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The report identifies and quantifies non-tariff barriers (NTBs) along the Durban–Gaborone corridor, finding that these barriers account for 24.4% of round-trip heavy vehicle running costs. The most significant costs are attributed to South African toll roads, including direct fees and indirect costs from fuel consumption and downtime. Other identified NTBs include Botswana user charges, infrastructure deterioration, weighbridge delays, harbour permit costs, and border clearance procedures. The study suggests that these NTBs contribute approximately 1.83% to the final cost of sales, which, when modelled against South Africa's GDP, represents a potential national impact of R31.61 billion.

The document examines how ground-level ozone (O3) reduces crop yields in South Asia, specifically within the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It finds that current O3 concentrations cause yield losses between 5% and 35%, resulting in estimated annual economic losses of approximately US$ 3.9 billion for staple crops. The brief highlights that O3 concentrations are projected to increase more rapidly in South Asia than in any other global region by 2030. It argues that these impacts may be more immediate than those of climate change and could contribute to the recent decline in crop yield growth in the region. The authors recommend international cooperation to reduce precursor emissions, the development of O3-resistant crop varieties, and improved integration of air quality and food security into policy frameworks.

The report argues that the cost of inaction regarding climate change for Florida is immense, projecting annual costs of $345 billion by 2100 across four major categories: tourism, hurricane damages, residential real estate, and electricity. Under a 'business-as-usual' scenario, Florida faces a 10°F temperature increase and 45 inches of sea-level rise by 2100, which would inundate 9% of its land area and severely disrupt key industries like agriculture and fisheries. The authors contrast this with a 'rapid stabilization' case, where immediate global emissions reductions limit warming to 2°F and sea-level rise to 7 inches by 2100.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis indicates that a 15 percent by 2020 national renewable electricity standard would reduce consumer energy costs, increase renewable energy capacity, and lower power plant CO2 emissions in the United States.

The expiration of the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA) quotas has shifted the global textile trade from a protected regime to a competitive market, leading to fears that China and India will dominate US and EU markets. African nations, despite preferential access through AGOA and EBA, face significant market share declines and job losses. The document argues that African countries must improve efficiency, diversify economies, and leverage South-South cooperation to survive the transition.

The Goldenberg scandal was a massive financial fraud in Kenya during the Daniel Arap Moi administration, estimated to have cost the country between US $600 million and US $1 billion. The scheme utilized a fake gold and diamond jewellery export operation to claim illegal export compensation and siphoned funds through the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and various commercial banks, including the specifically created Exchange Bank. The fraud was facilitated by senior government officials who granted Goldenberg International Limited monopoly rights and preferential subsidies. The resulting economic instability led to rapid money supply growth, high inflation, and the collapse of several banks in 1993. Despite a 2003 Commission of Inquiry, the document notes the difficulty in prosecuting the perpetrators due to political interference.

The European Commission proposes cutting guaranteed white sugar prices by 39% over four years, a move expected to cost African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) sugar producers approximately €400 million annually. While the author acknowledges that developed-country subsidies distort global trade and depress world sugar prices by more than 50%, the document highlights the vulnerability of ACP economies that rely on preferential access to EU markets. Drawing parallels to the devastating impact of the WTO banana dispute, which threatened the livelihoods of 200,000 farmers, the paper argues that the EU's proposed €40 million adjustment assistance is insufficient. It recommends a longer transition period, increased market access for at least 10 years to attract investment, and targeted safety nets for resource-constrained least-developed countries to ensure sustainable development during trade liberalisation.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed two proposals to increase the Texas Renewable Energy Standard (RPS): a 20 percent by 2020 target (TREIA proposal) and a 10,000 MW by 2025 target (TEPC proposal). Using the EIA's National Energy Modeling System, the analysis found that both proposals would lower consumer energy bills, create jobs, and reduce CO2 emissions, with the 20 percent proposal yielding significantly higher benefits. By 2025, the 20 percent standard is projected to save consumers $5.6 billion in total energy bills, create 38,290 new jobs, and reduce annual power plant CO2 emissions by 20 million metric tons.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed the potential effects of Colorado's Amendment 37, which would require the state's largest electric companies to increase renewable energy use to 10 percent of sales by 2015. Under the most likely scenario, the report projects that the initiative would result in $236 million in consumer savings on electricity and natural gas bills, the creation of 2,000 new jobs by 2020, and a reduction of 3 million metric tons of annual CO2 emissions by 2025. The analysis highlights that wind resources would drive most of the development, providing significant capital investment and tax revenues for rural communities.

