotas. The document advocates for a shift toward community-led forest management, noting that deforestation rates in community-managed areas are 23% lower than the national average and 46% lower than in industrial logging concessions.

Global Witness reports a surge in unregulated heavy rare earth element (HREE) mining in Myanmar's Kachin State, with exports to China rising from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023. The report details devastating environmental damage caused by in-situ leaching, including poisoned watercourses and severe health issues for workers. These minerals are vital for permanent magnets used in EVs and wind turbines, linking global brands like Tesla and Volkswagen to a supply chain dominated by Chinese state-owned firms and Myanmar-based militias. The report argues that the trade finances conflict and calls for strict supply chain due diligence and import restrictions on Myanmar-sourced HREE.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) possesses approximately 60% of the Congo Basin rainforest, storing an estimated 27 to 30 billion tonnes of carbon. Despite this importance, the DRC experienced a loss of over one million hectares of vegetation cover in 2023. The document highlights a systemic failure to enforce forest laws, noting that a moratorium on new logging concessions has been in place for over 20 years yet illegal logging continues. Specifically, a January 2024 review of 82 logging permits resulted in 23 terminations, while only 53 received conditional approval. The text identifies Chinese companies, including Booming Green and Wan Peng (operating via Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development), as entities that allegedly obtain concessions through influence peddling and ignore export quotas. Furthermore, a April 2022 decree suspending 12 illegally granted concessions covering over 1,966,630 hectares remains unenforced, with satellite data showing continued activity in these areas. In contrast, the document notes that community-managed forests have a deforestation rate 23% lower than the national average and 46% lower than that of logging concessions, suggesting community forestry as a viable alternative for sustainable management.

The report alleges that ADNOC, led by COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber, pursued nearly $100 billion in fossil fuel deals during the UAE's year as host, contradicting public claims that the summit was not used for commercial gain. It details specific targets in countries like Brazil, Azerbaijan, and China, and argues that the COP28 final text's ambiguous language on 'transitioning away' from fossil fuels allows ADNOC to expand production while appearing compliant with climate goals.

A Global Witness investigation of ChatGPT, MetaAI, Grok, and Gemini found that these AI tools often fail to adequately reflect the complicity of fossil fuel companies in the climate crisis. The report identifies instances of 'greenwashing'—where AI provides uncritically positive narratives about oil and gas firms—and 'bothsidesism,' where the tools present the industry's climate claims as having equal weight to evidence of their contribution to climate change. The investigation highlights that some models draw data directly from company websites, potentially allowing firms to influence the AI's output.

Global Witness reports a continuing pattern of violence, surveillance, and harassment against land and environmental defenders in Honduras, despite the 2022 transition to the presidency of Xiomara Castro. The document highlights the specific targeting of ACI Participa and its director Hedme Castro, noting that while some political signs of progress exist, systemic issues like corruption and a failing protection mechanism persist.

The report argues that BP and Shell engage in greenwashing by promoting environmentally friendly narratives on social media that are not supported by their core business investments. It finds that both companies disproportionately showcase green projects while continuing massive investments in fossil fuels, potentially breaching the UK's Green Claims Code. Additionally, it highlights Shell's failure to declare political ads on Meta platforms and Meta's failure to detect and enforce its own transparency requirements.

Global Witness and 144 NGOs have called on Brazil's Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, to ratify the Escazú Agreement. The letter argues that ratification is essential to protect land and environmental defenders, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon, where Global Witness reports the highest number of defender deaths globally between 2012 and 2021. The agreement aims to guarantee access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Global Witness asserts that the influence of corporate money in US politics, exacerbated by the Citizens United decision, has led to climate inaction and the failure to implement the Cardin-Lugar anti-corruption provision. The organization argues that the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) proposed rules are insufficient because they do not require project-level payment disclosure, which is essential for detecting corruption in the extractive industries, as evidenced by cases involving Shell, Eni, and Glencore.

A Global Witness investigation found that up to 20 million barrels of Russian ESPO crude, valued at $1.5 billion, were likely sold above the G7 price cap of $60 per barrel between December 2022 and January 2023. The report highlights the involvement of British and European shipping, insurance, and trading firms, while noting a severe lack of enforcement and attestation collection by authorities in Switzerland, Greece, and the UK.

The document highlights that 322 land and environmental defenders have been killed in Colombia over the last ten years, alongside numerous non-lethal attacks such as threats and criminalization. It argues that the ratification of the Escazú Agreement—the first regional treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean on human rights and the environment—is essential to mandate the prevention and investigation of attacks against defenders. While noting that countries like Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina have already ratified the agreement, it points to the government of Gustavo Petro and initiatives like the 'Somos Defensores' program and its emergency plan as reasons for optimism in establishing a safe environment for environmental participation.

The document outlines the goals of Global Witness's Transition Mineral campaign, launched in late 2022, which seeks to prevent the repetition of exploitation and environmental harm in the extraction of minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. It defines a 'just transition' as one that promotes inclusive decision-making, strengthens supply chain and investment standards, and ensures communities receive fair benefits.

Financial institutions representing £2.7 trillion in assets are calling for the UK to introduce mandatory due diligence for the financial sector to prevent the financing of deforestation, aligning with the Environment Act 2021 and global biodiversity targets.

Global Witness reports that Cargill has purchased soy from farms in Bolivia where over 20,000 hectares of forest have been cleared since 2017. The investigation finds that Cargill fails to collect necessary origin data for its soy, undermining its public commitments to deforestation-free supply chains. Furthermore, a leaked map suggests Cargill may be targeting an additional 3 million hectares of standing forest for future soy sourcing. The report also highlights that global banks, including Barclays, BNP Paribas, HSBC, and Santander, continue to provide billions in financing to Cargill despite their own pledges to reduce deforestation in their portfolios.

Global Witness alleges that Claudia Sassou-Nguesso, daughter of the President of the Republic of the Congo, used approximately $20 million in diverted public funds to purchase a $7.1 million luxury apartment (unit 32G) at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Manhattan. The investigation details a complex financial trail involving the Brazilian company Asperbras, which allegedly inflated contracts for geological mapping and hospital construction in the Congo. Funds were routed through a Delaware subsidiary (Asperbras LLC), a British Virgin Islands entity (Energy & Mining Asp. Inc.), and a Cypriot shell company (Sebrit Limited) controlled by intermediary José Veiga on behalf of Sassou-Nguesso. The purchase was facilitated by the law firm K&L Gates LLP via a New York shell company, Ecree LLC. Global Witness argues that the Trump Organization and K&L Gates failed to perform adequate due diligence on a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), potentially facilitating money laundering.

An investigation by Global Witness, Der Spiegel, and Mediapart reveals that the Ngoki oil project in the Republic of the Congo is linked to the family of President Sassou-Nguesso and businessman Claude Wilfrid Etoka, whose bank accounts were closed by BNP Paribas due to corruption risks. The report argues that the project's environmental impact assessments are obsolete and fail to account for the presence of carbon-rich peatlands, which could store 1.34 gigatonnes of carbon in the Ngoki block alone. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the announced oil reserves of 359 million barrels may be economically unviable, as major firms like Shell and Total previously rejected the project based on seismic data.

Global Witness and CLARA criticize the VCMI's Provisional Claims Code of Practice, arguing it enables greenwashing and ignores the scientific reality that avoided emissions cannot balance current emissions. They contend that the voluntary carbon market facilitates the appropriation of lands in the global South by the global North and distracts from the mandatory decarbonization and consumption reductions necessary to meet the 1.5C Paris Agreement target.