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The report examines how central banks in various jurisdictions integrate physical climate risks into banking supervision, highlighting a common shift toward enhancing regulated entities' capabilities rather than immediately adjusting capital requirements. Through case studies of six central banks, it identifies systemic challenges in data availability and technical capacity, advocating for a phased approach to policy implementation. It concludes with a stylised roadmap for the Reserve Bank of India to move from awareness-raising to mainstreaming climate risk assessment in supervisory processes.

Since 2014, the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance has supported 78 instruments that mobilized over USD 4 billion, including USD 1.6 billion from the private sector. The report highlights the necessity of balancing innovation with 'actionability'—ensuring projects are bankable and scalable. Key strategies for unlocking private capital include blended finance to mitigate chronic risks, aggregation to handle small-ticket investments, and the use of Theory of Change (ToC) frameworks to quantify social and environmental impacts. Case studies illustrate successes like Brazil's Green FIDC, which achieved 100% private funding, and challenges like South Africa's Climate Adaptation Notes, which stalled due to an unreliable project pipeline. The document also emphasizes the importance of gender-responsive finance and the need for systemic regulatory shifts to make low-carbon investment the default for institutional investors.

The document analyzes the global bioeconomy, estimating its current value at US$ 4-5 trillion with potential growth to US$ 30 trillion by 2050. It proposes a tripartite spectrum—Nature-Intensive, Advanced, and High-Tech bioeconomies—to better apply distinct financing and policy strategies. The report identifies significant funding gaps, particularly for first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects and in the Global South, and advocates for an 'integrated approach' combining national strategies, international cooperation (via the G20), and innovative financial tools like biodiversity credits and blended finance to ensure a just transition.

The IGAD mediation for South Sudan (2013-2015) was severely compromised because several member states were simultaneously conflict actors and mediators. Uganda provided military support to the government, while Sudan supplied weapons to the opposition. These rivalries prevented IGAD from reaching a consensus on security arrangements, reduced its leverage to impose sanctions, and undermined the impartiality of its envoys. Despite the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) in 2015, the process failed to end the war, which resulted in an estimated 190,000 to 400,000 deaths by 2018.

This document is a formal appeal submitted by groundWork and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment. The appeal seeks to set aside an Amended Environmental Authorisation (Amended EA) granted on 2 August 2024 to Phinda Power Projects (Pty) Ltd for a 320MW Emergency Risk Mitigation Power Plant in Alton, Richards Bay. The Appellants argue that the decision was unlawful, procedurally unfair, and failed to adequately assess the environmental and climate impacts of switching the plant's fuel source and technology.

The research paper examines the intersection of G7 initiatives, such as the Energy for Growth in Africa Initiative and the Mattei Plan, with South Africa's role as a representative for African climate priorities. It highlights the tension between Western-led green transitions and African concerns over 'green protectionism' (specifically the EU's CBAM), the need for adaptation financing based on the 'common but differentiated responsibilities' principle, and the geopolitical competition for critical minerals. The author argues that the G7 must provide concrete deliverables and respect African agency to effectively bridge its goals with South Africa's upcoming G20 presidency.

This document consists of two distinct parts: a supplemental expert report by Dr. Ranajit (Ron) Sahu evaluating the air quality impact assessment (AQIA) for the proposed Lephalale Coal Mine, and a comprehensive Spatial Development Framework (SDF) for the Lephalale Local Municipality. Dr. Sahu concludes that the mine will cause substantial adverse particulate matter (PM) impacts, exceeding national standards even with mitigation. The SDF section provides a long-term spatial plan for the municipality, focusing on the 'energy hub' of Africa, rural development, and the management of urban sprawl and environmental protection.

The report tracks the shift in China-Africa energy cooperation from large-scale infrastructure and thermal power projects toward 'small and beautiful' green initiatives. It highlights a growing alignment between China's commitment to stop funding overseas coal-fired projects and Africa's strategic priorities for climate finance, renewable energy access, and resilient infrastructure. While China offers technological and financial aid, the report notes that some African priorities, such as critical minerals, remain insufficiently addressed.

The document examines how the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women in Brazil and South Africa increases vulnerability to gender-based violence and economic instability. It proposes specific interventions, including Universal Basic Income and employment-focused public works programs, to decouple care responsibilities from economic insecurity and violence.

FSD Africa is implementing a program to promote the adoption of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) across Africa, focusing on adapting the global framework to local contexts. The initiative includes capacity building, the creation of the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA), and strategic outreach to G20 and sovereign stakeholders. A key partnership with FirstRand has involved piloting the TNFD framework through nature-risk assessments in the agricultural and extractive industries and evaluating organizational readiness for disclosure.

