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The report examines the intersection of trade and climate sustainability from an African perspective, focusing on the economic impacts of energy transitions, the risks and opportunities of voluntary carbon markets, and the challenges of transition mineral value chains. It critically analyzes the role of the WTO in green trade and provides specific policy recommendations to ensure that climate-related trade measures, such as Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM), do not disproportionately harm developing nations.

The report analyzes the spread of disinformation following a major power outage on the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025. It identifies a pattern where initial speculation about cyberattacks transitioned into coordinated narratives blaming renewable energy and 'net zero' policies, largely driven by English-language actors and UK press. The document also details the emergence of conspiracy theories framing the event as a 'test run' for government control or a 'climate lockdown' linked to Agenda 2030. Analysis across Spanish, Portuguese, and English languages shows that X/Twitter was the primary vector for these narratives, while YouTube and TikTok favored conspiracy content.

The report finds that the dairy and coffee sectors are failing to address methane emissions, with 18 out of 20 analyzed companies scoring less than 50% on a comprehensive performance scale. While some companies acknowledge the climate impact of methane, there is a widespread reluctance to reduce dairy production, and most lack specific methane targets or transparent reporting practices.

The report finds that most large dairy and coffee companies lack credible methane targets and transparency, with 18 of 20 companies scoring less than half of the available points in a comprehensive assessment. While some dairy companies show slight progress, coffee house companies performed poorly, and only one company, Danone, possesses both a methane-specific target and a detailed action plan.

The report finds that the dairy and coffee house industries are failing to address methane emissions with urgency, with 18 out of 20 analysed companies scoring less than half of the available points in a performance assessment. While methane's climate impact is widely recognised, most companies lack specific reduction targets, credible action plans, or transparent, disaggregated reporting of methane emissions (CH4). Danone was the only company to set both a methane-specific target and an aligned detailed plan. The report highlights a significant gap in corporate accountability, noting that even members of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance (DMAA) generally achieve only about a third of the total possible score, though they outperform non-members.

The report details how petrochemicals, primarily plastics and nitrogen fertilizers, drive fossil fuel demand and contribute to a 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It highlights the significant health risks to workers and communities, particularly in Europe's Trilateral Chemical Region, and criticizes EU policy for prioritizing industry 'competitiveness' and speculative technologies like carbon capture over a phasedown of production.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the GSS+ debt market in H1 2025, highlighting a cumulative aligned volume of USD6.2tn. It examines the dominance of green bonds, the resurgence of social debt, and the growth of sustainability-linked bonds. The document also discusses the impact of the European Green Bond Standard, the rise of data-centre focused asset-backed securities, and strategic priorities for COP30, including methane abatement and the Tropical Forest Forever Fund.

The 2025 Policy Dialogue on Just Energy Transitions highlights that the peak in global oil and gas demand is being accelerated by low-carbon technology rather than climate policy. It argues that producer countries must implement structural economic transformations, fiscal reforms, and new collaborative governance models with importers to ensure a just and orderly transition. The report emphasizes the role of regionally led economic modelling and the need to overcome financial bottlenecks to avoid stranded assets and fiscal contraction.

The document critiques biodiversity offsetting and crediting mechanisms, asserting that they simplify complex ecosystems into tradable units, facilitate greenwashing by corporations, and threaten the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It argues that these market-based approaches are 'worse than nothing' because they provide an illusion of progress while bypassing the mitigation hierarchy. Instead, the authors advocate for transformational change, the redirection of harmful subsidies, and the provision of biodiversity finance through grants and direct access to Indigenous-led governance systems.

The document critiques biodiversity offsets and credits, asserting that these mechanisms facilitate continued environmental destruction through 'greenwashing' and risk violating human rights. It argues that nature's complexity cannot be reduced to tradable units and suggests redirecting existing harmful subsidies toward indigenous-led conservation and direct grants instead of market-based instruments.

The document critiques biodiversity credits and offsets as illusory mechanisms that facilitate 'greenwashing' and allow destructive companies to avoid responsibility. It argues that these market-based tools simplify complex ecosystems into tradable units, often leading to human rights violations, land grabbing, and the displacement of local communities. The text suggests that instead of market mechanisms, biodiversity should be funded by redirecting harmful subsidies and supporting indigenous-led governance.

