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This report assesses the greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments of over 6,000 cities, states, and regions and more than 2,000 companies across 9 high-emitting countries and the European Union, concluding that while these non-state actor actions are significant, they are insufficient on their own to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C or well-below 2°C.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Finance is a guide for regional governments on organizing and delivering financial solutions to enable low-carbon transitions. It outlines strategies for increasing capital availability, overcoming up-front costs, creating market incentives, and reducing procurement costs for clean energy assets.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Industry provides a set of five strategic actions (Actions 15-19) designed to reduce the industrial sector's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, which currently account for 28% of the total.

This scoping study examines the growth of the digital economy and digital trade, analyzing how these shifts create both opportunities for economic leapfrogging and risks of a widening 'digital divide' for developing and emerging economies.

This research paper quantifies the global impact of tropospheric ozone on crop yields, estimating a total annual loss of 227 Tg. It identifies the highest losses in the Americas, China, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, noting that these areas often face concurrent stresses from heat, pests, and disease. The authors recommend integrating ozone tolerance into crop breeding and management to improve food security.

The Center for International Environmental Law criticizes the Trump Administration's Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule, arguing that loosening carbon emissions standards for 2021-2026 and rolling back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program undermines climate goals and ignores global market trends toward low-carbon vehicles.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's development finance institutions (DFIs), specifically the IDC and DBSA, are constrained by their funding models and cannot sufficiently support labour-intensive manufacturing. The document proposes recapitalising these institutions with public funds, establishing an export-import (EXIM) bank, and adopting a funding model similar to Brazil's BNDES to drive job creation and industrial growth.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) outlines sector-specific strategies to drive employment creation in South Africa through structural transformation. It identifies the decline of manufacturing—which fell from 21% of GDP in 1994 to 13% in 2016—as a critical issue and proposes targeted interventions in the metals, machinery and equipment, agriculture and agro-processing, and plastics conversion sectors to reverse deindustrialisation and leverage regional and global demand.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's unemployment crisis is a macroeconomic phenomenon that cannot be solved through microeconomic interventions alone. The document criticizes the 'orthodox' macroeconomic framework adopted since 1996, characterizing both fiscal and monetary policies as contractionary and detrimental to job creation. It proposes a shift toward a developmental macroeconomic approach, featuring a significant fiscal stimulus and a restructured monetary policy mandate to prioritize employment and productive investment over strict inflation targeting.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's monetary policy is 'anti-developmental' because it prioritizes price stability and inflation targeting over growth and employment. The author contends that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) relies on inappropriate tools, specifically interest rate manipulation, which discourages investment and contributes to de-industrialization and financialization. The brief proposes a fundamental shift toward a developmental monetary framework involving direct credit provision to productive sectors, the monetisation of fiscal operations, and closer coordination between the SARB and the National Treasury.

This report analyzes the financing challenges and models for soil remediation in China, where 16.1% of soil is contaminated. It highlights a critical funding gap, noting that while the government has allocated billions, the total need may reach trillions of yuan. The report discusses the failure of the 'polluter pays' principle due to historical land ownership ambiguities and suggests diversifying investment through green bonds, PPPs, and international loans to attract social capital.

This statement from the South African Institute of International Affairs advocates for the integration of gender perspectives into the BRICS bloc's development strategies, specifically regarding the Fourth Industrial Revolution, peace and security, and healthcare.

This fact sheet provides a global overview of high-speed rail (HSR) development, contrasting the extensive networks in Asia and Europe with the limited deployment in the United States. It details the history of HSR, the technical standards for speed, the economic and environmental benefits of rail over air and car travel, and the current status of projects in China, Japan, France, and the U.S.

The Climate Bonds Initiative's H1 2018 report on the Chinese green bond market details a total issuance of $13.02 billion, with a significant portion aligned with international green definitions. The report highlights the dominance of financial institutions, the growth of offshore issuances, and the prevalence of renewable energy as the primary use of proceeds, while noting discrepancies between domestic and international standards regarding working capital.

The China Green Bond Market Mid-Year Report 2018 by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the performance and alignment of Chinese green bonds from January to June 2018, highlighting a growth in issuance driven by the private sector and a continuing gap between domestic and international green bond definitions.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines key public sector green bond policy developments from the first half of 2018, focusing on sovereign issuance, national guidelines, financial incentives, and the role of central banks in supporting the energy transition.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative explores the critical role of climate adaptation and resilience in infrastructure investments to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights the current investment gap in the green bond market, where adaptation is significantly underfunded compared to mitigation, and proposes principles for improving definitions and disclosure to scale capital mobilization.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a strategic framework for governments to design and implement local content policies in the mining sector. It outlines a four-step process—aligning with national objectives, taking stock of capabilities, crafting specific policies, and establishing monitoring mechanisms—to ensure mining investments contribute to sustainable, inclusive economic development and diversification.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the cooperation between BRICS nations and Africa, focusing on industrialisation and infrastructure financing. It evaluates the role of South Africa in promoting African interests within the BRICS framework, the potential of the New Development Bank (NDB), and the challenges of debt, transparency, and unequal trade.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that the BRICS bloc should move beyond gender-specific forums to mainstream gender perspectives across its broader strategic priorities, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution, peacekeeping, and healthcare.