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Imali Yesizwe
The Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) argues that South Africa's National Treasury has implemented a regressive austerity budget since 2012, prioritising debt reduction over essential social spending. This approach has led to systemic underinvestment in health, education, and social security, which the BJC claims was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, 'Imali Yesizwe', advocates for a transition to a human rights-based budget that focuses on progressive tax reform, the introduction of a Universal Basic Income Grant (UBIG), and increased investment in the care economy and clean energy. It specifically criticises the use of Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) as a tool for cuts and calls for greater fiscal transparency and public participation in the budgeting process to ensure the progressive realisation of constitutional rights.
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Document type: Report
Understanding the Role of Subsidies in South Africa's Coal-Based Liquid Fuel Sector
The document examines subsidies for South Africa's coal-to-liquid (CTL) sector, dominated by Sasol. It identifies two primary support mechanisms: market price support via the Basic Fuel Price and exemptions from the Carbon Tax Act 15 of 2019. In 2019, these combined to a total value of ZAR 6.6 billion (USD 380 million). The brief argues that these subsidies increase costs for consumers, contribute to high coal use in transport, and conflict with South Africa's Paris Agreement commitments.
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Document type: Policy brief
Pourquoi la croissance propre est le fondement d'une forte reprise économique
The author contends that climate, growth, and social goals are inseparable, warning that neglecting any of these dimensions undermines Canada's long-term competitiveness. The text highlights the vulnerability of high-emission provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan, the growth potential of clean technology exports, and the disproportionate impact of climate change on low-income populations and Indigenous reserves. It concludes that recovery policies should move beyond a return to the status quo by addressing the interlinked nature of economic and social prosperity.
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Document type: Statement
Principles for Paris-alignment Position paper
ClientEarth proposes a principles-based framework to standardize 'Paris-alignment' and 'net-zero' strategies for the private sector. The framework consists of three core principles—Reasonable, Transparent, and Accountable—supported by eleven 'Red lines' that act as non-negotiable requirements. These include setting net-zero targets for Scopes 1-3 by 2050 at the latest, prioritizing direct value chain reductions over offsets, and linking executive remuneration to target achievement. The paper emphasizes that financial institutions must specifically disclose how they influence Scope 3 emissions through investment and underwriting decisions to ensure real-world GHG reductions.
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Document type: Statement
EconomÚ Feminista y Ambientalismo para una RecuperaciÓn Justa
The report presents a synthesis of discussions from a webinar involving Friends of the Earth International, the World March of Women, and the Latin American Network of Women Transforming the Economy. It posits that the COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of a systemic crisis caused by capitalist accumulation, which also drives climate change and biodiversity loss. The authors advocate for a 'just recovery' centered on the 'sustainability of life,' requiring the decommodification of public services, the redistribution of domestic and care work, and the implementation of food sovereignty and agroecology. It calls for a new internationalism to challenge the power of transnational corporations and the 'ecological debt' owed by the Global North to the Global South.
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Document type: Report
ESKOM: THE ROOTS OF A CRISIS AND AVENUES FORWARD
The document analyzes the crisis facing Eskom, South Africa's state-owned energy monopoly, attributing it to a combination of historical reliance on the 'minerals-energy complex', financial mismanagement, and costly, corruption-mired power station projects. It evaluates the proposal to 'unbundle' the utility into generation, transmission, and distribution entities, drawing on cautionary examples from Kenya and Uganda. The paper argues for a 'Just Transition' that protects workers and communities while transitioning to renewables, suggesting the use of international climate finance or public pension funds to alleviate Eskom's unsustainable debt.
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Document type: Research paper
Understanding the Role of Subsidies in South Africa’s Coal-Based Liquid Fuel Sector
The document examines how market price support and carbon tax exemptions sustain Sasol's coal-to-liquid operations in South Africa. It estimates that in 2019, these support measures totaled ZAR 8.05 billion, contributing to carbon lock-in and significant environmental externalities, including the operation of the world's largest single point source of greenhouse gases.
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Document type: Policy brief
SADC Futures of Mining: Implications of Large-Scale EV Adoption
The document examines how SADC member states can leverage their vast reserves of EV-related minerals and metals (EVMM) to move from raw material export to regional beneficiation. It highlights the need for a public-private EVMM working group and coalition to coordinate value chains, formalise artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), and implement a circular economy approach to mining waste. The brief emphasizes that a regional 'green deal' and the finalisation of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) are essential for a just transition to a low-carbon economy.
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Document type: Policy brief
Just transition and the geopolitics of decarbonization in the EU
The document analyzes the EU's Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) as a political tool to overcome national resistance to decarbonization, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. By 'rescaling' support to subnational NUTS 3 regions, the EU aims to empower local actors and generate bottom-up support for climate goals. However, the author warns that national governments may act as gatekeepers to funding, and that a regional focus may fail to protect the most vulnerable groups if not paired with broader social policies. The brief also argues for integrating just transition into EU foreign policy to support fossil-fuel-producing countries outside the bloc.
