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Nigeria wastes an estimated 250–300 million standard cubic feet per day of gas through flaring and leakage, representing an annual economic loss of USD 1.2–2.5 billion. The policy brief argues that capturing at least 50% of this wasted methane could unlock USD 1.5–2 billion in annual value and create 50,000–80,000 technical jobs. The proposed strategy focuses on a phased approach from 2026 to 2033, prioritising measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) and the conversion of methane into power, CNG, and micro-LNG. To succeed, the document recommends establishing a Methane Governance Council to resolve regulatory fragmentation and integrating the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) into the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) framework.

Nigeria wastes an estimated 250–300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) of gas through flaring and leakage, representing an annual loss of USD 1.2–2.5 billion. The policy brief argues that capturing and commercialising at least 50% of this wasted methane could unlock USD 1.5–2 billion in annual value, create 50,000–80,000 technical jobs, and improve public health by reducing ground-level ozone pollution. The proposed strategy focuses on existing and legacy infrastructure to avoid fossil fuel lock-in, utilizing low-cost measures like leak detection and repair (LDAR). Implementation is planned across three phases from 2026 to 2033, requiring a unified governance framework and robust measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems to attract climate finance and carbon credits.

The document argues that heat pumps are a cost-effective alternative to gas heating due to their superior energy efficiency, which allows them to overcome higher electricity costs. In the residential sector, heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces for four consecutive years. In the industrial sector, they are particularly viable for low-temperature processes (under 200°C), with the potential to increase U.S. GDP by over $42 billion by 2030. The briefing concludes that other alternatives, such as hydrogen and renewable natural gas, are less scalable and more expensive than heat pumps.

The report finds that climate-driven hazards like extreme rainfall and heat stress will drive infrastructure costs to $14 billion per year by the 2050s and $19 billion by 2085 without adaptation. Proactive adaptation, requiring an average annual investment of $4.1 billion, could lower total costs by nearly $9 billion per year compared to no adaptation and over $4 billion compared to reactive adaptation. The analysis emphasizes that early action improves budget predictability and avoids cascading economic disruptions, though it notes that upgrades to existing assets must be supplemented by new protective infrastructure like dikes.

The report evaluates the costs of maintaining Canadian public infrastructure under different climate scenarios, concluding that proactive adaptation is more cost-effective than reactive repairs or inaction. It estimates that without adaptation, annual infrastructure costs could reach 14 billion dollars by the 2050s and 19 billion dollars by 2085. Proactive adaptation, requiring an average annual investment of 4 billion dollars, could reduce total costs by nearly 9 billion dollars per year compared to no adaptation. The document recommends six strategic priorities for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to accelerate resilience, including updated building codes and increased funding for municipalities and Indigenous governments.

The document details Indonesia's strategic position in the global minerals market, particularly nickel, driven by aggressive downstream processing policies and export bans. It highlights the economic significance of mining (11% of GDP) and the associated environmental costs, including rising energy-sector emissions and deforestation. Socially, it notes significant gender disparities in the mining workforce and the prevalence of artisanal mining risks.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that under current policies, Louisiana will meet increased electricity demand from data centers using gas-fired generation, leading to significant costs for ratepayers and environmental damage. Between 2026 and 2041, cumulative electricity system costs attributed to data center growth are projected to be between $14 billion and $26 billion. The analysis further estimates that electricity generation for data centers will result in $1.5 billion to $3.0 billion in public health costs and $35 billion to $87 billion in climate damages by 2041. The report urges the Louisiana Public Service Commission to reform resource planning, ensure technology companies pay for the costs of new demand, and diversify the energy mix with non-fossil resources.

WWF's report explores using market forces to manage invasive species, specifically focusing on the development of a framework to evaluate the ecological and business viability of such efforts. It highlights a proof-of-concept project involving the processing of invasive carp for pet food via the company IGNIZA, which utilizes a former limestone mine to reduce energy costs. The report provides detailed ecological and business checklists to prevent unintended consequences, such as incentivizing the spread of invasive species, and applies these to case studies of invasive carp and black locust trees.

The report highlights how Africa's infrastructure deficit, particularly in roads and aviation, increases transport costs and hinders investment. It notes a significant funding gap and a failure to implement regional air transport agreements, while acknowledging the role of China's Belt and Road Initiative in recent infrastructure development.

The report examines the state of manufacturing in Africa, noting that the continent's share of global manufacturing output fell to less than 2% by 2023. It highlights a trend of premature deindustrialisation, where economies shift to services before establishing a robust industrial base. To counter this, the document identifies key drivers for growth, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), green industrialisation, and the adoption of digital manufacturing technologies like AI and 3D printing. It also details specific infrastructure projects, such as the Musompo SEZ in the DR Congo, aimed at moving the continent up the value chain from raw mineral export to high-value production.

The AfCFTA faces significant implementation hurdles due to the extreme economic disparity between member states, which may lead to 'winners and losers' where advanced economies benefit while least developed countries (LDCs) face initial welfare losses. Key challenges include the loss of critical tariff revenues for some governments, weak institutional capacities in LDCs, and limited commitment to the free movement of labour. To mitigate these risks, the agreement employs special and differential treatment, granting LDCs and a specific 'Group of 6' (G6) longer phase-out periods for tariff liberalisation, though the authors argue that additional support from the AU Secretariat and private finance is necessary to bridge the development gap.

The report identifies the lack of formal land documentation as a primary barrier to agricultural productivity in Africa, preventing smallholder farmers from accessing the credit needed for technological advancements like irrigation and mechanisation. It highlights the risks of 'land grabbing', particularly in the Nile River Basin, and advocates for a policy shift that prioritises domestic food production and the cultivation of indigenous crops over cash crops for export to ensure national food security.

The document outlines the challenges of industrialisation in Africa, including rising income inequality, fiscal strain from upfront capital investments, and environmental degradation. It emphasizes the need for social safety nets, green infrastructure, and strategic navigation of global trade rules to mitigate these costs, arguing that the cost of inaction—continued poverty and import dependence—is higher than the costs of transition.

The document concludes that Africa's current economic path is characterised by low productivity and 'premature deindustrialisation', where labour shifts from subsistence agriculture to low-end informal urban services rather than manufacturing. It highlights a reliance on 'capital-intensive commodity enclaves' that fail to build local value chains or improve broad welfare. To reverse this, the author argues for strategic investments in renewable energy, education, health infrastructure, and digital literacy, alongside the use of the AfCFTA to foster intra-African trade. The text emphasizes that achieving the African Union's Agenda 2063 requires strong governance, gender equity, and international partnerships for financing and technology transfer.

In 2025, African nations faced a fragmented global order characterized by US strategic retrenchment and intensifying competition over critical minerals. The year was marked by the first G20 summit on African soil in South Africa, which pushed for reforms in sovereign credit rating practices and international financial support. While some states like Nigeria and Kenya increased domestic resource mobilization to counter US aid cuts, others in the Horn of Africa became focal points for geopolitical rivalry involving Israel and Gulf Arab states. Additionally, the Lobito Corridor emerged as a key site for US and EU efforts to counter Chinese dominance in critical mineral supply chains, though this development is accompanied by governance risks in the DRC and Zambia.

In 2025, African states navigated a multipolar landscape marked by a transactional US approach under the second Trump administration, which led to aid cuts and a push for domestic resource mobilisation in countries like Nigeria and Kenya. The AU-EU partnership faced skepticism over the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while South Africa's hosting of the G20 Summit resulted in the G20 Africa Engagement Framework and proposals to reform sovereign credit rating practices. Geopolitical competition intensified in the Horn of Africa, exacerbated by Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and along the Lobito Corridor, where the US and EU compete with China to secure critical mineral supply chains and midstream processing capacity.

The report examines Africa's green technology transition in 2025, highlighting how tightening global trade rules, such as the EU's CBAM and the uncertainty surrounding AGOA, alongside the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, have created economic pressures. It details multilateral outcomes from COP30, including the Belém Package's goal to triple adaptation finance by 2035, and continental efforts like the African Single Electricity Market and the goal to mobilise $50 billion annually for climate solutions. The text emphasizes the critical need for affordable decarbonisation finance and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) capacity to prevent the marginalisation of African firms.

The author asserts that industrial carbon pricing is designed to provide emissions reduction incentives while maintaining low costs for industry. For Alberta's oil sands, current average out-of-pocket costs are 9 cents per barrel, and are projected to rise to approximately 50 cents per barrel by 2030 if the policy is strengthened to ensure credits trade at $130 per tonne. The Canadian Climate Institute's analysis of 17 years of provincial trade data across 10 provinces and 19 sectors found no statistically significant evidence that carbon pricing caused export contraction.

The document argues that GDP fails to account for the 'care economy'—essential unpaid work primarily performed by women—and advocates for a cohesive, integrated system of indicators to measure these contributions. It highlights that women perform over 16 billion hours of unpaid care daily and suggests that current alternative metrics often still overlook these vital societal contributions.

The report analyzes the systemic invisibility of the care economy in national statistics, specifically how GDP overlooks unpaid care work disproportionately performed by women. It reviews five primary measurement approaches: time-use surveys, economic valuation (opportunity and replacement costs), policy indices/scorecards, quality-of-life metrics, and household satellite accounts. Using case studies from Canada, Bangladesh, the UK, and Africa, the document demonstrates that unpaid care can represent a significant portion of national wealth—for example, estimated at 25% to 37% of Canada's GDP in 2021. The report concludes that moving beyond GDP requires a cohesive, integrated system of measurement to recognize care as a structural pillar of development and a fundamental investment in human capabilities.