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The document examines how Chinese firms in Zimbabwe are coupling mining investments with energy infrastructure to overcome local power shortages and support mineral beneficiation, particularly in the lithium sector. While this model has increased Zimbabwe's lithium revenues from $70 million in 2022 to over $600 million in 2024, it has raised significant concerns regarding environmental degradation, lack of community consultation, and the risk of perpetuating an extractive 'pit-to-port' model where high-value refining remains in China.

The document identifies that while prioritizing renewable energy investments offers the highest synergetic potential for economic growth and emission reductions in Kenya, significant trade-offs exist between climate goals and industrialization. It highlights a critical conflict between the deployment of renewable energy and electricity affordability, noting that high tariffs driven by infrastructure investments hinder equity. The brief also identifies institutional barriers, including public debt, corruption, and skewed decision-making representation, as primary drivers of policy incoherence.

The report examines the challenges of Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), noting their tendency to prioritize donor agendas and techno-economic frameworks over local social needs. It proposes South-South cooperation (SSC) as a vital complement to address these gaps through peer learning and context-specific solutions. Using South Africa and Colombia as case studies, the document identifies specific areas for collaboration, including mine closure, green industrialization, and the integration of peace-building experiences into transition planning.

The report examines how the insurance and reinsurance sectors are responding to intensifying climate disruptions in global supply chains. It identifies critical structural, market, and modelling limits that undermine the industry's ability to absorb systemic risk, noting a trend toward 'un-insurability' in high-risk regions. The author argues that without a shift from simple risk transfer to a stewardship model integrated with long-term adaptation and public-private coordination, the sector may amplify rather than stabilize economic volatility.

The policy brief argues that for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a Just Transition must be a multi-sectoral regional transformation strategy rather than a narrow focus on fossil fuel phase-out. It introduces a framework based on six guiding principles—social justice, effective governance, inclusive participation, economic resilience, alignment with climate goals, and green financing—to mitigate risks in sectors like energy, tourism, and transport, while leveraging growth opportunities in the blue and orange economies. The author recommends institutionalizing social dialogue, strengthening regional policy coherence, and mobilizing scaled concessional finance to ensure the transition is equitable and supports long-term economic diversification.

The document details the use of a modified Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) model to project US electricity demand from data centers and the resulting effects on the energy transition. It outlines five demand scenarios, including 'high data center demand growth', and evaluates them against various policy frameworks such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The analysis incorporates specific state-level emissions caps for Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and adjusts technology costs for nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reflect conservative estimates. It also details the calculation of health damages from criteria pollutants and the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that data center load growth could increase Illinois electricity system costs by $24 billion to $37 billion by 2050 and drive the state to become an energy importer as early as 2030. Under current policies, this growth would increase reliance on in-state fossil fuel plants and out-of-state imports, leading to higher CO2, methane, NOx, and SO2 emissions. The report estimates that this growth could cause between 68 and 403 additional mortalities and up to $124 billion in climate damages by 2050. To mitigate these effects, the document recommends requiring data centers to secure new carbon-free electricity resources, increasing transparency in power reporting, and restoring federal clean energy tax credits.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that Michigan's electricity demand could nearly double by 2050, driven significantly by AI-related data centers. While current policies may lead to increased fossil gas capacity and emissions due to an energy export loophole, a proposed CO2 reduction policy could enable Michigan to meet 95% of its 2050 demand with renewables and low-carbon sources, avoiding $3.5 billion in local health costs and $408 billion in global climate damages.

The report argues that the United States can meet surging electricity demand from AI data centers using clean energy while phasing out fossil fuels, provided that stronger state and federal policies are implemented. It warns that under current policies, data center growth will increase reliance on gas and coal, leading to higher emissions and significant costs for ratepayers. Conversely, adopting clean energy policies—such as restoring federal tax credits and implementing carbon-free electricity standards—could save trillions of dollars in climate and health damages, far outweighing the costs of the energy transition.

The report finds that data centers are the primary driver of near-term electricity demand growth in Wisconsin, which risks increasing reliance on fossil fuels under current policies. By implementing a Clean Electricity Standard and CO2 reduction policies, Wisconsin could generate 83% of its electricity from clean energy by 2050 and reach net-zero CO2 emissions. Such policies would avoid significant health-related costs and mortalities compared to current trajectories. The report recommends reintroducing Integrated Resource Planning and establishing a clean electricity standard to protect ratepayers and the climate.

