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This report section analyzes the middle-income population at risk due to a lack of access to sustainable cooling in 2022, focusing on high-impact countries. It details a global decline in this demographic, driven largely by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides regional and country-specific breakdowns of population shifts.

This policy brief by Energy Innovation outlines the building electrification and energy efficiency provisions within the House version of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA). It details $12.5 billion in incentives for residential and commercial building decarbonization, alongside significant investments in affordable housing, workforce training, and the adoption of zero-energy building codes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer costs.

This report examines the adoption of new mining technologies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and their impact on local procurement. While large-scale mining projects like Kibali and Kamoa-Kakula utilize advanced automation and green technologies, local suppliers struggle to capture high-value contracts due to gaps in capital, skills, and infrastructure. The report analyzes the 2018 Mining Code's efforts to mandate local content and identifies systemic barriers—including a weak manufacturing sector and outdated intellectual property laws—that hinder the transfer of technology to Congolese enterprises.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) examines the state of 'climate jobs'—employment focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation—within the United States, detailing sector-specific employment numbers for 2020 and the potential for future growth through policy and investment.

The report 'Killed by Breathing' analyzes the global crisis of cooking poverty, where 3.83 billion people in 71 countries rely on solid fuels and low-quality stoves. It argues that the current 'clean cooking' sector is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) due to fragmented governance, insufficient funding, and a lack of focus on end-user behavior. The authors propose a shift toward the term 'cooking poverty' to reflect the scale of the problem and recommend integrating cooking solutions into existing electrification infrastructure to leverage its finance and technical support systems.

This policy briefing examines the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). While the agricultural sector was less affected than others, the pandemic exacerbated existing structural challenges, including food insecurity, a reliance on subsistence farming, and infrastructure deficits. The authors argue for a 'dual approach' that supports both small-scale and commercial farming, alongside the adoption of digital technologies and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive regional integration and growth.

This research note uses the Virginia Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) to evaluate the impact of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) and proposes additional policy pathways to align the state with a 1.5°C warming limit. While the VCEA significantly decarbonizes the power sector, the authors argue that comprehensive policies across transportation, buildings, and industry are necessary to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the role of rural credit policy in Brazil as a tool for increasing agricultural productivity while reducing deforestation. It argues that improving the efficiency and sustainability alignment of rural credit can allow Brazil to expand food production without further area expansion, leveraging existing cleared lands.

The 'Recover Better with Sustainable Energy Guide for Caribbean Countries' outlines how sustainable energy investments can drive long-term development, economic resilience, and adherence to the Paris Agreement in the Caribbean region.

This briefing paper by WWF South Africa examines the challenges South African municipalities face as residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations disrupt traditional electricity distribution and revenue models. It highlights the tension between the financial interests of municipalities, which rely on electricity sales to cross-subsidise low-income households, and the economic incentives for affluent homeowners to install PV systems, often without registration. The document proposes the use of strategic tariff design and a new computerised decision-making tool to help municipalities manage the technical, social, and financial complexities of the energy transition.

This policy brief outlines a pathway for the United States to achieve 90 percent zero carbon electricity by 2035, leveraging falling costs of solar, wind, and battery technologies to avoid increasing customer bills while stimulating economic recovery and job growth.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the potential impacts of proposed World Trade Organization (WTO) fisheries subsidy rules on the Southern Longline (SLL) tuna fishery in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). Focusing on South Pacific albacore, the study examines six fleets (China, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and French Polynesia) to assess how prohibitions on subsidies for IUU fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity would affect fleet profitability and regional sustainability.

This fact sheet provides a municipal snapshot of the Saldanha Bay Municipality (SBM), focusing on water constraints, water intensity across economic sectors, and the projected economic impact of water deficits by 2040.

This policy briefing examines the impact of the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on South Africa's agriculture and agro-processing sectors. While the agreement provides tariff preferences and liberal rules of origin, South Africa has struggled to fill its awarded quotas due to a lack of awareness, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, and climatic challenges. The document highlights the potential for SMEs, women, and youth to benefit from the EPA, particularly in the canned fruit and juice sectors, provided that barriers such as certification costs and a lack of specialized testing laboratories are addressed.

This fact sheet provides a municipal snapshot of the Drakenstein Municipality (DM), detailing the critical constraints water scarcity and climate change pose to its future economic development, urban growth, and agricultural productivity by 2040.

This fact sheet analyzes the impact of water scarcity on the Stellenbosch Municipality (SM), highlighting that high urban growth and irrigated agriculture could lead to a significant water deficit by 2040, potentially costing the local economy R10.3 billion per year and 56,602 jobs.

This fact sheet analyzes the water intensity and future water security of the Bergrivier Municipality (BM), warning that failure to augment water supply or implement conservation measures will severely constrain economic development and employment by 2040.

This executive summary describes a study by the NAPC/CPI and BNDES evaluating the local economic impacts of hydroelectric power plants (UHEs) in Brazil. Analyzing 82 municipalities across 13 states where construction began between 2002 and 2011, the study finds that positive economic effects are generally short-term and vary significantly by location, suggesting that UHEs do not fundamentally transform local economies.

This report outlines several Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) initiatives in Nepal focused on enhancing climate resilience across the agriculture, hydroelectricity, and irrigation sectors, as well as improving the government's capacity to access international climate finance.

This report outlines the economic significance of the tourism industry in Belize, its reliance on natural assets like the Belize Barrier Reef, and the systemic challenges facing the sector that are exacerbated by climate change.