Emerging middle-income countries have indicated a strong commitment towards mitigating their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions not only through their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) but also by raising their climate ambition and committing to net-zero emissions at COP 26 in Glasgow, as well as to tripling renewables at COP 28. The electric power generation sector plays a crucial role in supporting the sustainable social and economic development of a nation but is also currently one of the largest and growing sources of energy related GHG emissions in major emerging economies. In this study, we analyse current policy and deep decarbonization scenarios of the power sector in four developing middle-income economies (Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa). Through retirement of old, inefficient fossil-based power plants and a transformative shift towards non-fossil-based variable and firm primary energy sources the results demonstrate a reduction in carbon intensity to 104 grams CO2//kWh (Indonesia), 96 grams CO2//kWh (India) and 43 grams CO2//kWh (South Africa). To achieve power sector decarbonization a step change increase in policy stringency is required, combined with substantial international financial support through mechanisms like Just Energy Transition Partnerships. This must be combined with necessary market reforms to make these markets self-sustaining for needed investments to meet development, energy security and climate goals.
This best practice brief presents Component 3 of the Data-to-Deal (D2D) framework, which addresses aligning the development vision. This component focuses on integrating climate ambition with national development priorities to provide a clear, shared direction for subsequent modelling, policy, and finance. Effective visioning strengthens technical design by clarifying objectives and decision criteria, builds political will through inclusive consensus, and enhances investment readiness by signalling stable long-term priorities. Component 3 comprises three sub-components of successful visioning: (i) Laying the foundations for alignment through policy mapping and clear governance arrangements; (ii) Designing iterative and inclusive stakeholder engagement; and (iii) Co-creating the vision by translating shared aspirations into a clear, evidence-based narrative that can guide technical modelling and policy development. These sub-components are embedded across the D2D framework, reinforcing the legitimacy, feasibility, and durability of national transition strategies. The brief draws on case studies, including from Togo, Nigeria, Chile, and Zambia, to illustrate practices that align climate and development objectives and support successful implementation.
Agriculture is the main driver of the rapid collapse of biodiversity, upon which all life on Earth, including agricultural production, depends. As we face the challenge of feeding a growing human population under a changing climate regime, the pressure on biodiversity is expected to further intensify. While the potential to expand and improve natural habitats for biodiversity conservation has been widely explored in large-scale scenarios of agricultural systems, the critical role of agricultural landscapes’ management on halting the loss of biodiversity remains unexplored at this scale. We argue that, to achieve an effective conservation of biodiversity (both natural and agricultural), the combined multivariate effects of agriculture on biodiversity must be accounted for, including its surface area as well as its management. Based on a literature review, we identified the main biodiversity pressures stemming from agriculture: land-use change, contribution to climate change, water withdrawal, pesticide pollution, nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) pollution, and landscape and farm-scale simplification (of croplands and pastures). For each one, we proposed a critical boundary, based on reviews of studies covering a range of taxa, biodiversity metrics, and biomes, below or above which negative impacts on biodiversity are minimized or positive effects arise. Implemented simultaneously, the identified boundaries would integrate biodiversity conservation within and across farmlands and minimize agriculture’s far-reaching impacts on biodiversity. We present a framework called “agricultural boundaries for biodiversity” that will allow to explore the potential of developing agricultural systems that effectively reconcile food production and biodiversity conservation at large scales.
