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861 results for “energy transition in South Africa”
Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area
The paper examines Ethiopia's position regarding the COMESA FTA, concluding that while trade liberalisation could increase general welfare through cheaper imports, it poses significant risks to Ethiopia's infant manufacturing sector, potentially leading to job losses and revenue reductions. It highlights that Ethiopia is pursuing regional integration through bilateral infrastructure and energy projects—such as the LAPSSET Corridor and hydropower exports—rather than formal trade liberalisation.
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Document type: Research paper
Advancing a Trade and Sustainable Development Agenda for African, Caribbean and Pacific States
The author argues that the OACPS should move beyond traditional tariff liberalization to a 'muscular' trade and sustainability agenda at the WTO. This proposed plan includes negotiating a plurilateral agreement on green industrialization, creating a dedicated technical facility for sustainable development, and establishing a coherence platform to align trade with global sustainability initiatives like the UNFCCC and UN SDGs. To support this, the document suggests replicating EU models of strategic partnerships on critical raw materials and Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships (CTIPs), which combine private investment with public guarantees and technology transfer. The author emphasizes that such an integrated approach is essential for OACPS members—particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and commodity-dependent nations—to mitigate climate vulnerability and transition toward green industrialization.
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Document type: Research paper
Bottlenecks, blind spots, and blended finance
The Green Economy Coalition introduces the Triple B Framework to address capital misallocation and sluggish growth in the green transition. The framework identifies 'bottlenecks' (structural, processual, and cognitive barriers) and 'blind spots' (behavioral biases resulting from homogeneity in the finance industry) that hinder investment. It redefines 'blended finance' to include non-financial capital—such as social, political, and cultural capital—arguing that these are often more critical than financial capital in emerging markets. The report suggests that supporting 'ecosystem builders' and sequencing non-financial capital before financial injections can de-risk investments and better serve developing countries.
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Document type: Report
Building Back Greener: International Environmental Protection and Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Context of COVID-19
The report argues that while COVID-19 provided a temporary respite for the environment, it exacerbated social inequalities and led to a rebound in carbon emissions. It contends that current 'green recovery' efforts are insufficient, primarily limited to wealthy nations and focused narrowly on decarbonisation while neglecting nature and social justice. The authors advocate for a structural shift toward a circular economy, nature-based solutions, and innovative finance like debt-for-nature swaps to ensure a sustainable and equitable transition.
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Document type: Report
Living Planet Report 2016
The Living Planet Report 2016 highlights a critical decline in global vertebrate populations, which fell by 58% between 1970 and 2012. It introduces the 'Anthropocene' as a new geological epoch where human activity is the primary driver of planetary change, pushing four of nine planetary boundaries—climate change, biosphere integrity, biogeochemical flows, and land-system change—beyond safe operating limits. The report emphasizes that current consumption patterns exceed the Earth's biocapacity, requiring 1.6 Earths to sustain annual demand. It advocates for a 'One Planet Perspective' to decouple human development from environmental degradation, specifically calling for the transformation of global energy and food systems through renewable energy and agroecological farming.
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Document type: Report
10 -YEAR STRATEGY 2020 – 2030
The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) has established a 10-year action plan (2020–2030) to drive structural economic reform globally. The strategy identifies five systemic flaws in current economic models—including outdated metrics like GDP and short-termism in finance—and proposes five key interventions: reforming governance, financial systems, economic sectors, inequality, and the valuation of nature. To achieve these, GEC will pursue four pathways: telling new narratives, building critical mass through citizen dialogue, influencing policy via tools like the Green Economy Tracker, and transitioning to a decentralized 'network of networks' structure. The goal is to ensure that by 2030, inclusive green economy principles are central to decisions made by policymakers, business leaders, and citizens.
