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This policy brief clarifies the conceptual framework of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), specifically focusing on Nature-based Climate Solutions (NbCS) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) for climate change adaptation. It outlines the requirements for these solutions to be effective, provides practical examples across various ecosystems, and discusses the social and environmental safeguards necessary to prevent rights violations and biodiversity loss.

This guidance note from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) clarifies the conceptual framework of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Nature-based Climate Solutions (NBCS), and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), with a specific focus on climate adaptation. It outlines the requirements for a project to be classified as NBCS for adaptation, provides practical examples across various ecosystems, and discusses the social and environmental safeguards necessary to prevent rights violations and ecological harm.

A June 2022 briefing by the Climate Action Tracker reporting that progress on updating 2030 climate targets has stalled following the Glasgow Climate Pact. The document warns that current targets and policies are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C, projecting end-of-century warming of 2.4°C based on 2030 targets and 2.7°C under current policies.

This policy brief examines the limited participation of African nations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce. It analyzes the tension between the plurilateral JSI approach and the multilateral Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, highlighting the digital divide and capacity constraints facing African states. The author argues that African countries should engage with the JSI to protect their developmental interests and prepare for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) e-commerce protocol.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute uses Sweden as a case study to examine equity in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. It argues that focusing solely on public charging as a metric for success is contradictory, as private charging is the dominant strategy for cost and grid flexibility. The analysis reveals a correlation between higher disposable income and higher private charger density, particularly in urban areas, while car density is higher in regions where charger access remains low. The authors recommend systematic data collection at the postcode level to identify and address structural inequalities in infrastructure deployment.

This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2022, analyzes the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the global construction and buildings value chain. It emphasizes that decisions made during the early stages of planning and finance heavily dictate the sustainability outcomes of the entire chain. The document advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach involving regulations, green public procurement, and urban planning to transition toward net-zero emissions and higher material efficiency.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the potential impacts of Sweden's goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2045 on individual consumption in the transport and food sectors. The authors identify significant gaps in current policy visions, particularly regarding the needs of rural populations in the transport transition and the lack of specific consumption targets in the food sector.

This fact sheet by the Stockholm Environment Institute provides an overview of urban sustainability metrics, comparing index-based and indicator-based systems and proposing a cyclical pathway for municipal governments to measure and monitor sustainability performance.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes energy support measures in India from FY 2014 to FY 2021, focusing on subsidies, public utility investments, and public finance lending to assess alignment with the country's 2070 net-zero goal.

This policy brief examines the deployment and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the dominance of foreign Big Tech companies and the need for local AI capacities that align with national development priorities. It analyzes risks associated with biometric identification, the gig economy, and 'click work,' while reviewing emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda. The document argues that for AI to benefit local economies, African states must prioritize inclusive digital infrastructure, data governance, and the protection of human rights, while cautioning that regulatory frameworks from the EU (such as the AI Act and GDPR) may not fully address the structural and socio-economic realities of the African context.

This policy brief examines the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the potential for socio-economic growth and the risks posed by foreign technology monopolies, precarious digital labour, and human rights violations. It analyzes emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda, while arguing that African policymakers must prioritize local capacity, inclusive infrastructure, and gender-sensitive labour protections to ensure AI serves national developmental priorities rather than external interests.

A fact sheet by the NewClimate Institute arguing that natural gas cannot sustainably meet Africa's energy demands and that the continent should instead transition to renewable energy to avoid stranded assets and economic risks.

The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on the Climate Change Bill, 2022. The submission argues that the Bill is insufficient to address the climate emergency and lacks the urgency, ambition, and enforcement mechanisms necessary to meet South Africa's international obligations under the Paris Agreement and protect constitutional rights.

Natural Justice submitted comments on the draft Climate Change Bill (B9-2022) to the South African Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on 27 May 2022. The organization argues that the Bill lacks the urgency required to address the climate crisis, fails to set ambitious emission reduction targets, and provides insufficient protections for constitutional rights and vulnerable communities.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio analyzes how ongoing legal controversies in Brazil are hindering the implementation of the 2012 Forest Code (Law No. 12.651). It details four primary legal disputes: the conflict between the Forest Code and the Atlantic Forest Law, the determination of temporal milestones for Legal Reserve requirements under Article 68, the validity of revising previous environmental commitment terms, and the contradictory criteria for Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRA).

The report analyzes the failure of federal and state regulations in Brazil to effectively cancel Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) inscriptions that overlap with Indigenous Lands (TIs). It highlights that current systems often only protect fully homologated lands, leaving TIs in the demarcation process vulnerable to illegal land claims. The authors propose a standardized administrative process for summary cancellation of total overlaps and a notification system for partial overlaps to protect indigenous territorial rights.

This policy brief by RMI argues that low-carbon fuels—specifically green hydrogen, biomethane, and synthetic methane—are impractical for heating buildings in New York State. The document contends that these alternatives are energy-inefficient compared to heat pumps, require costly and risky infrastructure upgrades, pose health hazards, and divert critical resources away from energy efficiency and electrification goals mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

This fact sheet from RMI argues that electric trucks are currently viable for a significant portion of the market, provided that policy frameworks and grid infrastructure are strengthened to support their adoption.

This report summary highlights the environmental and health risks of intentionally adding microplastics to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in industrial agriculture. It asserts that this practice introduces pollutants directly into soil and food supplies, compounding the toxicity of agrochemicals, and calls for a total ban on the production and use of plastic-coated agrochemicals.