Search Climate Insights Directory

The document assesses the effects of US Executive Order 14257, which introduced a 10% universal tariff and higher country-specific tariffs (11% to 50%) on imports from 190 countries. While mineral-exporting nations like Angola and South Africa may find relief through exemptions for oil and critical minerals, countries like Lesotho and Madagascar face severe economic risks, particularly in the textile sector. The analysis highlights a strategic divide: some nations seek bilateral deals, others aim for self-sufficiency, and a group of African WTO members are coordinating through the 'Friends of the System'. The authors argue that African nations should negotiate collectively under the African Union to protect regional integration and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as the AGOA program faces expiration on September 30, 2025.

The paper analyzes the economic consequences of US Executive Order 14257, which introduced universal and country-specific tariffs on imports from 190 territories. While many African nations face a 10% universal tariff, 20 countries face higher rates ranging from 11% to 50%, with Lesotho most affected. The authors highlight the vulnerability of textile industries in Lesotho and Madagascar and the uncertainty surrounding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires on September 30, 2025. The document advocates for a coordinated regional response via the African Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area to mitigate economic risks and negotiate bilateral or sectoral agreements.

The document examines how African youth are transforming peacebuilding through AI and digital tools, shifting from passive consumers to active knowledge creators. It highlights the decentralisation of early warning systems and the use of digital platforms for peace messaging and mobilisation. However, it warns that digital divides, gender gaps, and linguistic biases—where 88% of African languages are ignored by computational tools—threaten to marginalise rural youth and women. The brief notes a disconnect between the AU's Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security and digital strategies, urging for integrated policies and the institutionalisation of youth roles in AI governance to ensure digital peacebuilding is ethical and inclusive.

The document analyzes the global distribution of agricultural methane emissions, highlighting that while low- and middle-income countries produce the most, high-income countries have higher per capita emissions due to consumption patterns. It proposes a transition toward climate-smart agriculture through technology, policy reform, and targeted finance, particularly for smallholder farmers in Africa, to meet global reduction targets by 2030.

The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is a financial market infrastructure designed to enable instant cross-border payments across Africa using local currencies, reducing reliance on foreign currencies like the US dollar and Euro. While supported by the AU and AfCFTA, the system faces significant hurdles, including low awareness—with 39% of business leaders unaware of it—and fragmented regulatory frameworks. Despite these challenges, as of May 2024, 13 African central banks, over 115 commercial banks, and 10 payment switches have connected to the system. The report recommends harmonizing regulations, investing in digital infrastructure, and improving data transparency to unlock the system's potential for economic integration.

The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol (AfCFTA DTP), adopted in February 2024, establishes a comprehensive framework to integrate digital trade across Africa. The protocol covers 52 articles across 11 parts, addressing market access, data governance, digital inclusion, and trade facilitation. While it aims to unlock significant economic potential—with Africa's digital economy potentially reaching USD 712 billion by 2050—its success depends on the completion of eight ongoing annex negotiations and the ability of state parties to overcome infrastructure gaps and regulatory fragmentation. Key features include a focus on digital inclusion for MSMEs and the establishment of trust frameworks for cybersecurity and data protection, though some critics argue its data flow provisions may favor foreign big tech companies over local technology transfer.

The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, adopted in February 2024, aims to create a comprehensive regulatory framework to facilitate digital commerce across Africa. It covers 52 articles across 11 sections, addressing market access, data governance, and digital inclusion. While it mirrors advanced global models like the CPTPP, it includes specific provisions for digital inclusion and capacity building to support Least Developed Countries. However, its success depends on overcoming significant infrastructure gaps, regulatory fragmentation, and the completion of eight pending annexes.

The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade (DTP), adopted in February 2024, establishes a comprehensive framework to facilitate digital trade across Africa through 52 articles covering market access, data governance, and digital inclusion. While it aims to unlock a digital economy potentially worth USD 712 billion by 2050, its success depends on the finalization of eight pending annexes and the ability of member states to overcome significant infrastructure gaps and regulatory fragmentation. The protocol emphasizes digital inclusion and capacity building, though critics argue its data flow and source code provisions may favor large tech firms over local technology transfer.

The Gambia's democratic transition is stalled due to the National Assembly's 2020 rejection of a draft constitution that would have limited President Adama Barrow to two terms and curtailed presidential powers. Because the country continues to operate under the 1997 'Jammeh Constitution', Barrow remains legally eligible for a third term in 2026, a prospect that threatens to deepen political tensions and potentially necessitate ECOWAS intervention.

The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective October 2023, imposes carbon tariffs on imports to prevent carbon leakage and encourage global decarbonisation. The document argues that the CBAM will disproportionately harm African countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), by reducing GDP and exports of key materials like aluminium, iron, and steel. It highlights concerns regarding the mechanism's equity, its potential conflict with WTO non-discrimination rules, and the EU's plan to use revenues for internal debt rather than supporting LDCs. The brief recommends that the AfCFTA negotiate for exemptions, a slower phase-in period, and the exclusion of indirect emissions, while urging the EU to increase climate finance and technology transfers to Africa.

