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This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for transitioning the Great Lakes region's steel industry to near-zero-emissions production. It identifies a gap between aggressive federal incentives—such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—and the lack of coordinated, steel-specific industrial strategies at the state level. The report evaluates three primary decarbonization pathways: Blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) with carbon capture and storage (CCS), natural gas direct reduced iron (DRI) with CCS, and renewable hydrogen-based DRI, noting that hydrogen DRI offers the lowest emissions intensity and most competitive levelized costs when subsidies are included. It emphasizes the region's economic importance, as the Great Lakes house all of the US's integrated steel mills and two-thirds of the nation's steelworkers, while warning that failure to modernize could lead to a loss of competitiveness and jobs to other regions or international markets.

This policy brief by RMI examines the potential for the Great Lakes region of the United States to become a globally competitive hub for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It analyzes the region's strengths in feedstock availability, existing ethanol infrastructure, and logistics, while identifying a significant gap in coordinated state-level industrial policy to support the SAF value chain.

This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for the Great Lakes region to lead the electric vehicle (EV) and battery supply chain. While the region possesses historical automotive strengths and significant R&D capacity, it faces competition from the 'Battery Belt' in the Deep South and gaps in state-level industrial policies. The document outlines the four stages of the supply chain—upstream, midstream, downstream, and reuse/recycling—and provides a gap analysis of regional policies compared to federal initiatives, urging Great Lakes states to coordinate on strategic coordination, production incentives, and end-of-life regulations to maintain competitiveness.

This research paper analyzes land-based mitigation technologies and practices (LMTs), providing a classification of these tools and an analysis of the barriers preventing their large-scale adoption and scaling.

This research paper examines the perspectives of demand-side actors in globalized supply chains for forest-risk commodities, identifying barriers to sustainability progress and the role of civil society pressure and certification.

An open letter from Indonesian and international civil society organisations (CSOs) urges the global fashion industry to reject biomass as a 'low carbon' alternative to fossil fuels. The CSOs argue that biomass is a 'false solution' that drives deforestation, threatens biodiversity in the Leuser Ecosystem, and violates the rights of Indigenous peoples, while producing more CO2 per kilowatt hour than coal.

An open letter from Indonesian civil society organizations and international think tanks urging global fashion brands to abandon biomass as a fuel source in their supply chains, arguing that it is a 'false solution' that drives deforestation and undermines the transition to truly clean energy like solar and wind.

This briefing from the Center for International Environmental Law argues that current and projected growth in plastic production is incompatible with global climate goals, specifically the 1.5°C warming limit. It asserts that a global plastics treaty must include ambitious obligations to reduce production, as the Paris Agreement and Nationally Determined Contributions are insufficient to address the climate impacts of plastics.

The 'Lithium-Sourcing Roadmap for India' report provides a strategy for Indian policy-makers and industry to responsibly source lithium to support clean energy manufacturing, low-carbon economic growth, and the development of electric vehicles and stationary storage.

This briefing from the International Institute for Sustainable Development discusses the role of the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process in addressing climate risks and adaptation responses that cross sovereign political borders.

This briefing by RMI explains the role of Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) and Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) in the United States energy transition, specifically focusing on the requirements set by the Department of Energy (DOE) for funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022.

A report by a coalition including Trend Asia and WALHI alleging conflicts of interest involving high-ranking Indonesian government officials in the Rempang Eco-City National Strategic Project (PSN) and the development of large-scale solar power plants (PLTS) in Batam.

A statement from the World Resources Institute (WRI) regarding the United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes against Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors, emphasizing the need for worker protections and unionization during the transition to electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing in the United States.

This guide by the World Resources Institute outlines five strategies for U.S. local governments to equitably expand electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, aiming to prevent 'charging deserts' in historically disadvantaged, rural, and low-income communities.

A statement by the Natural Justice mediated Climate Justice Movement of Nigeria calling for urgent climate action and inclusive governance to address the intensifying impact of floods and desertification in Nigeria.

This policy brief by the African Center for Economic Transformation examines the challenges of youth unemployment in Africa and evaluates school-to-work transition programs. It highlights a systemic trade-off between the scale and quality of these initiatives, noting that large-scale programs often lack relevant training, while high-quality programs fail to reach a significant portion of the youth population.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the economic viability of forest restoration in the Brazilian Amazon compared to cattle ranching. It proposes that a carbon price of US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured via natural regeneration would make restoration more profitable than ranching, potentially capturing 16 Gt CO2 and avoiding another 32 Gt CO2 over 30 years.

This report presents a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) and forest landscape restoration in the Peruvian Andes, specifically the Viridis Terra case, to estimate system-wide economic impacts and ecosystem services for climate adaptation.

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the adoption of electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States as of June 2023. It tracks the number of committed vehicles, the impact of federal and state funding, and the distribution of these buses across different demographics and environmental conditions, highlighting a trend toward more equitable deployment in low-income and high-pollution areas.

The Green Economy Coalition highlights the second SDG Summit as a pivotal moment to accelerate progress toward the 2030 goals. While 96% of the world's largest 250 companies report on sustainability, only 10% cover all 17 SDGs. The statement advocates for government-mandated reporting and the use of tools like the SDG Corporate Tracker—a collaboration involving Colombia's National Planning Department and UNDP—to improve data quality and corporate accountability.