Search Climate Insights Directory

The SEI Urban Toolbox for Liveable Cities is a living digital resource hosted on the weADAPT platform, designed to gather SEI-developed tools for city officials, residents, and community groups. Developed through a four-phase co-design process involving internal reviews and workshops with stakeholders in Thailand, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, and Colombia, the toolbox focuses on improving environmental conditions, health, and well-being. Key findings from stakeholder workshops emphasized a strong demand for tools that foster citizen science, participatory mapping, and open data access to inform decision-making. The toolbox organizes resources into four main domains: residents' wellbeing, neighbourhood conditions, environmental quality and ecosystem services, and cross-cutting issues.

The report examines food crisis challenges and resilience interventions in East Africa and Southeast Asia, identifying shared drivers such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In 2022, solar and wind power continued their rapid growth, with solar being the fastest-growing source and wind recording the largest absolute increase. Conversely, nuclear power saw a significant decline, primarily driven by outages in France and Germany. Coal generation reached an all-time record high of 10,186 TWh, although its overall share of the global electricity mix slightly decreased. Hydro power rebounded after a poor 2021 but remains below 2020 levels due to droughts in Europe. Fossil gas generation remained relatively stable despite supply chain disruptions. To align with the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario by 2030, the report argues that solar and wind must sustain high annual growth rates, coal and unabated gas must be phased out, and nuclear power must grow more rapidly than its recent historical average.

The paper examines the transformation of German-African energy relations, moving from a focus on energy poverty and development aid to a complex mix of energy diplomacy, strategic resource interests, and hydrogen technology. It highlights a tension between 'green objectives' (renewables) and 'fossilist objectives' (LNG imports), while warning against 'energy colonialism' in large-scale projects. The author advocates for a transition toward 'energy justice' and a value-chain approach to hydrogen to ensure equitable benefits for African nations.

The report finds that while the 'return of coal' did not materialize globally in 2022, the pace of retirements remains insufficient to meet Paris Agreement targets. China is a major outlier, with its coal capacity in development increasing by 38% in 2022, while capacities in the rest of the world decreased by 20%. In the EU and UK, coal use saw a marginal 1% increase due to the gas crisis, but long-term trends remain downward. In Sub-Saharan Africa, coal projects persist despite funding shortages, though some successful just transition initiatives, such as the Komati plant retirement in South Africa, provide a potential model for the region.

The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), co-led by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and The Rockefeller Foundation, aims to scale voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) in Africa. Launched at COP27, the initiative focuses on directing international finance toward renewable energy, forestry, agriculture, e-mobility, and clean cooking to support decarbonization and green job creation. The ACMI roadmap includes 13 Action Programmes targeting supply, standards, intermediation, financing, and demand. As of April 2023, the initiative has secured approximately USD 200 million in Advance Market Commitments, with a target of USD 1 billion by COP28. Implementation efforts include the development of national Carbon Market Activation Plans (CMAPs) for Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana, as well as the digitization of Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) processes and the creation of national carbon registries.

Damilola Ogunbiyi's keynote speech at the 9th Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue emphasizes the critical need for equitable financing and industrialization in the Global South. She highlights the severe disparity in renewable energy investment, noting that Sub-Saharan Africa received less than 1.5% of global investment between 2000 and 2020. To address this, she promotes the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) to generate carbon credits and revenue, and the Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (REMI) to foster green industry in Africa and Asia. Ogunbiyi advocates for whole-economy energy transition plans (ETPs), citing Nigeria's plan which estimates a cost of USD 1.9 trillion to reach net-zero by 2060.

Kenya is characterized as a medium economic transformer with an ATI score of 28.1 in 2020. While the country shows strengths in economic diversification and human well-being, it faces challenges in productivity increases and export competitiveness. The manufacturing sector has shrunk due to a lack of strategic investment and climate-related declines in agricultural output. Despite these challenges, Kenya has seen significant improvements in technology upgrading and a substantial reduction in the gender gap within formal sector employment.

The report examines how the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and World Bank are mainstreaming climate adaptation. While global finance flows for adaptation have increased and climate risk screening has become standard, the report finds that trends at the country level in Kenya, Nepal, and Peru are less clear. It highlights a lack of transparency in project-level finance allocations and argues for more funding of discrete adaptation projects and the use of programmatic finance and innovative instruments aligned with National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established in 2003 to promote good governance through peer reviews and National Programmes of Action. While it has expanded to 43 member states and seen a leadership-driven turnaround under CEO Prof Eddy Maloka since 2016, the mechanism faces challenges including slow throughput, delayed publication of reports, and a lack of progress in governance outcomes. Data from the Ibrahim Index of African Governance and Afrobarometer suggest that governance on the continent has remained steady or declined despite the APRM's efforts.