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Document type: Report
Methane Abatement in Sustainable Taxonomies
This executive summary outlines a practical roadmap for policymakers and taxonomy developers to integrate methane reduction objectives into sustainable finance frameworks. It identifies specific abatement measures for four high-potential sectors—energy, agriculture, solid waste, and wastewater—and establishes minimum requirements for leakage detection and repair (LDAR) to ensure environmental integrity and investor confidence.
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Document type: Executive summary
COAL ATLAS
The Coal Atlas 2015 examines the systemic damage caused by coal extraction and combustion, highlighting its role as a primary driver of global CO2 emissions and its associated health and human rights violations. It analyzes the economic instability of the 'carbon bubble' and the failure of technologies like carbon capture and storage, while documenting the rise of renewable energy and grassroots protests against the coal industry across various nations, including China, India, the US, Russia, and Germany.
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Document type: Report
Climate Finance, Food Security, and Cracks in the Transatlantic Alliance at COP28: Recommendations for the Global Stocktake
The document highlights a critical gap in climate finance, noting that while developing countries may need between $6 trillion and $9 trillion per year to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions, current funding is insufficient and traditional sources are nearly depleted. It identifies 'cracks' in the transatlantic alliance, citing US domestic political opposition to climate pledges, UK economic downturns, and EU internal divisions. The author recommends that leaders use COP28 and the Global Stocktake to reform multilateral development banks, link climate action to global security and food systems, and resolve disputes between the US and Europe to maintain global leadership in the green transition.
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Document type: Statement
BONOS Y CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO EL ESTADO DEL MERCADO 2017
The report identifies a $895 billion universe of climate-aligned bonds, including $221 billion in labeled green bonds. It highlights the dominance of the transport and energy sectors and the critical role of sovereign and sub-sovereign issuers, particularly in China and the US. The document argues for a massive acceleration of green bond issuance to reach $1 trillion annually by 2020 to support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
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Document type: Report
GREENING CHINA’S FINANCIAL SYSTEM
The report argues that while real-economy policies are essential, they are insufficient to catalyze the scale of green finance needed for a sustainable transition. It examines China's progress in green credit, insurance, and emissions trading, while highlighting the need for a comprehensive framework of definitions, standards, and regulatory mandates to avoid systemic risks like stranded assets. The authors suggest that emerging economies, particularly China, have an opportunity to 'leapfrog' developed markets by integrating sustainability into the core design of their maturing financial systems.
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Document type: Report
SANEAMIENTO, GESTIÓN DE AGUAS RESIDUALES Y SOSTENIBILIDAD
The report advocates for a paradigm shift in sanitation and wastewater management, moving from a 'waste disposal' model to a 'resource recovery' model. It details how the safe recovery of water, nutrients, organic matter, and energy from human excreta and wastewater can improve public health, enhance agricultural productivity, and mitigate climate change. The text provides a comprehensive framework for sustainable systems, covering technical design, health risk management, environmental protection, institutional governance, and financial models. It emphasizes that sustainability depends on adapting technologies to local geographic, social, and economic contexts rather than applying universal solutions. The report includes diverse global case studies—ranging from potable water reuse in Namibia to biogas production in China and fuel briquettes in Kenya—to demonstrate the practical viability of these systems.
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Document type: Report
Considérations fiscales relatives à l’accroissement de la valeur ajoutée des minéraux critiques
The report argues that fiscal incentives are secondary to 'primary' non-fiscal conditions—such as stable regulatory frameworks, reliable energy and transport infrastructure, and clear national strategies—which are essential for the commercial viability of mineral processing. Using case studies from countries like Indonesia, Australia, and Zambia, it examines tools such as variable royalty rates, investment tax credits, and export restrictions. It warns that without rigorous economic modelling, policies like export bans or tax holidays can lead to significant revenue losses, deterred investment, or the support of commercially unviable projects.
