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The document identifies four primary constraints to South Africa's just transition: a significant finance gap, delivery frictions in project cycles, fragmented skills and employment pathways, and a lack of accountability and legitimacy. It argues that success depends on moving from high-level pledges to 'delivery-grade' finance and coordinated, place-based implementation, particularly in coal-affected regions like Mpumalanga.

Vietnam aims for net-zero emissions by 2050, targeting a 47% renewable energy share in electricity generation by 2030. While the country has integrated Just Transition principles into national strategies and secured a USD 15.5 billion commitment via the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), it faces significant gaps in governance, social protection, and workforce reskilling. The brief recommends establishing a National Just Transition Commission and expanding international finance to cover social dimensions beyond energy infrastructure.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), supported by the Climate Policy Initiative and Promethium Carbon, has developed two financial instruments to scale the voluntary carbon market (VCM) in South Africa. A proposed carbon credit-backed bond would raise capital for project loans, with repayments consisting of cash interest and carbon credits. A Carbon Repo Facility would provide short- to medium-term liquidity by allowing developers and banks to sell carbon credits with an agreement to repurchase them later. These tools aim to bridge the gap between high demand for offsets—driven by the national carbon tax—and a limited supply of bankable projects caused by high early-stage costs and regulatory ambiguity.

The document addresses the financing gap for urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in India, where investment remains heavily dependent on public funds. It proposes a three-step guidance framework: identifying the enabling policy environment, leveraging financial and business mechanisms, and applying a nine-factor project evaluation framework. The guide maps existing Indian national and sub-national policies—including forestry, water, and infrastructure schemes—that can be leveraged for NbS. It also catalogues various financial instruments (such as municipal bonds, green bonds, and blended finance) and business models (including carbon credits and user-pay systems) to improve project bankability. A repository of nine global and domestic case studies, such as Chennai's municipal bonds for stormwater drainage and Chicago's Tax Increment Financing for green roofs, illustrates replicable approaches for Indian urban contexts.

The document examines the 'Commodity Trap' facing the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) industry, where attempts to displace low-cost bulk protein and synthetic fertilisers have struggled due to prohibitive price gaps and scaling hurdles. It recommends that producers shift toward high-value functional additives and bioactive soil amendments, leveraging partnerships with established suppliers to overcome farmer skepticism and regulatory barriers in South Africa.

The document identifies PET, PETG, and PVC shrink sleeves as priority problematic plastics in South Africa because they disrupt the PET bottle recycling process. It argues that substituting these materials with floatable polyolefin sleeves (PE or PP) allows for effective separation via float-sink mechanisms, thereby increasing the number of bottles successfully recycled. While early adopters like Woolworths and SPUR Corporation have successfully transitioned, the report notes that market-wide adoption is hindered by cost premiums and technical adjustments, though these are mitigated by collaboration through the South African Plastics Pact.

The document argues that electric micro-mobility is commercially viable for South African last-mile delivery, particularly on high-frequency urban routes. While higher upfront costs (CAPEX) are a barrier, they can be mitigated through leasing, Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS), and Electric Vehicle-as-a-Service (EVaaS) models. The brief highlights that E2Ws can achieve break-even within 7 to 24 months and reduce operating expenses by 30-50% per kilometre compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles. To achieve significant emissions reductions of 40-60%, the document emphasizes integrating renewable energy into charging infrastructure to offset South Africa's coal-heavy grid. It also identifies the Western Cape's Atlantis SEZ as a developing hub for local micro-EV manufacturing to improve supply chain resilience and affordability.

The Western Cape presents a total investable renewable energy opportunity of R37.4 billion across approximately 2.35 GW of new capacity by 2030. While severe grid constraints on the Eskom network have limited new connections, the 2025 NERSA approval of a 4% congestion curtailment mechanism is expected to unlock 1,180 MW of wind capacity, attracting R20.1 billion in investment. An additional R14 billion is tied to 926 MW of wind and solar projects currently in the budget quote (BQ) phase. Behind-the-meter (BTM) solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS) for businesses represent a resilient R3.3 billion market, driven by rising electricity tariffs and corporate decarbonisation pressures, although projects over 1 MW face high compliance costs. Long-term growth is expected following transmission upgrades on the Cape Corridor scheduled for 2028–2031.

The 2026 Market Intelligence Report for the Western Cape's sustainable agriculture sector highlights a transition toward resource-efficient, technologically enabled production. It identifies biological crop protection and biostimulants as key regenerative agriculture opportunities, with a total addressable market of R79.3530.3 million and R27.3176.6 million respectively. Additionally, it identifies farm management systems as a critical smart farming opportunity to ensure export compliance and operational efficiency, with a total addressable market of R108135 million per year. The sector faces significant trade pressures, including the expiry of AGOA in September 2025 and evolving EU sustainability regulations under the European Green Deal, prompting a strategic pivot toward market diversification in Asia, particularly China, following a landmark stone fruit trade protocol signed in October 2025.

