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This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the rural credit market in the Brazilian Cerrado biome, highlighting a significant concentration of financial flows toward large-scale producers and soy production, contrasted with limited credit access for small and medium-sized family farmers.

The document analyzes the regulatory framework for forest compensation in Brazil under the 2012 Forest Code. It finds that most state laws are outdated and inconsistent with federal rules, often prioritizing raw material supply over ecological conservation. The authors recommend updating state laws, adopting 'no net loss of habitat' principles, ensuring cash payments are tied to specific restoration projects, and implementing geospatial monitoring tools to ensure effective environmental compensation.

This political statement by Friends of the Earth International advocates for a 'Renewable Energy Plan for a Just Recovery' to make Africa 100% independent in renewable energy by 2050. The plan seeks to address energy poverty, the impacts of climate change, and the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic through community-led energy systems and a transition away from fossil fuels.

The 'Just Recovery Renewable Energy Plan for Africa' by Friends of the Earth Africa proposes a transition to a 100% renewable energy independent continent by 2050. Based on modelling by Dr. Sven Teske, the plan aims to eliminate energy poverty and address the dual crises of climate change and Covid-19 through a people-centred, democratic energy system that prioritises social justice and gender equity over corporate profit.

This document outlines the Website Terms and Conditions and the Website Privacy Policy for Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa), effective August 2021. It defines the rules for accessing the website (www.fsdafrica.org), the management of intellectual property, limitations of liability, and the protocols for collecting, processing, and storing user data.

The GreenCape Brand Guidelines document outlines the visual and written identity standards for the organization, including rules for logo usage, color palettes, typography, and photographic style to ensure consistency across all professional and digital communications.

This guide, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in August 2021, provides a framework for establishing financial assurance for mine closure in Argentina. It aims to ensure that funds are available for environmental rehabilitation and physical stability if a mining company is unable to execute its closure plan. The document details best practices for calculating closure costs, selecting financial instruments, and managing these guarantees throughout a mine's life cycle, drawing on regional examples from Chile and Peru.

This 2021 guide by the IISD provides a framework for establishing financial guarantees for mine closure in Argentina. It argues that such guarantees are essential to prevent abandoned mines and ensure environmental stability. The guide details the mine life cycle, evaluates various financial instruments available under Argentine law (including surety insurance, trusts, and pledges), and proposes legislative principles based on liquidity, flexibility, and efficiency to ensure that closure costs are fully covered.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates the readiness of governments to manage mine closures and post-mining transitions. Based on a 2019-2020 survey of 17 countries and 14 Mining Policy Framework (MPF) assessments, the document finds that while governments recognize the importance of mine closure, many lack the necessary policies, financial instruments, and technical capacity to implement them effectively.

The report analyzes the impact of President Felix Tshisekedi's 'sacred union' coalition on the Democratic Republic of the Congo's path toward the 2023 elections. While the coalition has given the president a parliamentary majority, the report highlights deep-seated distrust in the electoral system and the risk that reforms to the electoral laws and the CENI commission may be superficial or manipulated to ensure the president's re-election. It also discusses the contentious debate over a population census and the ongoing security crisis in the eastern DRC, specifically in North Kivu and Ituri.

This August 2021 issue of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) handling of the political transition in Chad, the diplomatic divide over Israel's accreditation to the AU, and the coordination of military interventions in Mozambique. It also provides commentary on the geopolitical rivalry between Western powers and China/Russia in Africa and an interview on the role of culture in peacebuilding.

This discussion brief examines the intersections of waste management, gender equality, social equity, and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It highlights systemic gaps in waste collection, particularly in rural areas and Roma communities, and discusses how the waste sector is characterized by gender imbalances and a reliance on informal labor by marginalized groups.

This research paper examines the international standardization landscape as it relates to plastics pollution. It analyzes the roles of major standards organizations like ISO, CEN, and ASTM International, identifies gaps in current standards across the plastics value chain, and proposes strategic re-orientations—such as variety reduction and digital materials passports—to support a circular economy and a potential global treaty on plastic pollution.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of itself and groundWork, submitted comments on the draft Gas Amendment Bill [B9 – 2020] to the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy. The CER argues that the Bill fails to account for the climate emergency, lacks adequate public consultation and access to information, and irregularly encroaches upon environmental regulatory powers reserved for the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

A statement by the Institute for Economic Justice analyzing the socio-economic drivers behind the July 2021 violent protests in South Africa, arguing that while the arrest of Jacob Zuma was a trigger, the unrest is rooted in systemic inequality, poverty, and failed economic policies.

This final synthesis report by the Centre for Environmental Rights provides strategic and technical guidance on managing sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from old solid fuel combustion plants in South Africa, specifically focusing on Eskom and Sasol facilities. The report utilizes a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to recommend minimum emission standards (MES) based on plant lifetime and economic viability, concluding that reducing SO2 emissions is technologically feasible and provides significant net societal benefits through improved public health and macroeconomic growth.

A study using the LEAP-Kenya-Centralized-Electricity model evaluates electricity generation pathways for Kenya from 2010 to 2040. It finds that while electricity demand will reach 57.4 thousand gigawatts-hours by 2040 under most scenarios, the Full Renewables (FRE) and UN Agenda 2030 SDGs (SDGs 2) scenarios offer the highest greenhouse gas abatement and lowest health impacts. Specifically, the SDGs 2 scenario projects renewable energy to account for 99% of capacity by 2040.

This policy brief examines the evolution of global hazardous waste regulation, from early marine pollution treaties to the Basel Convention and its Ban Amendment. It highlights the risks of 'toxic colonialism,' the challenges of managing rapidly growing e-waste streams, and the need for proactive governance to protect vulnerable populations during the energy transition.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provided written comments on the Draft National Mine Closure Strategy 2021, published by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). While supporting the initiative to increase certainty in mine closure and rehabilitation, the CER argues that the strategy must better protect mining-affected communities, ensure meaningful public participation from the pre-feasibility stage, and align strictly with existing environmental legislation like the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on July 23, 2021, regarding the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's (DFFE) draft Guideline for considering climate change implications in environmental authorisations and licenses. While welcoming the initiative, the CER argues that the draft is insufficient to address the climate crisis and fails to meet the legal requirements of the Constitution and the National Environment Management Act (NEMA). The submission advocates for a 1.5°C warming limit as the primary benchmark for emissions assessments rather than Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and calls for the inclusion of social costs of carbon and full lifecycle GHG emissions in project evaluations.