This article explores the growing interest in deep-sea mining as a source of critical minerals for clean technologies, detailing how it works, its potential economic benefits, and the significant ecological and governance risks it poses. It also examines ongoing international regulatory disputes and alternative solutions such as recycling and circular mineral economies.

This month’s sustainability roundup traces a rapidly evolving landscape in climate finance and accountability, spotlighting the weaknesses exposed by Hurricane Melissa’s disaster-risk finance system alongside new policy frameworks now reshaping sustainable investment. It highlights how vulnerable nations continue to bear the costs of climate impacts, how regulatory reforms such as Australia’s 2035 emissions target and global disclosure regimes are embedding accountability, and how renewed scrutiny of carbon markets is driving the search for credible, incentive-based pathways to real decarbonisation.

This month’s sustainability roundup covers Australia’s new 2035 emissions target, ASIC’s final climate disclosure guidance, and Fortescue’s revised transition plan. It also examines global developments, from ISSB reporting updates and TNFD nature disclosures to Woodside’s gas extension, rising physical climate risks, and evolving ESG policy debates shaping corporate and investor responses.

The Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy+ 2025 report compares the economics of power generation, storage, and system reliability across technologies. It finds renewables remain the most cost-competitive, storage costs are falling due to market and technological shifts, and firming costs rise as renewable penetration increases, requiring diverse generation solutions.

Mark Carney’s “tragedy of the horizon” warned that markets would act too late on climate risks. A decade later, this article argues that framing climate change as a financial risk has misdirected efforts—what’s needed now is coordinated action to create investable markets, especially in emerging economies.

The report introduces the concept of Regenerative Good Growth (RGG) as an alternative to extractive GDP-focused models. It argues that economic progress should regenerate five renewable capitals, natural, social, human, cultural, and sustainable physical, while ensuring fairness, engagement, and reduced environmental harm. RGG promotes inclusive, low-carbon, and nature-positive transitions through diverse public participation.

MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) is a Swiss-based publisher of open access, peer-reviewed journals, established in 1996. MDPI publishes over 470 academic journals across science, technology and medicine, with authors covering article processing charges to enable unrestricted global access.

Rockefeller Capital Management (RockCo) delivers wealth management, asset management and investment banking services grounded in the Rockefeller legacy. Serving individuals, families and institutions, RockCo emphasises bespoke financial solutions, generational wealth planning and strategic advisory — combining innovation with long-standing trust.

Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment supports climate innovation, environmental research and impact investing. Through its grant and investment programmes (such as its venture arm, Neglected Climate Opportunities), it backs early-stage technologies in carbon capture, clean energy, soil health and ecosystem conservation globally.

This report summarises how Australia’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy could be expanded to agriculture, forestry and land management, proposing draft criteria for biodiversity protection, sustainable water use, and pollution control. It aligns with global biodiversity goals to guide investment and lending that support nature-positive outcome.

Drawdown Explorer is an interactive platform that catalogues climate mitigation solutions, ranking them by their emissions impact, cost, and readiness.

One Planet Network is a global multi-stakeholder partnership advancing sustainable consumption and production (SCP). It implements the 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) through six thematic programmes. The network acts as a knowledge hub and convenes governments, businesses, civil society and experts on SCP and SDG 12.

This report from the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change analyses place-based just transition policies in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. It outlines market-specific policy baselines, labour and social dynamics, financing needs and case studies, providing investors and policymakers with insights into ensuring equitable low-carbon transitions in Asia.

The Environmental Hotspots tool by UNEP offers an interactive map of high-risk ecological zones worldwide, allowing users to explore environmental pressures across sectors (e.g. ecosystems, resource extraction).

The ESA WorldCover viewer offers an interactive web-map of global land cover at 10 m resolution, enabling overlay of Sentinel-1/2 composites, statistics by region, and download of data tiles, all without software installation.

MapX is an open-source, cloud-based geospatial platform for visualising, analysing and managing environmental data. Developed by UNEP/GRID-Geneva, it supports decision-making in biodiversity, climate, land use and disaster risk, through map views, dashboards and storytelling tools.