The document details a three-year partnership between the Anglo American Foundation and GreenCape to catalyse South Africa's fragmented Black Soldier Fly (BSF) sector. Central to this effort was the establishment of the Southern African Mass Insect Rearing Organisation (SAMIRO), a member-based industry body designed to provide a unified voice for advocacy and regulatory navigation. Despite achieving significant investment and job creation, the sector continues to face challenges from global volatility and waning investor risk appetite, leaving SAMIRO operating as a "minimum viable product."

The report identifies an investible renewable energy market in South Africa of R161.2 billion across 12.9 GW of capacity by 2030. It highlights two primary investment areas: large-scale solar PV, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) targeting the private wheeling market, and behind-the-meter (BTM) solar PV and BESS for commercial and industrial users. Key drivers include electricity price instability, decarbonisation pressures from international regulations like the EU's CSRD, and energy security needs. However, the market faces significant barriers, most notably severe grid connection constraints in high-resource zones and a lack of standardised municipal wheeling frameworks. The report also notes the transition toward a competitive South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) and the introduction of the Independent Transmission Infrastructure Procurement Programme (ITIPP) to attract private capital for grid expansion.

The Western Cape water sector is transitioning toward innovative procurement and financing models due to tightening public budgets and increasing climate pressures. Significant capital expenditure is planned for 2025/26 to 2027/28, with approximately R16.5 billion from the City of Cape Town and R7.5 billion from other local municipalities. Key opportunities include public-private partnerships (PPPs) for large-scale infrastructure like desalination and water reuse, as well as a growing market for decentralized water-efficient sanitation solutions (WESS) in both public informal settlements and private property developments.

The report assesses Algeria's development trajectory to 2040, identifying governance and the resulting economic policy framework as the primary drivers of the country's challenges. It utilizes the International Futures modelling platform to contrast a 'Current Path' forecast with a prospective 'Algerian Dream' scenario characterized by a democratic government and equitable prosperity. For comparative analysis, the report benchmarks Algeria against other lower middle-income economies in Africa and global upper middle-income groups.

The South African Journal of International Affairs Style Guide 2026 outlines the technical and editorial requirements for academic submissions. It specifies a B5 trim size, the use of UK English, and a strict adherence to the Chicago (notes) referencing style using endnotes rather than a bibliography. The guide details formatting for various source types—including books, journal articles, and institutional reports—and establishes rules for gender-neutral language, the avoidance of jargon, and the mandatory disclosure of generative AI tools used for content creation.

The document argues that Colombia's previous energy auctions, which focused exclusively on price, failed to account for social risks, leading to significant project delays and cancellations, particularly in La Guajira. It proposes a three-phase transition from a price-only model to a multi-criteria evaluation system. This transition includes introducing basic documentary requirements, then structured community relationship and capacity-building plans, and finally requiring verifiable territorial evidence and community co-ownership as eligibility criteria. The report emphasizes that these co-benefits should complement, not replace, existing legal obligations like prior consultation and environmental licensing.

The policy brief assesses the macroeconomic, financial, and labor risks associated with Colombia's energy transition, particularly for five vulnerable departments. It warns that a disordered transition could lead to the loss of 448,000 jobs by 2035 and increased country risk. To mitigate this, the authors propose an integrated policy package comprising macro-fiscal-financial measures to lower capital costs, territorially differentiated labor protections, and a productive-territorial strategy focusing on 'lever sectors' like electric energy, efficient construction, and agroecology to create sustainable local employment.

In 2025, global coal capacity grew by 3.5% while generation fell by 0.6%, a divergence driven primarily by China and India. While new commissioning reached near-record levels of 97.4 GW, coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. The global pipeline is narrowing geographically, with only 32 countries proposing or building new plants in 2025, and 95% of all construction concentrated in China and India. Meanwhile, the U.S. and EU saw significant delays in planned retirements, though for different reasons: federal emergency orders in the U.S. and energy security concerns in the EU. Latin America reached 'No New Coal' status in 2025, while South Korea committed to a phaseout by 2040.

The report provides a comparative analysis of how 16 countries and territories are operationalising OECMs through five primary legal and policy pathways: ministerial instruments, national guidelines, administrative procedures, sector-based recognition, and mechanisms for areas beyond national jurisdiction. It finds a high degree of global convergence and alignment with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Decision 14/8 criteria, while noting that countries adapt these standards to fit their specific governance and legal contexts. The document highlights the rapid growth in OECM reporting between 2021 and 2025 and provides recommendations for scaling these frameworks globally.

The report analyzes how 16 reporting jurisdictions and several others in development operationalize OECMs through five primary pathways: ministerial instruments, national guidelines, administrative procedures, sector-based recognition, and mechanisms for areas beyond national jurisdiction. It finds a strong global convergence toward the terminology and criteria of CBD Decision 14/8, while noting that most countries prefer non-legislative policy tools over new laws to achieve conservation outcomes.

The document identifies the Zululand and Mpumalanga regions of South Africa as critical habitats hosting over 350 bird species, including five of the country's most endangered bird species, and serving as a source for many major rivers.