Search Climate Insights Directory

The 2015 South African budget proposes austerity measures, including progressive tax structures and increased sin taxes, to combat a debt-to-GDP ratio that rose from 26% in 2009 to 43.9% by 2014. The author argues that these measures may be insufficient due to sluggish growth, rising interest payments that crowd out infrastructure and human capital spending, and potential budget drains from state-owned enterprises and public-sector wage disputes. The document concludes that the Treasury's target to stabilise debt at 43.7% by 2017/2018 is overly ambitious given the required primary surplus.

The document outlines ten baseline implications for a post-2015 sustainable development framework anchored in human rights, emphasizing the need for binding accountability, the elimination of discrimination, and the protection of the environment and vulnerable groups.

The authors argue that while the Green finance policy plan was technically sound and based on party consensus, its overly technocratic communication and focus on numbers over vision led to electoral losses. They contend that the party failed to link tax proposals to a broader Green economic vision, such as the Green New Deal, and failed to motivate key social groups or counter negative campaigning from opponents. The text concludes that future campaigns must prioritize a positive, value-driven narrative and clearly articulate the macroeconomic benefits of green investments to avoid being perceived as mere 'number-crunchers'.

Sunbird Tourism Limited faces significant operational barriers in Malawi, including a restrictive tax regime, unreliable utility infrastructure, and difficulty recruiting senior management. The company has responded by diversifying its financing through local pension funds, investing in backup power and water systems, and implementing internal trainee management programmes.

Friends of the Earth U.S. aligns itself with the Occupy Wall Street movement, asserting that corporate influence and neoliberal ideology have captured political systems and driven environmental destruction. The organization argues that the environmental movement must move beyond parochial interests to support progressive tax and financial reforms, such as a Wall Street transactions tax and the end of polluter tax giveaways, to ensure economic and environmental justice.

The document analyzes the rise of investor-state arbitration under Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), noting a significant increase in cases compared to NAFTA's Chapter 11. Using ICSID data, it highlights pending cases that challenge government emergency measures in Argentina, tax policies in Burundi, and environmental regulations in Mexico and Peru. It also examines disputes over water privatization in Bolivia and Argentina, and the risks of using opaque, ad-hoc arbitration rules (like UNCITRAL) which can lead to conflicting rulings and a lack of public transparency, potentially undermining the legitimacy of the process and hindering the ability of developing nations to manage foreign investment.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that while the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are projected to reduce U.S. emissions by just over 40% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels, additional federal policy is required to reach net-zero emissions by midcentury. CATF is advocating for several specific policy interventions, including a zero-carbon fuel standard, revised siting and permitting for clean energy infrastructure, and a federal electricity procurement model requiring 24-7 zero-emission clean electricity. The organization is also focusing on supporting advanced nuclear supply chains, reducing methane from oil, gas, and agriculture, and developing regulatory structures for hydrogen infrastructure. To implement these strategies and expand its policy expertise, CATF seeks $25 million in funding over the next five years.

The document examines how progressive taxation can address extreme poverty and economic inequality, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa. It evaluates several tax instruments, including Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs), net wealth taxes, property taxes, and Resource Rent Taxes (RTT), detailing their potential to generate revenue for social protection and climate justice. Using South Africa as a case study, the brief provides specific revenue estimates for various progressive measures, such as a net wealth tax that could raise between R70 and R160 billion.

The report argues that the private equity (PE) industry uses aggressive financial engineering to extract short-term value from companies, a process facilitated by specific U.S. tax loopholes. Key mechanisms include the carried interest loophole, interest deductions, and fee waivers, which allow PE managers to pay significantly lower tax rates than ordinary workers. The document provides case studies in housing, healthcare, energy, and labor to illustrate the negative impacts of this model, such as increased hospital mortality rates, the proliferation of high-emission LNG terminals, and the degradation of manufactured housing parks.

The report proposes 'natural capitalism' as a new economic model where businesses profit by radically increasing resource productivity, eliminating waste, shifting from selling products to providing services, and investing in the restoration of natural capital. It argues that the current industrial model is logically flawed because it liquidates the ecosystem services upon which all life depends. By applying whole-systems thinking, the authors claim companies can achieve significant cost savings and competitive advantages, citing examples from firms like Southwire, Dow, and Interface. The text suggests that while governments can support this transition through tax policy, corporations possess the necessary agility and resources to lead the effort to heal the planet.