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The paper argues that African countries should pivot away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy toward minerals and metals essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as copper and platinum. It highlights a decline in mineral exploration in Africa, particularly South Africa, and warns against the 'resource curse' associated with oil wealth. The author contends that the falling cost of renewables and the rise of smart technologies make fossil fuel investments risky, urging African policymakers to align industrial policies with the demand for green energy minerals to avoid premature de-industrialisation.

This research paper examines the global significance of Rare Earth Elements (REEs), China's dominant market position and strategic export restrictions, and South Africa's role in establishing non-Chinese supply chains through specific mining projects.

The document identifies severe long-term supply risks for indium and tellurium, and moderate to severe risks for neodymium, which could hinder the deployment of photovoltaics, wind power, and electric vehicles. It argues that while governments often treat mineral scarcity as a technological issue, economic and political risks are significant drivers of future deficits. Businesses are responding through recycling, vertical integration, and material substitution, though the effectiveness of these measures varies by metal and technology.

Africa possesses significant critical minerals (30% of global reserves) and solar resources (60% of global resources), yet contributes only 2% of global manufacturing value added. The document asserts that green industrialization requires systems-level policy coordination, treating finance as industrial policy, and utilizing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to improve competitiveness. It highlights successful examples, such as South Africa's REIPPPP attracting over $14 billion in private investment and Morocco's $32.5 billion in approved green ammonia, steel, and fuel projects. With energy demand projected to increase by one-third by 2030, the text emphasizes the need to shift from exporting raw materials to domestic processing and manufacturing to generate more jobs and long-term value.

The author argues that the FfD4 outcome document, the 'Compromiso de Sevilla', prioritises consensus over transformation and fails to provide the necessary commitments to support developing countries. Key criticisms include the weakening of trade facilitation commitments, the lack of a review mechanism for special and differential treatment (SDT) provisions, and insufficient action against unilateral trade-distorting measures like the Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM). The text further highlights a lack of meaningful obligations for value addition in critical minerals and commodities, as well as a failure to address systemic challenges regarding technological monopolies and the need for co-development agreements to support climate-resilient development.

This document outlines the nine strategic pillars of the Critical Minerals Mission for Sustainable Strategic Advantage (CMMSSA), a framework designed to transform South Africa's critical minerals sector. The strategy focuses on moving from raw mineral exports to local beneficiation, enhancing geoscience mapping, improving infrastructure, and fostering regional integration within Southern Africa to support the global energy transition.

The document examines how Mozambique's vast natural gas reserves, particularly in the Rovuma Basin, have failed to translate into sustainable development, instead contributing to regional inequality, corruption, and civil unrest in Cabo Delgado. It analyzes the 'enclave' nature of extractive projects and the country's severe debt crisis, including the 'Tuna Bonds' scandal. The brief also addresses the gendered impacts of the energy sector and the challenges of transitioning to a just energy future while managing critical minerals like graphite.

The report examines how Tanzania's extractive industries, particularly natural gas and gold, have created economic enclaves and contributed to a 'sub-national resource curse' in regions like Mtwara and Lindi. It analyzes the country's rising debt-to-GDP ratio, which grew from 28% to 40% in four years, and the role of resource-backed loans from China for infrastructure like the Standard Gauge Railway. While Tanzania possesses significant renewable energy potential in solar, wind, and hydropower, the report notes a continued reliance on fossil fuels and a lack of gender-sensitive policies in the energy sector. It concludes with recommendations to diversify the economy, strengthen governance, and develop a domestic downstream sector for critical minerals.

The letter argues that large language models (LLMs) increase carbon emissions through high energy demands and accelerate the spread of climate disinformation. It calls for mandatory reporting on energy use, emissions, and critical mineral consumption, as well as safeguards against AI-generated disinformation.

The study evaluates four primary technology pathways for Germany's power sector decarbonisation by 2050: 'All Tech.' (inclusive of nuclear and CCS), 'No CCS', 'No Nucl.', and 'No Nucl. No CCS'. The 'All Tech.' scenario is identified as the most competitive, offering the lowest total system costs and electricity prices. The 'No Nucl. No CCS' scenario, which most closely represents current German policy, results in the highest costs, highest electricity price volatility, and greatest reliance on transmission and hydrogen infrastructure. The analysis emphasizes that nuclear power and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) significantly enhance economic competitiveness and system resilience. It also explores the role of long-duration energy storage (LDES), finding that 24-hour systems can facilitate solar expansion and reduce reliance on costly hydrogen-fuelled power plants.