The Biocultural Community Protocol (PCB) for Niafrang, Senegal, serves as a guide for the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of traditional knowledge. It details the village's diverse ecosystems—including a critical mineralized dune—and outlines traditional governance structures based on consensus. The document specifically highlights the threat posed by zircon mining projects, which the community opposes due to potential ecological damage to rice fields and water security. It also catalogs local biodiversity and medicinal plants, establishing a framework for 'prior informed consent' for any external access to genetic resources.

The Biocultural Community Protocol for Niafrang serves as a guide for the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of traditional knowledge. It details the village's ecosystem, including its critical dune system, and outlines the socio-economic reliance on palm oil, rice, and forest products. The document highlights severe threats from a proposed zircon mining project, which the community argues would destroy a vital hydraulic barrier and disrupt local agriculture. It establishes a framework for access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources and reaffirms the community's commitment to protecting its environment and customary laws.

The document analyzes the increasing debt distress in Africa, noting that public debt reached 65.6% of GDP in 2022. It highlights the shift toward non-concessional debt and the role of private creditors, who now hold over 40% of Africa's total external debt. The brief argues that the G20's Common Framework needs reform to be more inclusive of middle-income countries and private creditors. It advocates for the establishment of an African Credit Rating Agency to counter perceived biases from global agencies and the creation of an African Debt Monitoring Mechanism by June 2024 to improve transparency. Key recommendations include restructuring multilateral development banks, extending debt repayment periods, and increasing IMF Poverty Reduction Growth Trust access limits.

The document analyzes the 'epidemic' of military takeovers in Africa, identifying governance dysfunction, democratic decline, civil-military tensions, and Islamist insurgencies as primary drivers. It argues that the African Union (AU) and regional economic communities (RECs) have relied on reactive, inconsistent, and ineffective blanket sanctions that fail to deter coup plotters. The author recommends a shift toward prevention, targeted sanctions, and the strengthening of civil-military relations and democratic legitimacy.

The Green Climate Fund's Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a second term, maintaining its scope for medium-sized projects and medium environmental and social risk (Category B). The assessment confirms FAO's strong technical expertise in adaptation, REDD+, and the blue economy, and its ability to implement GCF's gender and environmental and social policies. While generally compliant, the Panel identified a gap in explicit policy statements regarding Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), making the re-accreditation conditional upon the formal approval of an AML/CFT policy or the inclusion of consistent statements within its prohibited practices policies.

The report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the status of Pterocarpus erinaceus (rosewood) trade in West Africa following a March 2022 CITES trade suspension. While international trafficking has slowed, the authors find that illegal logging persists in countries like Mali, Ghana, the Gambia, and Nigeria, often facilitated by corrupt officials. The report specifically criticizes Sierra Leone's request to export 160,000 cubic meters of stockpiled timber without a sustainable export quota and Mali's approved Non-Detriment Finding (NDF), which the authors claim is based on outdated or biased data and ignores critical environmental pressures. The document concludes that lifting the suspension for any country would undermine regional conservation efforts and risk a return to unsustainable 'boom and bust' logging cycles.

The text defends environmental protest and civil disobedience as essential democratic instruments for addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. It highlights the role of movements like Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion in mainstreaming climate action while warning against a global trend of criminalising activists through repressive legislation. The author criticises 'greenwashing' and 'citizenwashing' by private and public sectors, particularly within the COP framework, and calls on the EU to uphold the Aarhus Convention to ensure genuine public participation in environmental decision-making.

The document outlines a comprehensive approach to integrating biodiversity co-benefits into nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation. It proposes a six-stage implementation cycle—ranging from system understanding and risk assessment to monitoring and learning—and emphasizes the need for a mix of biodiversity, structural, and functional indicators to measure success. The report highlights the importance of traditional knowledge, inclusive governance, and long-term monitoring to avoid socio-ecological trade-offs and ensure the sustainability of adaptation projects.

The report outlines a framework for integrating biodiversity co-benefits into the lifecycle of nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation. It emphasizes moving beyond simple area-coverage metrics toward indicators of ecosystem functioning and health. The authors advocate for a multidisciplinary approach that integrates Traditional Knowledge, human rights-based frameworks, and inclusive governance to avoid socio-ecological trade-offs. The document provides a step-by-step implementation cycle—from system understanding and risk assessment to monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—supported by a list of global standards and technical resources.

The policy brief highlights the increasing violence and criminalization of Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs) globally and specifically in Kenya. It identifies a lack of specific national legislation for EHRD protection, corruption, and restrictive laws as key enablers of these threats. The document recommends the enactment of a dedicated national protection law, the domestication of international human rights obligations, and the repeal of laws that limit civic space to ensure the safety of activists and the rule of law in environmental governance.