The AfCFTA aims to boost intra-African trade by eliminating 97% of tariff lines, but commercially significant trade is delayed primarily by ongoing negotiations on Rules of Origin (RoO). To maintain momentum, the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) was launched in October 2022 as a pilot involving eight countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Tunisia. While political will is high and many countries have developed national implementation strategies, challenges remain, including clashes between national interests and pan-African goals, dependence on external donor funding for expertise, and concerns over productive capacity disparities. The document highlights that 'smaller' countries fear domination by 'bigger' economies like South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria, while some, such as Kenya, anticipate significant tariff revenue losses. Recommendations include seeking political solutions to stalled technical negotiations, institutionalising support through African multilaterals like the AfDB and Afreximbank, and coordinating industrial policies to build complementary production structures across the continent.

AFRODAD supports the New York Taxpayer and International Debt Crises Protection Act as a necessary tool to ensure private creditors contribute to debt relief for African nations. The organization notes that 23 African countries are currently in or at high risk of debt distress, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. AFRODAD argues that commercial credit via sovereign bonds is a primary driver of these crises, particularly in countries like Ghana, Zambia, and Kenya, and advocates for a reformed global debt architecture to prevent widespread defaults.

The Jasiri Gender Bond, launched in February 2022, mobilised USD 32 million to support women-led businesses in Tanzania, particularly in agriculture, retail, education, and male-dominated sectors like mining and energy. The bond was oversubscribed by 197% and became the first Sub-Saharan bond listed on the Luxembourg Green Exchange. A case study of High Quality Tanzania demonstrates how Jasiri loans enabled a feminine hygiene product importer to increase turnover to over TZS 10 Billion ($3.9 million) and expand operations internationally.

The European Green Deal (EGD) offers the African private sector significant opportunities in green hydrogen production and the supply of critical raw materials, driven by the EU's need for energy security and supply chain diversification. While various funding instruments like InvestEU and the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package exist, the report warns of a potential 'unequal partnership' where Africa remains a mere resource supplier. It emphasizes the need for African stakeholders to proactively engage in technology transfer and co-creation to avoid lock-in effects and ensure inclusive growth.

The report documents diverse community-led climate adaptation efforts across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, emphasizing the role of ecosystem restoration, circular economies, and gender equality. It highlights that while local actors are innovative and entrepreneurial, they are often hindered by rigid top-down funding requirements, lack of land tenure, and systemic inequalities. The document advocates for a paradigm shift in climate finance toward patient, predictable, and accessible funding that recognizes the holistic needs of vulnerable populations, including their psychosocial well-being and human rights.

The CESCR addressed climate change in most of its 2023 work, including twelve Concluding Observations and seven Lists of Issues. The Committee focused on mitigation policies, urging states like Brazil, Panama, and Portugal to meet their Paris Agreement NDCs, and recommended that China expand its emissions trading system and stop financing overseas coal power. Adaptation efforts were highlighted in nineteen statements, with specific calls for national adaptation plans in Cambodia, Palestine, and Yemen, and an emphasis on the participation of Indigenous Peoples in Panama. Additionally, the Committee challenged the fossil fuel reliance of states such as Qatar and China, while inquiring about oil refinery pollution in Curaçao.

The analysis reveals that only 24% of the 67 sampled countries demonstrated a climate risk responsive recovery. A significant paradox was identified: a country's income level was a stronger determinant of whether it used COVID-19 funds for adaptation than its actual climate vulnerability. High-income countries were more likely to integrate physical climate risks into their recovery plans, while the most vulnerable countries were the least likely to do so, with only Kenya and Vanuatu among the 20 most vulnerable countries approving explicit adaptation actions. Most responsive measures focused on water resources management, disaster prevention, infrastructure, and nature-based solutions, primarily targeting drought and flooding.

The Resilience Evidence Forum 2023 Synthesis Report outlines a multi-scalar approach to building resilience, focusing on people, communities, urban systems, socio-ecological systems, and market systems. It emphasizes the transition from top-down measurement to co-produced evidence that integrates local and Indigenous knowledge with scientific data. The report identifies critical gaps in funding for climate resilience—noting that less than $50 billion is spent annually against needs of $160-340 billion—and advocates for gender-transformative approaches, integrated health and nutrition systems, and the use of mixed-methods to capture transformative, long-term outcomes rather than just short-term recovery.

The guidance notes support the implementation of the IGF Mining Policy Framework across six pillars: Laws, Policies, and Institutions; Financial Benefits; Socio-economic Benefits; Environmental Management; Post-Mining Transition; and Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining. It provides specific recommendations for governments to regulate mining activities, optimize fiscal revenues, protect human rights and the environment, and manage the transition after mine closure.

The IGF Mining Policy Framework is a detailed guide for governments to regulate the mining sector sustainably. It is organized into six pillars: laws and institutions, financial benefits, socio-economic benefits, environmental management, mine closure transition, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The framework emphasizes transparency, gender equality, human rights, and the protection of indigenous peoples. Key recommendations include the use of integrated environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), the establishment of robust financial assurance for mine closures, and the formalization of the ASM sector to reduce poverty and environmental harm. It specifically advocates for the elimination of mercury in ASM and the implementation of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) for indigenous communities.