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The report argues that South Africa does not need new gas-fired power generation until at least 2035, if ever, due to the falling costs of renewables and battery storage. It warns that current government momentum toward gas-to-power, including the RMI4P program and proposed LNG terminals, risks creating stranded assets and increasing electricity costs for consumers. The authors recommend a moratorium on gas-to-power development, focusing instead on rapid renewable deployment and energy efficiency.

The document advocates for the integration of 'clean firm power' like nuclear energy to complement variable renewables, citing land-use constraints and system costs. It identifies project management and lack of standardization as primary drivers of high nuclear costs and proposes a shift toward manufactured, standardized designs. Key policy recommendations include reforming NRC licensing fees, adopting consent-based siting for spent fuel, and repurposing retired fossil fuel sites.

The US upstream oil and gas industry is projected to earn between $37 billion and $126 billion in additional profits in 2022 due to rising oil prices. The report argues that these gains are driven by global market integration and that companies may prioritize investor returns over increasing domestic production. It advocates for a windfall profits tax to return these gains to consumers.

The report finds that Canada's comprehensive wealth grew by only 7 per cent per person between 1980 and 2013, a rate significantly lower than the 54 per cent growth in individual consumption over the same period. While Canada remains the wealthiest G7 nation per capita, it has the lowest growth rate in comprehensive wealth among that group. The analysis reveals a stark decline in market natural capital, stagnant human capital, and produced capital growth that is dangerously concentrated in housing and oil and gas extraction. The document advocates for the federal government to fund Statistics Canada to regularly report comprehensive wealth measures to guide a transition toward a low-carbon, diversified economy.

The document highlights that the blue economy is valued at US$24 trillion, but faces potential losses of up to US$8.4 trillion over 15 years due to mismanagement. WWF advocates for shifting mainstream finance away from harmful activities and toward sustainable investments in seafood, marine renewables, coastal development, and shipping. The approach emphasizes moving beyond short-term philanthropy toward innovative public and private capital mechanisms, such as Project Finance for Permanence (PFP), to support nature-positive business models.

The AfCFTA has the potential to generate USD 3.4 trillion in GDP and lift over 100 million people out of poverty by 2040, with primary gains expected in manufacturing and services. However, significant disparities in factor markets—including labour skills, technology adoption, and financial capacity—exist across the continent, with Eastern and Southern Africa generally possessing higher capacities than Central and Western Africa. The document highlights risks associated with heavy reliance on non-African financing, such as the EU-funded Africa Trade Observatory, and urges member states to leverage domestic capital markets and sovereign wealth funds. It further emphasizes that political stability and the empowerment of regional bodies are essential to protect private sector investment in cross-border infrastructure, which the World Bank estimates requires USD 47.6 billion annually.

The briefing examines the necessity of a just transition in Latin America, warning against the continued reliance on fossil fuel extraction. It highlights the risks associated with 'new' extractive industries for renewable energy minerals and advocates for economic diversification through bioeconomy strategies and investments in innovation and education.

The policy brief examines the severe fiscal constraints facing African countries during COVID-19 recovery, noting that while advanced economies mobilised about 6% of GDP, African countries mobilised barely 1%. It highlights the inadequacy of current debt relief mechanisms like the DSSI and the Common Framework, and the high cost of borrowing from international capital markets due to unfair credit ratings. The author proposes five policy priorities: establishing national donor coordination frameworks, reallocating public investment to de-risk private projects, extending the DSSI for two years with partial debt cancellation, creating a transparent multilateral framework for debt resolution involving commercial creditors, and exploring the establishment of independent, publicly owned credit rating agencies.

The document examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's 'Two-Pillar Solution' to tax challenges from the digitalisation of the economy, highlighting how current global tax fragmentation allows multinational corporations to avoid taxes. It argues that African and least-developed countries suffer disproportionate revenue losses as a share of GDP and are underrepresented in negotiations. The brief criticizes the agreement for a high turnover threshold that limits the number of taxable companies and for a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% that some African nations find too low. It recommends increasing African participation, moving negotiations to a neutral UN forum, and providing technical and financial support to ensure equitable implementation.

The policy brief outlines the Build Back Better Act's (BBBA) allocation of $12.5 billion for building electrification and energy efficiency incentives, alongside additional investments for affordable housing and public infrastructure. It details specific rebate programs for electric appliances and energy efficiency retrofits, emphasizing support for low- and middle-income (LMI) households and underserved communities. The document argues that these measures, combined with updated building codes, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower consumer energy costs, improve public health, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S.

The report examines the tension between the adoption of advanced mining technologies by large-scale industrial producers in the DRC and the struggle of local suppliers to capture value from these investments. While projects like the Kibali gold mine and Kamoa-Kakula copper project implement high levels of automation and green technology, the local procurement market remains dominated by foreign firms due to gaps in capital, specialized skills, and infrastructure. The document analyzes the 2018 Mining Code's attempts to mandate local content and identifies systemic barriers—including poor intellectual property enforcement and a weak manufacturing base—that hinder the transfer of technology to Congolese enterprises.

