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Fighting fossil fuel expansion: the underestimated role of publicly-backed reinsurers
The document highlights a commitment by the Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR) in June 2026 to cease new investments in companies developing new oil and gas projects. It argues that this is a necessary preventive measure to avoid financing the drivers of global warming, which in turn increases the climate risks these entities underwrite. Reclaim Finance calls on other European public-private schemes—specifically Flood Re (UK), Consorcio de Compensacion de Seguros (CCS, Spain), and SACE (Italy)—to adopt similar investment policies and use their leverage with asset managers and insurance clients to combat fossil fuel expansion.
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Document type: Statement
Lutte contre l’expansion fossile : le rôle sous-estimé des réassureurs publics
Reclaim Finance calls on European public reinsurers, specifically Flood Re (UK), CCS (Spain), and SACE (Italy), to follow the example of France's Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR) by committing to cease new investments in companies developing new oil and gas projects. The document asserts that financing fossil fuel expansion contradicts the mandate of these entities to preserve the insurability of climate risks, noting that a world warming by 3°C would render such risks untransferable to the insurance sector. It highlights that bonds make up between 70% and 97% of the financial asset portfolios of these public reinsurers, providing a significant lever for change. Furthermore, the author urges these actors to demand alignment from their asset managers and to integrate financial incentives or strict conditions into reinsurance contracts for insurance clients that continue to support fossil fuel development.
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Document type: Statement
Digital sovereignty and Europe’s democracy stack: Delivering on the European Union’s priorities for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework
The report identifies 'Europe’s Democracy Stack' as a strategic public infrastructure consisting of independent organizations that perform nine critical public-interest functions, including disinformation research, digital rights litigation, and compliance monitoring. Despite its importance to the EU's digital sovereignty, the analysis finds that the stack is overwhelmingly dependent on non-EU funding—specifically US government and philanthropic sources—which is currently contracting. The authors argue that the EU's current short-term grant-based funding is structurally mismatched with the long-term nature of these functions. To close this capability gap, the paper proposes two primary reforms for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF): cost-neutral changes to the AgoraEU program to provide multiyear operating grants and the creation of a €1 billion European Democracy Stack Endowment Fund to provide a permanent funding anchor.
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Document type: Research paper
FUELING EXTINCTION
The report argues that the European Central Bank (ECB) fails to account for the biodiversity risks associated with the fossil fuel industry in its monetary and supervisory operations. Despite recognizing nature-related risks, the ECB maintains assets from high-risk fossil fuel companies in its corporate portfolios and allows them as collateral. Furthermore, the report finds that EU banks under ECB supervision provided US$161 billion to companies with fossil fuel projects in critical biodiversity areas between 2021 and 2025. The authors recommend that the ECB adopt a 'double materiality' approach, exclude biodiversity-harming fossil fuel companies from its portfolios and collateral framework, and require banks to implement roadmaps to cease financing such activities.
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Document type: Report
Estimating the deadly consequences of Equinor’s fossil fuel product use
The briefing estimates that fossil fuels sold by Equinor in 2025 will cause between 34,000 and 58,000 additional deaths, while products sold since 2018 will result in 260,000 to 450,000 deaths. It contrasts these human costs with Norway's record fossil fuel export revenues, which reached 7,093,099 million NOK between January 2020 and July 2026. The document argues that the 'social cost of carbon' is significantly higher when including mortality, suggesting that Equinor's 2025 net operating income of $5 billion incurred a social cost of $66 billion.
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Document type: Briefing
Era of European industry free lunches needs to stop
Carbon Market Watch asserts that free allowances in the EU ETS have failed to drive decarbonisation, instead allowing heavy industry to generate profits while avoiding pollution costs. The organization criticizes the European Commission's revision proposal for extending free allocations and calls for a full phase-out by 2034 for CBAM sectors and a plan for all other sectors, insisting that any remaining subsidies be tied to proven investments in zero-carbon transformation and social safeguards.
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Document type: Statement
PRIVATE EQUITY IN MICHIGAN CHILDCARE AND K-12 EDUCATION
The report details how private equity firms control at least 160 childcare centers in Michigan and profit from the outsourcing of K-12 services, particularly special education staffing. It highlights specific firms like Partners Group (KinderCare) and Leonard Green & Partners (Stepping Stones Group), noting a trend of market consolidation and cost-cutting. The document also warns that a new federal school voucher program, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', may further divert public funds to private equity-owned providers of transportation and before-and-after school care.
