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The report examines the tension between domestic data governance—driven by privacy, security, and industrial policy—and international trade rules. It argues that while data flows are essential for the global economy, the current legal architecture often reinforces structural asymmetries, where developing nations export raw data but import high-value services. The author analyzes the shift from WTO-led rules to preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and digital economy agreements (DEAs), highlighting the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol as a development-oriented model. The report concludes that developing countries must move beyond the binary of 'free flow vs. localization' toward calibrated, regional strategies that link trade commitments to implementation capacity and technology transfer.

The Canadian Climate Institute challenges a Fraser Institute study on industrial carbon pricing, noting that its projected 1.3% GDP decline by 2030 significantly exceeds estimates from Environment and Climate Change Canada (0.2%) and the Parliamentary Budget Officer (0.8% combined impact). The Institute identifies several inconsistencies in the Fraser study, including disproportionate negative impacts on exempt sectors like agriculture and services, a failure to account for sector-specific emission thresholds in petrochemicals and cement, and a likely overestimation of costs due to inadequate modeling of low-carbon technology adoption.

The report argues that the AfCFTA is essential for Africa to overcome a colonial legacy of exporting primary goods and importing manufactured equipment. It highlights that while official intra-African trade is low (14.8% in 2021), informal trade is significantly higher due to high formal costs. The AfCFTA aims to formalise trade, develop regional value chains, and prioritise industrialisation in sectors like agri-business and pharmaceuticals to enhance global competitiveness and economic stability.

The document examines the role of regional and preferential trade agreements (RTAs/PTAs) in eliminating trade barriers, specifically discussing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the world's largest free trade area by membership. It explains the economic tension between 'trade creation', which improves welfare by shifting production to efficient members, and 'trade diversion', which can cause welfare losses by shifting imports from the most efficient global suppliers to preferential partners.

The report analyzes Africa's high level of commodity dependence, noting that commodity exports constituted 90% by value of all merchandise exports in 2021. It argues that this dependence often leads to the 'resource curse,' characterized by poor governance, political corruption, and slow economic growth. While some countries like Botswana have attempted to manage resources through sovereign wealth funds, many others face volatility and 'Dutch disease.' The text also highlights how the global energy transition is shifting demand toward minerals like cobalt and lithium, and how climate change is exacerbating vulnerability by reducing agricultural yields in regions such as the Sahel.

The document examines the diverse nature of Africa's manufacturing sector, noting that most countries remain outliers with low manufacturing shares of GDP. It highlights a trend of 'premature deindustrialization' in low-income countries and the significant role of Chinese private enterprises in meeting domestic demand. While most of the continent relies on raw material exports, a few countries like Eswatini and South Africa show higher industrial competitiveness.

The report identifies high tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and a lack of regional value chains as primary obstacles to Africa's economic growth. It highlights a disconnect between Africa's focus on individual national economies and the global shift toward regional value chains, while noting that current global trends—including a move away from long transport routes to reduce carbon emissions and geopolitical shifts—could potentially benefit Africa's growing consumer base.

The document examines how reliance on imported oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exposes Asian economies to price shocks and supply disruptions, particularly those stemming from conflicts in the Middle East. It analyzes the economic impacts on countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, highlighting how fuel price volatility drives inflation and weakens currencies. The report argues that returning to coal as a short-term fallback is economically and environmentally risky compared to renewables. It recommends investing in regional connected grids and clean technology supply chains to build long-term resilience and energy security.

The report highlights the systemic risks of fossil fuel dependency, noting that three-quarters of the global population live in importing countries that spent $1.7 trillion on imports in 2024. It argues that the current crisis in the Middle East, particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, serves as a catalyst for Asia to transition to electric technologies. The document asserts that scaling EVs, solar, wind, and heat pumps could reduce fossil fuel import bills by approximately 70%, with EVs already displacing 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2025.

The IEJ argues that the 2026 Budget fails to reverse a decade of austerity, instead implementing further cuts to non-interest spending and underinvesting in infrastructure and social services. The report criticizes the National Treasury's reliance on private sector investment and 'trickle-down economics,' noting that projected growth of 1.8% is insufficient to keep pace with labour force growth. The IEJ proposes increasing revenue through a net wealth tax and redirecting tax breaks for high-income earners, while calling for the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to provide concessional debt for strategic industries, including green industrialisation. Additionally, the document critiques the Targeted and Responsible Savings (TARS) initiative and the Gender Budget Statement for failing to address structural inequalities and food insecurity.

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that industrial carbon pricing is designed to incentivize emission reductions while minimizing costs to industry. For oil sands producers, current average costs are 9 cents per barrel, and projected costs under a strengthened policy (targeting $130 per tonne by 2030) would rise to approximately 50 cents per barrel. Analysis of 17 years of provincial trade data across 10 provinces and 19 sectors found no statistically significant evidence that carbon pricing has contracted exports.

