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This report examines the potential for 'Made in Europe' requirements (local content rules) within European Union public procurement to drive climate action, circularity, and industrial resilience, while weighing these benefits against risks to costs and trade relationships.

This report by Ember examines the dual challenge facing Asia-Pacific power grids: managing the variability introduced by rapid renewable energy expansion and adapting to increasing climate volatility. It argues for a shift from reactive asset-level hardening to systemic adaptation, proposing that artificial intelligence (AI) can serve as a strategic coordination layer to integrate fragmented data, link siloed analytical models, and support complex decision-making to ensure grid reliability in a warming climate.

A report by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzing the internal complexities and competing interests of the expanded 10-member BRICS bloc regarding global energy governance and the energy transition.

This briefing argues that 'imperfect agreements'—instruments that are incomplete, transitional, or not fully formal—can be effective tools for promoting trade and sustainable development when multilateral consensus at the WTO is stalled. The author suggests that flexible, member-driven arrangements, such as targeted trade deals and soft law commitments, can generate state practice and serve as stepping stones toward formal legal codification and WTO reform.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies compares the size, quality, and productivity of the labour force in Africa against those of China and India, utilizing forecasts through 2043. While Africa possesses a rapidly growing and youthful workforce that may attract labour-intensive industries, it lags significantly behind China and India in education, health, and overall labour productivity.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the role of social grants and large-scale employment schemes in Africa as tools to mitigate poverty and inequality in the face of limited economic absorption of the working-age population.

This report analyzes how public development banks (PDBs)—including national, regional, and multilateral institutions—can overcome structural and market barriers to expand climate risk insurance in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It emphasizes the role of PDBs as intermediaries that can co-develop insurance products, bundle coverage with loans, and provide technical assistance to strengthen local insurance markets and enhance economic resilience against physical climate hazards.

This report by FSD Africa argues that domestic capital market development is essential for African economies to mobilize long-term finance for climate adaptation, infrastructure, and demographic shifts, especially as bilateral aid and foreign direct investment decline. It suggests that while public equity markets are often prioritized, they are frequently impractical for smaller or frontier markets due to high costs and information asymmetries. Instead, the report advocates for a focus on strengthening the savings base through pension reforms and macro-financial stability, developing corporate bond markets, and utilizing hybrid public-private structures, guarantees, and pooled investment vehicles to channel institutional capital into infrastructure, housing, and MSMEs.

The report 'Boom and Bust 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power landscape in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence where coal capacity continues to increase while actual generation declines. This trend is most prominent in China and India, where renewables are meeting most new demand despite record coal plant commissioning. The document details regional trends, noting that coal development is geographically narrowing to a few countries, while others, such as the EU and Latin America, are moving toward coal phase-out or 'no new coal' goals.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while actual production fell by 0.6%, as coal plants are increasingly used as backup capacity rather than primary energy sources. While China and India continue aggressive expansions, the number of countries pursuing new coal developments is declining, and the European Union is seeing a terminal decline in coal usage.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025, highlighting a paradox where global capacity is increasing while actual electricity production from coal is declining. It focuses heavily on the roles of China and India as the primary drivers of new capacity, the shift of coal to a 'system insurance' role, and a detailed critique of Indonesia's regulatory contradictions and the rise of captive coal plants for mineral processing.

The report 'Boom and Bust Coal 2026' analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence between increasing installed capacity and decreasing actual generation. While China and India continue to expand capacity for energy security, global coal development is concentrating in fewer countries, and several nations, including South Korea, have committed to phase-outs.

The May 2026 report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global state of coal power, highlighting a growing divergence where coal capacity increases while actual generation declines. While the number of countries pursuing new coal development is shrinking, significant expansions continue in China and India, often framed as system security measures. The report provides detailed regional analyses, noting that Latin America has reached a status of no new coal plants, although some countries in the region face setbacks in decommissioning existing facilities.

The May 2026 report 'Boom and Bust' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power portfolio, highlighting a growing divergence between the installation of new coal capacity and actual electricity generation. While global capacity increased by 3.5% in 2025, generation fell by 0.6%, with coal increasingly serving as a backup rather than a primary energy source. The report details regional trends, noting that new construction is heavily concentrated in China and India, while other regions face stagnation or decline due to financing constraints and energy transitions.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and various partners analyzes the state of global coal-fired power generation in 2025 and early 2026. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity continues to increase—driven primarily by China and India—while actual generation decreases as renewables displace coal. The document details regional trends, noting that while Latin America has reached a 'No New Coal' status, several countries in the region are experiencing delays in planned plant retirements due to political pressure or energy security concerns.

The 'Boom and Bust 2026' report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a divergence where new capacity continues to be added—primarily in China and India—despite a decline in actual electricity generation. The report notes that coal is increasingly serving as backup capacity for system security rather than a primary source, while the number of countries planning new coal projects has decreased to 32. A significant portion of the document focuses on Turkey, detailing the tension between strong social demand for energy transition and government policies that continue to support coal through guaranteed purchase mechanisms.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power portfolio in 2025, highlighting a divergence where coal capacity continued to grow despite a decrease in actual coal-fired electricity generation. The document details regional trends, noting that new coal development is increasingly concentrated in China and India, while other regions like Latin America have ceased new coal projects. It also examines the specific challenges facing Ukraine's energy infrastructure due to Russian attacks and the debate over whether to restore old coal plants or transition to decentralized renewable energy.

The report 'Pedal to the Metal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global iron and steel industry's struggle to decarbonize, highlighting a 'coal lock-in crisis' where continued investment in blast furnace (BF) capacity and relining of existing assets threaten net-zero targets despite incremental gains in electric arc furnace (EAF) and direct reduced iron (DRI) technologies.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has issued guidelines for its May 2026 Innovation Challenges, a call for proposals seeking transformative resilience solutions from entrepreneurs and organisations in the Global South. The initiative offers selected winners up to US$50,000 in funding and a comprehensive support package including mentoring, a leadership academy, and communications assistance to scale innovations that address climate and environmental risks.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the relationship between India and Africa, arguing that while India possesses significant comparative advantages based on historical ties and shared developmental goals, there is a persistent gap between its strategic rhetoric and material outcomes. The author identifies structural constraints—including limited fiscal headroom, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and reputational risks—that have caused India to lag behind other global powers like China. The report recommends a coherent Africa strategy focused on low-cost, high-impact initiatives in health, education, and digital finance, utilizing 'anchor states' such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt to scale interventions.