Search Climate Insights Directory

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) criticizes the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) for raising the repo rate to 7% on May 28, 2026, arguing that inflation is driven by external supply-side costs rather than excessive demand. The IEJ contends that high real interest rates—roughly 3% compared to an emerging market average of 2%—stifle investment, increase government debt-servicing costs, and burden households already facing high unemployment and rising costs of living. The document calls for a shift toward a developmental monetary policy that supports green industrialization, energy sovereignty, and infrastructure renewal to achieve genuine price stability.

The report analyzes Burundi's development prospects, highlighting a 'Current Path' characterized by slow growth, high poverty, and governance challenges. It models eight sectoral scenarios—Governance, Demographics and Health, Education, Large Infrastructure and Leapfrogging, Agriculture, Manufacturing, AfCFTA, and Financial Flows—to demonstrate how targeted interventions could improve GDP per capita and reduce extreme poverty. A 'Combined scenario' suggests that an integrated policy push could dramatically increase GDP to US$17.2 billion by 2043 and reduce the extreme poverty rate by 49 percentage points compared to the Current Path, though this would result in higher carbon emissions.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) critiques the Draft Revised White Paper for Local Government, arguing that it relies too heavily on technical and managerial solutions for fundamentally political problems. PARI suggests that the proposed shift to a single-tier municipal system is politically unfeasible and warns that removing functions from weaker municipalities could undermine democratic accountability. The submission advocates for a stronger focus on the affordability of basic services, noting that 40% of households cannot afford them, and calls for a revitalisation of democratic social mobilisation to drive genuine reform. It also recommends formalising the role of traditional leadership through democratically responsive compacts and improving municipal communication to rebuild public trust.

The paper examines the UK's Enhanced Trade Partnerships (ETPs), which are non-binding memoranda of understanding that sit between informal commercial meetings (JETCOs) and binding Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). While ETPs frequently reference sustainability and can facilitate 'green' trade and regulatory diplomacy, the author argues they primarily serve offensive trade interests and lack the civil society oversight necessary to prevent 'greenwashing'.

The livestock sector is a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in Paraguay, specifically methane. To support Paraguay's commitment to reduce GHG emissions by 20% by 2030, the Ministry of Environment (DGA/MADES) and the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) held a workshop in August 2025. This event brought together government, industry, finance, and academic stakeholders to evaluate methane-reducing technologies, financing mechanisms such as carbon markets, and enabling policies to create a coordinated roadmap for a low-emission, resilient livestock sector.

The document outlines the lethal nature of extreme heat, noting that over 540,000 people die annually worldwide, with 13,000 estimated annual deaths in 17 Latin American countries. It highlights that heat exacerbates cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health issues, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and outdoor workers. The text links the increasing intensity and frequency of heatwaves to the burning of fossil fuels and notes that 71% of the global workforce is exposed to excessive heat. It suggests reporting on solutions like public cooling centers, urban greenery, and labor protections rather than using leisure-related imagery.

The document argues that TotalEnergies SE has misled investors by claiming alignment with the Paris Agreement while continuing to increase fossil fuel production. It highlights the systemic financial risk climate change poses to global portfolios and asserts that TotalEnergies' disclosures—including claims about the role of natural gas as a transition fuel and the 'substitution' argument for continued extraction—are inaccurate. The authors call for an AMF investigation into potential breaches of the AMF General Regulations, the European Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), and the French Monetary and Financial Code.

The letter argues that high-emitting companies, particularly 'Carbon Majors' like TotalEnergies, provide misleading information to investors regarding their alignment with the Paris Agreement while continuing to expand fossil fuel production. It asserts that climate change poses a systemic financial risk, with potential GDP losses of 50% by 2070-2090, and that current economic models underestimate these damages by ignoring tipping points. The authors highlight a 2025 Paris Judicial Court ruling that TotalEnergies misled consumers and call for ESMA to encourage national authorities to take enforcement action against investor-facing greenwashing to protect market integrity.

ClientEarth, Amis de la Terre France, and Notre Affaire à Tous allege that TotalEnergies SE has misled investors by claiming alignment with the Paris Agreement while continuing to increase fossil fuel production. The report argues that such misinformation obscures systemic financial risks, as climate change threatens global economic stability and asset valuations. It specifically challenges the company's claims regarding the role of natural gas as a 'transition energy' and its 'net zero' ambitions, citing a 2025 Paris court ruling that found the company's consumer communications to be misleading.

Climate Central analysis shows that 14 of the 16 host stadiums for the 2026 World Cup are experiencing more extremely hot days during the June-July tournament period than in 1970. Human-caused climate change is responsible for an average of 49% of these extreme heat days across all stadiums, with the highest impact seen in Miami and Mexico City. In 10 repeat host cities, the frequency of extremely hot days has tripled on average since they last hosted the tournament.

