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The report uses E3ME modelling to demonstrate that a Green Recovery Plan—incorporating investments in energy efficiency, grid upgrades, renewables, and electric vehicles—outperforms traditional stimulus packages by boosting GDP and employment while significantly reducing CO2 emissions.

The report assesses the impact of COVID-19 on South Africa's economy, forecasting significant job losses and wage declines. Using a 10% contraction in final demand as a median scenario, it estimates 1.77 million jobs are at risk, with the most severe impacts falling on low-skilled, informal, and poverty-stricken workers. The analysis highlights that the service sector and agriculture are hardest hit due to their reliance on consumption spending. The authors argue that the government's R500 billion rescue package is insufficient and poorly implemented, recommending a net new expenditure of at least R500 billion, expanded social protection, and targeted support for the informal sector and primary industries.

The paper contends that South Africa's current policy of austerity is economically destructive and proposes a R1 trillion fiscal stimulus over three years. It argues that the country has the fiscal space for expansion because its debt levels are comparable to emerging market peers and its productive capacity is underutilised. Using input-output modelling, the authors estimate an average fiscal multiplier of 1.68, suggesting that a stimulus of 10% of GDP (approximately R500 billion) could generate over R800 billion in economic expansion and nearly 3.5 million jobs. The proposed stimulus is guided by ten principles, including targeting high-multiplier sectors, reducing inequality, and ensuring environmental sustainability through a 'Green New Deal'. Financing is proposed through progressive taxation, rebuilding the capacity of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), leveraging Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and reforming monetary policy.

The Global Futures project uses a new integrated environment-economy model to quantify the economic risks of biodiversity loss. Under a 'Business-as-Usual' scenario, the loss of six key ecosystem services is projected to reduce annual global GDP by 0.67% by 2050, totaling a cumulative loss of US$ 9.87 trillion. Conversely, a 'Global Conservation' scenario could result in a net annual gain of US$ 490 billion compared to the BAU scenario. The report highlights that low-income countries and coastal infrastructure in high-income nations are most vulnerable, and recommends a 'New Deal for Nature and People' including the protection of 30% of land and oceans.

The document examines the South African energy storage market, highlighting the shift toward hybrid solar PV and battery systems to mitigate the economic impact of record load shedding. It identifies Lithium-ion (specifically Lithium Iron Phosphate) and Lead Acid as the dominant technologies, while noting that Vanadium Redox Flow and Hydrogen storage face barriers due to limited market penetration and the need for specific use-case analysis. The brief provides cost benchmarks for Li-ion systems and models a hybrid solar PV and storage scenario where the return on investment is estimated at 8-12 years, noting that this period could be reduced if business continuity benefits are factored in.

The report finds that donors must provide an additional USD 14 billion per year, and low- and middle-income countries must provide USD 19 billion per year, to achieve SDG 2 targets by 2030 while respecting climate commitments. This investment would prevent 490 million people from experiencing hunger and double the incomes of 545 million small-scale producers. The authors emphasize that Africa has the greatest need for these resources and that a balanced portfolio of interventions—spanning social protection, on-farm productivity, and market access—is essential for success.

The Ceres2030 project identifies a funding gap of USD 33 billion per year to achieve SDG 2 targets, with USD 14 billion coming from donors and USD 19 billion from recipient countries. The report emphasizes that most existing agricultural research ignores the needs of smallholders, who represent over 80% of the world's farms. Key recommendations include investing in extension services, climate-resilient crops, social protection, and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the value chain. The project utilizes a complex general equilibrium model and machine-learning-assisted evidence synthesis to identify a portfolio of 14 policy instruments across three categories: empowering the excluded, on-farm interventions, and food on the move.

The Ceres2030 report argues that ending global hunger is possible through an integrated combination of public investments totaling 33 billion USD per year. The project identifies ten key recommendations across three categories: enabling inclusion, on-farm improvements, and post-harvest management. It emphasizes that smallholders are critical to global food security but are often excluded from economic growth and technological advancement. The report highlights a significant funding gap, noting that donor contributions must nearly double to 26 billion USD annually, supplemented by 19 billion USD in domestic spending from recipient countries, with Africa identified as the region with the highest need.

The Ceres2030 report argues that ending global hunger is possible through an integrated portfolio of agricultural interventions and an additional annual public investment of USD 33 billion. Using AI-driven evidence synthesis and complex economic modelling, the study identifies ten key recommendations across three categories: empowering the excluded, on-farm improvements, and value chain logistics. The report emphasizes that small-scale producers, who provide a significant portion of the global food supply, are disproportionately vulnerable to the climate crisis and economic exclusion. It concludes that donor countries must double their current annual spending on food security to USD 26 billion, while low- and middle-income countries must provide an additional USD 19 billion per year, with a particular focus on Africa, where the greatest need for resources exists.