The document critiques biodiversity offsets and credits, describing them as 'false solutions' that facilitate continued environmental destruction through 'greenwashing'. It argues that these mechanisms simplify complex ecosystems into tradable units, often fail to achieve actual ecological restoration, and risk causing human rights violations, including land grabbing and forced displacement of indigenous communities. The text advocates for transformative changes and direct funding—such as redirecting harmful subsidies—over market-based commodification of nature.

The document critiques biodiversity offsets and credits as 'false solutions' that facilitate greenwashing and human rights violations while failing to restore ecosystems. It argues that these mechanisms allow companies to avoid responsibility for environmental destruction and suggests that funding for biodiversity should instead come from redirecting harmful subsidies and providing direct grants to indigenous-led initiatives.

The report examines how voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSIs) in the mining sector address forest risks. It finds that while VSIs are growing in membership and scope, they often lack biome-specific language, fail to address the full mining lifecycle, and suffer from governance gaps and weak market incentives. The analysis of 20 VSIs reveals that about half do not explicitly recognize forest impacts. The report argues that VSIs must move beyond broad sustainability language to integrate specific criteria and collaborate with governments to raise regulatory baselines to effectively protect forests, especially as demand for energy transition minerals increases.

Global Witness warns that a second Trump administration is likely to accelerate fossil fuel production, weaken protections for land and environmental defenders, and undermine global efforts to combat deforestation and climate disinformation. The organization highlights risks including the rollback of environmental regulations, the potential defunding of human rights initiatives, and a shift toward domestic mining on protected Native and Tribal lands. It also expresses concern over the 'anti-ESG' movement and the potential for social media platforms to spread disinformation under the guise of free speech.

The report outlines three primary investment opportunities in the Western Cape's renewable energy sector: embedded solar PV for C&I and agricultural users, large-scale wind and solar projects, and behind-the-meter (BTM) lithium-ion storage. While the market is driven by rising electricity costs, decarbonisation pressures from export markets (such as the EU's CBAM), and a liberalising regulatory framework (Electricity Regulation Amendment Act of 2024), it faces significant barriers. These include severe grid constraints, administrative backlogs in municipalities, a shortage of specialised technical skills, and a high reliance on imported battery components, particularly from China.

The South African EV market is in an early growth phase, with significant investment potential across four key sectors: passenger vehicles, public buses, freight and logistics, and last-mile delivery. While annual passenger EV sales have surpassed 1,000 units for the first time, the market is currently dominated by luxury models. Growth is supported by innovative financing like Electric-Vehicle-as-a-Service (EVaaS), rising fuel costs, and corporate ESG targets. However, adoption is hindered by high import duties, a lack of affordable models, and electricity grid constraints. The government is introducing manufacturing incentives in 2026 to stimulate local production.

The report highlights a growing energy services market in South Africa, shifting from a primary reliance on mitigating loadshedding to goals of cost stability and decarbonisation. Embedded solar PV for the commercial, industrial, and agricultural (CI&A) sectors is projected to grow by 3.8 GW (estimated at R53.2 billion) by 2030. Behind-the-meter (BTM) Li-ion storage is expected to reach 2GWh (estimated at R10 billion) by 2030, driven by value-stacking use cases like peak shaving and tariff arbitrage. Key barriers include ageing municipal distribution infrastructure, administrative capacity constraints in municipalities, and a heavy reliance on imported battery components, particularly from China.

The guide outlines the landscape of renewable energy in South Africa, emphasizing the shift toward private procurement and the dominance of solar PV. It details two primary implementation models—embedded generation and wheeling—and provides a comprehensive breakdown of financing options, including bank-specific instruments and power purchase agreements. The document also highlights the strategic role of backup storage for peak shaving and load shifting, lists available South African tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable assets, and identifies critical grid and regulatory hurdles businesses may encounter.

The report outlines a shift in South Africa's renewable energy sector from public procurement to private off-taker agreements, driven by electricity market liberalisation and corporate decarbonisation needs. It estimates a total investment potential of R132 billion for private renewable energy development and R16 billion for local component manufacturing by 2030. Key barriers include severe grid capacity constraints in high-resource provinces and policy uncertainty regarding the future of public procurement programmes.