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The report identifies a widening gap between coal capacity and generation, particularly in China and India, where new plants are built as 'system insurance' while renewables displace coal in actual output. Globally, the coal pipeline is narrowing geographically, with 95% of construction concentrated in China and India. However, the report notes a significant slowdown in retirements in the U.S. and EU due to policy interventions and energy security concerns. Regional analyses highlight Indonesia's growth in captive coal for industrial processing, the U.S.'s political push to sustain aging plants, and the EU's structural shift toward a coal-free system. The document also examines the impact of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the Western Balkans and the challenges of rebuilding Ukraine's energy system.

The Climate Change Act establishes a regulatory framework for decarbonisation in South Africa's extractives sector, mandating sector-specific emissions targets, carbon budgets, and reporting. While the mining industry is vital to the economy, it is a major GHG contributor, with 85% of emissions linked to the coal value chain. The report highlights challenges such as enforcement gaps, resource limitations for monitoring, and the high capital cost of transitioning. It emphasizes that compliance is a strategic necessity for maintaining export market access, particularly regarding EU CBAM requirements. The Green Transport Strategy (2017-2050) is identified as a key tool for reducing logistics emissions by shifting from road to rail. A case study of Anglo American illustrates effective adaptation through green hydrogen trucks and internal carbon pricing. Successful implementation requires collaboration between government, mining companies, investors, and civil society to ensure a just transition.

The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Cabora Bassa oil and gas project in Zimbabwe, noting that consultations have primarily targeted political and traditional leaders rather than the broader community. It highlights extreme poverty, acute climate vulnerability, and collapsed infrastructure in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, warning that current employment patterns are driven by political affiliation and nepotism. The authors argue for the institutionalization of continuous community engagement, transparent benefit-sharing, and strategic investment in climate adaptation and essential services to avoid repeating historical patterns of extractive wealth failing to benefit local populations.

The document examines the role of the private sector in South Africa's just energy transition (JET), specifically focusing on the Mpumalanga province. It highlights a gap in citizen perception, where the private sector is not seen as a key stakeholder in mitigating climate change. By comparing the Govan Mbeki and Bushbuckridge local municipalities, the report demonstrates how public-private partnerships can improve essential services like water and electricity, which in turn enhances climate resilience and public health. It recommends that businesses invest in sustainable infrastructure and community engagement to decentralise climate knowledge and support a low-carbon economy.

The COP30 Resilience Hub Report details the outcomes of the climate summit in Belém, Brazil, highlighting a mix of incremental progress and persistent gaps in adaptation finance and implementation. Key achievements include the adoption of 59 indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), a political commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035, and the establishment of a Global Just Transition Mechanism. The report also showcases Peru's national resilience model, which integrates Indigenous governance and a comprehensive 'Country Package for forests and nature'. However, it notes significant misalignments between short-term political/financial cycles and long-term climate risks, and emphasizes that less than 1% of climate finance currently reaches Indigenous peoples and local communities.

Global Witness criticizes a draft US-Ukraine deal proposed by Donald Trump, which would grant the US control over half of Ukraine's revenues from new oil, gas, and mining projects via a US-controlled 'Reconstruction Investment Fund'. The analysis suggests this puts $353 billion of oil and gas revenue at risk and allows the US to restrict Ukraine's mineral exports to other countries. The document argues that such an arrangement prioritizes US 'war debt' recovery over Ukrainian public services and pushes the country toward fossil fuel dependency instead of a sustainable, green reconstruction.

Global Witness warns that new US oil and gas production is forecast to dwarf that of other nations, potentially producing more than twice the current output of Saudi Arabia by the end of the next decade. The analysis suggests that to avoid the worst climate impacts, global production must drop by 40% over ten years, yet US output is set to rise by 25%. The document calls for the next US president to end fossil fuel subsidies—estimated between $4.6 billion and $649 billion annually—and to stop new extraction on federal lands to facilitate a just transition for workers and communities.

The document highlights the risks associated with the rapid extraction of transition minerals, specifically noting violence and human rights abuses in the Philippines. It urges the EU to implement strict sustainability standards in trade agreements and funding to ensure a just transition for mining communities.

Global Witness argues that UNEA-6 missed a critical opportunity to regulate the mining industry for the energy transition. While a digital knowledge hub for environmental protection was established, the final resolution removed mandates for assessing regulations, tackling human rights violations, and addressing colonial extraction patterns due to resistance from several Member States. The document also highlights a lack of action on resource overconsumption by wealthy nations and calls for the UN and upcoming COP meetings in Azerbaijan and Brazil to prioritize a just energy transition and Indigenous rights.

Global Witness reports that the 'rush for lithium' in Africa is failing to deliver a just energy transition, instead risking the entrenchment of corruption and ESG failures. In Zimbabwe, the Sandawana mine is linked to sanctioned elites and ZANU-PF allies, with reports of child labour and the illegal export of unprocessed ore. In Namibia, Xinfeng Investments is accused of using bribery to acquire licenses and operating an industrial-scale mine under small-scale permits to avoid environmental assessments. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Manono project has been stalled by ownership disputes and allegations that shell companies linked to former President Joseph Kabila's associates profited by millions while the state treasury received negligible funds.