The report analyzes the mining sector's impact on greenhouse gas emissions and its essential role in providing minerals for energy transition technologies. It emphasizes the need for strategic management to reduce emissions and prevent biodiversity loss and pollution, while highlighting the specific challenge of fugitive methane emissions from coal mining. The study uses case studies from Chile, Indonesia, and South Africa to provide policy recommendations and explores the industry's use of voluntary disclosures and transparency initiatives to manage its carbon footprint.

The report finds that South Africa's mining sector is in a state of economic decline, with its share of real GDP falling from 11.1% in 1993 to 4.8% in 2023. It argues that the MPRDA has failed to facilitate growth or efficient regulation, contributing to a 'dried up' project pipeline and a global exploration expenditure share that has stagnated below 1% since 2020. Key constraints include institutional capacity gaps at the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), infrastructure failures in electricity and logistics, and a profound trust deficit between government, industry, and host communities. The report recommends urgent amendments to the MPRDA to address regulatory uncertainties, the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining, and the adoption of a new, multi-stakeholder vision for the industry to restore investor confidence.

The briefing examines the global trend of shrinking lakes and reservoirs, highlighting a study that found 53% of nearly 2,000 lakes experienced significant storage declines between 1992 and 2020. It distinguishes between anthropogenic drivers, such as unsustainable consumption seen in the Aral Sea, and climate drivers, such as increased evaporation in Mongolia. The author argues that this attribution allows policymakers to choose between demand management and behavioral changes for overuse, or infrastructure resilience and conservation for climate-driven losses.

PARI supports measures to increase transparency in coalition governments, such as public voting for office bearers and public coalition agreements, and the introduction of a 1% vote threshold for council seats. However, it expresses caution regarding the mandatory shift from mayoral to collective executive systems in non-majority councils, citing risks of administrative paralysis and loss of accountability. The submission also recommends extending the appointment period for office bearers from 14 to 30 days and strengthening legislative protections for municipal administrations against political interference in procurement and staffing.

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) are seeking a judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to set aside the environmental authorisation granted to TotalEnergies EP South Africa Block 567 (Total) for exploration drilling between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. The legal challenge is based on six grounds, including the failure to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fisheries, the omission of climate change impacts from gas combustion, and the lack of consideration for transboundary effects on Namibia. In July 2024, Total announced its decision to withdraw from Block 567, where it held a 40% commercial interest. Following this, Total applied to the court to join Shell as a party to the proceedings, a move opposed by TGC and NJ on the grounds that the case concerns the environmental authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) have filed for judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to overturn the environmental authorisation granted to Total Energies EP South Africa Block 567 (Pty) Ltd for offshore drilling. The challenge is based on six grounds, including failures to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fishers, climate change impacts from gas burning, and transboundary risks to Namibia. Following Total's July 2024 announcement of its withdrawal from block 567, the company filed a joinder application to include Shell as a party in the case, which TGC and NJ oppose on the grounds that the exploration right has lapsed and the challenge concerns the authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

The text discusses Brazil's leadership in the G-20 to establish a Bioeconomy Initiative focused on science, technology, innovation, and sustainable biodiversity use. It emphasizes the need for 'High-Level Principles' to be included in the Rio Declaration to align member economies toward equity and sustainability. A critical barrier identified is the financing gap, with climate finance needs estimated at US$ 8.1 trillion annually from 2030, far exceeding the US$ 1.3 trillion average seen between 2021 and 2022. The authors call for a transition where nature-rich countries, particularly in the Global South, can generate wealth through biodiversity-based development models.

Africa possesses vast untapped renewable energy resources, including 60% of global solar resources, yet accounts for only 1.6% of global installed renewable capacity. The continent faces significant barriers to energy transition, including a massive financing gap—requiring $557 billion by 2030—and a heavy reliance on imported technologies, with Africa contributing less than 1% of global clean energy patent applications. While the region holds 40% of global critical mineral reserves essential for green technologies, it primarily serves as a raw material supplier. The document advocates for strengthened partnerships with the G20 and Global North to improve climate finance, facilitate technology transfer, and develop local green value chains to move beyond the export of primary commodities.

The document argues that loss and damage (L&D) finance is a matter of climate justice and that the Global South must maintain a unified negotiating position to secure grants-based funding. It reviews the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund and the Santiago Network, while warning against the use of loans that increase external debt. The brief highlights the strategic role of Brazil's G20 presidency and COP30 in advancing a holistic development and environment agenda, and calls for the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance to include separate sub-goals for adaptation and L&D to prevent double counting.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology transfer to the Global South, utilizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund to deploy renewable energy, green agriculture, and electric vehicle technologies. While achieving significant scale—including exporting photovoltaic modules to over 100 countries—the brief identifies critical challenges: a gap between environmental commitments and actual impacts, deficiencies in ESG disclosure, geopolitical tensions, and limited local operational capacity. To improve sustainability, the document recommends enhancing transparency, aligning with global ESG standards, and fostering locally led innovation ecosystems through active partner ownership and capacity building.