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This report provides a comprehensive overview of the commercial agricultural sector in the Western Cape, South Africa, detailing its climatic conditions, production statistics, investment trends, and trade dynamics. It specifically examines the impact of extreme weather events, the shift toward digital agricultural investments, and the implications of new European Union sustainability directives on South African exports.

This infographic and guide from the International Institute for Sustainable Development explains the necessity of integrating conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding into nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation to avoid exacerbating social, economic, and environmental tensions.

The 'AFRICA 2043' report by the Institute for Security Studies uses the International Futures (IFs) modelling platform to analyze Africa's development trajectory to 2043. It compares a 'Current Path' (business-as-usual) forecast against eight sectoral scenarios and a 'Combined scenario' of coordinated reforms, aiming to align with the African Union's Agenda 2063.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute (WRI) presents a financial case for climate adaptation, arguing that such investments are highly profitable and synergistic with general development goals. Based on an analysis of 320 projects, WRI finds that adaptation investments can yield significant returns through a 'triple dividend' of avoided losses, induced economic development, and additional social and environmental benefits.

This policy brief argues that South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency provides a strategic opportunity to integrate subnational governments into the global climate and environmental agenda. It highlights the role of municipalities as frontline implementers of climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity goals, while identifying systemic financial and capacity barriers that hinder their effectiveness in Africa and the Global South.

This perspective paper argues that a lack of interoperability across data, models, communication, and governance hinders the integration of disaster risk management and climate adaptation, proposing a transdisciplinary knowledge co-production approach and a federated data infrastructure to address these barriers.

The report describes Colombia's 'Energy Communities' program, launched in 2023 under the National Development Plan 2022-2026, which empowers off-grid rural, Indigenous, and Afro-Colombian communities to manage their own renewable energy production and distribution to reduce energy poverty and foster local economic growth.

This research paper examines the intersection of the evolving international trading system and the urgent need to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development. It argues that while trade has historically contributed to environmental harm, it can be repurposed as a strategic tool for sustainability through new narratives, inclusive international cooperation, and coherent policy frameworks. The author identifies a shift from traditional trade liberalization toward 'multipurpose' approaches that balance security, resilience, and sustainability, and proposes a policy agenda to reorient trade rules, scale up sustainable technologies, and ensure equitable economic transformation for developing countries.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted comments on South Africa's Draft Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The submission argues that the draft's mitigation targets are inadequate and lack ambition, proposing instead more stringent emission limits aligned with the 1.5°C global warming target. The CER also criticizes the lack of transparency in the process, specifically the late release of the underlying technical report, and calls for stronger integration of climate justice, adaptation measures, and a clear commitment to phasing out fossil fuels.

This guide explains Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as the primary vehicle for countries to implement the Paris Agreement's goals. It highlights a critical gap between current commitments (leading to 2.6-3.1°C warming) and the 1.5°C target, urging more ambitious 2025 submissions. The document details the need for $4.5 trillion in funding for developing nations and outlines the NCQG's goal to mobilize $300 billion annually by 2035.

This statement argues that current global trade frameworks often hinder the ability of developing nations, particularly in Africa, to pursue low-carbon transitions and climate justice. It highlights the negative impacts of protectionist policies and the breakdown of multilateralism, while proposing that regional initiatives like the AfCFTA and strategic leadership during South Africa's G20 Presidency can create a new trade agenda focused on green industrialization, adaptation, and economic diversification.

This case study examines climate risks and the role of intangible cultural heritage in supporting the resilience of UNESCO-designated ricescapes in the Philippines and Indonesia, specifically focusing on the Ifugao and Balinese regions.

The International Youth Day Solidarity Statement 2025, issued by the Youth For Tax Justice Network (YTJN) and the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD), advocates for global tax and debt justice to support Africa's youth population. The statement highlights the contradiction between high youth entrepreneurship and a lack of decent employment, arguing that unsustainable sovereign debt and tax abuse divert essential funding from education, healthcare, and climate resilience.

The 'Criteria for Certification against the Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy' provides interim guidelines for certifying climate resilience investments listed in the Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy (CBRT). It establishes a three-part requirement for certification: demonstrating a substantial contribution to resilience, managing maladaptation risks, and ensuring no significant harm to climate mitigation objectives. The document details the assessment processes for different investment types, including adapted activities, adapting measures, enabling activities, and enabling measures.

This policy brief examines the implementation of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in Malawi to combat climate vulnerability and food insecurity. While the government has integrated CSA into national visions like MV2063 and the 2021 NDC, adoption is limited by insecure land tenure, underfunded extension services, and a budgetary focus on short-term input subsidies (AIP) over long-term resilience. The author recommends reviving the National Climate Change Fund, securing land rights, and scaling participatory learning models like Farmer Field Schools to transition from pilot projects to national resilience.

RMI and UNDP have launched a Climate Risk and Resilience Toolkit to help developers integrate climate adaptation into the life cycle of rural African minigrids. The toolkit provides a five-step framework to mitigate risks from hazards like flooding and extreme heat, which otherwise threaten both energy infrastructure and the livelihoods of rural populations. While resilience measures increase costs—often passed to consumers via higher tariffs—they are presented as essential for maintaining critical services and supporting climate-smart agriculture.

This case study describes the 'Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa' (SA Climate Change Champions) project, which aimed to empower youth, women, and communities in the Eastern, Northern, and Western Cape to engage with the renewable energy sector and climate policy. Co-funded by the European Union and delivered by GreenCape, the project established climate clubs, facilitated policy dialogues, and provided capacity building to ensure inclusive participation in South Africa's energy transition.

This report by Ember analyses China's consumer goods trade-in programme, specifically its impact on the energy efficiency of room air conditioner (RAC) stocks. The programme uses subsidies to encourage consumers to replace outdated appliances with high-efficiency models, aligning economic stimulus for domestic consumption with energy transition and climate goals.

This briefing by the African Climate Foundation discusses the role of women in sub-Saharan African agrifood systems and advocates for agroecology as a sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture to combat climate change and social inequality.

This report by RMI outlines strategies and a toolkit for Caribbean policymakers and energy leaders to accelerate a just and equitable transition from aging, diesel-based energy models to resilient renewable energy systems, emphasizing the urgency of the transition due to climate impacts and the importance of the 2025 window for revising Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of COP30.