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The document examines Ghana's efforts to increase local employment in its mining and oil and gas sectors. It contrasts the early, more generic approach of the mining sector with the more explicit, target-driven framework of the petroleum industry, highlighting the importance of predictability, phased quotas, and robust monitoring for foreign investment and local capacity building.

The document outlines the proceedings of a three-day conference focused on the causes, mechanisms, and aftermath of state capture in South Africa. It examines the role of apartheid legacies, the influence of the private sector, the vulnerability of state-owned enterprises, and the failure of oversight institutions. The report emphasizes that state capture is a politico-economic project involving both formal and informal power, often facilitated by the politicization of the bureaucracy and the erosion of the criminal justice system. It argues for comprehensive state reform, including electoral changes, transparency in party funding, and the protection of whistleblowers, while drawing comparisons with state capture in Nigeria, Kenya, and Angola.

The report analyzes electricity access in 20 high-deficit countries by comparing government reports, utility data, household surveys, and solar sales. It consistently finds that household consumption (wealth) is a stronger driver of access disparity than gender, although specific national patterns vary. In many cases, significant gaps exist between formal utility connection rates and household survey results, often attributed to off-grid solutions, informal connections, or self-supply methods like diesel generators.

The document analyzes the conceptual frameworks, global and regional experiences, and existing sectoral information systems in Peru to guide the creation of a national M&E system for climate change adaptation. It highlights that while Peru has strong political commitments and sectoral data, it lacks a formally approved National Adaptation Plan and a corresponding national M&E system.

The report analyzes 19 USD and EUR green bonds issued between April and June 2017, finding that while green bonds generally follow vanilla market trends in oversubscription and pricing, EUR corporate green bonds showed superior spread tightening in the immediate secondary market. Approximately 54% of the sampled bonds were allocated to dedicated green investors, with higher concentrations in Developed Markets (62%) than Emerging Markets (25%).

The document analyzes the intersection of G20 economic governance and African development priorities. It finds a strong alignment between the UN 2030 Agenda, AU Agenda 2063, and recent G20 initiatives, particularly in infrastructure, food security, and energy. However, it highlights significant gaps in the implementation of these goals and criticizes the 'Compact with Africa' for lacking sufficient African consultation and failing to address diverse national contexts. The authors recommend that South Africa and other G20 members better resource AU and NEPAD representation and create stronger linkages between isolated G20 initiatives for Africa.

The paper finds that emission reductions from 286 woodfuel carbon-offset projects across 51 countries are 41%–59% lower than expected, estimating actual reductions between 57 and 81 MtCO2e compared to the expected 138 MtCO2e. It advocates for the use of spatial assessments to identify woodfuel 'hotspots' in East, West, and Southern Africa and South Asia, where approximately 300 million people face acute woodfuel scarcity, to better target interventions for reducing deforestation and degradation.

The paper examines how climate finance is decentralized in Ethiopia and Kenya, specifically analyzing the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) facility and the County Climate Change Funds (CCCFs). It assesses the extent to which these funds align local community priorities with national climate policies and development plans, focusing on the impact of decision-making authority and jurisdictional levels on investment prioritization.

The report evaluates 16 financial institutions and infrastructure standards to determine how sustainability and climate resilience are screened during infrastructure development. It finds that while environmental and social (E&S) assessments are standard, climate risk integration varies significantly. Most financial institution tools focus on the financing phase, whereas infrastructure standards like BREEAM and Envision target the design and planning phases. The review highlights a general lack of public availability for specific screening tools and a need for better integration of natural capital and regional-scale planning.

The study compares a hybridised synthesis technique for alkyl polyglucosides (APG) using wheat straw against a commercial palm kernel and wheat grain pathway. The wheat straw-derived process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, water use, and fossil energy consumption, addressing the 'food vs. chemical' sustainability conflict.

