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The document provides a technical framework for calculating the 'cost gap'—the marginal cost differential between clean energy technologies and their conventional benchmarks—for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), offshore wind, solar PV, electric vehicles (EVs), and green hydrogen in India. It outlines the specific input parameters, learning rates, and benchmarks used for each technology. Furthermore, it describes the application of the Green Economy Model (GEM), a system dynamics tool, to simulate how varying levels of public funding (e.g., 30% or 100% of the cost gap) influence India's GDP, employment, and emissions through feedback loops involving energy spending, air pollution, and labor productivity.

The document evaluates low-, medium-, and high-ambition scenarios for transitioning South Africa's Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a more permanent basic income grant (BIG). Using the DIMMSIM model, the research finds that such grants are fiscally sustainable when funded through progressive taxation and lead to significant reductions in poverty and unemployment while boosting GDP growth.

The document reviews seven major proposals for basic income in South Africa, including those from the ANC, the Department of Social Development, and the Institute for Economic Justice. It argues that while there is a strong consensus on the need to close the social protection gap for adults aged 18-59, the specific design, financing, and implementation of such a system will determine whether it achieves progressive outcomes or reinforces austerity. The authors advocate for an unconditional grant linked to national poverty lines, funded through progressive taxation, and complemented by universal public services.

The study uses a dynamic input-output model to compare a business-as-usual baseline against two scenarios: an immediate ban (2024–2025) of four products and a phased withdrawal (2025–2030) of six others. Findings indicate that both interventions lead to positive economic outcomes, including real GDP and employment expansion, while reducing the costs of externalities. However, the transition would cause job losses in plastic production and a modest net increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to increased activity in substitute-producing sectors.

Ethiopia is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with poverty and hunger projected to remain high due to conflict in Tigray, climate change, and economic shocks. The report argues that a sustainable food system transformation is possible with an additional annual public investment of USD 4.6 billion from 2023 to 2030. This funding would target increasing agricultural productivity, transitioning to healthier diets, and enhancing climate resilience. A significant financing gap exists between short-term emergency food assistance and the long-term investments required for systemic resilience. Key recommendations include prioritizing on-farm interventions, scaling up sustainable livestock intensification to reduce GHG emissions, and integrating nutrition education with social protection programs.

Malawi is not on track to meet its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals due to climate change, economic shocks, and high poverty. The report argues that an additional annual public investment of USD 543 million is required to end hunger, double smallholder incomes, and transition 14 million people to healthier diets while meeting climate commitments. Key priorities include on-farm investments in irrigation and livestock, nutrition education, and building climate resilience for vulnerable groups, particularly women.

The report examines the economic opportunities of transitioning to net-zero emissions by 2050 across several major economies. It argues that public investment can drive innovation and growth through signalling, crowding-in private capital, and reducing unit costs. While fossil fuel-exporting nations like the US, Canada, and Indonesia may face long-term GDP losses as global demand for hydrocarbons falls, the report finds that most subject economies—including the EU, UK, India, Japan, and South Africa—experience net gains in GDP and employment. The transition is predicted to significantly reduce household expenditure on fossil fuels, improve public health by reducing pollution, and enhance energy security, particularly for the EU in the context of reducing dependence on Russian gas.

The report argues that transitioning to a circular plastics economy by 2050 will result in positive cumulative effects on GDP, employment, and consumer welfare in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and South Africa compared to a business-as-usual scenario. Using computational general equilibrium (CGE) modelling, the study finds that such a transition increases economic activity and reduces the costs of environmental externalities. For Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, immediate implementation is recommended to maximize environmental gains and avoid sunk costs. For South Africa, an incremental shift is suggested to minimize short-term negative impacts on its more established plastics sector. The report emphasizes the need for national policy instruments—such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit return schemes—alongside regional coordination via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and a legally binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution.

The report investigates how transitioning to a closed-loop economy affects employment, concluding that circular economy proxy measures are generally more labour-intensive than fossil-fuel-related jobs and can decouple economic activity from greenhouse gas emissions.

The research paper examines the economic barriers to a green transition, specifically 'carbon lock-in' where existing high-emission infrastructure reinforces itself. Using a post-Keynesian 'brown-green capital' model, the author argues that a transition cannot be achieved through carbon pricing alone but requires sustained public investment and a dynamic policy mix. The paper finds that the macroeconomic impact of green investment depends on whether an economy is 'wage-led' or 'profit-led', and that investor uncertainty often leads to underinvestment in green capital even as it becomes more productive.

The report estimates that the federal and provincial governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador provide over $2.8 billion in annual subsidies to the upstream oil sector. Using a definition based on the WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, the study identifies 63 subsidy programs, with development subsidies (reducing capital expenditures) comprising 59% of the total value. Alberta receives the largest share of support (73% of total subsidies), which exceeds its share of crude oil production (67%). Macroeconomic modelling suggests that these subsidies increase national oil production by approximately 5% and GHG emissions by 2% by 2020, while negatively impacting government balances in the federal government, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

The report finds that climate change acts as a significant drag on Canada's economy, reducing GDP growth, causing job losses, and increasing fiscal pressure on governments. It highlights a 'broken window fallacy' where spending on repairs masks deeper losses in household income and productive investment. The analysis indicates that Northern Canada and Alberta are particularly vulnerable, and that a combination of proactive adaptation and low global emissions could reduce total real GDP losses by 75%.

Nigeria's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) establishes a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060. The strategy analyzes four decarbonization scenarios—Business As Usual (BAU), Current Policy Scenario (CPS), Gas Economy Scenario (GES), and Renewable Energy Scenario (RES)—concluding that the RES, supported by international aid (RES+), offers the most promising balance of low emissions and economic growth. The report details sectoral mitigation measures for power, AFOLU, industry, transport, and waste, alongside a comprehensive adaptation framework to protect the economy, particularly the agriculture sector, from climate-induced GDP losses. Implementation relies on policy, financial, and technological innovations, including carbon pricing and the establishment of a National Climate Change Fund.

The document outlines a proposal to ban four unnecessary plastic products by 2025 and phase out six others by 2030 in South Africa. A macroeconomic model indicates that these interventions would lead to positive outcomes in real GDP, employment, and wages compared to a business-as-usual scenario, despite a slight increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The report advocates for the South African government to support these measures in the negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution.