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This document is an introductory overview and table of contents for a compilation of 34 expert articles commissioned by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS). The collection, published between November 2024 and December 2025 on the Synergies platform, explores how the international trading system can be leveraged to address the climate crisis, support climate-resilient development, and facilitate just transitions in alignment with Paris climate goals.

This policy brief examines the global race to secure critical minerals for green and digital industrial revolutions, detailing the strategies of the US, EU, UK, Canada, and China. It argues that African countries can leverage their mineral wealth through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by adopting a 'climate-resilient developmental regionalism' approach to build regional value chains and achieve sustainable structural transformation.

This technical brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) summarizes key findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II) regarding gender, equity, and justice in climate change adaptation. It translates technical scientific data into accessible messages and illustrative examples, specifically contextualized for African geographies, to help practitioners implement more inclusive and effective adaptation strategies.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that increasing climate change literacy across Africa is essential for moving from reactive coping mechanisms to transformative adaptation. It highlights significant gaps in public understanding of the human causes of climate change, particularly among women and rural populations, and advocates for the integration of climate literacy into education and national development agendas to build climate-resilient development pathways.

This working paper by Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and WRI outlines a framework for development finance institutions (DFIs) to align indirect investments—those channeled through financial intermediaries—with the Paris Agreement's goals for low-emission and climate-resilient development.

This briefing explores country perspectives on aligning national-level policy processes under the Paris Agreement, specifically National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to foster broader climate-resilient development.

This working paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) examines how emerging and exponential technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can accelerate the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement in developing countries.

This special edition of Climate and Development Outlook describes the scoping phase of the Future Climate For Africa (FCFA) programme, a five-year international research initiative funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The programme focuses on improving the scientific understanding of sub-Saharan African climate on decadal timescales and enhancing the communication and uptake of this information for long-term climate-resilient development strategies.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines five key lessons for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) based on the six-year operational experience of the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), which are described as a "living laboratory" for climate finance.

This policy brief by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) examines the intersection of climate change and poverty reduction. It argues that climate variability hinders the ability of poor populations to escape poverty and threatens the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The document advocates for integrating climate adaptation into national poverty reduction strategies, investing in evidence-based data, and ensuring that emission mitigation efforts provide tangible co-benefits for the poor.