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This case study examines Mexico's efforts to integrate energy justice into its renewable energy expansion. While the country has rapidly increased solar and wind capacity and implemented new social impact assessment (SIA) and consultation laws between 2013 and 2018, significant implementation gaps remain. Social conflicts, often stemming from inadequate consultation with Indigenous and local communities, have delayed numerous energy projects and highlighted tensions between ambitious climate targets and the protection of community rights.

This statement, submitted in April 2021 by the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), the South African Medical Association, and Amref Health Africa, provides recommendations for South Africa's updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The authors argue that the draft's emission reduction targets are insufficient to protect public health and urge the government to align targets with a 2°C goal. The document emphasizes the critical link between climate action and health outcomes, proposing a 'One Health' approach and a policy roadmap focusing on energy, food and agriculture, and transportation to maximize health and equity co-benefits.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's rapid expansion and a general global decline. While many countries in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia are decommissioning plants or canceling new projects due to financial pressures and climate goals, China's surge in new capacity offset global reductions, leading to a net increase in global coal capacity for the first time since 2015.

The report 'The Landscape of Climate Finance in Kenya' analyzes climate finance flows in Kenya for 2018, comparing them against the financial requirements of the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). It finds a significant funding gap, with tracked finance meeting only one third of the annual need, and a misalignment between the high proportion of mitigation funding (primarily in renewable energy) and the country's adaptation-focused needs.

This report presents the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Transport and Mobility Development Plan 2021-2035 (TLAK) in Estonia. The assessment evaluates how the plan's strategic goals—focused on reducing the environmental footprint of transport and improving mobility—align with national and international environmental targets and identifies potential environmental impacts across various sectors, including climate, air quality, and biodiversity.

This case study describes a hybrid solar-wind mini-grid project implemented by Ryse Energy in Ada Foah, Ghana. Originally intended only for agricultural output, the project scope expanded to provide basic electricity to a village of approximately 500 people experiencing extreme energy poverty. Funded by a United Nations grant, the system integrates wind turbines, solar arrays, and battery storage to provide reliable energy for irrigation and community needs, avoiding 85 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

This working paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute, in partnership with Energy Unlocked and the Overseas Development Institute, examines how collaboration between national and city governments can accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy sector while maintaining affordable energy access.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that Zimbabwe is well-positioned to lead the e-mobility transition in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The document highlights how shifting to electric vehicles (EVs) could address critical economic challenges, including a high import bill for fossil fuels and an inefficient public transport system, while leveraging the country's automotive history and mineral resources like nickel.

This policy brief examines the transformative potential of solar photovoltaics, battery technology, and big data in agriculture and food systems to address hunger, food security, natural resource management, and climate change.

This briefing by RMI argues that India's power sector is insufficiently prepared for the increasing frequency of climate-induced extreme weather events. It advocates for a shift toward resilience-based planning, including grid hardening, the adoption of flexible energy sources, and the creation of system redundancies to prevent cascading failures across critical services and transportation.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues that gender equality is a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights how systemic barriers, discriminatory laws, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women hinder environmental and social progress, while demonstrating that women's leadership in natural resource governance and climate action leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

This policy brief examines the role of international development finance institutions (DFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs) in addressing South Africa's infrastructure deficit. It analyzes the shift from a historical reluctance to seek external aid toward a current necessity driven by rising public debt and the economic impact of COVID-19. The document details the government's Infrastructure Build Programme, the establishment of the Investment and Infrastructure Office (IIO), and the creation of a ZAR100 billion Infrastructure Fund, while highlighting critical gaps in project preparation skills and procurement coordination.

This executive summary, commissioned by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), provides guidance to the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) for the sustainable development of its mini-grid sector. It compares the regulatory frameworks, tariff structures, and subsidy schemes of Sierra Leone and Nigeria, while emphasizing the role of Productive Use of Electricity (PUE) in enhancing rural economic development and mini-grid viability.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute argues that the United States should set a greenhouse gas emissions-reduction target of 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. The document outlines how such a target is achievable through a combination of federal and local action, would stimulate economic growth and job creation, and is necessary to maintain international leadership and meet global warming limits of 1.5 degrees C.

This case study describes the establishment and operational success of the Totota Electric Cooperative (TEC) in rural Liberia, a solar hybrid mini-grid utility developed through a partnership between NRECA International and USAID/Liberia.

This report by RMI evaluates the technical potential of demand flexibility in office and multi-family buildings to reduce carbon emissions by utilizing time-of-use emission factors, specifically within the context of New York City's Local Law 97.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and Vivid Economics analyzes the 'greenness' of COVID-19 recovery stimulus packages in five Asian countries—India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea—using the Greenness of Stimulus Index (GSI). The study finds that most of these nations are not sufficiently incorporating climate considerations into their fiscal responses, with 'dirty' stimulus often outweighing green measures.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides a comprehensive overview of climate change, detailing the drivers of global warming, its environmental and health impacts, and the strategies for mitigation and adaptation. It emphasizes the role of human activity—specifically fossil fuel combustion and agriculture—in increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and outlines the current state of U.S. and international policy efforts, including the Paris Agreement.

This case study by Ember evaluates the transition strategy of ENGIE, a France-based global energy company. The report argues that ENGIE's reliance on converting coal plants to fossil gas and biomass, its lack of a comprehensive coal phase-out schedule, and its 2°C Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) accreditation are not aligned with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C objective.

This policy briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines energy policy developments in Indonesia as of February 2021, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on macroeconomic indicators, fuel subsidies, the coal sector, and renewable energy progress.