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Document type: Policy brief
gender-responsive-climate-policy-2020-0037f513e337e437.pdf
The report establishes that gender equality is both a co-benefit of and a tool for effective climate policy. Through an analysis of the Colombian coal sector, it finds that current climate and energy policies are largely gender-blind or rely on stereotypes, while gender policies often ignore the climate crisis. Field research reveals that while women—particularly Indigenous and Afro-Colombian women—are active grassroots leaders in defending their territories, they are structurally excluded from formal decision-making. The authors propose a GRCP that incorporates intersectionality, local expertise, and a 'just transition' framework to ensure that the phase-out of coal does not reproduce existing social inequalities.
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Document type: Report
Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe
The document argues for a comprehensive AU-EU partnership on the green transition and energy access that moves beyond a risk-based lens to address Africa's developmental goals. It highlights the critical need to expand electricity access, leverage private investment through de-risking mechanisms, and integrate nexus issues such as agriculture and the digital economy. While acknowledging the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the briefing suggests the crisis offers an opportunity to redesign the partnership to ensure a just transition that includes skills development and gender mainstreaming.
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Document type: Briefing
Skills Transfer and Women in Africa's Green Transition
The document examines the challenges of Africa's transition to renewable energy, highlighting a significant skills gap and the persistent under-representation of women in energy value chains. It argues that while gender-mainstreaming policies exist, they often lack the monitoring, evaluation, and comprehensive support systems—such as financial and technical assistance—necessary to create tangible change. The briefing specifically calls for the AU-EU strategic partnership to better integrate gender dimensions into its green transition and energy access pillars, particularly for youth and those in fossil-fuel-dependent economies to ensure a just transition.
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Document type: Briefing
AU-EU Partnership to Promote Sustainable Energy Transitions
The policy brief examines the opportunities and challenges of a sustainable energy transition partnership between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). It highlights Africa's vast renewable potential and the EU's need for clean energy, while cautioning against post-colonial rhetoric and the economic risks for African fossil-fuel-dependent nations. The authors recommend a joint vision focused on infrastructure investment, technology transfer, and job creation to ensure a just transition.
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Document type: Policy brief
Clean Growth in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining economic growth, primarily through electricity sector decarbonization and energy efficiency. However, the province faces challenges including high rural unemployment, a continued reliance on fossil fuels for heating and transport, and air quality issues in rural areas.
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Document type: Case study
Embedding ambitious climate action at the heart of economic recovery
The We Mean Business Coalition argues that integrating climate ambition into economic recovery is a strategic necessity for long-term growth and resilience. The statement highlights that green recovery measures are more effective at creating jobs and increasing GDP than traditional stimulus. It calls for specific policy actions, including the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, mandatory TCFD-aligned financial disclosures, and the requirement that companies receiving public financial assistance adopt science-based targets consistent with a 1.5°C warming limit.
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Document type: Statement
Just Transition or Just Talk
A statement by Ember outlining seven demands for the European Union's Just Transition Mechanism to ensure that funding supports a genuine shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy and climate neutrality.
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Document type: Statement
11 FAÇONS DE MESURER LA CROISSANCE PROPRE
The Canadian Climate Institute presents a framework of 11 indicators divided into goals (low-carbon growth, economic resilience), catalysts (technology development, adoption, trade, and infrastructure), and fundamentals (low-carbon jobs, affordable energy, inclusive resilience, clean air, and flourishing ecosystems). The report finds that while Canada has decoupled GDP from emissions nationally, progress is uneven across provinces. It highlights significant data gaps, particularly regarding climate costs, social vulnerability, and ecosystem health, and recommends cross-governmental collaboration and improved data correlation to support a just transition.
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Document type: Report
COMPARING 2019 SECURITIZATION LEGISLATION IN COLORADO, MONTANA, AND NEW MEXICO
The document analyzes the 2019 securitization laws of Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico, which allow utilities to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to refinance investments in early-retired electric plants. It identifies Colorado's legislation as a 'best practices model' due to its extensive consumer protections and public interest requirements, while noting that New Mexico's law is more narrowly focused on a specific utility and plant. Montana's approach is described as falling between the two. The brief highlights key legislative elements such as the ability of commissions to hire independent experts, requirements for quantifying consumer savings, and the use of bond proceeds to mitigate impacts on workers and communities.
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Document type: Briefing
A Global Registry of Fossil Fuels
The white paper argues that current fossil fuel data is fragmented and inaccessible, hindering the global effort to phase out production. It proposes a government-led, transparent registry to set a global baseline of reserves and resources, enabling strategic planning for a just transition. The proposal outlines minimum reporting requirements—including developed reserves, other reserves, and licensed resources—and suggests potential hosting arrangements such as the UNEP or UNFCCC Secretariat.
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Document type: Report
Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe
The document argues for a comprehensive AU-EU partnership that integrates the green transition with Africa's broader developmental goals, such as industrialisation and employment. It highlights the critical gap in energy access—with 600 million Africans lacking electricity as of 2018—and the underutilisation of Africa's solar resources. The authors recommend using public finance to de-risk private investment in renewables and addressing 'nexus issues' linking energy to agriculture, the digital economy, and trade. It also notes the tension in countries like Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Mozambique, which are pursuing renewable energy while continuing to develop fossil fuel reserves.
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Document type: Briefing