The document highlights the role of vehicle-grid integration (VGI) and bidirectional charging in supporting California's transition to a clean grid. It notes that while the state requires massive investments in new energy resources and transmission to meet the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act (SB 100) targets, the use of electric vehicle (EV) batteries as energy storage can lower these costs. Specifically, it suggests that 50 percent V2G enrollment could save over $10 billion annually in grid costs by 2045.

The report analyzes power outage data from 2014 to 2024 in the central United States, specifically the MISO+ region, finding that all of the 100 worst outage days were caused by extreme weather. It highlights that the 10 most severe events occurred after 2020 and were often compound disasters, such as hurricanes combined with flooding or winter storms with tornadoes. The document argues that climate change is intensifying these risks—increasing the frequency of derechos, the rainfall of hurricanes, and the potential for severe winter outbreaks—while disproportionately impacting socially vulnerable communities. It recommends that utilities, states, and regional operators implement comprehensive climate risk assessments, accelerate the clean energy transition, and engage in meaningful community partnership to build a resilient grid.

The document argues that climate justice is unattainable without 'communication justice'—the ability of all people to access, share, and be heard in public discourse. It highlights how digital divides, language barriers, and coordinated disinformation campaigns by the fossil fuel industry undermine climate action. Through case studies in Zimbabwe and the Amazon, it advocates for blending AI and digital tools with indigenous knowledge and community-led media to build resilience. The text calls for mandatory information integrity standards and a shift toward 'constructive journalism' to combat climate fatigue and empower vulnerable populations in the Global South.

The report finds widespread concern about climate impacts across the political spectrum, with a strong public demand for government-led adaptation efforts. Respondents primarily link climate change to economic risks, such as the cost of living and job security, and view adaptation as a necessary complement to, rather than a replacement for, emissions reductions.

The document examines the convergence of trade and climate policies, highlighting how unilateral trade measures and green industrial policies in advanced economies create systemic barriers for developing nations. It identifies critical gaps in policy, governance, and knowledge, and proposes a framework for multilateral dialogues under the UNFCCC to ensure a just transition.

The African Climate Foundation and Dalberg developed the NDC Investment Planner (NIP) to address the gap between climate ambition and investment in Africa. While many African countries have submitted second and third-generation NDCs, only about 11% of the continent's annual climate-finance need is met. The NIP provides a three-stage process—Identify, Evaluate, and Select and Act—to move from broad policy frameworks to investable portfolios. It evaluates opportunities based on 'investment potential' and 'economic transformation potential' to help governments prioritise actions, refine analyses, and prepare projects for funding.

The report argues that Africa's food systems are under severe strain from climate volatility, urbanisation, and structural inequality, which marginalise small producers and exacerbate food insecurity. It proposes a multi-level investment strategy for philanthropy—targeting niches (local innovations), regimes (policy and governance), and landscapes (structural reform)—to shift from industrial agriculture toward agroecology. The authors identify the 'regime level' as the priority entry point for systemic change, advocating for the creation of inclusive governance platforms and the removal of barriers that favour large corporations.

The report examines how the green transition is reshaping trade, investment, and geopolitics for Africa. It analyzes the impact of the EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM), the decarbonisation of maritime and aviation sectors, and the potential for Africa to move from raw mineral extraction to EV battery production. It warns that without strategic policy intervention, clean energy exports and critical mineral demand may reproduce extractive economic patterns, while advocating for a unified continental approach to negotiate fairer terms in international climate-trade frameworks.

The report examines country platforms (CPs) as vehicles to integrate climate finance with national development goals in emerging economies. It argues that CPs must be country-led and grounded in macro-fiscal analysis to avoid debt vulnerabilities and ensure social inclusivity. Using the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) as a primary example, the document outlines criteria for effectiveness—including whole-of-government approaches and credible project pipelines—and proposes a four-quadrant analytical framework to guide their design. It also highlights the role of philanthropy in funding early-stage technical work and the necessity of overcoming structural path dependencies to achieve genuine economic diversification.

The document argues that Romania possesses significant untapped geothermal potential, particularly in the Western Plain, but is hindered by outdated data and regulatory barriers. While Romania ranked sixth in the EU for gross geothermal heat production in 2024, it has no geothermal electricity projects. The report suggests leveraging the existing oil and gas workforce and infrastructure to reduce costs and recommends establishing a one-stop-shop permitting mechanism and targeted financial risk-sharing for exploration.