The author examines the logistical impossibility of evacuating a city the size of Houston (2.3 million people) during Hurricane Harvey and warns that European cities of similar or larger scales face comparable risks. The text highlights how a lack of zoning and the destruction of marsh lands increased Houston's vulnerability to flooding. To mitigate such risks, the author proposes that European governments use financial incentives to reduce urban density by encouraging companies and residents to relocate to smaller areas, while investing in sustainable public transportation to facilitate rapid evacuations.

The report argues that while Mozambique possesses massive natural gas reserves that could drive significant GDP growth, such resource-led growth is unlikely to reduce absolute poverty without concerted investment in human capital and governance. Using the International Futures (IFs) model, the authors demonstrate that the 'Current Path' maintains high levels of extreme poverty due to rapid population growth and systemic failures in health and education. The report evaluates five sectoral scenarios—improving family planning, extending health and nutrition, advancing education, boosting agricultural production, and strengthening governance—concluding that an integrated development strategy is essential to avoid a 'vicious cycle of under-development' and to ensure that gas revenues translate into sustainable, inclusive progress.

The report analyzes environmental pledges from seven parties and two alliances for the 2017 Estonian local elections. It finds a strong focus on urban mobility—specifically cycling and public transport—in Tallinn and Tartu, but a general lack of comprehensive strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. While some parties like the Social Democrats (SDE) and the Greens (Rohelised) provided more detailed environmental sections, the report notes a recurring conflict between promises to increase parking/road infrastructure and the goal of preserving urban green spaces. Nationally, platforms focused more on regional development and organic farming than on specific climate targets.

The document examines 'jurisdictional approaches' to deforestation, which align governments, businesses, and NGOs around shared conservation and sustainable development goals. Based on a workshop of practitioners from five initiatives, it identifies key success factors including political leadership, participatory design, and sustainable financing. It highlights the challenge of aligning short-term corporate and government expectations with the long-term systemic change required for landscape-scale forest loss reduction.

The report examines jurisdictional approaches to deforestation, emphasizing the necessity of political leadership, participatory design, and diverse financing. Through case studies in Brazil, Liberia, Ghana, and Colombia, it argues that while these models are nascent and complex, they offer a systemic way to align market forces and government policy to achieve landscape-scale conservation.

The report examines the role of microgrids in the global energy transition, highlighting how falling costs of solar and wind energy enable these small networks to provide reliable, low-carbon power. It compares connected microgrids, which can operate independently during outages, with isolated microgrids, such as those in the Caribbean, which must be self-sufficient. The text emphasizes that both types face similar challenges in balancing variable renewables with firm energy sources and suggests that knowledge sharing, particularly from island nations leading in renewable integration, can accelerate the global transition.

The document outlines the financial and environmental modeling for a proposed USD 100 million equity fund designed to scale up renewable energy projects. It details the use of an option mechanism to make early-stage development more attractive to investors, projecting that public finance could mobilize significant private capital and abate substantial CO2 emissions. It also compares RESF to various other clean energy funds and technical assistance initiatives across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The Climate Change Performance Index 2017: G20 Edition assesses the 20 largest economies, which collectively account for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Using a revised methodology that incorporates Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from the Paris Agreement, the index measures performance against benchmarks for 2030 and 2050, including nearly zero GHG emissions and 100% renewable energy. The report concludes that current efforts, even from top-performing countries, remain insufficient to prevent dangerous climate change.

The document highlights a strong correlation between high energy efficiency scores in the RISE index and high rankings in the Ease of Doing Business among the top twenty high-impact countries. It identifies dedicated entities and specific measures like minimum energy performance standards and building codes as essential for implementing energy efficiency, while noting that Nigeria exhibits both low energy efficiency scores and a low Doing Business rank.

ClientEarth asserts that BP's 'base case' oil demand forecast to 2035 is at odds with independent analysis and automotive industry trends, potentially misleading investors and exposing BP to compensation claims under UK law.