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In 2023, renewables reached a record 30% of global electricity generation, driven by solar and wind. Despite this, global power sector emissions rose by 1% to a record 14,153 million tonnes of CO2, as severe droughts caused a five-year low in hydropower, forcing a reliance on coal in countries like China and India. Solar was the fastest-growing source for the 19th consecutive year, while OECD countries continued to see falling emissions. Ember forecasts that 2023 marked the peak of power sector emissions, with a decline expected in 2024 as clean generation growth is projected to outpace electricity demand.

The report forecasts a significant increase in Africa's energy demand due to population growth, projecting that it will overtake the EU27 by 2043. While Africa possesses vast oil, gas, and hydropower reserves, its current energy mix remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with 'other renewables' making up only 1.6% of production in 2023. The document highlights a trajectory where Africa will eventually become a major global source of carbon emissions from fossil fuels, overtaking the EU by 2034.

The document examines Africa's natural gas landscape, noting that while the continent holds approximately 10% of global proven gas reserves, a lack of domestic infrastructure means most production is destined for export. It highlights a potential global LNG supply glut starting in mid-2025 and 2026, which may lower prices and profits for exporters. Key reserves are concentrated in Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, and Libya, while new discoveries are emerging in countries like Mozambique and Senegal. Specific large-scale projects are detailed for Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

The report identifies Africa as a net energy exporter, though it forecasts that total energy demand will exceed production by 2039. While a small group of countries like Algeria, Nigeria, and Angola maintain high export values, a significant number of African nations remain heavily dependent on energy imports, a group expected to expand by 2043.

The report projects that Africa's total energy demand will rise from 4.589 BBOE in 2023 to 10.26 BBOE by 2043, driven by population growth and development needs. It highlights significant current disparities in per capita energy use across African nations and compares these figures to the United States and India.

Africa possesses the world's highest untapped hydropower potential, yet only 11% of this capacity is currently installed. While large-scale projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant are advancing, growth is hindered by the need for extensive transmission networks in unstable regions and institutional failures. By 2043, hydropower is forecast to contribute 5.3% of the continent's energy production.

The report projects that Africa's carbon emissions from fossil fuels will increase on its current development trajectory, eventually surpassing those of the EU, USA, India, and China by 2061 to become the world's major source of such emissions.

The report analyzes global and African energy trends, forecasting a significant increase in energy demand driven by population growth. It details the slow decline of fossil fuels and predicts specific transition points where renewables and gas will overtake other energy sources in both global and African contexts.

The report assesses the economic impact of natural infrastructure in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, estimating that the sector supported over 58,500 jobs and contributed CAD 7 billion to GDP in 2022. It projects that additional annual investments of CAD 40 million to CAD 100 million could increase direct employment by 18% to 26% and direct GDP by 10% to 16% by 2030, enhancing climate resilience against floods and droughts.

The report establishes a statistical framework for the natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies, dividing it into watershed management, municipal natural infrastructure, education/training, and regulatory/public administration. Using 2022 as a baseline, it projects that a 'Stretch Growth' scenario involving CAD 100 million annual investment would increase total jobs in the region to 73,420 and total GDP to CAD 8.2 billion by 2030.

The report examines Algeria's agricultural stagnation, highlighting low productivity, heavy reliance on food imports, and severe water stress. It details how climate change—manifesting as rising temperatures, reduced rainfall, and sea-level rise—threatens food security and regional stability. The document argues that intensification and the removal of unsustainable water and energy subsidies are necessary to improve efficiency and transition toward cleaner energy.

The report identifies poor governance, hydrocarbon dependence, and an unsustainable subsidy system as primary barriers to Algeria's growth. It projects a modest GDP growth rate of 1.8% between 2020 and 2040 under the 'Current Path' but proposes an 'Algerian Dream' scenario based on four reform pillars: improved governance, economic transformation, investment in the knowledge economy, and a transition to sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.

The Horn of Africa faces severe challenges including governance failure, chronic food insecurity, and high poverty rates, with no countries on track to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. The region is characterized by a very young population and high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, which is increasingly threatened by climate change and conflict. While Ethiopia and Sudan dominate the regional GDP, most nations suffer from poor infrastructure and dysfunctional health and education systems. The report models an 'Integrated Development Push' scenario involving improvements in governance, agriculture, and human capital, which could significantly increase regional GDP and reduce extreme poverty by 2040.

The report analyzes the DRC's development challenges, including endemic corruption, high fertility rates, and severe infrastructure deficits. It argues that while the country possesses immense mineral and agricultural wealth, it suffers from the 'paradox of plenty.' The analysis suggests that a comprehensive strategy combining improved governance, human capital investment, agricultural intensification, and economic diversification could significantly reduce extreme poverty and increase GDP by 2050 compared to the current trajectory.

The DRC's education system is a hybrid of public and religious schools, showing improvements in adult literacy and gender parity, particularly in primary education. However, the system suffers from low completion rates, poor educational quality, and significant underfunding, with government spending at 2.5% of GDP in 2019. While the 2019 implementation of free primary education has increased access for 2.5 million children, concerns remain regarding the government's capacity to fund the estimated US$1 billion annual cost. The World Bank has provided US$1 billion in loans and grants to support education and health, specifically targeting the poorest provinces.

The report analyzes multidimensional and income-based poverty across the Horn of Africa, noting that while the region is projected to see a decline in average poverty rates to 12% by 2040, it will fail to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for eradicating extreme poverty. It highlights severe disparities, with South Sudan and Somalia facing extreme poverty driven by conflict and weak governance, while Ethiopia has shown significant progress in poverty reduction despite ongoing regional conflict.

The DR Congo possesses 80 million hectares of arable land, yet only 10% is cultivated, leaving the country as a net food importer with an annual food trade deficit of US$1.5 billion. On its current path, food import dependence is projected to reach approximately 60% of domestic demand by 2050. Agricultural productivity, which fell to 60% of its 1960 levels by 2006, is further threatened by climate change, specifically through heavy rain and flood events causing soil erosion. Recovery efforts include a US$75 million World Bank project, FAO seed distribution, and USAID's Food for Peace programme.

The DR Congo faces exceptionally high levels of extreme and multidimensional poverty, with forecasts suggesting it will fail to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on its current path. Despite modest declines in extreme poverty between 2005 and 2018, the country remains one of the world's poorest, with significant regional variations and a growing urban poverty phenomenon.

The health system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is characterized by a near-collapse due to conflict and mismanagement, with a high reliance on non-state actors and significant out-of-pocket costs for households. While life expectancy and mortality rates for infants and mothers have improved since 1990, the DRC continues to lag behind other low-income countries and is projected to miss 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for maternal and infant mortality. Severe child malnutrition remains a critical issue, with 43% of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition. The country is expected to undergo an epidemiological transition in 2030, shifting from a dominance of communicable diseases—such as malaria, which causes 80% of deaths in children under five—to non-communicable diseases. Government health spending remains extremely low, at less than 4% of GDP as of 2017.

The health systems of the Horn of Africa are severely strained by conflict, insecurity, and drought, leading to high rates of malnutrition and maternal and child mortality. While life expectancy has generally increased, the region struggles to meet SDG targets, with a dual burden of persistent communicable diseases and steady rates of non-communicable diseases and injuries.