What's new in sustainable development

How Art Can Help Us Adapt to Climate Change

“This was never just about aesthetics. It was about ownership,” writes gender equality expert Thandokuhle Zungu, describing a unique initiative that blends environmental action with artistic expression in the heart of the Alexandra Township.

Through the SUNCASA project, the Alexandra community in Johannesburg is transforming solid waste into river cleaning installations and public art to reduce flooding, improve biodiversity, and ignite climate action from the ground up.

“What Alexandra needs—and what we dared to attempt—is a different relationship with the river. One that merges science with story, infrastructure with imagination.” 

HLPF 2025: The story so far

Amid an increasingly urgent drive for multilateral reform, country representatives and civil society leaders are meeting at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York to review progress on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. Follow daily coverage from our Earth Negotiations Bulletin team.

Unpacking a Year of Mixed SDG Progress 

The bulk of Voluntary National Review reports submitted by countries to the United Nations in 2024 sounded the alarm on slow progress across many Sustainable Development Goals. We unpack the reasons why.

The Compromiso de Sevilla and the Challenge of Financing Development

As the dust settles on talks at FfD4 in Seville, we summarize where the conference made progress, where it fell short, and what lies ahead.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights Urges States to Review ISDS for Climate Action

A landmark opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on “the climate emergency and human rights” underscores that the investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) model threatens climate action. We unpack how this can drive treaty reform—and set the scene for the ICJ’s historic climate ruling due on July 23.

 

Why Liquefied Natural Gas Is a Bad Bet for Canadian Energy Security

Unstable prices, shrinking demand, and growing uncertainty—LNG is a risky bet for Canada. Our experts, Nichole Dusyk and Steven Haig, break down why it falls short on energy security and what cleaner, faster, and more resilient solutions look like.

How to Design Fair and Effective Border Carbon Adjustments

There is no internationally agreed-upon guidance on designing and implementing border carbon adjustments (BCAs) to advance both climate and development objectives. New guidance from a group of experts, including our own Aaron Cosbey, aims to fill the gap, offering detailed recommendations on BCA design questions.

How Do We Measure Canada’s Energy Transition? 

Canada’s sustainable jobs legislation set out a mandate to support workers and communities in the transition to a net-zero economy, but how should progress be measured? Our researchers count the ways.

Rethinking Investment Treaties as Risk Allocation Tools

One largely overlooked function of investment treaties is how they make states shoulder the risk from private investments. Our new report sets out what policy-makers should do to better align investment treaties with the public interest.
  

Can Rigid Debt Rules Still Deliver Sustainability in Developing Countries?

Rising debt vulnerabilities and shrinking fiscal space are challenging the effectiveness of rigid fiscal rules in developing countries. Our debt experts look at fiscal rules in 85 emerging markets and developing economies and propose a shift toward more flexible fiscal regimes that better support long-term debt sustainability and economic resilience.

What Can We Learn About Finance From National Adaptation Plans?

While there’s a gap between adaptation finance needs and what's available, developing countries are already mobilizing resources using different instruments. Join the NAP Global Network’s upcoming webinar to find out how these countries are addressing adaptation finance issues.

 
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