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The document analyzes the evolution of BRICS, specifically the 2023 addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, and the 2024 introduction of a 'partner countries' category. Using Susan Strange's framework of structural power, it argues that BRICS is not seeking to create a rival system but to reshape global governance to be more representative of the global South. The analysis highlights the bloc's economic growth—surpassing the G7 in PPP terms around 2015—and its efforts to create alternative financial mechanisms like the New Development Bank (NDB) and local currency trade to reduce reliance on Western systems. It concludes that while internal diversity and regional rivalries challenge cohesion, the 'agree to disagree' principle allows BRICS to function as a catalyst for South-South cooperation.

The energy transition increases demand for minerals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium, which are often sourced from poorly regulated mines in a few countries, leading to human rights abuses and environmental damage. While recycling and new battery technologies could reduce this demand, current recycling rates remain low, and the industry requires more transparent, enforceable sustainability standards.

The report presents survey data from 108,946 Facebook users worldwide, revealing high global levels of worry and belief that climate change is happening, though perceptions of its causes and the responsibility for action vary significantly by region. While there is widespread support for renewable energy and the belief that climate action will not harm economic growth, willingness to engage in organized climate activism remains low in most regions, with a notable exception in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The report examines how developing countries can capture a fair share of financial benefits from critical minerals, highlighting risks such as price volatility, oversupply, and opaque markets. It suggests opportunities for these nations to increase state participation, develop downstream processing capabilities, and reform fiscal incentives to maximize economic gains from the energy transition.

The document describes the use of Research ICT Africa's research and a multi-channel communication strategy to inform Namibian policy-makers and regulators, leading to legislative reform and market liberalization in the telecommunications sector.

The report argues that MDBs fail to deliver genuine climate finance due to flawed accounting methodologies that allow fossil fuel-related projects, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and waste-to-energy incineration, to be counted as climate action. It highlights a systemic bias toward mitigation over adaptation and a preference for loans over grants, which exacerbates debt in the Global South. Specific analysis of the AIIB and ADB reveals transparency gaps, the inclusion of high-emitting projects in climate portfolios, and a failure to integrate gender equality and human rights into climate finance principles.

The IEJ 2023–2027 Strategy transitions the organisation from a 'start-up' to a 'consolidation' and 'growth' phase. It aims to challenge neoliberal economic orthodoxies through a research-policy-advocacy nexus, promoting heterodox and feminist economic analysis. The strategy identifies five key objectives: advancing inclusive macroeconomic frameworks, growing communities of practice for progressive economic thinking, supporting just transitions in response to the climate crisis and changing work, popularising economic justice policies, and strengthening internal organisational capacity.

The document details various green asset-backed securities (ABS) and aggregation mechanisms used to fund low-carbon transitions. It highlights specific instruments such as synthetic ABS, PACE ABS, solar ABS, and green covered bonds, providing examples of issuers and the types of underlying assets—ranging from energy-efficient mortgages to electric vehicle leases—that enable institutional investors to finance smaller-scale green assets.

The document analyzes India's transition from a rigid negotiating stance based on historical emissions equity to a more pragmatic engagement integrated with its broader foreign policy goals. While domestic action under the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change is driven by energy security and development, India's international diplomacy is increasingly influenced by its strategic relationships with the United States and China. However, structural economic barriers and domestic ideological norms continue to limit the extent of international emission commitments India can make.

The document outlines various mechanisms through which G20 nations can redirect public money—including subsidies, tax revenues, state-owned enterprise investments, and credit support—away from fossil fuels. It highlights specific national and regional successes, such as Indonesia's subsidy reforms and the EU's phase-out of coal mining subsidies, while emphasizing the need for a faster transition that protects vulnerable groups and ensures a just transition for workers.

The paper argues that a SACU development fund could transition the union from a simple revenue-sharing mechanism to an active agent of regional economic integration. By analyzing the EU's ESI Funds and the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), the author suggests that such a fund could address critical trade barriers—such as infrastructure deficits in energy and water, and lack of standards harmonization—while providing a more accountable alternative to direct budget transfers to member states. Key recommendations include adopting a clear, measurable mandate, implementing a nuanced classification of member states' development levels for equitable resource allocation, and incorporating private-sector representation in governance.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign (LAC), submitted comments on the Second Amendment Bill of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) 94 of 2006. The CER argues that the amendments fail to integrate climate change obligations and a just transition, while granting excessive discretionary power to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. The submission calls for stronger regulatory oversight by NERSA, increased transparency in licensing and procurement, and the protection of public participation rights in line with PAJA and PAIA.

