Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South

The research identifies 105 cities with populations over one million across 34 Global South countries suitable for electrification, based on electricity access (>90%) and carbon intensity (<600 tCO2e/GWh). While all South American cities meet these criteria, suitability is low in sub-Saharan Africa (3 of 40 cities) and South and East Asia (26 of 202 cities).

• The analysis identifies 105 cities with populations over one million people across 34 countries in the Global South where electrification is considered a good strategy.
• The suitability for electrification varies significantly by region: all South American cities are suitable, while only a small fraction of cities in other regions meet the criteria. Specifically, only 26 out of 202 cities with over one million people in South and East Asia are good candidates, and only three cities in sub-Saharan Africa (Accra, Addis Ababa, and Kumasi) out of 40 cities with over one million people are suitable.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South. https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-currents-opportunities-low-carbon-electric-cities-global-south

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-currents-opportunities-low-carbon-electric-cities-global-south.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South |url=https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-currents-opportunities-low-carbon-electric-cities-global-south |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendshifting, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-currents-opportunities-low-carbon-electric-cities-global-south}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }