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The document analyzes Canada's 2020 COVID-19 recovery spending, noting a higher commitment to clean energy (CAD 14.7 billion) than fossil energy (CAD 3.6 billion) according to Energy Policy Tracker data. However, it highlights significant transparency gaps regarding credit support from public finance institutions like EDC and BDC. Compared to France, Germany, and the UK, Canada's per capita investment in electric vehicles is lower, while its investment in building retrofits is relatively high. The brief warns that Canada's hydrogen strategy leans toward 'blue hydrogen' (fossil-based) while European peers prioritize 'green hydrogen'. It recommends applying strict 'green strings' to stimulus, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and aligning ambition with international standards.

The document argues that Export Development Canada (EDC) provides disproportionately high levels of support for oil and gas compared to clean technology, often lacking transparency in its transactions. It highlights that EDC's domestic mandate expansion, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has facilitated continued fossil fuel financing. The brief recommends that EDC phase out public finance for fossil fuels, set clear climate action targets, and implement 'green strings' (climate-related conditionalities) to ensure economic recovery is aligned with the Paris Agreement and Canada's 2050 net-zero goal.

The report examines the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone for Africa (CEMZA), a proposed 'maritime space without barriers' intended to enhance geostrategic, economic, and security benefits across the African Maritime Domain. While the author argues that CEMZA is compatible with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) if treated as a framework for cooperative governance rather than a replacement for national sovereignty, significant hurdles remain. These include the fact that less than half of Africa's coastal states have fully utilised UNCLOS to maximise their maritime zones, the existence of unresolved territorial and boundary disputes, and a historical gap between African Union norm-setting and actual treaty implementation. The report suggests that CEMZA should focus on joint enforcement jurisdiction and resource management, drawing on successful bilateral delimitation and joint-development examples from the continent.

The report argues that achieving economies of scale in Nigeria's solar sector requires a transition from accelerated importation to local assembly and eventually local manufacturing. It identifies that approximately 7 million Nigerian households are ready for immediate solar home system (SHS) deployment based on geospatial data. The analysis demonstrates that combining four key enablers—import tariff waivers, reduced cost of debt, increased plant capacity, and product subsidies—could reduce SHS prices by 34% and increase the number of households able to afford these systems by 288%.

The document provides an update on The Geological Society's financial ties to fossil fuel and arms corporations. While it acknowledges a new responsible investment policy from September 2020 that excludes certain arms and high-emissions fossil fuels, it highlights a significant decrease in investment transparency between 2015 and 2019. The report details extensive corporate sponsorship from oil and gas companies and argues that these ties, along with investments in companies like Shell and Total, are incompatible with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that California's current electricity sector planning is insufficient to replace the zero-emissions energy from the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, which is scheduled for retirement in 2024 and 2025. Without further action, the state faces a cumulative increase of 15.5 million metric tons of global warming emissions over the next decade, as existing natural gas plants fill the gap. The report recommends adopting a more ambitious 30 MMT emissions target by 2030 to guarantee full replacement and accelerate decarbonization.

The paper examines the GCF's 'direct access' modality, which allows developing country institutions to receive funding without international intermediaries. While 62 such entities were accredited by November 2020, 42 (67%) had not yet received project approval. The authors analyze four support mechanisms—the Readiness Programme, Project Preparation Facility (PPF), Simplified Approval Process (SAP), and Enhancing Direct Access pilot—finding that high costs, complex application processes, and restrictive funding rules create significant bottlenecks. The paper recommends automating 'kick-off' funding upon accreditation, streamlining the SAP, and allowing preparatory funds to cover internal staff time.

The document evaluates the EITI, a global transparency standard for extractive industries, noting its success in improving investment climates and contract disclosure while highlighting failures in preventing corruption and ensuring civil society participation.

The document discusses the United States' re-entry into the Paris Agreement under President Biden and emphasizes the need for ambitious 2030 climate targets and increased climate finance to restore credibility and drive a green recovery.

The report explores how social protection can support adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and resilience against slow-onset climate events—such as sea-level rise and biodiversity loss—while noting that climate change itself may threaten the viability of these social protection systems.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) welcomes the final IRS guidance on the 45Q tax credit, stating it provides necessary certainty for developers of carbon capture, removal, and storage projects. While CATF supports the IRS's decision to limit credits to captured and utilized carbon oxide rather than CO2 equivalence lifecycle analyses, it notes that the IRS rejected CATF's proposal for public reporting procedures for projects using the ISO standard for CO2-EOR. CATF argues that further measures are needed to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, including a direct pay mechanism and further extensions of the commence construction deadline.

The report examines Spain's SIGCPI system, a digital tool introduced in 2010 to manage fish import requests and digitise catch certificate (CC) data. While SIGCPI allows for 100% documentary checks of CCs and processing statements (PS), it lacks automated risk analysis and connectivity with other EU Member States, leaving a gap where the same CC could be used for multiple imports across different countries. The document recommends that Spain voluntarily adopt the EU's CATCH system, built on TRACES.NT, to enable EU-wide data cross-referencing and standardised risk analysis, thereby reducing fraud and IUU fishing.

The report highlights that 600 million Africans lack electricity, with sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected. It argues that while legacy megaprojects like the Inga 3 dam and Stiegler's Gorge are financially and environmentally risky, decentralized renewable energy (DREs) and public-private partnerships offer more sustainable paths to electrification. The text also examines the geopolitical influence of Russia's nuclear diplomacy and China's investment in coal-fired plants, while noting the severe health impacts of biomass reliance among the rural poor.

The paper explores the intersection of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), arguing that digital innovations can overcome traditional barriers to intra-African trade. It highlights the role of blockchain in enhancing supply chain transparency and financial inclusion for MSMEs, and AI in improving agricultural productivity. The authors emphasize that while COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of ecommerce and fintech, significant gaps in internet connectivity, data infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks must be addressed to realize the AfCFTA's full potential.

Egypt is constructing a nuclear power plant at Al Dabaa through a partnership with Russia's ROSATOM, a project framed as a 'mega-project' to boost national prestige and ensure long-term energy self-sufficiency. While the government argues the plant is necessary for a growing population, critics suggest it is an expensive and redundant luxury given Egypt's current energy surplus and investments in renewables. The project is characterized by top-down governance, significant Russian financing via a $25 billion loan, and domestic disputes over land expropriation and environmental risks.

The Kenya WASH sector features diverse stakeholders and platforms, but broad-based coordination forums like the Joint Sector Working Group are largely dormant or dysfunctional. While 'soft' accountability mechanisms such as strategic planning and performance reporting are common, they often lack follow-up and sanctions, leading to weak mutual accountability. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily enhanced collaboration but exposed severe financial accountability gaps and corruption in public procurement. The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Mutual Accountability Mechanism (MAM) is being introduced to address these gaps, though its integration is hindered by the lack of active national forums.

The study finds that government accountability in Peru's WASH sector is still under construction, with a lack of integrated mechanisms despite existing legal frameworks like DL 1280. While various multi-stakeholder platforms exist, they are fragmented and lack formal coordination with the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation (MVCS). The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact government-to-citizen accountability because such mechanisms were largely non-existent, though it did accelerate digital coordination. Additionally, there is low awareness among national experts regarding the SWA partnership and its Mutual Accountability Mechanism (MAM), with the government's commitments primarily tied to the National Sanitation Plan 2017-2021.

The global GSS+ debt market reached a cumulative volume of USD 2.8 trillion by the end of 2021, with new issuance in 2021 alone surpassing USD 1 trillion. Green bonds remain the largest segment, while sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) showed the fastest year-on-year growth. The report highlights the dominance of developed markets, particularly Europe, and the emerging role of sovereign issuers and taxonomies in standardising the market.

The document examines the severe health consequences of the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, noting that 80% of the population was affected by poor air quality. It highlights a critical gap in government preparation for long-term smoke exposure and recommends the implementation of 'Smoke Plans', real-time air quality monitoring, and the adoption of Indigenous 'cultural burns' to reduce fire intensity. The briefing concludes that Australia must transition away from fossil fuel subsidies and embrace renewable energy to mitigate future climate-driven wildfire risks.

Colombia has committed to reducing GHG emissions by 51% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. While the government has developed a robust legal framework for climate mitigation and adaptation, the report finds a critical gap in Just Transition planning. Massive layoffs are already occurring in the thermal coal sector due to falling international prices and the shift toward renewables, yet the government has not implemented specific policy responses to support affected workers. Similarly, conservation efforts in the AFOLU sector, particularly the expansion of protected areas and páramo ecosystems, threaten the livelihoods of informal rural workers and ethnic communities. The report concludes that Colombia's Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system lacks the capacity to track social welfare and employment impacts, and recommends urgent, regionally differentiated strategies for economic diversification and worker retraining.