The document argues that NAFTA has been an empirical success for Mexico, driving substantial growth in trade, foreign direct investment, and industrial diversification, while acknowledging significant socio-economic costs in agriculture and a lack of broad-based wage growth.

The document examines the industrial offset mechanisms used to mitigate the costs of South Africa's $3.9 billion Strategic Defence Package (SDP). It details the regulatory frameworks of the NIPP and DIP, the specific obligations signed with international contractors, and the progress made in generating economic credits through local investment, technology transfer, and export promotion as of March 2003.

The author contends that EU climate policies, including CBAM, EUDR, and maritime regulations, are unilaterally imposed and threaten African economic development. The text highlights risks such as an $11 billion annual loss for exporters under EUDR and a potential 0.91% reduction in Africa's GDP due to CBAM. It further criticizes the EU-ETS and FuelEU Maritime for increasing freight costs for African consumers and extracting USD 3–5 billion annually without reinvesting in African sustainability. The document recommends that the EU redirect revenues from CBAM and the Innovation Fund to support Africa's green transition and align maritime measures with the IMO's Net-Zero Framework.

The document presents a portfolio of BC3's urban research, focusing on the socio-economic and ecological implications of climate change. Key studies include an analysis of Bilbao's Sustainable Energy Action Plan, flood-risk assessments in Bilbao, Zurich, and Zaragoza, and the evaluation of heat-health warning systems and green roofs in Madrid.

The report identifies power plants as the primary source of sulfate particles causing regional haze in U.S. national parks, which significantly reduces visibility and diminishes visitor enjoyment. An analysis by Abt Associates estimates that eliminating power plant haze would provide a total annual benefit of $7.7 billion, comprising $4.3 billion in recreational visibility and $3.4 billion in residential visibility. The document highlights that improved visibility could increase park visitation by 10% to 25%, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for local communities. It recommends the implementation of 'best available retrofit technology' (BART) and a shift toward natural gas and renewable energy to achieve the national goal of remedying visibility impairment.

The report examines flood risk in Jamaica, noting that while tropical cyclones cause the largest losses, flooding is not strictly related to storm intensity but often to preceding rainfall. It highlights that public infrastructure, particularly roads and bridges, suffers the most damage. Despite repeated recommendations for hazard mapping and watershed management, the report finds a persistent lack of enforcement regarding 'no build zones' and a critical shortage of digital spatial data for planners.

This document is a formal statement from Eskom Holdings SOC Limited submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs on 22 June 2017. It provides comments and recommendations regarding the 'Notice of Intention to Amend the List of Activities which Result in Atmospheric Emission' under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (39/2004). Eskom argues that the proposed emission standards lack comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and could lead to severe financial and operational burdens, potentially necessitating significant electricity tariff increases.

The document argues that adding 1.5 GW of new coal power to South Africa's electricity system is unnecessary for reliability and would increase costs, emissions, and GDP loss while reducing employment compared to a least-cost plan focusing on renewable alternatives.

The report finds that German supermarkets could reduce material use across their product ranges by approximately 20% by switching to more efficient products and innovative business models. Despite their market power, no major German supermarket currently has a policy to reduce the material resource use embedded in the products they sell. The document argues that an economy-wide 20% increase in resource efficiency would create nearly 700,000 jobs and lower gross output prices by 4.3% by 2030. It recommends that supermarkets stop selling inefficient products, demand resource data from suppliers, and that the German government implement binding absolute resource efficiency targets.

The document proposes using user fees to fund an international capacity-building fund for developing countries and a no-fault insurance fund for states injured by invasive alien species. It highlights the severe economic and biodiversity impacts of invasive species, citing costs such as US$373 million annually for rabbit control in Australia and US$3.1-5.0 billion in damages to US and European industrial plants from aquatic invasives between 1988 and 2000. The text urges the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development to move the international community from planning to implementation of the goals set by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The report argues that the Amazon rainforest is a strategic national asset because its evapotranspiration creates 'flying rivers' that distribute rainfall across Brazil. Deforestation, which has already affected about 20% of the biome, reduces this moisture transport, leading to significant economic losses. The document provides evidence of billion-real losses in hydroelectric power generation and highlights vulnerabilities in the rain-dependent agricultural sector, urban water systems like São Paulo's Cantareira, and the navigability of key waterways. It concludes that protecting the Amazon is a strategic imperative for national economic security.