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The report examines how G20 countries can shift public funds away from fossil fuels through subsidy reform, increased taxation, and the redirection of state-owned enterprise investments. It highlights specific national examples, such as Indonesia's consumption subsidy reform and the EU's transition funds, while arguing that the current scale of public support for fossil fuels hinders decarbonization and sustainable development.

The report argues that GDP is an insufficient measure of national progress and advocates for the use of comprehensive wealth measures. Analysis of Canadian data from 1980 to 2015 reveals several sustainability risks, including rising household debt, declining lifetime earning potential, heavy reliance on foreign investment, and a significant drop in the market value of the oil sands. The author emphasizes that Canada's comprehensive wealth portfolio is vulnerable to climate change impacts.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines eight case studies of organizations utilizing innovative technologies—including blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things—to improve data processing and decision-making for the protection of freshwater resources.

The document serves as an introduction to a storybook illustrating the application of emerging technologies—including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and blockchain—to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a more sustainable and equitable world.

The document examines the use of tax incentives in the mining sector, particularly in developing countries, highlighting the risk of overly generous incentives that reduce government revenue. It specifically warns against unintended behavioural responses, such as the acceleration of production during time-limited tax holidays to maximize tax-free revenue, which ultimately depletes resources and lowers long-term fiscal receipts.

The report argues that credit enhancement is essential for closing the USD 90 trillion global infrastructure deficit and scaling sustainable infrastructure, which is often more expensive to plan and build due to unpriced environmental and social externalities. It identifies key barriers to adoption, including a lack of public sector expertise, misaligned incentive structures at multilateral development banks (MDBs) that favor loans over guarantees, and the administrative complexity of asset recycling under Basel III. The authors suggest that while a Universal Guarantee Facility is being discussed, empowering existing dedicated de-risking agencies and improving collaboration between providers may be more effective. The report also highlights the need for innovation in mitigating currency, refinancing, and legal risks related to environmental and social compliance.

The document examines how host governments can stimulate direct local employment in mining to drive socioeconomic growth and maintain a social licence to operate. It outlines a five-step process for developing local employment policies: assessing the sector's role in national development, evaluating labour supply and demand, setting goals, formulating policies, and monitoring outcomes. The report categorizes interventions into regulatory 'stick' policies—such as employment quotas, mandated training, and visa restrictions—and facilitative 'carrot' policies, including bidding preferences, fiscal incentives, and support for training facilities. It emphasizes the need for context-specific strategies that address gender inequality and the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, while warning that automation and technological trends may shift future workforce requirements.

The document examines the shift in international investment governance as countries move toward 'new-generation' model investment treaties. It highlights how states are revising their models to correct problematic language, integrate sustainable development goals, and limit the use of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). The text details specific national approaches from Canada, the Netherlands, India, Nigeria, and Brazil, while noting a general trend toward more transparent, consultative processes in drafting these agreements.

The document analyzes the challenges states face when seeking security for costs in ISDS, noting that tribunals often apply an excessively high threshold for granting such orders. It highlights the impact of third-party funding and the inconsistency of current jurisprudence, ultimately proposing specific treaty language to standardize the process and ensure investors can satisfy cost awards.

The document examines the challenges states face in obtaining security for costs in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), noting that tribunals often apply extremely strict criteria. It highlights the risks posed by third-party funding and the lack of consistent rules in arbitration frameworks. To address this, the guide proposes specific treaty language to mandate security for costs when investors are likely insolvent or use 'hit and run' third-party funding.

The report finds that Canada's development has been unsustainable for significant periods since 2008, as comprehensive wealth declined or grew on a fragile basis despite GDP growth. Key vulnerabilities include stagnant per capita human capital, produced capital concentrated in housing and oil and gas, and the physical depletion of most market natural assets. While financial capital grew recently due to foreign stock market gains, household debt has reached unprecedented levels, increasing financial fragility.

The report finds that while Canada's GDP has grown, its comprehensive wealth—comprising produced, natural, human, financial, and social capital—has grown much more slowly and shows signs of fragility. Key concerns include a lack of growth in human capital, the depletion of market natural assets, and an increasing concentration of produced capital in housing and oil and gas infrastructure. The document advocates for the regular measurement of comprehensive wealth by Statistics Canada to better guide long-term policy decisions and address threats like climate change.

The report argues that Canada's long-term prosperity is fragile, as its comprehensive wealth has grown significantly slower than its GDP. While Canada possesses high levels of natural capital, it faces risks from household debt, climate change, and an over-concentration of produced capital in housing and oil and gas infrastructure. The authors advocate for the official adoption of comprehensive wealth measurement to shift policy focus from short-term gains to long-term sustainability.

The report analyzes local content policies (LCPs) used by mineral-rich nations to increase the use of domestic labor, goods, and services in the mining sector. It details various policy instruments—ranging from mandatory quotas and ownership requirements to government incentives and voluntary business initiatives—and examines their practical application in countries such as Norway, Chile, Ghana, and Brazil. The document argues that LCPs often fail when implemented as blanket provisions without clear objectives or sufficient industrial capacity. It identifies critical prerequisites for success, including institutional readiness, a favorable business climate, and a long-term vision that transcends political cycles. The report concludes that effective LCPs require a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, robust monitoring through key performance indicators, and strong partnerships between governments, mining firms, and local suppliers to ensure sustainable economic diversification.

The report examines downstream beneficiation—the domestic processing of raw materials—noting that policies are often driven by political goals rather than economic analysis. It identifies key prerequisites for success, including guaranteed market demand, infrastructure, and inexpensive energy, while arguing that proximity to raw materials is increasingly less important than proximity to consumers. The document analyzes five policy options: incentives, prescriptive measures, negotiations, bidding, and government-led investments, highlighting that without a strong business case, these can lead to inefficient 'white elephant' projects. It concludes with recommendations for governments to use market and cost-benefit analyses, including considerations for environmental externalities and the risk of stranded assets in the oil and gas sector due to global decarbonization targets.

The report investigates the potential for Zambia to transition from fossil fuel subsidies to sustainable energy investments. It identifies that while petroleum subsidies were largely eliminated in 2016, significant subsidies remain in the electricity sector, particularly for the mining industry. The authors propose two 'subsidy swaps': redirecting electricity subsidies to fund energy efficiency in mining and replacing expensive diesel generators with solar PV. The report concludes that both are feasible, with solar PV already progressing through initiatives like Scaling Solar and GET FiT, while the mining sector swap requires further research into energy savings potential and fund administration.

The document asserts that natural infrastructure is an underutilized tool for mitigating flood risk in Canada. It highlights that flood risks are increasing from fluvial, pluvial, and coastal sources and calls for a framework to guide the assessment and selection of natural infrastructure over traditional grey infrastructure.

The IGF conducted an assessment of Namibia's mining policy framework at the request of the Government of Namibia and the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The evaluation focused on six thematic areas: the Legal and Policy Environment, Financial Benefit Optimization, Socioeconomic Benefit Optimization, Environmental Management, the Post-Mining Transition, and Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). The goal was to ensure the mining sector contributes to sustainable development by maximizing national and community benefits while maintaining environmental and social standards.

The Bangkok Climate Change Conference focused on operationalizing the Paris Agreement through the PAWP, covering mitigation, adaptation, finance, and transparency. While some technical progress was made in streamlining negotiating texts, overall progress was characterized as "uneven," with significant deadlocks remaining over climate finance (Article 9.5) and the principle of differentiation in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The document introduces the concept of alignment across three major international policy frameworks: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It argues that because climate change threatens sustainable development, development efforts must be resilient to climate impacts and disaster risks to remain sustainable.