Search Climate Insights Directory

The Green Outcomes Fund (GOF) is a pioneering climate finance instrument in South Africa that uses an outcomes-based payment model to de-risk investments in green SMMEs. By providing grant funding to Catalytic Finance Partners (CFPs) upon the verification of specific green outcomes—primarily permanent job creation—the GOF aims to bridge the investment gap for high-potential green businesses. The pilot phase, launched in January 2020 with a total facility size of ZAR 488.1 million, has demonstrated that such incentives can encourage fund managers to invest in sectors they previously avoided due to perceived risk. Key findings highlight the necessity of business development support for SMMEs and the importance of deep sector expertise for fund managers. While the fund has successfully created green jobs and diverted waste, it has faced challenges with slow drawdown of funds due to a prevalence of low-skilled jobs and the disruptive impact of COVID-19. The GOF is now exploring scaling strategies, including expanding its model within South Africa and extending its reach to other African countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

The Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) is a UK-funded global programme, led in South Africa by NBI and GreenCape, that provides technical, financial, and social inclusion support to low-carbon projects to improve their bankability. The programme does not provide direct funding but facilitates connections between project developers and commercial or concessional investors. Eligible projects must be at least at the pre-feasibility stage, have a financing need between USD $5m and $150m, and demonstrate measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The report analyzes the environmental impact of Argentina's agricultural expansion from 1956 to 2005. Key findings include a significant increase in annual crop areas, leading to the loss of native forests and grasslands, particularly in the Chaco and Atlantic Forest regions. While the adoption of no-till farming has reduced soil erosion and the toxicity of pesticides has decreased over time, the expansion has caused a decline in soil phosphorus and carbon stocks, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced the provision of ecosystem services. The report specifically examines the role of soybean cultivation, linking its expansion to deforestation in Northwest Argentina and an increase in pesticide contamination risks, although it notes a favorable energy efficiency for the crop.

The briefing note critiques the OECD's Two-Pillar solution for being undemocratic and providing minimal revenue benefits to developing countries, particularly in Africa. It advocates for a transition toward a UN-led international tax architecture that ensures equal participation for all states. The author urges South Africa, during its 2025 G20 Presidency, to build consensus for taxing the super-rich and to support the Africa Group's efforts within the UN process to curb illicit financial flows and tax avoidance.

The document examines the crisis of external debt in Africa, noting that for some commodity-dependent nations, debt-to-GDP ratios exceeded 100% after the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that current debt relief efforts by the G20 and UN are insufficient because they lack binding frameworks for private creditors. The authors contend that the global financial system reproduces colonial extraction and that only a coordinated effort to write off private, public, and multilateral debt can ensure a just recovery and protect socio-economic rights.

The report assesses the current state of electricity generation, transmission, and consumption across Africa, highlighting a 'double burden' of climate and transition risk. It finds that while renewable energy potential is high, investment is heavily skewed toward generation and concentrated in a few countries, with significant data gaps hindering effective policy. The analysis of Global Production Networks (GPNs) reveals a heavy dependence on imported technology, particularly from China, and identifies specific challenges and opportunities for localising solar and wind value chains. Employment data is noted as inconsistent, though solar PV dominates the current renewable energy job landscape.

The document argues that poverty and environmental degradation are mutually reinforcing systemic issues that must be addressed together. It traces the shift from measuring poverty solely by household income to multidimensional indices, such as the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Planetary-Pressures Adjusted HDI, which incorporate carbon emissions and material footprints. The text highlights how climate change, conflict, and the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affect the poor, while noting that the resource consumption of the wealthiest 10% of the global population prevents the poor from escaping poverty within planetary boundaries. It recommends that governments shift from GDP-centric metrics to national well-being indices that include marginalized groups and environmental health.

The document provides a list of the top 15 cocoa-producing countries as of 2016, categorizing them by production levels and their status regarding Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) compliance.