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Document type: Report
Procuring Green in the Public Sector: A checklist for getting started
The guide outlines a comprehensive checklist for public-sector entities to transition from a 'best value for money' approach to 'best value across the project/product life cycle'. It emphasizes the importance of legal mandates, life-cycle costing (LCC), and e-procurement in integrating environmental and social risks into purchasing decisions. The document argues that the public sector's significant spending power—representing 13-17% of GDP in high-income countries and up to 47% in Brazil—can trigger private sector innovation and the commercialization of green technologies. Key recommendations include using performance-based specifications, negotiating bulk discounts or leasing to offset higher upfront costs, and maintaining dialogue with suppliers to foster green competitiveness.
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Document type: Guide
The New Gas Boom
The report identifies a massive global expansion of LNG infrastructure, with at least 202 terminal projects in development representing $1.3 trillion in capital outlays. This growth is heavily concentrated in North America, where the U.S. and Canada account for 74% of proposed new export capacity. The authors argue that this expansion risks creating stranded assets as renewable energy costs fall and that the lifecycle greenhouse gas impact of these projects is comparable to, or exceeds, that of new coal-fired power plants. Consequently, the report calls for a moratorium on new LNG construction to align with IPCC targets requiring gas use to decline by 2030 and 2050.
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Document type: Report
PROPOSED MUSINA-MAKHADO SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE DEVELOPMENT - ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING ASSESSMENT REPORT
The report assesses the environmental, social, and economic implications of establishing a heavy industrial hub focused on energy and metallurgy in the Musina-Makhado region. It identifies critical concerns including high water requirements in a water-scarce area, potential biodiversity loss, and the need for significant social infrastructure. The document outlines the proposed land uses, including coking, thermal power, and steel plants, and establishes a Plan of Study for a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
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Document type: Report
Methane Abatement in Sustainable Taxonomies
This executive summary outlines evidence-based criteria and best-practice measures to help policymakers and taxonomy developers integrate methane reduction into sustainable finance frameworks. It identifies four key sectors for mitigation—energy, agriculture, solid waste, and wastewater—and provides specific technical benchmarks, such as lifecycle GHG emission thresholds for bioenergy and leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements. The goal is to increase the flow of capital toward cost-effective methane abatement, which currently falls short of the estimated USD 48 billion annual requirement through 2030.
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Document type: Executive summary
Stratégie 2024-2028
Natural Justice's 2024-2028 strategy focuses on empowering African indigenous peoples and local communities to defend their land, resource, and human rights against environmental threats and extractive projects. The organization employs a 'litigation plus' approach, combining strategic legal action with community legal education and advocacy. Key priorities include fighting fossil fuel expansion, securing land tenure, and protecting traditional knowledge, with a specific emphasis on feminist leadership and the decolonization of environmental justice.
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Document type: Report
The ICT Sector and the Global Connectivity System
The report argues that while ICT innovation is a primary driver of global economic growth and productivity, it creates significant sustainability challenges through rapid hardware obsolescence, increasing energy demands of data centres, and a global e-waste crisis. It proposes viewing the sector as a 'Global Connectivity System' that includes not only manufacturers but also standards bodies, civil society, and end-users. The document highlights the tension between the Internet's origins as an open, participatory tool for social organization and emerging trends toward corporate control, government surveillance, and restrictive intellectual property rights.
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Document type: Report
Why efforts to make small and mid-size enterprises more sustainable need to address gender and social equity
The document identifies a gap in sustainability efforts regarding gender and social equity, particularly within SMEs. It argues that gender acts as a 'social stratifier' that limits women's access to education, finance, and leadership, which in turn hinders overall economic and environmental progress. The brief provides a business case for gender equality, noting that closing gender gaps in agriculture and employment could significantly boost GDP and food security. It suggests that the 'green economy' risks excluding women if technical roles in renewable energy and construction remain male-dominated. Recommendations include implementing family-friendly workplace policies, repealing discriminatory laws, and adopting public procurement policies that target female-led micro- and small enterprises.
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Document type: Briefing