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The report examines national investment laws as versatile policy tools, tracing their evolution from 1950s development-focused laws to the 1980-2010 trend of aligning national legislation with international investment treaties. It identifies seven primary functions of contemporary investment laws: governing admission, managing incentives, facilitating investment, providing legal protection, managing disputes, specifying investor obligations, and supervising investments. The document argues against a 'one-size-fits-all' model, instead offering a framework for policymakers to align the functions and content of their laws with specific national objectives and sustainable development goals, while warning against the legal and financial risks of incorporating treaty-style protections and prior consent to international arbitration.

The document analyzes the transition from the 'Angola model'—characterized by infrastructure-for-resources swaps—to a 'Hunan model' centered on the Hunan province's comparative advantages. This new approach focuses on agricultural technology, construction machinery, and digital trade to foster a more diversified economic relationship between China and Africa, implemented through national platforms like the China–Africa Economic and Trade Exhibition (CAETE) and the China–Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Zone.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for becoming the top global financier of fossil fuels, providing US$40.6 billion in financing last year. The organization highlights significant loopholes in RBC's October 2020 coal policy, which excludes only new clients and uses high revenue thresholds (60%) that fail to capture the majority of coal mining and power companies. The document details RBC's continued support for coal developers like Glencore and RWE, as well as utilities in the US and Canada that lack credible coal phase-out plans, urging the bank to adopt a mandatory coal exit by 2030 in the OECD and 2040 globally.

The document critiques the upcoming Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, highlighting the failure of Northern governments to meet the 100 billion dollar annual climate finance promise. It advocates for 'polluter-pays' taxes on shipping, aviation, and fossil fuel companies, and calls for a cessation of private financial services for fossil fuel expansion in the Global South.

The document critiques the upcoming Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, arguing that current climate finance is woefully inadequate and often delivered as debt-increasing loans. It advocates for 'polluter pays' taxes on shipping, aviation, and fossil fuel companies, and calls for a 'climate version of the Hippocratic Oath' for private investors to stop financing fossil fuels in the Global South while attempting to fund the energy transition.

The text addresses the controversy within the UN Security Council over the inclusion of climate change on its agenda, noting that while many members support it, others like Russia, India, and China oppose or abstain. It proposes using the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) to provide a scientific basis for the claim that climate change poses a risk to peace and security.

IKEA reduced food waste by 54% across its in-store restaurants in 32 markets, saving 20 million meals and $37 million annually while avoiding 36,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

The document defines water weaponization as the exploitation of the human need for water by deliberately rendering it scarce or insecure. It applies a six-category matrix—Strategic, Tactical, Coercive, Unintentional, Psychological Terror, and Extortion/Incentivization—to the Russia-Ukraine war. Key findings include Russia's draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir, which threatens the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power station, and the use of water denial in cities like Mariupol and Mykolaiv. Ukraine is also noted for strategic water denial in Crimea (2014) and tactical flooding in the Demydiv region. The authors argue for the expansion of U.S. climate finance for water adaptation, the use of the International Court of Justice to prosecute water infrastructure destruction as war crimes, and the integration of water management into the Global Fragility Act.

The document examines the risks posed to Africa by the intensifying geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, particularly in the realms of technology, trade, and global supply chains. It argues that Africa is institutionally underprepared for these tensions due to governance deficiencies and its marginal global position, while emphasizing the need for African countries to project agency to secure optimal outcomes amidst a shifting global power structure.

The document outlines 12 key policy interventions to accelerate the transition of hard-to-abate sectors, categorised into simplifying pathways, steering risk and opportunity, derisking green investments, and facilitating essential resource flows.

The research identifies a significant gap between solar radiation potential and installed capacity in lower-income countries, driven by high costs of capital linked to sovereign, political, and off-taker risks. To address this, the authors propose a Global Credit Guarantee Facility (GCGF) with a suggested capitalization of USD 6.6 billion to provide partial guarantees for cross-border debt. The paper models two approaches for the GCGF's impact: one reducing overall risk premiums by an average of 6% and another reducing them by 3% by focusing solely on default rates. The facility aims to mobilize approximately USD 120 billion in debt to meet the 2030 solar targets of shortlisted emerging market and developing economy countries.

