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The 2024 IPIE expert survey reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of experts expecting it to deteriorate. The availability of accurate information and diversity of voices are identified as the most critical characteristics of a healthy information environment. Social media platform owners, governments, and politicians are cited as the primary threats. While generative AI is viewed as a tool that could improve content detection and journalism, experts are more concerned about its potential to amplify disinformation, harassment, and bias.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of experts expecting it to worsen. The availability of accurate information and diversity of voices are identified as the most critical characteristics of a healthy environment. Social media platform owners, governments, and politicians are cited as the primary threats. While generative AI is viewed as a tool that could improve content detection and journalism, experts are predominantly concerned that it will amplify disinformation, harassment, and bias. Experts advocate for supporting free and independent media and digital media literacy to build resilience.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of respondents expecting conditions to worsen. Experts identify the availability of accurate information and diversity of opinion as the most critical characteristics of a healthy environment, while naming social media owners, governments, and politicians as the primary threats. Generative AI is viewed with mixed sentiment: 63% of experts believe it has negatively impacted the environment by scaling disinformation and bias, though 67% hope it will improve content detection and journalistic efficiency. To improve the environment, experts advocate for free and independent media and increased digital media literacy.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey indicates a growing pessimism about the global information landscape, with 63% of respondents expecting it to deteriorate. Experts identify the availability of reliable information and diversity of voices as essential for a healthy landscape, while naming social media platform owners and governments as the primary threats. Generative AI is viewed with mixed sentiment: while 67% hope it can improve content detection and journalism, 63% fear it will amplify biases, harassment, and misinformation. The report calls for support of independent media and improved data access for cross-platform, multidisciplinary research.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of respondents expecting it to worsen. Experts identify the availability of accurate information and diversity of voices as the most critical features of a healthy environment, while naming social media platform owners and governments as the primary threats. Generative AI is viewed as a double-edged sword: 63% of experts fear it will amplify bias and misinformation, although 67% see potential for improving content discovery and journalism. The report emphasizes the need for supporting independent media and overcoming data access barriers for researchers.

The 2024 IPIE expert consultation reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of researchers expecting it to worsen. Experts identify the availability of accurate information and diversity of voices as the most critical characteristics of a healthy information environment. The owners of social media platforms, governments, and politicians are cited as the most significant threats. Generative AI is viewed with mixed sentiment: while 63% of experts fear it will amplify disinformation, harassment, and bias, 67% hope it will improve content detection and journalism. Experts advocate for free and independent media, digital literacy, and improved data access for multi-disciplinary research.

The 2024 IPIE expert survey reveals a growing pessimism about the global information environment, with 63% of respondents expecting it to worsen. Experts identify access to accurate information and diverse voices as critical for a healthy environment, while viewing social media owners, governments, and politicians as the primary threats. Generative AI is viewed with mixed sentiment: 63% fear it will increase bias and misinformation, while 67% hope it will improve content discovery and journalism. The report advocates for supporting independent media and improving data access for researchers.

The report outlines the potential for green mini-grids to provide electricity to millions in Africa, emphasizing the need for patient growth capital, concessional finance, and robust regulatory frameworks. It highlights the shift toward 'energy services' models that integrate productive use of energy (PURE) to increase profitability and the critical need for domestic workforce skilling and technological innovation to reduce costs.

The report reveals a decline in international public finance for energy access, with electricity commitments peaking in 2018 and clean cooking funding showing extreme volatility. Significant regional and developmental disparities exist, with a heavy concentration of funds in a few countries like India, China, and Bangladesh, and a predominance of debt-based financing over grants. Case studies of Bangladesh and Kenya highlight that while both achieved significant access gains through concerted policy and financial efforts, they face ongoing challenges with system inefficiency and affordability.

SEforALL's 2024–2026 Strategic Plan focuses on achieving SDG7 and the Paris Agreement goals by operating at the nexus of energy, climate, and development. The strategy is built on three pillars: global advocacy to drive political and financial commitments, the development of scalable solutions and platforms to address systemic bottlenecks, and tailored in-country support to build national capacity. Cross-cutting priorities include clean cooking, gender and youth empowerment, and data intelligence. The organization estimates a total budgetary need of approximately USD 132 million over the three-year period, with annual resource needs growing by 20% to over USD 48 million.

The global mini-grid market has seen significant growth, with installations in 2024 projected to be six times higher than in 2018. There is a clear transition from diesel to solar PV, with solar's share of installed capacity rising from 14% in 2018 to 59% in 2024. While funding has increased—with total committed funding for ongoing programmes exceeding USD 3.1 billion—a significant financing gap remains, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The sector is shifting toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) business models and innovative technologies like mesh grids and lithium-ion batteries to improve financial viability. However, the report notes that regulatory implementation often lags behind formal policy, and there is a critical need for standardized reporting and better data sharing to attract private investment.

