Efforts to tackle climate change have long focused on reducing operational emissions during the use phase of goods and services – from driving more efficient cars to improving the energy performance of buildings. While these effort shave delivered important gains, they largely overlook so-called embodied emissions that are already “locked in” long before the product is ever used, embedded in infrastructure, buildings, vehicles, and other goods.

Global prosperity, stability and security in the 21st century will depend on how successfully we manage a green and inclusive transition. To address today’s overlapping crises - geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, widening inequality and accelerating climate impacts, we need deliberate, coordinated action across policies, sectors and countries that connects sustainable energy, climate policy and, critically, green industrialization.

Access to clean cooking is one of the most persistent and universal grand challenges in the world today. An estimated 2.3 billion people lack access, and that number has been increasing in recent years.

Solar energy is no longer a side conversation in the global transition. It is rapidly becoming one of the defining forces shaping a cleaner, more secure, and more inclusive energy future. The scale of that shift is now undeniable.

In 2008, the world watched oil prices soar past USD 140 per barrel. For many countries, especially across the Global South, it was a breaking point. For West Africa, it was something more — a defining moment that would reshape the region's future.

Agriculture is the backbone of rural economies in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides livelihoods for a large majority of the population and is central for food security by supplying a substantial share of the food consumed locally. At the same time the sector represents the single greatest untapped opportunity for broad-based, sustainable growth—through higher productivity, stronger agricultural value chains, local processing of agricultural products, and better functioning regional markets.

Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) and other clean energy companies play an essential role in strengthening rural livelihoods and building climate resilience in low‑ and middle‑income countries. By providing solar‑powered irrigation, cold storage, agro‑processing machinery and other PURE solutions, these enterprises help farmers and small businesses increase incomes and reduce losses. Yet despite their promise, mostPURE companies remain stuck in early‑stage cycles and struggle to scale.

Few forces in history have done more to eradicate poverty than industrialisation. Africa is no exception to this logic, whatever the continent's particular circumstances. In recent years, it has seen genuine gains in industrial output and GDP growth. But progress and equity are not the same thing. Stark disparities persist in energy access and poverty reduction, and they are deepening against a backdrop of climate vulnerability that grows more acute by the year.

Let’s do a quick thought experiment. Imagine you’re attending the opening ceremony of a major energy conference. The packed auditorium is buzzing with an audience made up of the most influential energy stakeholders from across the globe: government officials, scientists, heads of business, policymakers and so on. Then, all of a sudden, the huge room falls to a hush. The big moment has arrived. One of the world’s most respected energy figures is taking to the podium to deliver the critical opening speech.

Imagine your life 25 years from now, living in the exact same building you are in today. The global average temperature has crept to “only” 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels, but some regions (maybe yours?) experience twice that warming.

Discussions about the global energy transition often focus on the shift from fossil fuels toward renewable energy systems. Yet beneath every solar panel, wind turbine, and battery lies another transition that receives far less attention: the transition needed along the mineral supply chain.

Nearly one billion people in South Asia breathe some of the most polluted air in the world every day. Thick smog blankets cities, turning skylines gray and streets into invisible corridors of risk. From the industrial belts of the Indo Gangetic Plains to the fragile Himalayan foothills, toxic air is silently affecting health, livelihoods, and the environment. Air

Sustainable energy is a foundation for development, resilience and opportunity. Through inclusive energy access, regional cooperation and innovation, initiatives supported by ADA are helping communities strengthen livelihoods and accelerate the global energy transition.