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The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 by Sustainable Energy for All indicates that the world is off track to meet all Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets by 2030. While global electricity access has improved, progress is decelerating and heavily concentrated in Asia, leaving Africa with the vast majority of the unelectrified population. Clean cooking access is failing to keep pace with population growth in Africa, and global renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are too slow to meet the required trajectories.

The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 executive summary indicates that all Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets are off track for 2030. While global electricity access has reached nearly 92%, progress is decelerating, and the remaining deficit is heavily concentrated in Africa. Clean cooking access remains a critical gap with 2 billion people lacking access, and global energy efficiency and renewable energy shares are not improving fast enough to meet 2030 targets.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes the role of cobalt as a critical mineral for the clean energy transition, detailing its applications in lithium-ion batteries, global distribution of reserves and production, and the significant human rights and environmental impacts associated with its extraction, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This report by Ember analyzes the economic impact of the 2026 Hormuz crisis on Türkiye, detailing how the country's high dependence on imported fossil fuels leads to significant increases in its energy import bill. It argues that accelerating clean electrification in transport and buildings is the most effective way to permanently reduce these structural economic risks.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines global 'wildcards' and megatrends—including great-power instability, generative AI, and the biosphere crisis—that could disrupt future scenarios for Africa and the world by 2043.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes Morocco's development trajectory toward 2043, comparing a 'Current Path' forecast with eight sectoral scenarios and a combined 'Agenda 2063' scenario. It highlights Morocco's transition toward higher-value manufacturing, its strategic geographic position, and critical challenges including water scarcity, energy import dependence, and regional territorial disputes.

This introductory report provides a geographic, environmental, and political overview of Mali, detailing its climate challenges, history of military coups, and shifting international alliances, including its withdrawal from ECOWAS to form the Confederation of Sahel States.

This research paper provides an introductory overview of Burkina Faso, detailing its political instability, the severe impact of terrorism and jihadi violence, its shifting international alliances, and its economic challenges as a low-income, landlocked nation.

This research paper presents the 'Financial Flows scenario', a model using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting platform to assess the impact of increased aid, foreign direct investment (FDI), and remittances, alongside reduced illicit financial flows (IFFs), on Africa's development indicators through 2043.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while actual production fell by 0.6%, as coal plants are increasingly used as backup capacity rather than primary energy sources. While China and India continue aggressive expansions, the number of countries pursuing new coal developments is declining, and the European Union is seeing a terminal decline in coal usage.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025, highlighting a paradox where global capacity is increasing while actual electricity production from coal is declining. It focuses heavily on the roles of China and India as the primary drivers of new capacity, the shift of coal to a 'system insurance' role, and a detailed critique of Indonesia's regulatory contradictions and the rise of captive coal plants for mineral processing.

The report 'Boom and Bust Coal 2026' analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence between increasing installed capacity and decreasing actual generation. While China and India continue to expand capacity for energy security, global coal development is concentrating in fewer countries, and several nations, including South Korea, have committed to phase-outs.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and various partners analyzes the state of global coal-fired power generation in 2025 and early 2026. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity continues to increase—driven primarily by China and India—while actual generation decreases as renewables displace coal. The document details regional trends, noting that while Latin America has reached a 'No New Coal' status, several countries in the region are experiencing delays in planned plant retirements due to political pressure or energy security concerns.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power portfolio in 2025, highlighting a divergence where coal capacity continued to grow despite a decrease in actual coal-fired electricity generation. The document details regional trends, noting that new coal development is increasingly concentrated in China and India, while other regions like Latin America have ceased new coal projects. It also examines the specific challenges facing Ukraine's energy infrastructure due to Russian attacks and the debate over whether to restore old coal plants or transition to decentralized renewable energy.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the collapse of multilateralism in the Sahel, focusing on how military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have led to the formation of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) and a strategic pivot away from Western-led institutions toward partners like Russia and China.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' bySS analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing gap where coal capacity is increasing while actual electricity production isS is declining. This trend is most prominent in China and India, where coal plants are increasingly used as 'system insurance' to support the integration of renewables. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects is decreasing, Indonesia remains a significant outlier, expanding coal capacity primarily through 'captive' power plants for mineral processing (nickel and aluminum) and facing regulatory contradictions between its climate commitments and energy planning documents.

An Ember report finds that global coal mine methane (CMM) emissions remained broadly steady between 2021 and 2023, despite an 8% increase in global coal production. The report highlights significant discrepancies between official UNFCCC-reported data and independent estimates, noting that six of the nine largest emitters failed to submit official 2023 CMM data.

The Global Coal Mine Methane Review 2026 reports that coal mine methane (CMM) emissions have remained steady at approximately 35 million tonnes despite rising coal production since the 2021 Global Methane Pledge. The report highlights a critical lack of transparency, estimating that 89% of emissions were unreported to the UNFCCC in 2023, and that 87% of global coal production relies on generic emission factors rather than direct measurements. While satellite monitoring is increasing, it currently captures emissions from only 10% of global hard coal production. The report concludes that existing technologies could reduce CMM emissions by 54-63% by 2030, with some measures available at no net cost, and that such reductions are affordable relative to industry profits.

The report argues that betting on long-term growth for metallurgical coal (met coal) is a losing strategy as demand plateaus due to China's economic shift and the rise of low-carbon steel production. It highlights the risk of stranded assets given the volume of planned mine expansions and recommends that governments accelerate the transition to green steel through subsidy reform and public procurement.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity demand and supply trends in 2025 and over the preceding two decades. It details the growth of low-carbon sources, specifically solar and wind, and the relative decline of fossil fuels, while noting the impact of weather and policy on national energy mixes.