WWF advocates for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and ISO to refine their standards to incentivize continued corporate action even when companies struggle to meet targets, particularly regarding scope 3 emissions. Using McDonald's as an example of transparency, WWF suggests that companies should be honest about shortfalls while recommitting to long-term net-zero goals and investing in supply chain resilience.

The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) analyzes the FY27 US Presidential Budget Request, noting that while biodefense is stated as a priority, general programmatic cuts and agency reorganizations have restricted key programs and reduced budgetary transparency. While the Department of Defense saw a record topline increase to $1.45 trillion, biodefense funding did not increase proportionally. Significant cuts were observed in the Department of State's Global Health Programs and the Department of Agriculture's crop and livestock protection. Conversely, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) saw a massive increase in its "Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense" program to $327 million to support pharmaceutical supply chain resilience. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) improved transparency by detailing the transfer of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) functions to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

The document argues for a global debt restructuring mechanism to replace the voluntary and often delayed processes of current frameworks. It suggests that such a mechanism should be housed closer to debtor nations, be linked to the African Union (AU) and African financial institutions, and be grounded in principles of fiscal legitimacy and human rights. To overcome political resistance, the brief recommends that African states form a 'Debtors Club' and transition to the African Credit Rating Agency to reduce reliance on unregulated US-based agencies.

Minister Ronald Lamola's address details South Africa's strategic approach to foreign policy, emphasizing the need to address the root causes of irregular migration among Africa's youth and the necessity of reforming the global financial architecture to ensure debt sustainability. He highlights South Africa's leadership roles in the G20 and BRICS to advance African priorities, including climate finance and inequality, while committing to regional peace and security efforts in Sudan, South Sudan, and the DRC.

The document marks the 30th anniversary of Brazil's electronic voting machines, noting that while the technology has improved election security, public trust dropped from 82% in 2022 to 53% in 2026. It identifies the system as a primary target for false narratives that exploit the public's lack of technical knowledge to suggest manipulation, calling for civil society to bridge this gap through simpler explanations and trust-building efforts.

The report finds that Pronaf exhibits a regressive distribution of credit, where the most capitalized producers receive the bulk of resources while the most vulnerable are excluded. It highlights that 79% of family farmers did not access Pronaf credit in 2024/25, and resources are heavily concentrated in the South and Southeast regions and in conventional crops like soy, corn, and coffee. The document argues that lines for bioeconomy and agroecology remain marginal, often representing less than 1% of total credit. It emphasizes the critical but underfunded role of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ATER), which received less than 0.3% of the total family agriculture budget in the 2025/26 Plan Safra. To address these failures, the report recommends establishing minimum allocation targets for smallholders and the North/Northeast regions, updating outdated fiscal modules for eligibility, integrating the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy, and blocking subsidized credit for properties with recent deforestation.

ClientEarth warns FMCG companies that relying on recycling is insufficient to mitigate legal risks and urges a shift toward upstream plastic reduction. The document details risks from mandatory due diligence laws, product liability for health harms, and anti-greenwashing enforcement, specifically targeting misleading 'recyclable' claims. It also highlights the impact of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) on plastic-related disclosures.

The document examines the intersection of AI data centre growth and Canada's electricity grid, highlighting risks such as increased emissions from gas-powered generation and the potential for data centres to crowd out other electrification efforts. Conversely, it suggests that data centres can act as 'anchor tenants' for cleaner grids by spurring private investment in infrastructure and providing grid flexibility. Because electricity regulation is primarily provincial, the author proposes a federal framework of 'conditional carrots' (funding tied to clean energy), 'binding sticks' (Clean Electricity Regulations and carbon pricing), and 'transparency infrastructure' (national reporting standards) to align provincial actions with national climate objectives.

The Canadian Climate Institute argues that the memorandum of understanding between Alberta and Canada fails to effectively address the dysfunction of Alberta's industrial carbon pricing system. While the agreement introduces a price floor and hedging contracts to stabilize carbon credit markets, the Institute claims the price levels—$60 per tonne by 2030 and $110 by 2040—are too low to drive necessary investments or meet 2050 net-zero targets. Furthermore, the document warns that this agreement sets a low national benchmark that may encourage other provinces to weaken their own carbon pricing systems, potentially hindering Canada's overall climate policy effectiveness.

The Alberta-Canada Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) implementation agreement is criticized for cementing low stringency in industrial carbon pricing, which the author argues will limit emissions reductions and investment in low-carbon projects. While the MOU introduces a minimum market price and joint carbon contracts for difference to stabilize credit markets, the price floor of $60 per tonne by 2030 and $110 by 2040 is deemed too low to meet Canada's net-zero 2050 commitment. The author contends that this agreement sets a low de facto minimum standard for other provinces and that strengthening the system to $130 per tonne would have a negligible impact on oil sands competitiveness, adding less than 50 cents per barrel to the cost of Western Canada Select crude oil.