Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing by the Global Climate and Health Alliance outlines principles to ensure COP27 prioritizes African health and climate needs. It advocates for a transition where 'net zero' equates to 'zero poverty,' emphasizing the integration of health professionals into climate decision-making, the promotion of indigenous food systems over Western-style diets, and the urgent need for targeted finance and renewable energy access to build community resilience.

This submission to the UNFCCC First Global Stocktake, prepared by the World Health Organization and the Global Climate and Health Alliance, advocates for the systematic integration of public health and the healthcare sector into climate policymaking. It emphasizes that climate action can yield significant health co-benefits, while the healthcare sector itself is a major emitter that must transition to low-carbon, resilient systems.

The Capital Markets Impact Report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to develop African capital markets to address financing gaps in infrastructure, housing, and climate resilience. The report outlines FSD Africa's strategic shift toward five priority countries—Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria—while maintaining a regional footprint. It highlights the use of technical assistance, grants, and direct investments to foster green and gender bonds, improve regulatory frameworks, and enhance market infrastructure to reduce dependency on bank-dominated financial sectors.

This report by the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) provides an overview of the food systems context in southern Africa, focusing on the pivotal events of 2021. It details the drivers necessitating food systems transformation—such as climate change, urbanisation, and malnutrition—and summarizes the outcomes of major international summits (UNFSS, AGRF, COP26) and regional initiatives led by the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) to build climate-resilient and sustainable food systems.

This report details the outcomes of the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) in 2021, focusing on transforming food systems in southern Africa. Through a series of workshops and dialogues, SARA identified key leverage points for change, including the need for water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approaches, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the empowerment of women and youth. The document provides 14 comprehensive recommendations for regional transformation, emphasizing a shift from siloed sectoral thinking to systemic, people-centered governance and the adoption of 'futuring' methodologies to plan for resilient food landscapes.

This research paper analyzes the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and identifies strategic opportunities for Korean investors and the Korean government to reverse a decline in trade with Africa. It highlights the potential for Korea to leverage its expertise in capital goods, automotive manufacturing, and clean energy to integrate into emerging African regional value chains.

This policy brief examines the challenges and opportunities for securing sustainable finance to support Africa's regional infrastructure agenda, specifically within the framework of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights the gap between Africa's high climate vulnerability and its low access to sustainable finance, proposing lessons from the ASEAN region to improve project bankability and regulatory harmonisation.

This research paper by the NewClimate Institute compares 2021 greenhouse gas emission projections for G20 countries up to 2030 against projections made in 2015. While absolute projected emissions have decreased and growth rates have slowed, the G20 collectively remains off track to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goals, with emissions still expected to increase slightly by 2030.

This research paper argues that China is leveraging African dissatisfaction with Western paternalism and the current global order to strengthen its relations with African nations during the Ukraine conflict. The author suggests that the war is accelerating a shift toward multipolarity, allowing China to position itself as an alternative partner that respects national autonomy and non-interference, potentially boosting its Global Security Initiative and diplomatic influence across the continent.

This research paper examines the diverse responses of African nations to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and proposes four strategic options for the continent to advance its political, economic, and social interests amid the shifting geopolitical landscape.

This policy brief examines the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) established under the Paris Agreement, focusing on the reporting requirements for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the challenges faced by developing countries, particularly in Africa, in meeting these standards by the 2024 deadline.

This research paper examines Russia's efforts to expand its diplomatic and security influence in Africa, arguing that while Moscow has increased its presence since the Cold War, its ambitions are severely limited by a lack of financial resources compared to rivals like China, the US, and the EU. The author contends that Russia's strategy relies heavily on security partnerships and 'non-interference' rhetoric, which cannot substitute for the large-scale infrastructure and financial aid provided by other global powers.

This report by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how G7 economies are exposed to cross-border climate risks due to the interconnected nature of global supply chains. It highlights that extreme weather events in production hubs—particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America—can cause global price spikes, industrial production declines, and threats to food security in industrialised nations. The document argues that because manufacturing is often offshored to lower-cost regions, G7 nations must cooperate internationally to fund climate adaptation in developing countries to secure their own supply chains.

This submission by Amnesty International and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change argues that States have a legal obligation to protect human rights from climate-induced loss and damage (L&D). The document advocates for a human rights-based approach to L&D, including the establishment of a dedicated Loss and Damage Finance Facility, the implementation of inclusive needs assessments, and the recognition of the collective responsibility of wealthy States to provide remedy and compensation to affected people in developing countries.

The report estimates that implementing Africa's NDCs from 2020 to 2030 will cost USD 2.8 trillion, with a funding gap of USD 2.5 trillion. Current annual flows of USD 30 billion meet only 12% of the required USD 250 billion annual need. Mitigation accounts for 66% of needs, while adaptation accounts for 24%, though the latter is likely underestimated.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative explores financial aggregation as a strategy to overcome barriers to urban climate finance. It defines financial aggregation as the use of instruments or enterprises to combine multiple investments, participants, projects, or sectors to scale up financing for urban climate mitigation and adaptation. The document details supply-side and demand-side aggregation models, provides case studies from various global regions, and outlines the necessary enabling environments and stakeholder recommendations to implement these strategies.

This report by FSD Africa and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the climate finance needs of African countries based on their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It estimates that implementing these NDCs between 2020 and 2030 will cost USD 2.8 trillion, with a funding gap of USD 2.5 trillion that must be met by international and private sources. The report highlights significant data gaps in adaptation needs and sectoral disaggregation, and recommends that the UNFCCC provide standardized guidance to help countries develop robust, bottom-up financing roadmaps.

This policy brief examines the limited participation of African nations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce. It analyzes the tension between the plurilateral JSI approach and the multilateral Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, highlighting the digital divide and capacity constraints facing African states. The author argues that African countries should engage with the JSI to protect their developmental interests and prepare for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) e-commerce protocol.

This policy brief examines the deployment and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the dominance of foreign Big Tech companies and the need for local AI capacities that align with national development priorities. It analyzes risks associated with biometric identification, the gig economy, and 'click work,' while reviewing emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda. The document argues that for AI to benefit local economies, African states must prioritize inclusive digital infrastructure, data governance, and the protection of human rights, while cautioning that regulatory frameworks from the EU (such as the AI Act and GDPR) may not fully address the structural and socio-economic realities of the African context.

This policy brief examines the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in Africa, highlighting the tension between the potential for socio-economic growth and the risks posed by foreign technology monopolies, precarious digital labour, and human rights violations. It analyzes emerging national AI strategies in countries like Egypt, Mauritius, and Rwanda, while arguing that African policymakers must prioritize local capacity, inclusive infrastructure, and gender-sensitive labour protections to ensure AI serves national developmental priorities rather than external interests.