Search Climate Insights Directory

The February 2026 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the declining influence of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the gap between AU normative frameworks and electoral realities, the limited impact of informal consultations on post-coup transitions, and the critical economic necessity of improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure across Africa.

This fact sheet provides a comprehensive profile of the global copper value chain, detailing production, reserves, market concentration, and the impact of the energy transition. It highlights the dominance of China in refining and smelting, the role of major producers like Chile and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the challenges associated with recycling and ore grade decline.

This special report provides a scenario analysis (V, U, and L scenarios) of the impact of COVID-19 on Africa through 2030, focusing on economic indicators, extreme poverty, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.

The ARE Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) 2026, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21 to 24 April 2026, served as a platform for advancing renewable electrification. The event brought together 1,400 participants, including 215 investors, to discuss funding landscapes, green mini-grids, grid modernisation, and productive uses of energy. Key outcomes included the launch of a USD 25 million project preparation facility by COMESA and the rebranding of ARE to the Alliance for Renewable Electrification.

This end-of-year commentary by Ember synthesises key findings from 2025 regarding the global energy transition, highlighting how solar and wind power have begun to outpace global electricity demand growth and reshape energy dynamics through the rise of "electrotech" and battery storage.

This research paper examines the strategic role of BRICS+ members, particularly African nations, in the global critical minerals market and their evolving relationships with the European Union. It analyzes how the expansion of BRICS+ enhances the bloc's control over essential resources for the green and digital transitions while highlighting internal geopolitical frictions that prevent a unified minerals strategy.

This policy brief analyzes how African nations can leverage China's dominance in green energy technology and shifting financing models to accelerate electrification. It highlights a 'window of opportunity' created by US-China geopolitical tensions and China's internal focus on national security and environmental sustainability. The author recommends that African governments professionalize project pipelines, adopt innovative financing to reduce sovereign debt, and pursue regional integration—citing examples like the Southern African Power Pool and Kenya's renewables sector—to ensure long-term developmental gains.

This research paper examines the increasing flow of foreign direct investment from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—specifically the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—into Africa. It details how these states are leveraging Africa's renewable energy potential and mineral resources to diversify their own hydrocarbon-dependent economies and secure food supply chains, while providing Africa with an alternative to Western and Chinese financing to address its infrastructure gap.

This research paper examines the economic activities and value-addition potential of the Lobito Corridor, a strategic transport route linking the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola to the Copperbelt mining regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia via the Benguela Railway. The author argues that while the corridor is designed to catalyze economic development beyond mineral exports, there is a significant disconnect between the high-efficiency logistics used for raw material exports and the inadequate infrastructure available to local small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The 'Déclaration du Sommet des Peuples vers la COP30' is a statement issued by a gathering of over 70,000 people from diverse social movements in Belém do Pará, Brazil, in November 2025. The document identifies the capitalist mode of production and transnational corporations as the primary drivers of the climate crisis and calls for a systemic transition based on popular sovereignty, feminist ethics, and the protection of common goods.

The 'Final declaration of the Peoples’ Summit towards COP30' is a statement issued by a gathering of over 70,000 people in Belém do Pará, Brazil, in November 2025. The document identifies the capitalist mode of production and transnational corporations as the primary drivers of the climate crisis and calls for a 'just, sovereign and popular transition' based on the recognition of common goods, ancestral knowledge, and feminist justice.

The 'Declaración de la Cumbre de los pueblos hacia la COP30' is a statement issued by the People's Summit, which gathered over 70,000 representatives of diverse social movements in Belém do Pará, Brazil, from November 12 to 16, 2025. The document identifies the capitalist mode of production and transnational corporations as the primary drivers of the climate crisis and calls for a transition based on popular sovereignty, feminist justice, and the protection of common goods rather than market-based solutions.

The 'Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025' by Sustainable Energy for All provides a comprehensive analysis of global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). The report finds that the world is off-track to achieve universal electricity access, clean cooking, and energy efficiency targets by 2030, with significant regional disparities, particularly in Africa and Asia.

This report, curated by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS), is a compilation of 34 expert views exploring how the international trading system can support the Paris Agreement and climate-resilient development. It identifies critical synergies and tensions at the nexus of trade, climate, and sustainable development, focusing on clean energy transitions, green industrial policies, and the specific vulnerabilities of developing nations.

This research paper examines the intersection of international trade regulations and Africa's ambitions for green technology and industrialisation. It specifically analyzes the potential impacts of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and US tariffs, arguing that while these measures could theoretically drive demand for renewables, they are more likely to create fiscal constraints and hinder the continent's ability to invest in green R&D. The author advocates for a coordinated African response through the UNFCCC, the WTO, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to secure technology transfer and affordable finance.

This policy brief argues that Africa can drive economic transformation and a just transition by leveraging its critical minerals (such as cobalt in the DRC) and renewable energy potential through the development of innovation ecosystems. It highlights existing momentum in tech hubs and universities in countries like Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco as a foundation for developing green technologies for local and global markets.

This research paper argues that African nations must transition from fragmented national negotiations to a coordinated regional approach to trade diplomacy regarding green critical minerals. By leveraging the Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), the authors suggest that the continent can move beyond raw material extraction toward green industrialization and value addition, utilizing a collective negotiating framework to increase leverage against competing global powers.

This policy brief by the Africa Policy Research Institute examines how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can be leveraged to combat youth unemployment by promoting greentech and Indigenous environmental practices. It argues that shifting from importing green goods to local manufacturing and trading within Africa can create millions of sustainable jobs, particularly in renewable energy, while integrating traditional knowledge to ensure inclusive development.

The report "The Forest-Climate Nexus" by Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-RIO proposes a new financial architecture to transform tropical forests from climate risks into solutions. It analyzes 91 countries, categorizing them by forest cover and deforestation rates, and introduces the Reversing Deforestation Mechanism (RDM) to incentivize large-scale forest restoration through jurisdictional, results-based payments for net carbon removals.

This research paper analyzes the resurgence of 'resources-for-security' deals in Africa, driven by the global demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) for green energy and military technology. It contrasts three primary models: Russia's use of private military companies (PMCs) for mining rights, the US's transactional 'peace-brokering' approach to secure supply chains, and China's 'infrastructure-for-resources' strategy via the Belt and Road Initiative. The paper argues that while these deals offer short-term security or development gains, they often reinforce dependency and authoritarianism, mirroring colonial and Cold War extractive patterns.