Illegal gold mining has become one of the most profitable illicit economies in the Andean-Amazon region, causing socio-environmental damage such as deforestation, river siltation and the contamination of soil and waterways with mercury, with direct effects on the health of local and Indigenous populations, while
This report examines how eight selected BRICS countries—Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—are advancing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and the bioeconomy to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development. It argues that these countries possess the natural
This report examines how eight selected BRICS countries—Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—are shaping the global energy transition while balancing domestic development priorities. Together, these countries represent major fossil fuel producers, renewable energy leaders, clean technology manufacturers,
Latin America and the Caribbean’s major criminal groups can no longer be understood simply as regional drug trafficking organizations moving cocaine through global markets. That image belongs to an earlier phase. Today, several of these organizations exercise territorial authority, generate revenue from both licit and
The Amazon is facing a growing set of pressures shaped by the convergence of accelerated environmental degradation, the expansion of illicit economies, and the fragility of state presence. In this context, illegal gold mining and mercury trafficking occupy a central position, both because of the
Critical minerals have moved from the margins of industrial policy to the center of geopolitical competition. Cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, graphite, and rare earths now underpin three strategic imperatives: energy transition, digital infrastructure, and defense readiness. As rivalry between the United States and China
In 2025, the Igarapé Institute helped move environmental crime, nature finance, and climate-security cooperation from the margins of global debate to the center of decision-making. In a year marked by growing geopolitical fragmentation, escalating risks across the Amazon Basin, and COP30 in Belém, Igarapé worked
This second Global Futures Bulletin in the Igarapé Institute’s “Towards a Roadmap to Zero Deforestation” series advances the discussion on the COP30 Presidency’s Roadmap on Halting and Reversing Deforestation and Forest Degradation by 2030. Building on the reflections presented in the first edition, this new
Regulating sectors that impact forests is essential to prevent, reduce, and combat environmental crimes in the Amazon. Illegality does not lie in natural resources themselves, but in how they are extracted, processed, transported, and traded. When markets for gold, timber, cattle, and land operate without
Regulating sectors that impact forests is essential to prevent, reduce, and combat environmental crimes in the Amazon. Illegality does not lie in natural resources themselves, but in how they are extracted, processed, transported, and traded. When markets for gold, timber, cattle, and land operate without
Regulating sectors that impact forests is essential to prevent, reduce, and combat environmental crimes in the Amazon. Illegality does not lie in natural resources themselves, but in how they are extracted, processed, transported, and traded. When markets for gold, timber, cattle, and land operate without
Regulating sectors that impact forests is essential to prevent, reduce, and combat environmental crimes in the Amazon. Illegality does not lie in natural resources themselves, but in how they are extracted, processed, transported, and traded. When markets for gold, timber, cattle, and land operate without
Deforestation in the Amazon is at a decisive moment. In Brazil alone, 91% of the deforestation recorded between 2023 and 2024 occurred without authorization. The continuation of this process brings the forest closer to a point of no return, with irreversible impacts on climate regulation,
COP30 in Belém marks the beginning of a new phase in the global climate agenda focused on implementation. In this context, the Brazilian COP30 Presidency is expected to deliver two Roadmaps by November 2026 to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement: one on
COP30, held in Belém in 2025, marked an important step forward in strengthening climate-nature synergies within the United Nations’ efforts to address the climate crisis. For the first time, linkages between climate action, ecosystem protection, and land-use governance were reflected across the four pillars of
This Global Futures Bulletin examines how the Amazon is increasingly framed not only as an environmental asset but as a strategic source of minerals essential to the energy transition and modern defence systems. This dual demand – clean energy and hard security – has elevated
We are living through an unprecedented climate crisis that poses an imminent risk to biodiversity and to future generations of our planet. The crisis is driven by the destruction of forests, which play a crucial role in absorbing CO₂, but which now emit more carbon
The transboundary region between the Caquetá–Japurá and Puré–Puruê rivers, located between southern Colombia and northern Amazonas State in Brazil, is one of the most well-preserved and, at the same time, most vulnerable ecological corridors in the Amazon. In this setting of interconnected rivers, vast areas
Climate change and biodiversity loss are distinct phenomena, yet deeply interconnected, with mutual impacts. The Amazon Basin is a powerful example of this interdependence, increasingly threatened by deforestation and the direct effects of environmental degradation. The symbiotic relationship between the climate and biodiversity crises affects
Artificial intelligence has reached a critical inflection point, raising fundamental questions about safety, alignment, regulation, and the very future of humanity. Propelled by technical advances toward “superintelligence” through tools such as transformer architectures, reinforcement learning, and model distillation, the current moment in AI may
The climate agenda has been gaining strength within BRICS since 2019. Initially marked by occasional mentions in political declarations, it gained new momentum with Brazil’s BRICS presidency in 2025 — the same year the country is also hosting COP30. In this context, cooperation has evolved
The Amazon is the largest tropical forest on the planet, harboring about 10% of global biodiversity and playing a vital role in regulating the climate and the carbon cycle. Despite its socio-environmental relevance, the Amazon is under growing pressure from the gold, timber, cattle, and
At the close of the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed the creation of a new Climate Change Council. Rather than presenting a finalized proposal, the Brazilian government invited the international community to
Threats to physical security, land conflicts, environmental degradation, and weak state presence are among the most urgent challenges faced by organizations in Brazil and Colombia working on the frontlines of the Amazon. These risks are compounded by global demand for commodities — including timber,
Environmental and natural resource-related crimes represent the third-largest illicit economy in the world in terms of the volume of money involved, ranking behind only drug trafficking and human trafficking. These are offenses that affect nature and threaten the planet’s sustainability, such as illegal logging, illicit
This publication presents an analysis of six community-led initiatives in the Amazon, organized around practical lessons that address the region’s challenges. Among the most pressing challenges are the advance of deforestation, the intensification of illicit activities, pressure on protected territories, biodiversity loss, barriers to accessing
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is outpacing current global governance efforts aimed at ensuring its safety and alignment with ethical principles. While the United States, Europe, and China lead in the development of AI technologies and regulatory frameworks, most countries — particularly in
Throughout 2024, the Igarapé Institute continued to drive solutions for public, digital and climate security challenges. At a time of deepening geopolitical turbulence, the Institute reinforced its role as a key interlocutor in global debates on international security, safe and secure AI, and environmental crime.
Environmental and human rights defenders play a critical role in combating ecosystem degradation and mitigating climate change. They serve as central members of their communities, organizing others to fight injustices and abuses. Environmental defenders are the first line of defense in places where the biome
An analysis of the impacts and results of social reintegration initiatives for formerly incarcerated individuals in Brazil and worldwide, focusing on recidivism and the guarantee of rights. This is the primary objective of this study, which mapped 32 evaluative publications related to 21 national and
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