Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) analyzes the potential for repurposing abandoned and soon-to-be-closed surface coal mines into solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. It argues that these sites are ideal for solar development due to their existing proximity to grid infrastructure and the need for land reclamation, offering a pathway to align clean energy goals with local job creation and environmental restoration.

The 2023 report by Global Energy Monitor and partners highlights a divergence in global coal trends: while most of the world is reducing coal capacity, China is significantly increasing its domestic pipeline. In 2022, China's under-construction coal capacity grew by 38%, while the rest of the world saw a 20% decrease. The report notes that 70% of OECD coal capacity is moving toward phase-out, but only 6% of non-OECD capacity is scheduled for retirement before 2040. In Pakistan, coal capacity grew from 150 MW in 2016 to 7.6 GW in 2023, with the government signaling a shift toward increasing local coal-based electricity capacity to 10 GW despite environmental and social concerns in the Thar region.

The document examines the clash between the rural African donkey market, where the animal is a vital workhorse for the poor, and the lucrative Chinese market for ejiao (donkey-hide glue). It highlights how explosive demand in China has led to donkey shortages, illicit smuggling, and severe welfare abuses, which in turn diminish the socio-economic mobility of rural Africans, particularly women and girls. The author argues that the current unregulated trade risks damaging China-Africa relations and suggests implementing sustainability certifications, breeding programs, and a distinction between medicinal and wellness-based ejiao consumption to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

The IEJ criticizes South Africa's current fiscal strategy of austerity and debt stabilisation, arguing it has led to a 'lost decade' of low investment and increased inequality. The document details real-term budget cuts in basic education and healthcare, and the lack of a permanent replacement for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. To reverse these trends, the IEJ proposes a pro-macroeconomic framework using counter-cyclical spending and a progressive tax regime—including a wealth tax, a resource rent tax, and the reversal of corporate income tax cuts—to fund public services and a Universal Basic Income Guarantee.

The report evaluates eight scenarios for Estonia's electricity sector to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It identifies 'All Technologies' and 'Renewables and Storage (offshore wind)' as the most balanced options in terms of cost, risk, and feasibility. The analysis emphasizes the critical need for large-scale battery storage, grid reinforcement, and simplified planning processes. While nuclear energy could offer the lowest prices in 2050, it is deemed the highest risk due to a lack of domestic history and potential implementation delays. The report concludes that the final choice is a political decision, as most scenarios can meet carbon neutrality goals.

The briefing analyzes 1,047 energy policies adopted between January 2020 and November 2021, finding that most governments prioritize short-term poverty reduction over long-term inequality reduction. While 60% of policies could reduce poverty, only 11% are likely to decrease inequality. The authors identify 'win-win' policies (e.g., energy efficiency in social housing) and 'lose-lose' policies (e.g., fossil fuel extraction support), arguing that the social outcomes of energy transitions depend heavily on policy design, contextual factors, and complementary social protections.

The report argues that while Kenya is advancing in renewable energy and climate policy, its transition to a low-carbon economy risks marginalizing informal workers, women, and youth. It examines sectoral vulnerabilities in agriculture, energy, transport, industry, forestry, waste, and tourism, highlighting a critical gap between national climate goals and the social protection mechanisms needed to ensure a just transition. The document recommends integrating just transition principles into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Medium-Term Plans, emphasizing the need for reskilling, gender quotas, and the formalization of the informal sector to prevent livelihood losses.

South Africa has the technical potential to produce between 3.2 and 4.5 billion litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) annually, depending on the use of green hydrogen. The most cost-efficient route is the first-generation alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) pathway using sugarcane A-molasses, while the largest volume potential comes from processing invasive alien plants (IAPs) and garden waste via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. A domestic SAF industry could create over 100,000 direct green jobs, including significant opportunities for coal-truck drivers in transition, and improve the national balance of trade by up to R170 billion per annum.

The document analyzes how disruptive technologies—including AI, automation, and 5G—are transforming large-scale mining, potentially reducing low-skilled employment and eroding tax bases. It proposes a collaborative policy framework involving education reform, local innovation support, and the use of mining data to improve government oversight and community resilience.

The report examines how the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'—including AI, automation, and IoT—is transforming large-scale mining. While these technologies improve safety and efficiency, they risk displacing low- and semi-skilled workers and reducing local procurement. The authors propose a 'New Deal' comprising updated education and skills training, innovative social impact investing, revised taxation, and the use of technology itself to benefit local communities and artisanal mining.

The report examines how digitization, AI, and automation are restructuring the mining industry, potentially reducing low-skilled employment and altering fiscal revenues for host countries. It suggests a 'new deal' based on collaboration between governments and companies, focusing on skills training, economic diversification through social impact investing, and the strategic use of technology to benefit local communities and artisanal miners.

The document examines how digitalization, automation, and AI are transforming the mining sector, potentially reducing low-skilled employment and eroding tax bases in host countries. It suggests a shift toward collaborative policies focusing on STEM education, social impact investments for economic diversification, and the use of mining data to improve fiscal governance and community safety.

Colombia has committed to reducing GHG emissions by 51% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. While the government has developed a robust legal framework for climate mitigation and adaptation, the report finds a critical gap in Just Transition planning. Massive layoffs are already occurring in the thermal coal sector due to falling international prices and the shift toward renewables, yet the government has not implemented specific policy responses to support affected workers. Similarly, conservation efforts in the AFOLU sector, particularly the expansion of protected areas and páramo ecosystems, threaten the livelihoods of informal rural workers and ethnic communities. The report concludes that Colombia's Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system lacks the capacity to track social welfare and employment impacts, and recommends urgent, regionally differentiated strategies for economic diversification and worker retraining.

South Africa introduced a carbon tax in 2019 to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. The policy primarily targets the energy sector, which is responsible for approximately 80% of the country's emissions due to a heavy reliance on coal. While the tax aims to incentivize a shift toward renewable energy, it faces challenges including potential conflicts with WTO non-discrimination principles, the risk of carbon leakage due to a lack of border price adjustments, and negative socio-economic impacts such as increased consumer prices and potential job losses in energy-intensive industries like mining and steel. The document argues for a balanced approach that includes worker re-skilling, targeted incentives for renewables, and regional coordination through agreements like the AfCFTA to prevent protectionism and ensure a just transition.

The document highlights a severe unemployment crisis in South Africa, worsened by COVID-19, and argues that the government's response has been insufficient to protect the right to decent work. It emphasizes deep racial and gender inequalities in job losses and the vulnerability of informal and domestic workers who lack social protections like the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). The authors call for expanded income support, better labour law enforcement, and a legislative framework for the informal economy to meet international human rights standards.

The YEG pilot provided approximately $1,200 in grants and smartphones to 1,035 youth in Nairobi's Mathare slum, testing two payment cadences: lump sums and monthly payments. Interim results show that transferring funds via mobile money is highly feasible and that recipients significantly invest in self-employment and education. While pre-installed business apps saw low usage, general internet access via smartphones improved market reach. Gender differences emerged, with men investing more in productive assets and women prioritizing education and informal savings groups. Lump-sum recipients reported higher investment rates and savings compared to those receiving monthly payments.

The report assesses the environmental, social, and economic implications of establishing a heavy industrial hub focused on energy and metallurgy in the Musina-Makhado region. It identifies critical concerns including high water requirements in a water-scarce area, potential biodiversity loss, and the need for significant social infrastructure. The document outlines the proposed land uses, including coking, thermal power, and steel plants, and establishes a Plan of Study for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The document assesses Colombia's vulnerability as the world's fourth largest thermal coal exporter facing declining global demand. It highlights significant risks to regional GDP and employment in the Cesar and La Guajira departments, where coal is a dominant economic driver. The brief notes a lack of domestic planning for post-coal scenarios and evaluates alternatives such as agriculture and tourism, while recommending coordinated long-term planning involving national institutions like the DNP and UPME to ensure a just transition.

The document examines the challenges facing the subaks of Bali—traditional farmers' organizations managing irrigation and water temples—following the 2012 UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription. It highlights a disconnect between the initial nomination vision and the actual implementation, which has been hindered by bureaucratic hurdles and the exclusion of key local stakeholders. The brief identifies critical threats to the landscape's viability, including the high cost of rituals, water scarcity, land conversion driven by high taxes, and a shift toward intensive farming. It argues that the existing democratic governance of the subaks, exemplified by the Forum Pekaseh Catur Angga Batukaru, provides a foundation for a successful farmer-led management system. The author recommends implementing the UNESCO-approved management plan, establishing a comprehensive regency-level management body, and meaningfully engaging subak leaders to ensure the long-term preservation of the living cultural landscape.

The Living Blue Planet Report 2015 documents a 49% decline in global marine vertebrate populations between 1970 and 2012. It highlights critical losses in key habitats, including over half of reef-building corals in tropical reefs over 30 years and nearly 20% of mangrove cover between 1980 and 2005. The report identifies overfishing, climate change, pollution, and extractive industries as primary drivers of this degradation. It emphasizes the socio-economic risks, noting that nearly 3 billion people rely on fish as a major protein source and that the ocean generates at least US$2.5 trillion in annual economic benefits. The document advocates for the 'One Planet Perspective' framework, which includes expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to 30% to potentially generate up to US$920 billion by 2050.