Search Climate Insights Directory

This special report analyzes the initial response to COVID-19 in Africa, examining the vulnerabilities of the continent's health systems, the various mitigation strategies adopted by different nations, and the challenges of implementing lockdowns in contexts of high poverty and informality.

This report provides a situational analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic's arrival and early impact in Africa as of July 2020, noting the acceleration of community transmission and the severe social and economic costs of containment measures.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the systemic human development crisis caused by COVID-19 in Africa as of July 2020. It examines the tension between economic mitigation and health risks, the specific vulnerabilities of energy-exporting nations, the potential for digital and green energy leapfrogging, and the risk of a debt crisis compounded by falling tax revenues and remittances.

This conclusion section of a report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the potential socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa through 2030, focusing on income, debt, poverty, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This July 2020 issue of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical political and security challenges across Africa, focusing on the Central African Republic's electoral turning point, the diplomatic impasse between Somalia and Somaliland, insecurity in the Sahel, and the impact of COVID-19 on governance and elections across the continent.

This case study describes the Mokoloki project in Ogun State, Nigeria, which launched in February 2020 as the country's first rural commercial undergrid minigrid. Developed through a partnership between Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Nayo Tropical Technology (Nayo Tech), and the Mokoloki community with advisory from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the project replaces a weak grid connection with a solar hybrid system to improve reliability and reduce utility losses.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for decarbonizing the US building sector, primarily through electrification. It outlines ten key strategies for public utilities commissions (PUCs) and government agencies to transition away from fossil fuel infrastructure, emphasizing equity, market transformation, and the management of stranded asset risks.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative and UN-OHRLLS, provides policymakers in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with best practices to increase the resilience of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems against extreme wind events. Based on field evaluations of failures and successes following hurricanes in the Caribbean and Pacific, the document outlines technical specifications for ground-mount and rooftop systems and emphasizes the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure infrastructure survives Category 5 storms.

This policy brief examines the intersection of demographic growth, climate change, and waste management in Mombasa, Kenya. It argues that while the city faces significant risks from flooding and sea-level rise, there is substantial potential for nature-based solutions—such as constructed wetlands and mangrove restoration—to build ecological, economic, and social resilience.

This World Resources Institute research paper provides a framework for countries to design and communicate net-zero GHG targets. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive, sector-wide targets with ambitious time frames—especially for major emitters—and argues that targets should be legally binding and informed by stakeholder engagement to ensure a just transition. The paper advocates for prioritizing domestic reductions over international transfers and integrating long-term net-zero goals into near-term policies and NDCs.

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute provides a comparative analysis of net-zero targets adopted by 19 countries and the European Union as of July 2020, evaluating their design robustness, target years, sectoral coverage, and legal status.

A submission by 120 economists and researchers to the Standing Committee on Finance recommending the rejection of the Supplementary Budget tabled on 24 June 2020, arguing that it fails to implement President Cyril Ramaphosa's R500 billion COVID-19 rescue package.

The Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide for African Countries highlights that 565 million people in Africa lack electricity and 900 million lack clean cooking. It proposes that African nations use the COVID-19 recovery period to invest in sustainable energy to drive GDP growth and improve health, gender, and agricultural outcomes.

This report describes a participatory workshop conducted in February 2020 by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Hivos with residents of non-grid connected villages in Machakos county, Kenya. The exercise used a 'backcasting' methodology, asking participants to imagine a 2030 scenario where their entire villages used electricity for cooking and then determine the necessary sequence of changes required to achieve that goal. The study emphasizes the need to prioritize sociocultural factors—such as gender roles, cultural norms, and cooking practices—over a traditional focus on technical efficiency when scaling clean cookstove access.

This policy brief by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) examines the role of blended finance in mobilizing commercial capital for sustainable development goals (SDGs) in developing countries. It emphasizes the importance of anchoring blended finance to local contexts, priorities, and financial market development, providing recommendations for Development Finance Organizations (DFOs) to improve their organizational strategies, partnerships with local actors, and the use of local currency financing.

This research paper outlines the transition of public procurement from an administrative task to a strategic lever for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing four regional case studies and ten essential ingredients for reform.

This policy brief examines the current state of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Africa, highlighting a significant deficit that hinders development. While private sector investment and 'leapfrogging' to fibre-optic systems have driven progress, the continent still lags behind global averages in internet penetration, service quality, and affordability. The document recommends strategic policy interventions to improve rural access, enhance policy capacity, and expand the technical skills base to fully realize the benefits of the digital economy.

This statement, published by Friends of the Earth International on June 25, 2020, condemns the gas industry's impact on the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. The document alleges that transnational corporations and the Mozambican government are complicit in human rights abuses, land grabbing, and environmental destruction, while failing to deliver promised development benefits.

This statement, published by Friends of the Earth International on June 25, 2020, and signed by 410 organizational and individual signatories, demands an immediate end to gas extraction in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The document alleges that the gas industry, supported by the Mozambican government and various transnational corporations and financiers, is responsible for land grabbing, human rights violations, and the exacerbation of a humanitarian crisis in the region.

A statement published by Friends of the Earth International on June 25, 2020, signed by 410 organizational and individual signatories, demanding an immediate end to gas extraction in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The document accuses multinational fossil fuel companies and the Mozambican government of complicity in human rights violations, environmental destruction, and the exacerbation of poverty and health crises.