China has established global leadership in renewable energy, with utility-scale solar capacity of 228 GW and wind capacity exceeding 310 GW as of Q1 2023. The country is pursuing an ambitious target of over 1,200 GW of combined wind and solar capacity by 2030, supported by the '14th Five-Year Plan' and the development of massive 'wind-solar bases' in desert regions. While integrating these sources through ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission and new energy storage technologies, China continues to utilize coal-fired power as a 'bottom-line' guarantee for grid stability, which may hinder the complete phase-out of fossil fuels.

Vietnam's PDP8 aims to peak coal capacity at 30 GW by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, but the briefing argues that all coal projects not yet in construction must be cancelled to align with the JETP agreement. While Vietnam is leading global coal project cancellations in 2023, concerns remain regarding the use of experimental fuels for plant conversion and the government's crackdown on civil society leaders essential for a just transition.

China has established itself as the global leader in renewable energy, with operating large utility-scale solar capacity of 228 GW and combined wind capacity exceeding 310 GW. The country is pursuing a strategy of 'mega wind and solar bases' in its northern and northwestern deserts to meet a central government target of 1,200 GW of cumulative capacity by 2030, a goal it is likely to surpass by 2025. This expansion is driven by a combination of historical feed-in tariffs, favorable financing from state-owned banks, and strict provincial targets. However, the report notes that new renewables bases are often bundled with new coal-fired power plants to manage intermittency, potentially hindering the phase-out of fossil fuels. To address volatility, China is implementing 'source-grid-load-storage' integration, expanding new energy storage, and developing green hydrogen production.

The document analyzes the lithium supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, highlighting a distributive injustice where the 'Lithium Triangle' (Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile) suffers environmental degradation and water scarcity while North America gains from reduced urban pollution. It argues that science diplomacy—integrating scientific evidence into transnational policy—can establish sustainability thresholds and geochemical tracing methods to ensure responsible sourcing. The authors recommend using sustainability science to define mining standards and employing lithium isotope analysis to verify the origin of materials, drawing parallels from successful agricultural supply chain policies.

The report examines the global palm oil sector, highlighting the growth of VSS-compliant production and the challenges faced by smallholders. It analyzes how climate change and geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, affect supply and pricing. The document argues that while VSSs can reduce deforestation and improve yields, the lack of consistent price premiums and high certification costs hinder their adoption by smallholders. It concludes with recommendations for better price transparency, living wage benchmarks, and stronger government support to build a more sustainable value chain.

The document argues that while consumer-led battery deployment is rapid, grid-scale energy storage—particularly batteries—is a strategic priority that remains under-developed in South Africa. It details how storage can reduce load shedding, optimize existing grid infrastructure, and support a just energy transition by providing public benefits. The authors recommend the development of national and municipal strategies to create an enabling environment for grid battery deployment.

The document asserts that the world is in the midst of a 'renewable revolution' characterized by exponential cost declines and adoption rates for solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles. It identifies China as the current leader of this transition, which is sparking a global race to the top. The report claims that global fossil fuel demand peaked in 2019 and will enter terminal decline after 2025. By 2030, the authors predict that renewables will dominate sector sales and be significantly cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, creating a 'renewable supercycle' for investors and a necessity for petrostates to reform. The report also highlights the potential for the Global South to leapfrog old technologies and the ability of renewables to drastically reduce air pollution deaths and environmental pressure compared to fossil fuels.

The document identifies a sharp decline in Chinese infrastructure lending to Africa since 2016, driven by debt sustainability concerns, China's domestic economic contraction, and global shocks. In response, three trends have emerged: a diversification of lenders and partners, a shift toward 'small is beautiful' projects with smaller loans and shorter repayment windows, and the adoption of new funding models like build-operate-transfer (BOT) and integrated investment, construction and operation (IICO) to reduce sovereign debt loads.

The document critiques current green industrialisation (GI) strategies in the SADC region for remaining tethered to linear economic growth models and 'greenwashing'. It proposes a 'regenerative' alternative based on principles of holism, biomimicry, and African indigenous philosophies like Ubuntu and Ukama. Through scenario analysis, the authors present three possible futures: a business-as-usual scenario (Scenario A), a dystopian 'Apocalyptic Africa' (Scenario B) marked by extreme climate disasters and resource wars, and a 'Regenerative Revival' (Scenario C). The brief concludes that SADC must move beyond surface-level policy changes to shift deeper mental models and paradigms, recommending the use of strategic foresight, the empowerment of youth, and a 'bottom-in' approach to reach marginalised populations.