Strategies for Africa's Climate Resilience: Trade and Practices
IMF Working Papers, July 4, 2025
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- Strategies for Africa's Climate Resilience: Trade and Practices
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: Samantha Borkhoche, Eman Abdulla, Edward R Gemayel, Vidhi Maheshwari, Faten Saliba
- Published: July 4, 2025
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229001427.001
Summary / Context
- Africa is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
- Climate impacts manifest as shifting weather patterns that threaten food security and economic stability, compounded by a growing population.
- The paper examines whether trade in “green goods” and engagement in “green practices” can reduce negative environmental outcomes in the region.
Methodology
- Empirical approach: local projections methods.
- Geographic focus: Sub-Saharan Africa (for the Green Practices Index and benchmarking).
Key empirical findings
- Increasing trade in “green goods”:
- Medium-term cumulative improvements in ecological footprint by about 4%.
- Decreases in net CO2 emissions embedded in trade by about 60-100% of total domestic production.
- Decreases in PM2.5 air pollution by about 1%.
- Engaging in green practices:
- Decreases harmful environmental outcomes by about 0.3-1.5% in the medium-term.
Green Practices Index
- The authors construct a novel Green Practices Index for Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Purpose: benchmark individual country performance and facilitate regional cooperation on green practices.
Policy implications and regional coordination
- Strengthening trade in green goods can yield measurable medium-term environmental benefits across multiple indicators (ecological footprint, trade-embedded CO2, PM2.5).
- Benchmarking through the Green Practices Index is intended to support country-level assessment and regional cooperation on green practices.
IMF Working Paper No. 2025/131 — Samantha Borkhoche, Eman Abdulla, Edward R Gemayel, Vidhi Maheshwari, Faten Saliba; July 4, 2025; 39 pages; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798229001427.001
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- Working Paper