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The Private Equity Bankruptcy Tracker reports that private equity firms were involved in 54% of the largest U.S. corporate bankruptcies (liabilities $\ge$ $1 billion) and 51% of large bankruptcies (liabilities $\ge$ $500 million) in 2025. The report argues that the private equity model, characterized by leveraged buyouts and aggressive value extraction, increases bankruptcy risks, particularly in the manufacturing, healthcare, and consumer discretionary sectors. These financial failures led to at least 36,802 layoffs across 13 PE-backed bankruptcies in 2025 and disrupted essential services, such as healthcare. The document also notes a trend toward 'distressed exchanges' to circumvent formal bankruptcy, with PE-backed firms accounting for 41% of these events according to S&P Global data.

The document examines the trend of ASEAN countries increasing LNG import infrastructure, with planned investments of USD 20.4 billion. It argues that LNG fails to provide true energy security due to its sensitivity to geopolitical shocks, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Middle East, and competition for supply with Europe. The author suggests that Southeast Asian nations should instead prioritize domestic renewable energy, leverage their own solar manufacturing capacity, and accelerate the ASEAN Power Grid to enhance resilience and reduce import dependency.

The document critiques the current Ghana-Germany relationship as being over-specialised in skills diffusion (TVET) and SME support, which it deems structurally irrelevant to Ghana's ambitious 24-Hour Economy (24HE) initiative. It contrasts this with the early post-colonial era (1950s-1970s) when the partnership focused on industrial diplomacy, plant construction, and technology transfer. The author argues that Ghana's current needs—industrial corridors, logistics synchronisation, and capacity maximisation—require a 'vanguardist' model where industrial spearheads are built first to create the demand for skills, rather than the current 'platform-first' approach of training before industrial uptake. The paper proposes a 'Ghana-Germany Youth Employment & Value-Chain Compact' to target 200,000 youth placements across five priority value chains over three years, integrating German strengths in automation, standards, and energy systems with Ghanaian industrial goals.

The briefing discusses the systemic nature of climate disinformation, driven by the public relations industry and Big Tech algorithms for profit. It highlights Spain's initiative to hold digital platforms and executives legally accountable for the algorithmic amplification of illegal content and disinformation. The text also notes the European Union's endorsement of the UN Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change and the implementation of fossil fuel advertising bans in cities like The Hague, Amsterdam, and Florence as models for protecting the public from corporate-driven deception.

The report identifies six audience segments in the U.S. public based on their views of global warming: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. As of Fall 2025, 25% of Americans are 'Alarmed', and 52% are either 'Alarmed' or 'Concerned'. Over the decade from 2015 to 2025, the 'Alarmed' segment grew by 14 percentage points, while the 'Cautious' segment decreased by 7 percentage points. The report suggests tailored communication strategies: 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' audiences prefer information on solutions, while 'Cautious' and 'Doubtful' audiences seek evidence and causes of climate change.

The report identifies six audience segments in the U.S. public based on their climate change perceptions: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful, and Dismissive. As of Fall 2025, 25% of Americans are Alarmed, and 52% are either Alarmed or Concerned. Over the last decade, the Alarmed segment grew by 14 percentage points, while the Cautious segment decreased by 7 percentage points. The report also details how these groups differ in their information needs, news consumption, and primary worries.

The Indigenous Advisory Group (IAG) of the Banks and Biodiversity Initiative calls on financial institutions to uphold the Amazon Soy Moratorium's (ASM) zero-deforestation standards despite Brazilian political rollbacks. The IAG argues that soy expansion drives land encroachment and tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples, while abandoning ASM criteria increases legal, reputational, and transition risks for banks. The group advocates for farm-level traceability, the treatment of all Amazon deforestation as incompatible with financing, and the integration of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into due diligence.

The report outlines the safeguards and disclosure process for the PdP A&C project, which targets 25 National Protected Areas (NPAs) and 4 buffer zones covering 17.6 million hectares in the Peruvian Amazon. It confirms the publication of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), the Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework (IPPF), and the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) in English and Spanish. The document details a comprehensive disclosure strategy involving hybrid and in-person meetings with indigenous organizations, the distribution of physical documents to park ranger offices, and the creation of audio capsules in Spanish, Ese Eja, and Machiguenga to ensure accessibility for non-Spanish speaking communities.

