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The 2026 Energy Progress Report reveals that the world is off track for all SDG7 targets by 2030. While Asia has made significant strides in electricity and clean cooking access, Africa's progress is stagnating or regressing due to a 'population trap' where demographic growth outpaces new connections. Renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are slowing, with global progress heavily dependent on a small number of high-consuming economies. The report calls for a massive scale-up in finance and targeted infrastructure investments to prevent millions from remaining without basic energy services.

The report identifies a 'triple gap'—planning, finance, and data—in the transition of global agrifood systems. Top-down analysis estimates an annual need of USD 1.1 trillion to align with a 1.5°C pathway, while bottom-up estimates from NDCs total only USD 201.5 billion. Current annual climate finance flows of USD 28.5 billion are severely insufficient, requiring a 40-fold increase to meet top-down needs. The report highlights significant underestimations in national planning and a critical lack of granular data, particularly regarding adaptation and private finance.

The report examines eight financial aggregation blueprints across three instrument types to help cities close the urban financing gap. It analyzes municipal pooled procurement (e.g., RAMCC Trust Fund, The Grand Challenge), municipal green bonds (e.g., Mexico City, Reykjavík, Manila Water), and municipal insurance pooling (e.g., UIIF, MRPWC). Key findings highlight that while aggregation achieves economies of scale and attracts private capital, implementation is often hindered by limited municipal borrowing authority, lack of technical expertise, and political instability.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) provides grants of up to USD 3 million to support developing countries in creating National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and other adaptation planning processes. As of October 2022, GCF had approved 87 such proposals valued at USD 193 million. The fund aims for a 50:50 balance between adaptation and mitigation in its portfolio, prioritizing vulnerable regions including Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African States.

The LAC region has a high overall electrification rate of 97%, yet 18.1 million people remain without electricity and 65 million are underserved. The report argues that off-grid renewable energy solutions are the best fit for at least 40% of this access gap, particularly in rural 'last-mile' communities. While the region possesses vast renewable resources, market growth is hindered by socioeconomic constraints, limited regulatory frameworks for private off-grid actors, and a lack of coordinated data. The document provides detailed country profiles for Haiti, Honduras, and Suriname, highlighting their specific challenges and the potential for productive use of renewable energy (PURE) to drive local economic development.

The report estimates that an average of USD 384 billion was invested annually in urban climate finance during 2017-2018, a figure significantly lower than the estimated annual need of USD 4.5 to 5.4 trillion for low-emission and resilient urban infrastructure. Mitigation efforts, particularly in sustainable transport and green buildings, dominate the landscape, while adaptation finance remains severely underfunded, representing only 9% of tracked project-level data. The analysis highlights a geographic imbalance, with the majority of finance flowing to China and developed economies, while regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia remain critically underfunded. Key barriers to scaling this finance include low creditworthiness of city governments, a lack of bankable projects, and institutional restrictions on local borrowing.

The report analyzes the tracking of 'high-emissions finance'—defined as primary investment in assets with a material contribution to global GHG emissions—focusing on the power sector in 2017 and 2018. Using project-level datasets, the authors tracked USD 40.8 billion in annual average commitments, representing roughly one-third of the total fossil fuel power investment estimated by the IEA. The analysis reveals that public institutions, particularly export credit agencies and state-owned banks, and private commercial banks are major sources of this finance. Significant data gaps exist because investments made through corporate balance sheets are not captured in project-level data, particularly in Europe and China. The report recommends that public authorities mandate the disclosure of capital expenditures for high-emissions assets and establish technical emission thresholds to deter harmful investments.

The document analyzes the 2012 green and climate finance activities of 15 surveyed DFIs and DBs, who committed approximately USD 18.2 billion. While these institutions play a significant role in financing green economic development, their catalytic potential is hindered by a shortage of bankable projects and the uncertain viability of prototype technologies. The report details the sectoral distribution of funds—favoring mitigation and sustainable transport—and examines the ongoing financing of fossil fuel projects. It concludes by suggesting policy improvements and enhanced transparency through standardized reporting to further scale green investments.

The document establishes a business case for gender equality in the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector, asserting that women-led businesses are often as profitable as or more profitable than those led by men. It provides a framework of recommendations for DRE companies, civil society organisations (CSOs), and investors to improve gender equality at the community, organisational, and investor levels. The report includes 17 case studies from various global regions demonstrating the impact of gender-sensitive interventions, such as solar kiosks in Togo, feminist microgrid development in Haiti, and technical training for women in Brazil.