South Africa's Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy aims to maximise the economic value of its vast mineral reserves—including PGMs, manganese, and vanadium—by shifting from raw ore exports to local beneficiation and high-tech manufacturing. The strategy identifies a specific list of high, moderate-to-high, and moderate criticality minerals and proposes six pillars of intervention: geoscience mapping, value addition, R&D, infrastructure/energy security, financial instruments, and regulatory harmonisation. It emphasizes the need to overcome domestic bottlenecks in energy and logistics, foster regional integration within Africa, and navigate geopolitical tensions, particularly China's dominance in the supply chain, to secure a role in the global green energy transition.

The report 'Cradle to Grave' details the systemic health impacts of fossil fuels across their entire value chain—extraction, refining, transport, combustion, and disposal. It highlights how these processes cause respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities in 'sacrifice zones'. The document argues that current climate policies overlook these multidimensional health harms and calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the adoption of the 'Polluter Pays' principle, and a transition to renewable energy to prevent millions of premature deaths.

The document details how fossil fuels cause systemic health damage across their entire value chain, affecting individuals from fetal development through old age. It highlights the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities in 'sacrifice zones' and calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the cessation of new exploration, and the internalisation of health costs through the 'polluter pays' principle to facilitate a just energy transition.

The 'Cradle to Grave' report is a comprehensive global overview of the health impacts of fossil fuels, spanning from extraction to waste and from fetal development to old age. Grounded in over 600 scientific citations, it argues that fossil fuel reliance is a 'public health emergency' rather than just an environmental issue. The document highlights that fossil fuels cause immediate harms—including cancers, respiratory illnesses, and cardiovascular disease—and that 'clean' fossil fuel narratives are marketing strategies. It advocates for a rapid, just transition to renewable energy, the redirection of $7 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies toward public health and clean energy, and the application of the precautionary principle where research gaps exist.

The document outlines the severe health vulnerabilities of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region due to climate change, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. It calls for a transition to sustainable food and energy systems, the strengthening of primary healthcare, and the implementation of climate justice to protect the right to health.

The document outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), emphasizing that while the region contributes only 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it faces profound vulnerability. It details how extreme heat, floods, and shifting disease patterns—such as a 54% increase in dengue transmission potential—disproportionately affect marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples and the urban poor. The position paper demands the integration of health into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the decarbonization of health systems and food production, and the implementation of the Belém Action Plan. It calls for a 'just transition' that protects human rights and incorporates ancestral knowledge, while urging the international community to provide financial and technological transfers to strengthen primary health care and climate resilience in the region.

The document outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), emphasizing the region's high vulnerability despite its modest global emissions contribution. It details how extreme weather, food insecurity, and the transition to clean energy impact health, particularly for marginalized groups like indigenous peoples and urban poor. The statement calls for the integration of health into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the decarbonization of health systems and food production, and the implementation of the Belém Action Plan on Health. It advocates for climate justice, the protection of traditional knowledge, and increased financing for health-centered climate resilience.

The report details how fossil fuel production and use cause systemic health damage across all human life stages and geographic regions, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. It maps these impacts from site preparation and extraction to combustion and waste disposal, highlighting the role of pollutants like PM2.5, benzene, and heavy metals. The document also examines the societal harms of the industry, including forced displacements, human rights violations, and political corruption. It concludes by advocating for a 'just transition' that prioritizes public health, eliminates fossil fuel subsidies, and holds polluters accountable through the 'polluter-pays' principle.

British Columbia is positioning itself for the low-carbon transition by leveraging a low-emissions electricity grid and a growing clean technology sector, though it faces risks from its reliance on metallurgical coal and natural gas exports. While the province has 175 transition-opportunity companies, primarily concentrated in Metro Vancouver, challenges remain regarding the domestic adoption of these technologies and the alignment of provincial policy to support small and medium-sized domestic firms. Vulnerable workers are concentrated in rural communities and among Indigenous populations, necessitating a shift in support toward new growth areas to ensure economic resilience.

The document outlines the growth potential for mining technology, which includes processes to improve environmental performance and the extraction of minerals for renewable energy and electric vehicles. It highlights a growing 'smart mining' market and notes that while small tech companies are attracting investment, large multinational firms from Canada, the US, and Australia dominate the sector. For Canada, advantages include a high share of global exploration investment and strategic access for US importers, though regulatory barriers and the financial risks of technological leadership persist.