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Climate Change Implications for SA’s Youth
The report warns that South Africa is on a 'worst-case' climate trajectory (RCP 8.5), which will lead to extreme heat, water scarcity, and food insecurity, disproportionately harming youth. It details regional collapses in agriculture and tourism, the expansion of informal settlements due to climate-induced migration, and the severe mental health trauma facing children. The author argues that without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, large parts of the country may become uninhabitable, leading to systemic social conflict and economic collapse.
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Document type: Report
To make good on its climate goals, California needs carbon capture, removal, and storage technologies
California is projected to fall 125 million metric tons of CO2 short of its 2045 targets, necessitating the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to address hard-to-abate industrial emissions and achieve net-negative emissions. The state possesses vast geologic storage potential, particularly in Central Valley saline aquifers, estimated at 30-417 gigatonnes of CO2. Beyond emissions, these technologies are presented as means to improve air quality by reducing sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, and to support workforce stability during the clean energy transition.
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Document type: Statement
Latinx Organizations Calling on Congress and the Administration to Support Climate Justice and Clean Energy Infrastructure
The document argues that Latinx communities are disproportionately affected by climate hazards, pollution, and economic disparities. It calls for a national Clean Energy Standard by 2035, the electrification of public transit and school buses, and the remediation of abandoned oil and gas wells. The authors demand that at least 40% of infrastructure investments be directed toward disadvantaged communities and call for the Department of Labor to establish heat illness standards to protect outdoor workers, particularly farmworkers.
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Document type: Statement
Neuf façons de renforcer la stratégie climatique du fédéral
The Canadian Climate Institute outlines nine recommendations for the federal government to enhance its climate strategy. These include integrating climate resilience into government cost-benefit analyses, improving climate risk data dissemination, prioritizing 'sure-bet' solutions like energy efficiency, and implementing a national sales quota for zero-emission vehicles. The document also advocates for targeted support for clean-tech industries, regional transition strategies for workers, and mandatory climate risk disclosures for public and private entities to ensure Canada remains competitive in a global low-carbon economy.
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Document type: Statement
GREEN BONDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The report examines how green bonds and transition finance can support South Africa's shift from a coal-dependent energy system to a low-carbon economy. It highlights the critical role of the two largest emitters, Eskom and Sasol, and proposes various financial models, including sovereign green bonds and asset-backed securities, to attract international capital while managing the social implications of a 'Just Transition'.
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Document type: Report
National Framework Climate Laws Performance and key learnings
The report examines framework climate laws in the UK, France, Mexico, Finland, Sweden, and Victoria (Australia), concluding that while such laws provide a critical political signal and a structured pathway for decarbonisation, most have struggled with implementation. Key failures include a lack of binding interim targets, overcomplexity in governance, and insufficient accountability mechanisms. The report recommends that future laws impose clear, enforceable duties on high-level government decision-makers, integrate independent scientific advisory bodies, and combine long-term goals with frequent short-term progress reporting to avoid 'paper tiger' legislation.
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Document type: Report
DÉCLARATION POLITIQUE : PLAN ÉNERGIE RENOUVELABLE POUR UNE REPRISE JUSTE EN AFRIQUE
The statement calls for a transition to 100% renewable energy in Africa to address the dual crises of climate change and Covid-19. It demands the installation of over 300 GW of new renewable capacity by 2030 and 2000 GW by 2050, funded by an estimated $130 billion annual investment. The plan emphasizes community ownership, energy sovereignty, and a feminist just transition that creates 7 million well-paid jobs while ending fossil fuel extraction and illicit financial flows.
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Document type: Statement
a Just Recovery renewable Energy Plan for africa
The document proposes a 'Just Recovery Renewable Energy Plan for Africa' aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2050. Based on modelling by Dr. Sven Teske, it argues that this transition is technically and financially feasible, requiring an annual investment of approximately US$130 billion. The plan emphasizes energy sovereignty, decentralization, and a just transition for workers, projecting the creation of 7 million jobs by 2050. It identifies key funding sources including the cancellation of African debt, the elimination of illicit financial flows, and the fulfillment of climate finance obligations by developed nations.
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Document type: Report
Plan énergie renouvelable pour une reprise juste en Afrique
The report advocates for a systemic shift in Africa's energy landscape, moving away from fossil fuels toward a decentralized, community-owned 100% renewable energy system by 2050. Based on modeling by Dr. Sven Teske, the plan suggests that achieving this goal requires an annual investment of approximately $130 billion. The document emphasizes that this transition would not only mitigate climate impacts and address severe energy poverty—where approximately half of sub-Saharan Africans lack electricity—but also create up to 7 million jobs by 2050. It calls for a 'just and feminist transition' that prioritizes gender equity and workers' rights. To fund the plan, the authors propose ending illicit financial flows, canceling African debt, and demanding that developed nations fulfill their climate finance obligations.
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Document type: Report
Plano de Recuperação Justa de Energias Renováveis para África
The report argues for a systemic shift in Africa's energy landscape, moving away from fossil fuels toward a decentralized, community-owned system of 100% renewable energy by 2050. Based on modeling by Dr. Sven Teske, the plan estimates a need for 360 GW of capacity by 2030 and 2,280 GW by 2050, requiring an average annual investment of $130 billion. This transition is projected to create 7 million jobs by 2050. The document emphasizes 'energy sovereignty' and 'energy as a common good,' calling for the cancellation of African debt, the end of illicit financial flows, and the fulfillment of climate finance promises by developed nations to fund the transition.
