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The analysis demonstrates that households in Benin incur significant additional expenses for voltage stabilizers and generators to cope with power outages and fluctuations. When these 'extra' costs are included in energy poverty metrics, the percentage of energy-poor connected households rises from 51% to 72%. The report argues that current assessments are insufficient and calls for policymakers to incorporate these defensive costs into energy poverty measurements to design more targeted alleviation strategies.

The analysis demonstrates that in Benin, additional expenditures on 'preventive strategies'—such as voltage stabilizers and generators—significantly increase the prevalence of energy poverty. Using 2015 survey data from 3,816 households, the study finds that these extra costs represent 41% of total electricity expenditures. When these costs are included in the assessment, the proportion of connected households in energy poverty rises from 51% to 72%. The report concludes that policymakers must account for these defensive expenditures to accurately measure and address energy poverty in the region.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is implementing an Africa-led program to address energy poverty and economic development by expanding energy access and building a foundation for decarbonization. The program emphasizes the need for centralized grids and industrial energy use over a limited focus on micro-grids and solar home systems. Key activities include developing energy transition modeling for Sub-Saharan Africa, establishing technology innovation hubs in West and East Africa, and improving the financial health of utilities. CATF is seeking $10 million over five years to scale these efforts, with current projects in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, and scoping activities in Rwanda and West Africa Power Pool member countries.

The report highlights that tropospheric ozone is a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant responsible for approximately 0.23°C of present-day warming and nearly 500,000 premature deaths annually. It is not emitted directly but forms from precursors like methane, nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and carbon monoxide (CO). The document identifies a significant gap in global climate strategies, noting that tropospheric ozone is largely absent from the Paris Agreement and most Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It provides sector-specific policy levers—ranging from methane capture in oil and gas to electric vehicle adoption in transport—and presents case studies from Los Angeles, Mexico City, Beijing, and Europe to demonstrate the effectiveness of targeted pollution control. The report concludes with recommendations for policymakers to adopt multi-pollutant approaches, for scientists to fill knowledge gaps in regional climate effects, and for funders to increase the currently insufficient international development funding for outdoor air pollution.

Tariq Banuri, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development at the UN, argues that integrating climate and development goals requires making renewable energy affordable and competitive. He asserts that reducing the cost of renewables is the only way to ensure global economic growth and poverty reduction while lowering emissions.

The document outlines how hazardous pesticides impact human health and the environment, specifically in developing countries, and maps these impacts to violations of international human rights laws. It emphasizes the responsibility of states to protect citizens and the obligation of companies to respect human rights through due diligence. Key rights identified as being at risk include the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to food, the right to information, and the specific protections afforded to workers and children.

The report highlights the strategic link between food security and political stability in Europe, warning that climate-driven food shocks and geopolitical conflicts can fuel populism and undermine climate action. It calls for increased investment in multidisciplinary climate modelling, adaptive funding for rural communities, and a leadership role for the EU in promoting resilient global food systems to mitigate risks of social unrest and migration.

Public adaptation finance grew by at least 12% to $25 billion between 2012 and 2013, though it remains insufficient for a warming trajectory exceeding 2 °C. Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) were the primary source of funding, with low-cost loans accounting for 52% ($12.9 billion) of total finance and grants representing 16% ($3.9 billion). Approximately 90% of captured adaptation finance ($22 billion) was invested in non-OECD developing countries, with the East Asia and Pacific region being the primary destination for total and DFI financing, while Sub-Saharan Africa received the most funding from governments and Climate Funds.

The Green Affordable Housing Finance instrument, piloted by Reall, aims to create a self-sustaining housing finance ecosystem for climate-smart affordable homes. It employs a dual-facility approach: an Enabling Environment Facility (EEF) providing technical assistance and construction finance to developers and lenders, and a Guarantee Facility to de-risk construction and mortgage loans. The instrument targets populations with low and informal incomes and requires all supported homes to meet industry standard green certification. During its five-year pilot in Kenya, the Guarantee Facility is expected to mobilize USD 37 million in lending, with a long-term scale-up goal of supporting over USD 400 million in local private loans over 15 years.

The World Bank Group (WBG) has dedicated a small portion of its risk mitigation flows to climate change, with commitments rising from an average of 10% since 1990 to 14% between 2010 and 2012. While the WBG's annual risk mitigation commitments grew from 2 USD billion to 4 USD billion in the last three years, the document argues that few instruments have reached a significant scale for climate projects. The IFC is the only WBG institution with products specifically dedicated to climate change, though only one such product has achieved significant scale. MIGA is identified as the largest provider of risk mitigation by volume but has relatively low involvement in the climate sector. Most climate-related commitments have targeted established technologies, primarily in Latin America, East Asia & Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The report finds that global financial commitments for energy access are insufficient, with electricity funding reaching only about half of the required USD 52 billion annually and clean cooking funding remaining abysmal. While electricity finance increased to USD 30.2 billion per year in 20 high-impact countries, it is heavily concentrated in Asia, particularly India, while Sub-Saharan Africa has seen declines. Investment is skewed toward grid-connected technologies, including a doubling of coal plant financing, while off-grid solutions receive only 1.3% of total funds. Clean cooking finance dropped 5% to USD 30 million per year, far below the USD 4.4 billion needed. Case studies highlight India's success in mobilizing private finance for renewables and Indonesia's use of government subsidies to scale LPG adoption.