The document outlines the goals of Global Witness's Transition Mineral campaign, launched in late 2022, which seeks to prevent the repetition of exploitation and environmental harm in the extraction of minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. It defines a 'just transition' as one that promotes inclusive decision-making, strengthens supply chain and investment standards, and ensures communities receive fair benefits.

COP30 resulted in the Mutirão Decision, which Global Witness criticises for omitting any mention of "fossil fuels" and failing to establish a transition roadmap despite initial ambitions from the Brazilian Presidency. The summit saw significant human rights progress, including the recognition of Indigenous land rights and the launch of the Leaders Action Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD). Financial outcomes included an agreement to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually for climate action by 2035 and the tripling of adaptation finance, though the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) received only $6.6 billion of a desired $125 billion. The document highlights a contradiction between official negotiations and the influence of approximately 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists, while noting the launch of the Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change to combat disinformation.

Global Witness reports that while the US has banned direct imports of Russian fossil fuels, it continues to import refined petroleum products from India that are derived from Russian crude. Analysis of trade data from the first five months of 2023 shows that the US imported 12.6 million barrels of refined products from India, with a high concentration coming from the Sikka port in Gujarat, which imports significant quantities of Russian crude. The author contends that banning imports from refineries using Russian crude would squeeze Kremlin revenues without significantly impacting US fuel prices, and urges a transition to renewable energy over increased domestic oil production.

Global Witness argues that the UK government should leverage the high profits of the oil and gas industry to fund climate loss and damage both globally and domestically. The briefing highlights that the oil industry made an average of £5 billion in annual profits from UK production over the last 30 years, while the UN Loss and Damage Fund remains severely underfunded, with initial pledges totaling only £504 million as of March 2024. The document proposes a 'Climate Damages Tax' (CDT) that would charge companies for every tonne of carbon from extracted fuels, potentially raising £20 billion in the UK over 10 years. This revenue would be split between the international fund and a 'domestic dividend' to support a worker-led North Sea transition, which is estimated to require an additional £1.9 billion per year until 2030.

The briefing outlines the systemic failures of traditional municipal service delivery in South Africa, where over 7.32 million households in approximately 4,298 informal settlements face severe constraints. It proposes Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) as a paradigm shift based on Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), emphasizing decentralization and public-private partnerships. The document establishes a framework of technical, social, and financial 'best practice norms' to ensure sustainability and community ownership. Through case studies like Peco Power (energy), Kaloola (sanitation), Regenize (waste), and Gcwalisa (food/waste), it demonstrates how off-grid and community-led solutions can provide interim services while working toward long-term goals. It concludes by recommending a systems approach to integrate ASD into provincial planning and calling for flexible policy and funding mechanisms.

The Nomzamo Agri Village initiative implemented a decentralized solar energy model that provided electricity to 91% of households, leading to significant financial savings, improved safety through 60 solar streetlights, and the creation of 78 temporary jobs. This energy foundation enabled further interventions in communal refrigeration for small businesses, waterless and greywater sanitation pilots, and a transition from subsistence to commercial farming, with the first cabbage harvest sold to a supermarket in late 2024. The project, supported by GreenCape's Alternative Service Delivery Unit and international partners, generated over R350,000 in local earnings for enumerators and solar technicians.

The document argues that funders of Just Transition projects in Africa should move away from top-down models toward locally-led development. It identifies intermediary organisations—such as non-profits, community foundations, and trade unions—as critical bridges that help funders access local knowledge, build trust, and manage risks. The guide outlines a continuum of local engagement ranging from 'inform' to 'support' (where goals originate from the community) and provides specific recommendations for funders, including budgeting for co-design, pacing projects to match trust-building, and building the institutional capacity of intermediaries.

The document explores the application of AI in material recovery facilities (MRFs) in South Africa, specifically focusing on the solutions provided by Dragonfly. It argues that AI can augment human labour rather than replace it, particularly in developing economies where labour is cheap but efficiency is often low due to human error. Dragonfly's system uses high-resolution cameras and deep learning to classify waste, providing real-time data to optimise picker performance and conveyor speeds. In Cape Town and Stellenbosch, this technology increased material recovery by approximately 640 tonnes, reduced tailings by 22% to 30%, and led to a 10-15% wage increase for staff.

This document is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by GreenCape for a service provider to conduct project close-out evaluations for an intervention titled "Active climate change citizenship for a just transition in South Africa." The project, co-financed by the European Union, aims to empower citizens, women, and youth to participate in democratic processes regarding climate mitigation and adaptation, specifically within the renewable energy sector.

GreenCape has issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for a full conference package to support a project for the German International Climate Initiative (JUST SA). The package includes venue hire, catering, accommodation, and a recreational activity for 30 delegates in the Kruger Lowveld region of Mpumalanga from 21 to 25 May 2024.