The report examines how the adoption of advanced mining technologies—such as automation and smart sensors—affects local procurement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While industrial projects like the Kibali gold mine and Kamoa-Kakula copper project showcase world-leading innovation, local suppliers struggle to benefit due to gaps in capital, specialized skills, and a weak manufacturing base. The document analyzes the 2018 Mining Code's local content requirements and identifies systemic barriers, including poor infrastructure and an outdated intellectual property framework, that hinder the transition from foreign-dominated supply chains to a robust local industry.

The document argues that new investment in US gas-fired power plants is becoming uneconomic due to the rise of Clean Energy Portfolios (CEPs)—combinations of wind, solar, energy efficiency, demand response, and battery storage. As of late 2021, 88 GW of gas capacity was proposed, but over 50% of proposed new gas plants have been cancelled prior to construction in the last two years. The analysis finds that CEPs are a cheaper option in more than 80% of sites where gas plants are proposed for service by 2030, and at least 70 GW of proposed gas could be economically avoided, potentially saving $22 billion and 873 MMT of CO2. The report highlights significant stranded cost risks, noting that in a central analysis case, 40% of proposed combined cycle gas plants would cost more to operate than a new CEP costs to build within 10 years.

The document examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's Two-Pillar Solution to tax challenges from the digitalisation of the economy. It highlights that developing countries, particularly in Africa, suffer disproportionate revenue losses from tax avoidance—up to 5%–8% of GDP in some cases—compared to developed nations. The author argues that the current framework lacks adequate representation of African nations (only 23 of 55 AU members participated) and contains provisions, such as a 15% minimum corporate tax rate and high turnover thresholds for profit reallocation, that may marginalise poorer economies. The brief recommends shifting negotiations to a neutral body like the UN and increasing technical and financial support for developing countries to implement new standards.

Russia is attempting to leverage historical Soviet-era ties and new institutional frameworks, such as the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum, to increase its presence in Zambia and Tanzania. While there is significant high-level political engagement and cooperation in nuclear energy and military sales, the report finds that Russia's economic footprint remains limited compared to China and other global powers. Key efforts include the promotion of nuclear research centers in Zambia and the use of 'debt-for-development' schemes, though the latter have seen little success in these two countries. The report also notes the use of the COVID-19 pandemic for geopolitical gain through vaccine diplomacy and targeted tourism to Zanzibar.

The author contends that the perceived conflict between the economy and the environment is false, asserting that climate inaction is destructive to economic growth. Citing the 2021 floods and mudslides in British Columbia, the text highlights the massive financial losses caused by disrupted supply chains and infrastructure failure. It notes that climate-related catastrophes have cost Canada approximately 5% to 6% of its annual GDP growth since 2010. The document calls for urgent investment in future-proof, carbon-neutral infrastructure and the modernization of outdated climate risk data to protect the national economy.

The author contends that traditional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is ill-suited for climate policy as it focuses on incremental change and fails to account for long-term investments, new market entrants, technology learning curves, and the economic value of policy certainty. Using the automotive sector as an example, the text argues that CBA may discourage the early investments in electric vehicles necessary for Canada's long-term competitiveness. The document proposes transitioning to 'risk-opportunity analysis,' which evaluates portfolios of policies under various plausible scenarios and accounts for qualitative risks and positive feedback loops.

The document emphasizes the urgency of COP26, noting that global warming is occurring faster than expected and that Canada is warming twice as fast as the global average. It highlights the human cost, citing 569 deaths in British Columbia from a heatwave, and the economic risk, noting that climate-related catastrophes have cost Canada 5-6% of its annual GDP growth since 2010. The author argues that achieving global carbon neutrality by 2050 is essential to limit warming to 1.5 °C and protect Canada's export economy as global investments shift away from carbon-intensive sectors.

The policy brief advocates for a shift from short-term competitive grants to 5-year core funding for community-based water monitoring (CBWM) in Canada. It highlights that 100 of Canada's 167 watersheds lack sufficient data for health scores and warns that a lack of long-term monitoring threatens insurance actuarial models and ESG scores for Canadian businesses. The author proposes that the Canada Water Agency coordinate a horizontal initiative to integrate monitoring across federal, provincial, and local levels to reduce redundancy and improve data interoperability.

The authors contend that Russia's current climate pledges are insufficient and that the government must acknowledge the global shift away from coal to protect its coal-producing regions, particularly Kuzbass, from economic disruption. While Russia is a top global coal exporter, the authors warn that the collapse of the global coal development pipeline and policies like the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism threaten the sector's viability. They advocate for proactive economic diversification and a managed phase-out to support workers and the global 1.5°C target.