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Document type: Report
POLITICAL STATEMENT: A JUST RECOVERY RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN FOR AFRICA
The statement calls for a transition to 100% renewable energy in Africa by 2050 to address energy poverty and the combined impacts of climate change and Covid-19. It demands the installation of over 300GW of new renewable energy by 2030 and over 2000GW by 2050, emphasizing socially-owned, community-based systems. The plan estimates an annual investment requirement of US$130 billion, which it argues can be funded through public climate finance, debt cancellation, and stopping illicit financial flows. The authors call for a ban on new fossil fuel developments and the creation of 7 million well-paid jobs in the clean energy sector.
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Document type: Statement
Lessons learnt: COVID-19 and the climate crisis in South Africa
The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis share analytical similarities as global shocks that exacerbate existing inequalities. It identifies six key lessons for South Africa: the necessity of accessible social protection, the need to value care work, the requirement for a strong and proactive state, the importance of localising industrial processes, the necessity of international cooperation, and the need to center justice in responses to mitigate worsening inequalities.
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Document type: Research paper
Taxing Coal to Hit the Goals
The briefing proposes a coal tax for Indonesia to address the environmental and health costs of coal, which accounts for 40% of the energy sector's carbon emissions. Drawing on India's experience with a coal 'cess', the authors suggest a tax of IDR 78,700 (USD 5.50) per tonne, which could generate IDR 49 trillion (USD 3.6 billion) annually. This revenue could fund a just transition, compensate vulnerable households for rising electricity prices, and incentivize clean energy investment. The document notes that while Indonesia is considering an emissions trading scheme (ETS) and a carbon tax, these take longer to implement, making a targeted coal tax a more immediate and administratively simpler solution.
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Document type: Briefing
The just transition: A once-in-a-generation chance for real transformation that will save our country and our planet
The Centre for Environmental Rights asserts that South Africa's transition from coal must go beyond energy shifts to encompass a radical restructuring of society. The author warns that southern Africa is warming at twice the global rate, making incremental change impossible. The document advocates for an "Open Agenda for a Just Transition" that integrates clean energy with food sovereignty, gender justice, and a new economic system based on human needs rather than profit.
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Document type: Statement
THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT NATIONAL MINE CLOSURE STRATEGY 2021
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) supports the creation of a National Mine Closure Strategy but argues that the draft must prioritize 'mining affected communities' over 'mining dependent communities' and ensure that closure planning begins at the pre-feasibility stage. The CER emphasizes the need for meaningful public participation, the integration of land reform and economic diversification to support a just transition, and the alignment of the strategy with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) to prevent 'temporary closure' from becoming a gateway to mine abandonment.
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Document type: Statement
CLEANING UP COAL ASH FOR GOOD
The document advocates for the complete removal of coal ash from storage ponds ("clean closure") rather than capping them in place. Based on studies of three power plants in South Carolina, Indiana, and Montana, the authors find that clean closures generate 2 to 7.5 times more positive economic impact for local communities than cap-in-place alternatives. The text highlights that 92 percent of coal ash ponds pollute groundwater above federal drinking water standards and that these burdens disproportionately affect low-income communities and people of color. It calls on the EPA, state officials, and Congress to enforce the 2015 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule and provide financial resources for a just transition.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Cutting Emissions Through Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform and Taxation
The report finds that the complete removal of fossil fuel consumption subsidies across 32 modelled countries could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 6.09% by 2030. When combined with a 'subsidy swap' (reinvesting savings into energy efficiency and renewables) and a 10% energy tax, the average national emission reduction increases to 11.84%. The analysis highlights that while some countries like Venezuela see reductions over 30%, G20 nations provide the largest absolute reductions due to their economic scale. Financially, fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR) alone could generate USD 2.99 trillion in cumulative savings by 2030, offering a cost-effective mechanism for a 'green recovery' from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Document type: Report
Mapping India’s Energy Subsidies 2021
The report finds that fossil fuel subsidies in India increased relative to clean energy in FY 2020, with electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) remaining the largest subsidy category. While electric vehicle (EV) subsidies grew, renewable energy support stagnated. The authors argue that India's energy PSUs remain heavily skewed toward fossil fuel investments and lack clear decarbonization roadmaps. The report recommends a 'second generation' of clean energy support focusing on storage, green hydrogen, and offshore wind, alongside reforms to DISCOM finances and a strategic shift in PSU capital expenditure.
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Document type: Report
Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada
The report finds that Canadian governments provided over CAD 23 billion in support for oil and gas pipelines between 2018 and 2020, with over CAD 10 billion provided after the onset of COVID-19. This support, which includes loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments, is argued to undermine Canada's climate commitments and expose taxpayers to significant financial risk due to cost overruns, legal challenges, and declining private sector interest in fossil fuel infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
How can socio-economic transitions be better managed?
The report examines the decline of major industrial activities in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to derive lessons for contemporary decarbonization efforts. It argues that transition planning is a highly political process and that failing to address pre-existing inequalities or environmental legacies often leads to poor outcomes. Key recommendations include the need for early government engagement, locally-driven planning, and the use of nuanced indicators beyond simple job creation to measure success.
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Document type: Report