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This briefing examines the challenges of implementing just transition policies in South Africa, highlighting the gap between national ambitions and local priorities, institutional capacity deficits at the subnational level, and the limitations of current financial mechanisms. It specifically analyzes the role of green hydrogen as a potential new value chain and emphasizes the need for transparent decision-making to maintain public legitimacy.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the challenges South Africa faces as it moves from the planning phase to the implementation of its just transition away from coal. It identifies critical misalignments between national and subnational priorities, institutional capacity gaps in coal-dependent regions, and the inadequacy of current financial mechanisms to support transformative, high-risk projects.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) criticizes the 2024 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as a continuation of austerity measures that prioritize debt stabilization over social needs. The IEJ argues that the budget fails to support the Government of National Unity's (GNU) goals of inclusive growth and poverty reduction, specifically citing cuts to social grants and underfunding of public services and industrial development.

This case study analyzes the socio-economic crisis in La Jagua de Ibirico, Colombia, following the 2020 closure of a major coal mine. It highlights how the resulting loss of resources severely limits the institutional and financial capacity of local authorities to lead a just transition in a region already burdened by armed conflict and social inequality.

This report by Ember evaluates the feasibility of three clean flexibility proposals put forward by the COP29 Presidency in Azerbaijan: achieving 1,500 GW of global energy storage by 2030, expanding grid infrastructure by 25 million kilometres by 2030, and unlocking a global clean hydrogen market. The analysis concludes that while the storage goal is highly achievable due to surging battery manufacturing capacity and falling prices, the grid expansion goal requires a significant increase in build rates and faces substantial regulatory and supply chain hurdles. The report also notes that the deployment of hydrogen electrolysers remains highly uncertain despite large-scale announced projects.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the significant export ambitions of Mexico and Argentina and the import expansion in Brazil. The report warns that these investments, totaling an estimated US$123.6 billion, risk becoming stranded assets and could derail the region's energy transition despite the availability of abundant renewable energy resources.

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the power sector transition within the BRICS bloc, noting that non-fossil power capacity is poised to exceed fossil-fueled capacity for the first time in 2024. While the bloc hosts a significant portion of the world's coal capacity and continues to develop new fossil fuel plants, there is a massive pipeline of wind, solar, and hydropower projects that could potentially align the group with global goals to triple renewable capacity by 2030.

This briefing by RMI outlines a four-step framework for utilities and regulators to integrate physical and transition climate risks into long-term planning to ensure grid reliability and affordability. It argues that current utility planning often silos climate risk or ignores transition risks, leading to higher costs for ratepayers, particularly in disadvantaged communities.

This briefing from the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues that Canada cannot receive climate credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), asserting that such exports do not reliably reduce global emissions and that buyers would not provide credits for free.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the potential for an internationally agreed-upon fossil fuel extraction levy to reduce emissions and fund climate action. It compares four specific proposals—the Windfall Profits Tax, the Climate Damages Tax, the Multilateral Carbon Tax Treaty, and the Wellhead Carbon Tax—analyzing the trade-offs between generating revenue and discouraging production, the challenges of existing fiscal contracts in low-income countries, and mechanisms to incentivize global adoption.

This report by Ember analyzes the 2023 power sector landscape in ASEAN, highlighting that electricity demand growth was entirely met by fossil fuels. It examines the costs and reliability of various renewable energy sources, the potential for regional grid interconnection, and the role of carbon financing and policy reforms in accelerating the transition to clean energy.

This case study describes how Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) and regional partners in North Carolina are addressing workforce gaps created by the transition to a greener economy and the arrival of advanced manufacturing companies like Wolfspeed and VinFast.

This research paper analyzes transportation investments under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), highlighting the tension between funding for public transit and the continued prioritization of personal vehicle infrastructure.

A briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs outlining the expected agenda for the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, focusing on post-expansion integration, trade in local currencies, global governance coordination, and climate transition strategies.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-RIO) analyzes how deforestation in the Amazon rainforest reduces rainfall patterns, thereby jeopardizing hydroelectric power generation in Brazil. Through case studies of the Teles Pires HPP and plants in the Paraná Basin, the study demonstrates that the loss of forest vegetation reduces the moisture carried by 'flying rivers,' leading to lower river volumes and significant revenue losses for energy producers, even for plants located thousands of kilometers from the Amazon biome.

A fact sheet detailing the Maputo Floating Thermoelectric Power Plant Project by Karpower in Mozambique, including its technical specifications, partnership with Electricidade de Moçambique, and planned infrastructure.

The Civil Society FfD Mechanism submits a series of recommendations for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), calling for a fundamental redesign of global economic governance. The submission advocates for a shift from GDP-centric growth to wellbeing and ecological prosperity, proposing new UN-led frameworks for international tax cooperation, sovereign debt resolution, and development cooperation to remove systemic impediments facing the Global South.

This report by RMI provides a strategic framework for hydrogen project developers to comply with the proposed 45V clean hydrogen production tax credit in the United States. It details the 'four pillars' of the Treasury's proposed guidance—regionality, hourly matching, incrementality, and attribute tradeability—and outlines an ecosystem of registries, contracts, and operational strategies needed to secure the highest credit tier of $3 per kg of hydrogen.

This report provides guidance on integrating clean cooking, specifically electric cooking (eCooking), into national energy access planning for low- and middle-income countries to improve policy, investment, and implementation strategies.

This research paper examines the efforts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia to establish a regional battery industry by leveraging their copper and cobalt resources. It analyzes the geopolitical competition between the USA, China, and the EU for critical minerals, the historical shift from nationalized to privatized mining, and the governance challenges hindering local value addition.