The 2024 State of the Global Mini-Grids Market report highlights a significant expansion of the sector, with installations increasing six-fold since 2018. It documents a transition from diesel-heavy systems to solar photovoltaic (PV) and lithium-ion battery storage, driven by a 90% drop in solar panel costs over the last decade. The report emphasizes the shift toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) to ensure financial viability and the emergence of innovative models like mesh grids for low-density areas. While total committed funding has exceeded 3.1 billion USD, the report identifies a persistent financing gap and slow disbursement rates, averaging 57% as of March 2024. It recommends the adoption of integrated energy planning, standardized regulatory tools, and a greater focus on local developers to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.

The 2024 Global State of the Mini-Grid Market report highlights a significant expansion in mini-grid installations, with a marked shift from diesel to solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. It identifies a substantial funding gap despite an increase in total authorized funding to over 3.1 billion USD. The document emphasizes the transition toward integrated energy planning, the importance of Productive Use of Energy (PUE) for financial viability, and the role of digital tools in reducing operational and development costs. It provides detailed case studies on Sierra Leone, India, and Kenya to illustrate diverse regulatory and economic approaches.

The Energy Progress Report 2024 reveals that the world is not on track to achieve any of the 2030 targets for SDG 7. While 91% of the global population has electricity access, progress reversed in 2022, leaving 685.2 million people without power, with 83% of the deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clean cooking access stands at 74%, but 2.1 billion people still rely on polluting fuels. Renewable energy's share in total final energy consumption was 18.7% in 2021, and global energy intensity improved by only 0.8% in 2021, far below the 2.6% target. International public financial flows to developing countries rebounded to USD 15.4 billion in 2022 but remain well below the 2016 peak of USD 28.5 billion.

The document argues that industrialisation is essential for improving living standards and creating youth employment in Africa, but notes a lack of focus on this goal during the 2022 and 2023 G20 summits. It identifies a productivity gap where large firms fail to generate sufficient employment and small firms lack productivity. The author recommends that the G20 adopt a unifying theme of industrialisation to support structural transformation, agricultural productivity, and the integration of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into global value chains.

The report argues that climate adaptation is now a business imperative due to increasing physical risks and economic losses. It identifies three 'entry points' for private finance: 'Protect' (safeguarding existing assets and supply chains), 'Grow' (investing in early-stage and mature companies developing resilience technologies), and 'Participate' (co-investing in public sector infrastructure projects). The analysis highlights that adaptation investments can yield high benefit-to-cost ratios, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), and that valuation multiples for resilience solution providers are promising, with a median of 9 times revenue.

The report argues that while healthcare facilities in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa face severe energy deficits and climate vulnerabilities, there is a strong climate rationale for investing in low-carbon and resilient technologies. It identifies various climate finance sources—including bilateral finance, multilateral funds, private foundations, carbon/REC markets, and green bonds—and analyzes the barriers to accessing these funds, such as high transaction costs for small-scale projects and limited local technical capacity. The document proposes a programmatic approach to aggregate facilities to achieve economies of scale and recommends integrating energy, health, and climate expertise to mobilize the necessary capital.

The report argues that while MDBs have increased overall climate finance, urban climate investments in L&MICs have plateaued and remain insufficient. It identifies critical gaps in strategy, operating models, and private capital mobilization, recommending a shift from project-by-project approaches to programmatic strategies and increased direct financing for cities to meet global climate goals.

Smallholder farms, particularly those between two and five hectares, produce 46% of the world's food and often exhibit higher land productivity and biodiversity than larger farms. While they are critical for global supply chains of products like coffee, cocoa, and tea, they face a 'yield gap'—ranging from 11% in East Asia to 76% in Sub-Saharan Africa—that could be closed through better access to modern agrifood chains and technology. In Africa, the adoption of climate-smart practices such as agroforestry and organic manure is heavily influenced by the availability of finance and credit. Smallholder agriculture is a primary economic driver in many developing nations, contributing 23% to the GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The policy brief argues that climate finance for Africa is currently inefficient, insufficient, and unfair. It details five systemic barriers: unsustainable public debt, inadequate funding levels, high investor risk perception, currency fluctuations, and limited private sector engagement. To address these, the document recommends interventions including debt relief, low-cost long-term loans, credit enhancement schemes, foreign exchange guarantees, and a dedicated 'turbocharger facility' for African entrepreneurs and projects.