South Africa's transition to renewable energy in Mpumalanga, a coal-centric region, is gaining momentum with the Just Energy Transition Partnership promising investment and green jobs. However, research warns that without intentional design, benefits may not reach coal-affected communities. Renewable energy projects mainly offer short-term construction jobs, with few permanent roles filled by non-local workers due to skills gaps and distance from coal towns. To ensure a just transition, initiatives like local hiring, training, apprenticeships, and community involvement are crucial. Key actions include requiring community impact plans, strengthening training programs, supporting coal workers, and tracking outcomes to ensure shared prosperity and fairness in the transition.
Category: Uncategorized
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Colombia aims to launch fossil fuel transition platform at first global conference
Colombia is hosting a global conference to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, bringing together countries committed to phasing out coal, oil, and gas. The event aims to create a platform for discussions on legal, economic, and social pathways for a just transition, gaining support from 24 countries, including major fossil fuel producers. The initiative is seen as a necessary complement to the UN climate regime, focusing on developing reports and scientific inputs to support countries in moving towards a fossil fuel-free future. The conference will emphasize justice and aim to create a coalition of governments, institutions, businesses, and philanthropies committed to ending the fossil fuel era, with a practical, supportive, and healing approach. Developing countries like Namibia, Guyana, and Nigeria are seeking international support to envision their own energy transitions.
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How we built a basic income pilot directly with Indigenous communities
A basic income pilot was launched in Asháninka communities in the Peruvian Amazon two years ago, co-created with Indigenous women's organizations to address the impacts of the climate crisis. The pilot utilized AidKit technology for simple data collection, empowering community-led monitoring and reflecting principles of trust, co-creation, respect for Indigenous autonomy, and community leadership in climate action. This approach highlights the importance of centering community leadership in climate solutions, particularly in Indigenous communities facing the effects of environmental change.
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Understanding transition in taxonomies: The building blocks of…
The report by Climate Bonds explores the importance of credible transition pathways to achieve global climate goals, focusing on how financial frameworks can support decarbonisation across all sectors. It identifies six Taxonomy Transition Mechanisms that countries are converging towards, such as revising criteria over time and setting future performance guidance, to provide clarity and guidance for sectors needing deep structural change to reach net zero emissions. The report also emphasizes the need for clear transition finance to ensure investments align with decarbonization goals and science-based pathways, aiming to combat greenwashing and promote credibility in the market. Climate Bonds aims to provide guidance to policymakers, investors, and issuers on navigating the complexities of transition finance, with an upcoming webinar to delve deeper into the report's key ideas and operationalization of transition across taxonomy frameworks.
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As the UN General Assembly Turns 80, Can Ordinary Citizens Change How the World Is Governed?
World leaders gathered to mark the 80th birthday of the U.N. General Assembly, while the Global Citizens' Assembly met for the first time to deliberate on climate and food crises. The assembly aims to connect communities globally and strengthen international cooperation on climate, AI, and global security. Citizens' assemblies have been shown to produce more effective policy, reduce polarization, and combat misinformation. The Global Citizens' Assembly seeks to link local assemblies into a global network to enhance global governance and address gaps in the existing multilateral regime. The Global Citizens' Assembly allows for continuous, distributed human-machine collaboration to address global challenges at the speed and scale required in today's world, with members understanding the practical necessity of peace, justice, and equality. Just as nation states committed to global collaboration in 1945, ordinary people must be at the heart of global governance today.
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Call for proposals to host the Climate Technology Centre secretariat
The UNFCCC is seeking proposals to host the secretariat of the Climate Technology Centre (CTC), a key institution driving climate technology solutions. The CTC, along with the Network (CTCN), supports developing countries in accelerating the development and transfer of climate technologies for both mitigation and adaptation. Hosting the CTC secretariat offers a strategic opportunity to contribute to climate technology cooperation under the UNFCCC, with a mandate extended until 2041. Eligible organizations can submit proposals by 16 March 2026, with evaluation based on governance, technical capabilities, financial management, and the proposed CTCN management plan.
https://unfccc.int/news/call-for-proposals-to-host-the-climate-technology-centre-secretariat
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Zayed Sustainability Prize Honours Global Pioneers Advancing Progress
The Zayed Sustainability Prize announced the winners for 2026, awarding US$5.9M to 11 organizations and high schools from various countries. The winners presented innovative solutions in sustainability categories such as AI-enabled diagnostics, Cooling-as-a-Service, biodegradable antimicrobial packaging, water leak detection technology, eco-bricks production, and resilient homes. The Prize, established in 2008, has positively impacted over 411 million lives globally through scalable innovations in health, food, energy, water, climate action, and global high schools. The winners were praised for their contributions to advancing sustainable development and improving social and environmental benefits, encouraging practical solutions that uplift communities and drive inclusive progress worldwide. The Zayed Sustainability Prize continues to support groundbreaking solutions to global challenges in areas such as health, food, energy, water, climate action, and global high schools, driving sustainable development and inspiring innovators to work towards a sustainable future.
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Climate impacts, inclusion and livelihoods in Burkina Faso and Mauritania: the importance of social protection
The Climate Centre recently published two studies as part of the Clima-Social project, focusing on improving the use of weather and climate information in Burkina Faso and Mauritania. These studies highlighted the vulnerability of communities disproportionately affected by extreme weather, such as agricultural workers, conflict-affected individuals, and low-income rural households. Recommendations included expanding shock-responsive social protection, sustainable livelihood interventions, and access to early warning systems to strengthen adaptation and reduce climate impacts on livelihoods. The studies also emphasized the importance of expanded social protection as a solution to climate-related challenges, with a mention of the Spanish Red Cross food security programme.
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Climate and Economic Justice Campaign Implementation Framework 2025-2026 – PACJA – Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance
The Climate and Economic Justice Campaign in Africa is working to address global inequality, climate injustices, and economic exploitation by demanding climate reparations, debt justice, and economic transformation. With a focus on Global Equity, Climate and the Environment, and Economic Justice, the campaign calls for systemic changes in international financial systems, climate finance, debt cancellation, and fairer trade systems to support African development and sovereignty. Rooted in African communities' experiences and policy struggles, the campaign is poised to take advantage of key global opportunities in 2025 that align with its goals.
https://pacja.org/climate-and-economic-justice-campaign-implementation-framework-2025-2026/
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Armored Air: Using Bubbles to Keep Plastic Pollution From Reaching the Sea
Effervescence is being used as a tool to collect plastic in rivers, directing it to the surface where it can be caught and prevented from reaching the ocean. The Great Bubble Barrier, founded by sailing enthusiasts, uses a curtain of bubbles created by compressed air to capture plastic and debris in rivers and canals, with pilot data showing that the barriers can capture 86% of plastic in rivers. Bubble barriers offer advantages over traditional plastic trapping systems by covering the full width and depth of a waterway and serving as a monitoring tool for cities to track garbage entering waterways. City officials are being convinced of the importance of catching plastic pollution in waterways, with local initiatives stepping up to address the issue and cities showing enthusiasm for taking action to combat plastic pollution.
https://triplepundit.com/2026/great-bubble-barrier-plastic-pollution-netherlands/