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The Institute for Economic Justice asserts that the July 2021 protests in South Africa were triggered by the arrest of Jacob Zuma but are fundamentally rooted in a 'never-ending crisis' of inequality, poverty, and governance. The document highlights that South Africa has a Gini coefficient of 0.7 and that the wealthiest 1% own half of all wealth. It criticizes the government's 500bn Rand rescue package as misleading, noting that less than half of the budget materialized by July 2021. Furthermore, it condemns the National Treasury's commitment to austerity measures, which it claims undermine essential social services and socio-economic rights during a period of record unemployment (32.6%) and pandemic-driven hardship.

The report evaluates the impact of SO2 emissions from large solid fuel combustion installations in South Africa, primarily those operated by Eskom and Sasol. It concludes that implementing stricter emission standards is technologically feasible and economically beneficial for society due to significant reductions in public health costs, despite the high capital costs for plant operators. The panel recommends a flexible regulatory approach where emission limits are tailored to the remaining lifetime of each plant, suggesting that plants operating beyond the mid-2030s should meet stricter limits of 250 mg/Nm3 or 500 mg/Nm3, while those retiring sooner may be granted more lenient limits of 1000 mg/Nm3. The report highlights that 'expedited retirement' of older coal capacity could reduce retrofit costs by approximately 25% and minimize electricity tariff increases.

The document traces the history of hazardous waste regulation from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the 2019 entry into force of the Basel Convention's Ban Amendment. It highlights the risks of 'toxic colonialism,' where developed nations export hazardous materials to vulnerable regions. A significant focus is placed on the rapid growth of e-waste and the complexities of defining 'waste' versus 'recyclable products.' The author argues for a more proactive, equity-based approach to waste management to address emerging streams from the energy transition, such as lithium and cobalt.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) supports the creation of a National Mine Closure Strategy but argues that the draft must prioritize 'mining affected communities' over 'mining dependent communities' and ensure that closure planning begins at the pre-feasibility stage. The CER emphasizes the need for meaningful public participation, the integration of land reform and economic diversification to support a just transition, and the alignment of the strategy with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) to prevent 'temporary closure' from becoming a gateway to mine abandonment.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on July 23, 2021, regarding the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's (DFFE) draft Guideline for considering climate change implications in environmental authorisations and licenses. While welcoming the initiative, the CER argues that the draft is insufficient to address the climate crisis and fails to meet the legal requirements of the Constitution and the National Environment Management Act (NEMA). The submission advocates for a 1.5°C warming limit as the primary benchmark for emissions assessments rather than Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and calls for the inclusion of social costs of carbon and full lifecycle GHG emissions in project evaluations.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues that South Africa's initial R500 billion COVID-19 relief package was insufficient and poorly implemented, with only 41% (R207 billion) spent. The brief highlights severe economic vulnerabilities, particularly in construction, manufacturing, and the informal sector, and notes that South Africa spent only 4% of its GDP on relief, compared to a G20 average of 10%. To mitigate the third wave's impact, the IEJ proposes a R71.2 billion package over three months, focusing on sector-specific grants, tax relief, wage support via TERS, and expanded social grants.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing groundWork, Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, and the African Climate Alliance, has formally objected to the inclusion of new fossil fuel generation capacity—specifically 1500 MW of new coal—in South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 and a September 2020 ministerial determination. The letter requests that the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy clarify if the IRP 2019 will be updated by the end of 2021, citing a June 2021 announcement by President Ramaphosa to increase the NERSA generation licence exemption threshold to 100 MW. The authors argue this change could unlock over 5000 MW of embedded generation capacity not currently accounted for in the IRP 2019, necessitating a revision of the proposed energy mix.

The report evaluates nine financing options for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) in South Africa, focusing on progressive tax measures. Key proposals include a Social Security Tax, a Resource Rent Tax, and the selective removal of tax credits for high earners. The analysis finds that a UBIG aligned with the Food Poverty Line (FPL) for 60% of the population could be fully financed by these measures. The report also models the impact of different implementation speeds on South Africa's national debt and primary balance, suggesting that the FPL grant is the most fiscally feasible over the medium term.

The paper advocates for the adoption of nuclear power in Africa to combat energy poverty and meet climate goals, noting that nuclear energy is a zero-emission source with a high capacity factor. It addresses safety concerns by comparing death rates and highlighting new reactor designs, while suggesting that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could mitigate high upfront costs and long construction times. The author emphasizes the need for robust national regulatory frameworks and international cooperation through bodies like the IAEA and FNRBA to ensure safety and security.

The document advocates for the use of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Africa to bridge the gap between biodiversity protection and community livelihoods. It highlights that while traditional protected areas often displaced local populations, OECMs allow for diverse governance—including community and private partnerships—that can deliver both conservation and economic gains. Through case studies in South Africa and Kenya, the briefing demonstrates how these models can generate income via tourism, sustainable ranching, and ecosystem services. It concludes that African governments should collectively advocate for community-centred conservation in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, provided that rights-based approaches, innovative financing, and context-specific research are prioritised to avoid elite capture and ensure equitable benefit distribution.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of groundwork, wrote to the National Energy Regulator SA (NERSA) on 6 July 2021 to request a 90-day extension for commenting on electricity generation licence applications for three Karpowership gas power projects. The CER argues that the public participation process is flawed and that the projects' national significance warrants wider advertisement beyond local newspapers.