Air pollution is the second deadliest risk for children under five globally, causing over 709,000 deaths in 2021. Children are more vulnerable due to developing immune systems and higher breathing rates. The burden is heavily skewed by economic disparity, with children in the least-developed countries facing death rates 94 times higher than those in the most-developed nations. The document highlights how structural lock-ins to fossil fuels and polluting land-use practices drive this crisis, noting that less than 1% of fossil fuel subsidies were spent on outdoor air quality between 2018 and 2022. Case studies in South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, and Bangladesh illustrate the specific drivers—such as coal power, biomass burning, brick kilns, and oil extraction—that contribute to high child mortality and lifelong developmental impairments.

The document explains that many critical minerals are not mined independently but are produced as co-products or by-products of 'host' metals. This 'companionality' creates inelastic supply chains where the availability of a critical metal depends on the economic viability of a different host metal. The paper highlights risks including high price volatility, under-reporting of reserves, and the loss of strategic minerals in tailings. It suggests that reprocessing waste dumps and improving regulatory frameworks for companion metals can help bridge the supply gap for the energy transition.

The document outlines a methodology for governments to define and assess 'critical' or 'strategic' minerals, emphasizing the need for producing countries to leverage their resources for industrial development. It proposes a four-step process: understanding criticality, taking stock of risks and opportunities, making strategic decisions, and establishing a regular review cycle. The guide provides detailed checklists across geological, economic, social, environmental, geopolitical, and regulatory dimensions to help policymakers identify bottlenecks and strategic assets in the context of the energy and digital transitions.

The report claims that TotalEnergies is not transitioning to clean energy, instead planning to increase oil and gas production by 2-3% per year by 2028. It highlights that the global bond market is a critical funding source, providing 68% of the company's financing between 2016 and 2022. The document asserts that banks and investors use bonds to indirectly support projects like EACOP and Mozambique LNG while avoiding direct loan risks, and calls for an immediate end to the issuance of new bonds to align with 1.5°C warming limits.

The Waste Management Flagship Programme seeks USD 1,359,719 in preparatory funds to transition South African municipalities from landfill-based disposal to a circular economy. The programme focuses on five organic waste treatment technologies: open windrow composting, in-vessel composting, decentralized containerized composting, anaerobic digestion (AD), and biomass pre-treatment. The PPF phase will conduct full feasibility studies and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for six pilot municipalities—Rustenburg, Emfuleni, uMhlathuze, Msunduzi, Mbombela, and Mangaung—while developing standardized blueprints, procurement documents, and a due diligence framework to scale the model to 24 additional municipalities. The overall programme aims to reduce methane emissions by 572,800 t CO2 eq per annum and create 938 jobs during construction and operation.

The document identifies significant obstacles to Colombia's transition from thermal coal, including high fiscal dependence on coal exports and royalties, limited local institutional capacity, and inadequate environmental regulations for mine closures. It highlights the vulnerability of the Cesar and La Guajira regions, where coal provides a substantial portion of departmental revenue and high-paying employment. The brief argues that a just transition requires inclusive stakeholder dialogue, permanent funding mechanisms for productive conversion, and the protection of civic space for marginalized groups, including Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities.

The Middle East, particularly Gulf nations, is positioned to export its advanced district cooling infrastructure and engineering know-how to regions facing escalating heat crises, such as Europe, Asia, and Africa. As global cooling demand is projected to triple by 2050, the document suggests that the region can redefine its geopolitical role from an oil and gas provider to a leader in climate adaptation and green infrastructure finance.

The City of Cape Town (CCT) is transitioning from landfilling wastewater sludge to anaerobic digestion at bio-solids beneficiation facilities (BBFs) due to national and provincial landfill bans on liquid and organic wastes. The CCT generates approximately 199 dry tonnes of dewatered sludge per day, which it currently spends ~R60 million annually to dispose of or apply to land. The city plans to establish two regional BBFs over the next 15 years to produce A1a class treated digestate cake and recover energy and nutrients. Potential circular economy options include agricultural use, energy recovery (biogas, combustion, pyrolysis), and commercial applications like brick manufacturing. Additionally, the CCT is exploring broader organic waste diversion for garden greens, animal carcasses, and household food waste to meet a 100% organic waste landfill diversion target by 2027.