Are there jurisdictions where merely accessing this content is punishable by law?

EDIT: genuinely asking, I know very little about IP law.

there are jurisdictions where making a copy of it is, even for personal use, but others where it is not

I assume viewing a PDF in browser is generally safe everywhere as long as you aren't downloading to HD or cloud? Or is even this activity realistically dangerous without a VPN in some places?

"Viewing something in the browser" is technically downloading. Law system is too archaic to understand how internet works.

this can vary by jurisdiction

i don't think it's dangerous (even torrenting it isn't dangerous) but i don't want to recommend doing something illegal even though it's totally safe