The report identifies the residential sector as the largest global source of black carbon (BC), accounting for 48% of emissions in 2017, followed by transportation (24%) and industry. While emissions have declined in North America, Europe, and China due to stricter standards and fuel switching, these gains are being offset by increases in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where reliance on unclean cooking fuels remains high. The document highlights critical hotspots, including eastern China and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and notes that global BC reductions are not currently on track to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's 1.5°C warming limit.

Black carbon (BC), or soot, is a potent short-lived climate pollutant resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It causes significant respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, contributing to millions of excess deaths annually, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Economically, BC exposure and reliance on unclean cooking fuels cause trillions of dollars in losses. Climatically, BC warms the atmosphere by absorbing solar energy and accelerates ice melt in the Arctic and Himalayas by reducing albedo. The report argues that reducing BC emissions—especially through clean cooking fuels in sub-Saharan Africa and transportation improvements in urban areas—would prevent millions of premature deaths, reduce deforestation, and help limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The report 'Fuelling Failure' details how the fossil fuel industry sabotages the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through climate change, direct pollution, and corporate misconduct. It highlights severe impacts including 8.7 million premature deaths annually from air pollution, the destruction of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and the exacerbation of global poverty and inequality. The authors argue that the 1.5°C target is impossible without a coordinated global phase-out of coal, oil, and gas, proposing a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to manage non-proliferation, equitable phase-down, and a just transition for affected workers and nations.

The Jubilee Insurance Company of Kenya Limited implemented a three-phased leadership development programme starting in 2013-14 to address challenges such as low staff morale and poor communication. The programme progressed from personality assessments and 360° surveys to a planned phase of building internal coaching capabilities. Early results indicate improvements in leadership cohesion, employee engagement, and business metrics, including a revenue increase from Kes. 15.48 billion in 2013 to Kes. 21.17 billion in 2014 and a reduction in staff turnover from 15% in 2012 to 10.7% in 2015.

The report identifies that while insurance innovation exists across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, it is not yet leveraged to reach underserved segments like MSMEs and rural inhabitants at scale. Key constraints include high mobile data costs, low consumer trust, a significant STEM skills gap, and risk-averse corporate boards. Regulatory frameworks are generally not seen as major barriers, but gaps remain in digital onboarding clarity and license categories for insurtechs. The document recommends that regulators move beyond formal regulation to use proactive market engagement, streamlined supervisory processes, and upgraded digital monitoring systems to foster inclusive insurance growth.

The Africa Pensions Supervisors’ Network Programme (October 2021 – September 2025) addresses the fact that Africa’s pension assets are less than 1% of global assets and coverage is only 9.6%. The programme aims to encourage long-term retirement savings and create a regulatory environment that supports the investment of pension assets into the real sector to promote economic development and poverty reduction. Key activities include convening pension sector actors and supporting the annual Africa Pensions Supervisors Forum (APSF), including a 2022 event in Kigali and a subsequent Memorandum of Understanding between FSD Africa and APSF.

The document outlines FSD Africa's commitment to integrating ES&I considerations into its financial operations to avoid harm and create positive development impact. It details a systems approach via an Environmental and Social Performance Management (ESPM) system, a gender-intentional lens for investing, and a comprehensive exclusion list for prohibited activities, including specific fossil fuel restrictions.

FSD Africa's Climate Finance Training Programme aims to close the green funding gap in Africa by training policymakers, regulators, and financial professionals. The program focuses on building the skills necessary to access the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other climate funds, specifically through the accreditation of direct access entities (DAEs). To date, the training has reached 70 officials and 31 students from 13 institutions across 11 countries. The program expects to drive a sixteen-fold increase in investments in sub-Saharan Africa, with a projected funding split of 40% from climate funds and 60% from private sector financing tools. In Ethiopia, the training targeted staff from the Ministry of Finance, the National Bank of Ethiopia, and the Ethiopia Roads Authority to foster policy change and the potential issuance of green bonds.

Persistent Energy Capital provides equity and venture-building support to small, under-resourced green companies in Sub-Saharan Africa, starting with investments as low as $50,000. To date, the fund has invested $23 million across 23 companies in 22 countries, contributing to the elimination of 1.4 million tons of CO2 and the creation of over 21,700 jobs. With support from FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi), Persistent is currently raising a US$100 million Africa Climate Venture Builder Fund to expand its reach into sectors such as agritech, circular economy, waste management, and water and sanitation.