The document argues that African states must shift from a strategy of blocking new negotiations to one of active participation to avoid becoming 'rule takers' in the global trade system. It specifically recommends narrowing the TRIPS waiver proposal to focus solely on COVID-19 vaccines to secure broader support and suggests that African states prioritize a few key development outcomes from the stalled Doha Round while engaging in Joint Statement Initiatives (JSIs) on e-commerce and investment. The brief also emphasizes the need for the African Union to coordinate common policy positions and the establishment of regional vaccine production hubs in countries like South Africa, Senegal, Algeria, and Tunisia.

The report uses the GSI-IF model to analyze 32 countries, representing 77% of global CO2 emissions, to determine the impact of removing fossil fuel subsidies and implementing a 10% fossil energy tax by 2030. It finds that subsidy reform alone could save nearly USD 3 trillion and abate 5.4 GtCO2e, while combining reform with taxation and sustainable energy investment could increase average emission reductions from 6% to 11.8% by 2030.

The report argues that the 2019 IRP's goal of adding 1500 MW of new coal generation is technically and environmentally problematic. It concludes that 'clean coal' is a myth, as even high-efficiency, low-emission (HELE) technologies cannot eliminate significant air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The author finds that advanced ultra-supercritical plants and carbon capture technologies are currently unproven or cost-prohibitive at scale, making them unlikely to be implemented. Furthermore, the report asserts that the 2023 timeline for the first 750 MW is unrealistic and that new plants would inevitably cause harm to human and environmental health through emissions of toxic organic compounds, trace metals, and acid gases, as well as impacts from the broader coal supply chain.

The document introduces the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, a simulation-based tool designed to calculate environmental, social, governance, and climate risks, as well as externalities in infrastructure projects. It details the three-pronged modelling approach—system dynamics, project finance, and spatially explicit models—to provide a more comprehensive cost-benefit analysis than traditional financial valuations. The report provides sector-specific examples (energy, buildings, roads, wastewater, irrigation, and natural infrastructure) and outlines how these modules can be integrated into Indonesia's Vision 2045 (IV2045) system dynamics model to bridge top-down national strategy with bottom-up project implementation.

The paper examines how the APRM's Expanded Mandate has revitalized the agency by introducing targeted reviews and monitoring roles for Agenda 2063 and the SDGs, while cautioning that these additions may distract from its core mission of comprehensive country reviews. It highlights the role of the 'Kagame Reforms' and the leadership of CEO Prof. Eddy Maloka in restoring institutional stability and financial predictability. The author argues that the APRM must now consolidate these gains, rationalizing its activities to ensure that new instruments, such as National Governance Reports, do not become weak substitutes for rigorous peer reviews.

The report examines the decline of major industrial activities in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to derive lessons for contemporary decarbonization efforts. It argues that transition planning is a highly political process and that failing to address pre-existing inequalities or environmental legacies often leads to poor outcomes. Key recommendations include the need for early government engagement, locally-driven planning, and the use of nuanced indicators beyond simple job creation to measure success.

The 2021 State of Cities Climate Finance report finds that annual urban climate finance averaged USD 384 billion in 2017/2018, which is significantly lower than the estimated annual need of USD 4.5 to 5.4 trillion. Investment is heavily concentrated in OECD countries and China, with critically low levels in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The report emphasizes that while cities act as providers of infrastructure and stewards of regulation, their ability to mobilize finance depends on national-level governance, city-level capacity, and the alignment of climate-specific financial instruments. It recommends strengthening municipal finance fundamentals, integrating carbon pricing into capital planning, and utilizing catalytic funding to de-risk private investment in developing economies.

The document advocates for a 'One Health' strategy in Africa to address the interconnected crises of human health, biodiversity loss, and climate change. It argues that blanket bans on wildlife trade are unworkable and may increase the risk of zoonotic spill-over by driving trade underground. Instead, it recommends nature-positive investments, green stimulus packages, and financial incentives for source countries to reduce IWT and improve governance. The brief emphasizes that socio-economic factors, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, drive IWT, and suggests that supporting rural communities through alternative livelihoods is the most effective way to reduce pathogen spill-over risk.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) issued a letter of condolence to the High Commission of Zambia following the death of President Kenneth Kaunda. The letter describes Kaunda as a 'great African' and a 'friend of democratic South Africa' who served as the father of Zambia's independence from British rule. SAIIA highlights his role as a 'central player and supporter of liberation movements' in Southern Africa, specifically noting that he hosted the African National Congress (ANC) and the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) 'at great cost to his own country'. The document further notes that after stepping down as president in 1991, Kaunda continued to serve the region as a 'respected elder statesman'.