The briefing examines the US$107 billion in potential investment for LNG terminals and gas pipelines in Southern Asia, specifically India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. While industry forecasts predict strong demand growth, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that these countries have shelved or cancelled 2–3 times as much proposed LNG import capacity as they have brought online over the last decade. The document highlights that LNG remains uncompetitive against falling renewable power costs and that recent geopolitical shocks, such as the March 2026 conflict in Iran affecting the Strait of Hormuz, underscore the energy security risks of LNG dependence. While India continues to promote gas infrastructure, Pakistan has shifted toward domestic power and local gas exploration, and Bangladesh's new government signals a move toward renewables and domestic gas.

Russia is attempting to leverage historical liberation-era ties and anti-Western rhetoric to maintain influence in Southern Africa, but faces significant constraints. While it maintains security cooperation and diplomatic links with several SADC members, its economic footprint remains modest, accounting for barely 1% of the region's external trade in 2024. The document highlights a gap between Moscow's symbolic gestures—such as debt forgiveness and limited grain shipments—and tangible developmental results, noting that sanctions and economic weakness hinder its ability to compete with China, the EU, and the US.

The document examines Nigeria's potential to leverage transition minerals—such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt—to drive industrialization and fund climate action. It contrasts the current 'extract-and-export' model, which has left the mining sector contributing only about 0.3% to GDP, with a beneficiation strategy that could significantly increase revenue and create high-skilled jobs. The author highlights the global demand surge for these minerals and the geopolitical opportunity created by the concentration of processing in China. While the Nigerian government has introduced policies to mandate local processing and revoke dormant licenses, the paper notes that a lack of infrastructure and persistent governance deficits, including illegal mining and revenue leakages, remain primary obstacles.

A field study in Kenya by Phaesun found that while solar cooling reduces post-harvest losses and increases income, economic viability varies significantly by operational model. Market- and export-oriented operations are highly viable with 3-4 year payback periods, whereas individual smallholder models require 40-100% subsidisation due to high commercial interest rates of 15-20%. The study identifies an "impact capital gap" and suggests that success depends on product value, scale, and the use of blended finance or Cooling-as-a-Service (CaaS) models.

Carbon Market Watch asserts that private jet use in Europe is under-regulated despite being the most polluting form of travel. The organization proposes multiplying the carbon price by four for private jets and expanding the scope of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to cover the 67% of private jet emissions currently exempt. Such measures could raise between €304 million and €2.2 billion annually by 2030, depending on the scope of coverage and the inclusion of non-CO2 effects. The document also advocates for aviation fuel taxation and the prioritization of low-cost solutions, such as contrail avoidance, over subsidies for unsustainable bio-kerosene.

India's transport sector, the country's third-largest GHG emitter, is shifting toward electrification to meet climate commitments. While the transition supports goals like a 30% EV sales share by 2030 and creates jobs in battery manufacturing and charging infrastructure, it necessitates a coordinated strategy for reskilling the workforce to handle complex electric drivetrains and software integration.

China is repositioning its coal fleet to provide system flexibility, with the entire existing fleet on track to be retrofitted by 2027. While technical capacity is increasing, the report argues that full flexibility is constrained by power market design and dispatch practices. It emphasizes that as coal retrofit potential plateaus, the rapid scale-up of clean flexibility, particularly battery energy storage, is essential to avoid locking in emissions beyond 2030 and to maintain grid stability as renewables become dominant.

China has rapidly expanded its flexible coal power capacity, exceeding its 2025 national target and positioning itself to meet a 2027 goal of retrofitting 500-700 GW. By the end of 2024, total flexible coal capacity exceeded 600 GW, with significant progress in provinces like Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Xinjiang. While coal utilisation is generally declining and showing greater seasonal variability due to renewable growth and demand peaks, the document notes that the full potential of this technical flexibility is not yet reflected in system operations due to market design and institutional arrangements. The transition is supported by a capacity pricing mechanism and diversified revenue models, though flexible operation increases costs through higher maintenance, reduced fuel efficiency at low loads, and accelerated depreciation.

The report argues that South Korea's heavy reliance on fossil fuel imports—approximately 84% of its total energy supply—creates significant national security vulnerabilities due to geopolitical tensions and climate risks. It posits that transitioning to renewable energy would reduce exposure to fragile maritime chokepoints, lower fiscal strain, and improve military readiness. While acknowledging challenges such as China's dominance in critical mineral supply chains and cybersecurity risks from digitization, the report concludes these are manageable compared to the structural risks of fossil fuel dependence. It recommends integrating renewable energy targets into national security planning and leveraging the newly created Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to energy resilience.