Ceres2030 identifies a funding gap of 33 billion USD per year to eradicate hunger and double the incomes of 545 million small-scale producers by 2030. The project emphasizes integrated policy portfolios over isolated interventions, highlighting the role of farmers' organizations, climate-resilient crops, and SMEs in the value chain. It specifically notes that Africa requires two-thirds of the additional public spending to meet these goals.

The report argues that Kellogg's has prioritised short-term cost savings over public health in Mexico by reducing the fortification of its cereals. By modelling the health impacts of removing iron, calcium, and folic acid, the authors estimate that the company saved approximately $85 million over five years, while the minimum cumulative social cost to Mexico exceeded $250 million.

The report analyzes the dependence of BRICS governments on fossil fuel revenues and the risks posed by the clean energy transition, including asset stranding and revenue loss. It provides 2017 data on revenues and subsidies, highlighting Russia's high fiscal exposure and the potential for 'fossil fuel to clean energy subsidy swaps' to fund a just transition.

The report finds that German lignite plants became significantly unprofitable in the first half of 2019, with the entire fleet losing €664 million. Old units (pre-1990) were hardest hit, with gross profits falling 62% to €188 million. The analysis suggests that 24/7 baseload operation is no longer economic and predicts a €1.8 billion loss for old units between 2020 and 2022. Consequently, the author recommends that the German government push for faster closures, reject excessive compensation claims, and implement a minimum carbon price to prevent future profitability.

The paper presents a model for small island developing states (SIDS) that examines the relationship between the anticipation of extreme climate events and the resulting damage to commercial capital stocks, specifically applying this model to tropical storm damage in Barbados.

The Stockholm Environment Institute has developed a new macroeconomic model to test how different sustainability strategies affect economic stability. Unlike traditional models, this version assumes people act based on past experience rather than optimal future knowledge. Initial experiments show that 'downshifting' (reducing working hours/workforce participation) can slow GDP growth and consumption without causing instability, whereas simply reducing consumption levels while maintaining the workforce can lead to recession and economic instability.

The report evaluates mechanisms to ensure that international carbon market credits under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement result in a net reduction of global emissions. It identifies 'automatic cancellation' and 'discounting' as the only options that meet the necessary criteria for overall mitigation, recommending 'automatic cancellation' due to its ease of implementation and precedent in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Analysis of 18 scenarios suggests that while costs for credit buyers may increase, the overall mitigation principle provides various benefits for transferring countries across a broad range of rates.

The study identifies that high financing costs in Tunisia, driven by power market, counterparty, and political risks, inflate the cost of renewable energy. By implementing targeted public derisking measures, Tunisia could significantly lower generation costs for wind and solar PV, catalyzing over EUR 1.6 billion in private investment and reducing carbon emissions by 32.2 million tonnes of CO2 over 20 years. The analysis concludes that the economic savings from lower capital costs outweigh the public expenditure required for these instruments.

The Life After Coal Campaign submitted a letter to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs highlighting findings from an Energy Research Centre (ERC) report. The report concludes that the proposed Thabametsi (557MW) and Khanyisa (300MW) coal-fired power stations are unnecessary for meeting medium-term electricity demand and would increase system costs by R19.68 billion compared to a least-cost energy system. The campaign argues that these projects would increase greenhouse gas emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over 30 years, undermining South Africa's Paris Agreement commitments and the Energy Efficiency Strategy to 2050. Furthermore, the document asserts that these plants would put pressure on Eskom, potentially accelerating a 'utility death spiral' and risking the broader economy.

The 2018 Green Economy Barometer for Mongolia highlights a significant gap between the country's legislative commitments and actual implementation. While the government has adopted the National Green Development Policy and Sustainable Development Vision 2030, Mongolia ranked 79th out of 80 countries in the 2016 Global Green Economy Index. The report argues that investing 4% of GDP into green development could reduce poverty to 10% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2030. Current challenges include severe air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, land degradation affecting 77.8% of land, and a precarious economic dependence on volatile mineral exports.

The document argues that existing Canadian oil sands projects are 'locked in' because their low operating costs make them resilient to oil price drops. This resilience may lead to a global oversupply of oil, which slows the transition to low-carbon energy outside Canada. The author estimates that limiting Canadian oil production to current levels (1.5 billion barrels annually) instead of following projected growth to 2.1 billion barrels by 2030 could avoid 50 to 150 million tonnes of CO2 globally. The brief suggests that managing oil production levels could have a climate impact comparable to Canada's domestic sectoral emission reductions under the Pan-Canadian Framework.