The framework examines the potential for renewable energy industrialisation to advance a just energy transition by focusing on localisation strategies and the link between economic and social upgrading. It employs a Global Production Networks (GPN) perspective, integrated with Marxist, feminist, and ecological political economy, to analyse value creation and power relations. To operationalise these theories, the project uses an assessment matrix to evaluate employment quality, ownership patterns, and capability development in local firms.

The document argues that fossil fuel companies use sports sponsorship and advertising to gain social license and normalize polluting consumption, which hinders climate policy. It calls for Norway to implement a ban on fossil fuel advertising, similar to restrictions on tobacco and alcohol, noting that a Klimakultur poll across seven countries shows majority support for such bans in winter sports due to concerns over snow loss.

A coalition of 133 organisations, including Reclaim Finance and WWF, argues that the European Commission's November proposal for the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is insufficient because it limits fossil fuel exclusions to only two of the three sustainable product categories. The signatories contend that allowing any ESG-labelled funds to support fossil fuel expansion would mislead investors, contradict EU climate objectives, and undermine the credibility of the SFDR framework.

The document examines Nigeria's potential to leverage transition minerals—such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt—to drive industrialization and fund climate action. It contrasts the current 'extract-and-export' model, which has left the mining sector contributing only about 0.3% to GDP, with a beneficiation strategy that could significantly increase revenue and create high-skilled jobs. The author highlights the global demand surge for these minerals and the geopolitical opportunity created by the concentration of processing in China. While the Nigerian government has introduced policies to mandate local processing and revoke dormant licenses, the paper notes that a lack of infrastructure and persistent governance deficits, including illegal mining and revenue leakages, remain primary obstacles.

The document outlines how to cover torrential rains by focusing on the scientific drivers of extreme precipitation, the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, the role of territorial planning, and potential adaptation solutions.

The document argues that revising the Water Framework Directive (WFD) would create legal uncertainty and weaken environmental protections at a time when accelerating implementation is critical for climate adaptation and water resilience. The signatories contend that the WFD is essential for food security, public health, and the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, and that any changes intended to facilitate critical raw material extraction should not come at the expense of water quality and ecosystem health.

Analysis by Climate Central indicates that all 25 analyzed coffee-producing countries, representing 97% of global production, experienced an increase in 'coffee-harming heat' (temperatures above 30°C) between 2021 and 2025 due to carbon pollution. The top five producers—Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia—saw an average of 57 additional days of such heat annually. Brazil, the largest producer, experienced 70 extra days of coffee-harming heat per year on average. These conditions threaten both arabica and robusta coffee varieties, with arabica being more sensitive to heat. The report warns that land suitable for coffee farming could decrease by 50% by 2050 without adaptation, potentially leading to deforestation as farmers move to higher elevations.

The report confirms that the Vietnam REDD-plus results-based payments project is classified as Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Category B. It lists the disclosure of key management and assessment documents, including an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), an Environmental and Social Assessment (ESA), a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), and an Ethnic Minorities Planning Framework (EMPF), all made available in English and Vietnamese as of February 18, 2026.

The policy brief examines the critical juncture facing the World Trade Organization (WTO) ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon. While the 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (Fish 1) established a historic first step by prohibiting subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, it does not address the structural causes of overcapacity. The author argues that the upcoming MC14 must restore momentum for 'Fish 2'—additional disciplines targeting broader overfishing—to avoid the risk of the entire 2022 agreement terminating under its sunset clause by September 2029.

The document analyzes the tension between the multilateral Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC) and the plurilateral Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-Commerce. It highlights the conflict over the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, where developing countries fear revenue loss and policy constraints, while other members push for a permanent ban on such duties. The author outlines the stakes for MC14, including the potential incorporation of the JSI Agreement into the WTO framework and the future of the WPEC.

The Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) agreement seeks to improve the investment climate by streamlining foreign direct investment (FDI) procedures and enhancing transparency, without expanding investor rights or addressing market access. While 128 WTO members participated in the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) to finalize the text by November 2023, its legal incorporation into the WTO framework requires full membership consensus. India and Turkey continue to object, citing a lack of multilateral mandate and concerns that plurilateral agreements undermine the multilateral agenda. The outcome at MC14 will determine if the IFD becomes a WTO plurilateral agreement or if co-sponsors must seek alternative administration outside the WTO treaty framework.

The study evaluates a structured co-creation process across four European cities to develop soft climate adaptation measures. It identifies four recurring measure typologies and highlights that effective engagement depends on continuity, tailored formats, and accessible facilitation, while noting constraints in resources and representation.