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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) provides a guide for developing financial instruments for climate adaptation, drawing on a decade of experience from the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (The Lab). It identifies key barriers to adaptation finance—such as high perceived risk, limited investor awareness, and a lack of bankable pipelines—and outlines a five-step framework for structuring successful instruments: defining a resilience thesis, building robust pipelines, strategic funder engagement, cultivating collaborations, and measuring impact.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of the Life After Coal (LAC) coalition, submitted comments on the Gas Amendment Bill [B – 2023], arguing that accelerating gas infrastructure is irrational given the climate emergency and South Africa's extreme vulnerability to climate change. The submission criticizes the Bill for inadequate public consultation processes, lack of transparency regarding confidential information, and a failure to align with international climate targets such as the IPCC's 1.5°C benchmark.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the intersection of global renewable energy goals and South Africa's socio-economic challenges, arguing that a 'Just Energy Transition' requires radical socio-economic transformation, energy democracy, and decentralized governance.

This report examines the integration of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) into trade policies between developing countries (South-South trade) to enhance the trade of sustainable products and improve market access for small-scale producers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

This policy brief examines the vulnerability of Africa to transboundary and cascading climate risks, where climate impacts in one country affect others through trade, finance, migration, and shared ecosystems. It discusses the role of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in managing these risks and provides recommendations for the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to seek support via UNFCCC processes.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) 2022 end-of-year letter outlines the organization's efforts to catalyze resilience investments and initiatives, highlighting partnerships with the private sector, the launch of innovation challenges in East Africa, and the operation of the COP Resilience Hub.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments on the draft National Water Resources Strategy 3 (NWRS-3) on 28 October 2022. The submission argues that the strategy must move beyond treating climate change as a future uncertainty and instead implement binding regulations to protect water security. The CER emphasizes the need for legal protection of Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), strengthened compliance monitoring and enforcement (CME), increased transparency in water resource information, and a precautionary approach to unconventional oil and gas exploration due to risks of water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural Justice and the Biodiversity Law Centre provide a commentary on the Draft White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity 2022, expressing strong support for its shift toward a 'Living in Harmony with Nature' paradigm and its recognition of the colonial and apartheid legacies within the conservation sector.

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 research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the bidirectional relationship between structural inequality and climate change, arguing that current economic systems and global environmental governance frameworks fail to address the inequitable distribution of resources and ecological space.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the complex relationship between climate change and violent conflict in Africa. It argues that while climate change acts as a 'risk multiplier' that can exacerbate existing political, social, and economic tensions, the link to violence is indirect and highly contextual. The document emphasizes the need for conflict-sensitive climate adaptation strategies, particularly in fragile contexts, and calls for the Global North to fulfill climate finance commitments to support the Global South.

This guide and factsheet from WWF South Africa and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa provides educational resources for youth on environmental stewardship. It specifically details the three main aquifers supplying Cape Town (Table Mountain Group, Cape Flats, and Atlantis) and explains the hydrological process of groundwater filtration. The document advocates for sustainable water use and the protection of aquifers against over-extraction and pollution, framing environmental care as a spiritual mandate.

An open letter from the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) to its partners detailing joint accomplishments in 2021, focusing on scaling resilience innovations, promoting shared learning, and convening diverse voices to influence global policy and investment.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for groundWork, Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, and the African Climate Alliance, issued a letter of demand to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). The letter demands the abandonment of the procurement of 1,500 MW of new coal-generation capacity as specified in the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 (IRP 2019) and a September 2020 ministerial determination, citing economic, environmental, and climate risks.

This political statement by Friends of the Earth International advocates for a 'Renewable Energy Plan for a Just Recovery' to make Africa 100% independent in renewable energy by 2050. The plan seeks to address energy poverty, the impacts of climate change, and the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic through community-led energy systems and a transition away from fossil fuels.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of itself and groundWork, submitted comments on the draft Gas Amendment Bill [B9 – 2020] to the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy. The CER argues that the Bill fails to account for the climate emergency, lacks adequate public consultation and access to information, and irregularly encroaches upon environmental regulatory powers reserved for the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

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.

A letter of condolence from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) to the High Commission of Zambia to South Africa following the death of President Kenneth Kaunda.

This report outlines key priorities for Africa within the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, advocating for a shift toward natural capital accounting and nature-based solutions. It argues that the economic stimulus packages following the COVID-19 pandemic provide a unique window for a 'green stimulus' to restore ecological infrastructure and align development with the African Union's Agenda 2063.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of itself and clients groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submitted a statement to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy opposing the draft Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill, 2019. The CER argues that the Bill is a flawed replication of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) that fails to address the climate emergency, violates constitutional rights to administrative justice, and improperly encroaches upon environmental regulatory powers.