The document examines how valuable minerals can finance violence, trigger local conflicts, and weaken state governance through corruption. It provides lessons learned for development interventions, such as empowering local communities, supporting artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), and promoting corporate responsibility. The toolkit includes a survey instrument for risk assessment and lists USAID contracting mechanisms and international partners to address mineral-related conflict.

The report examines the environmental impact of the ICT sector, specifically regarding energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and the global e-waste trade. It contrasts these negative effects with the potential for ICTs to drive economic growth and support a 'green economy' through improved resource efficiency, dematerialisation, and systemic social transformation. The text highlights the disproportionate burden of e-waste on developing nations and identifies critical policy challenges, such as rebound effects and unintended consequences of digital openness.

The document lists the top 15 oil palm-producing countries as of 2016, including major producers such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea, while categorizing them based on harvest area and VSS compliance.

The briefing examines the Mo Ibrahim Prize, an award for African leaders who meet strict democratic and constitutional criteria. It discusses the surprise decision by the Prize Committee to not select a winner in a given year, despite several leaders having recently left office. The author explores whether the prize effectively incentivizes good governance and suggests that the lack of a winner may reflect a receding democracy or the systemic challenges leaders face. The document concludes by suggesting the prize expand its scope to include civil society and individuals to better support democratic entrenchment.

The research examines how the JAS Shiroro cell has successfully expanded into Central Nigeria by blending jihadist ideology with local Fulani banditry. Led by Abubakar Saidu (alias Sadiku), the cell utilizes a flexible approach that tolerates the non-religious vices of bandits in exchange for weapons, fighters, and local knowledge. The group operates from forest camps, conducting attacks and kidnappings, while maintaining supply lines for weapons and finance from Lake Chad. The document also highlights emerging alignments with the Lakurawa group and the broader threat of coordination between various armed factions, arguing that Nigeria's counter-terrorism strategy must expand beyond the Lake Chad Basin to address these regional dynamics.

The document describes a study on Boko Haram conducted from the perspective of affected Nigerian citizens. It identifies that motivations for joining the group are complex and include financial incentives, concluding that responses to the group must be multifaceted and multi-layered.

This research paper provides an overview of United States contributions to peace and security in Africa, focusing on the current period and immediate future. It defines the nature of instability and insecurity on the continent and outlines the various military, economic, and governance-related measures that Americans believe can attenuate these conditions.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) strategy to increase troop levels for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) following suicide bombings in Uganda in July 2010.

The briefing examines South Africa's decline, citing a failing education system that has increased unemployment and inequality. It highlights a political culture of corruption within the ANC, where public office is used for personal gain, and notes that while the government cites successes in health and tourism, leadership failures and state looting continue to hinder economic growth.

The document examines the rapid rate of urbanisation across Africa, highlighting that while urban growth can drive economic diversification, unplanned growth in developing economies often leads to slums and infrastructure stress. It focuses on Nigeria, where rapid urban population growth has outpaced planning, resulting in high slum residency and significant shortages in housing, water, and sanitation. The briefing notes that Nigeria's inability to manage this growth and integrate its large informal economy limits national economic contributions and increases the risk of political and social instability.

The briefing examines the failures of state-led amnesty and reintegration processes for defectors from groups like Boko Haram and al-Shabaab in Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, and Cameroon. It highlights how torture, extrajudicial killings, and a lack of transparency by security forces drive defectors away from official channels and toward civil society organisations or direct community return. Additionally, it notes that providing livelihood assets, such as motorcycles in Kenya or livestock in Cameroon, can spark community hostility and perceptions of favouritism.

The document examines the gap between traditional UN peacekeeping and the more robust 'peace enforcement' operations conducted by African coalitions. It argues that while NATO and Russia have developed doctrines for complex environments, African peace operations lack a realistic, practice-informed intervention doctrine, often remaining constrained by Western preferences for 'UN-type' training and a legacy of conflicting Cold War military doctrines.