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Document type: Report
POWERING DEVELOPMENT A PATHWAY TO INTEGRATING ROOFTOP SOLAR PV INTO MUNICIPAL ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION
The report examines the financial and operational crisis facing South African municipal electricity distribution, characterized by rising bulk costs from Eskom and a massive infrastructure maintenance backlog. It proposes that municipalities leverage the growing amount of behind-the-meter rooftop solar PV—estimated at 3,495 MWp as of December 2024—to reduce reliance on expensive bulk purchases. By purchasing curtailed excess power and deploying leased BESS for peak demand arbitrage, municipalities could significantly increase operating surpluses to fund infrastructure renewal. The report specifically analyzes the City of Johannesburg, arguing that rooftop solar is not the primary cause of its revenue decline—which is instead driven by high technical and non-technical losses—and warns that punitive policies toward solar owners may accelerate grid defection.
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Document type: Report
PRIVATE EQUITY’S JOINT VENTURE TAKEOVER OF NONPROFIT HEALTHCARE
The report analyzes the strategic use of joint ventures by private equity (PE) firms to enter healthcare markets, leveraging the reputation of nonprofit partners to scale operations. Through case studies of Lifepoint Health, Ascension, Compassus, and Ardent Health, it documents patterns such as sale-leaseback real estate transactions, the use of nonprofit referral networks, and declining care quality. It argues that current IRS and state regulations are insufficient to oversee these complex structures and recommends expanded oversight of management fees, control rights, and charitable asset transfers.
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Document type: Report
Deep Pockets, Dirty Profits
The report finds that between 2019 and 2025, 240 global banks provided US$590.8 billion to the top fifteen petrochemical companies, with a high concentration of funding from US, Japanese, Chinese, German, and UK institutions. Institutional investors held US$146.6 billion in exposure to these companies as of September 2025, dominated by US-based asset managers like Vanguard and BlackRock. The document argues that this financing persists despite structural risks such as overcapacity and collapsing profit margins, and often contradicts the public climate commitments of the financial institutions involved.
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Document type: Policy brief
BANKING ON CLIMATE CHAOS 2026
The 17th edition of the Banking on Climate Chaos report finds that the world's largest banks committed $906 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2025, an 8% increase from 2024. Financing for fossil fuel expansion rose by over 27% to $508 billion. The report highlights a high concentration of finance, with a 'Dirty Dozen' of banks providing nearly 39% of global fossil deals. It also notes a trend of policy backsliding, where banks are weakening climate commitments and abandoning net-zero targets, particularly in the US. The report argues that this financing amplifies energy instability and inequality, especially during geopolitical crises like the 2026 US-Israel war on Iran.
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Document type: Report
African Development Bank Annual Meetings 2026
At the 2026 African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings, Recourse is calling for a shift in development finance to prioritise equitable renewable energy access and a just transition across Africa. The organisation demands a dedicated financing window for decentralised renewable energy (DRE), targeting at least 30% of energy access financing by 2027, and urges the Bank to halt all LNG and fossil gas financing. Recourse also advocates for grant-based and concessional public finance to prevent increasing debt distress and calls for stronger protections for communities affected by energy and extractive projects.
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Document type: Statement
Alternative Models for Transmission Financing in Indonesia
Indonesia requires an estimated USD 24 billion to expand its transmission infrastructure by 47.76 thousand circuit kilometers between 2025 and 2034. Because the state-owned utility PLN cannot fund this alone, the report proposes shifting from corporate-level finance to project finance structures using special purpose vehicles (SPVs) and long-term revenue contracts. The evaluated models include leasing, joint ventures, public-private partnerships (PPPs), infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs), and collective investment schemes for infrastructure (CIS-DINFRA). Successful implementation depends on three policy enablers: a dedicated transmission fee, off-balance sheet treatment, and targeted fiscal support.
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Document type: Report
Clean energy stocks gain in value during Iran war
The US-Israel invasion of Iran in February 2026 has accelerated the global transition to clean energy as 23 countries announced new measures to reduce fossil fuel vulnerability. Clean energy ETFs have outperformed oil and gas ETFs in early May 2026, with renewable energy funds attracting over USD 3 billion in April 2026. Investor sentiment is shifting, with a rise in those ranking renewables top for one-year returns (14% vs 9% in 2025) and a decline in the perceived necessity of natural gas for the transition, particularly in Asia. While the cost of capital remains significantly higher in emerging markets (12.95%) compared to Europe (5.02%), geopolitical instability is prompting a reassessment of risk premiums in favor of domestic renewables.
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Document type: Briefing
Legal Pathways to Lowering Transmission Costs in New England Through Public Transmission Financing
The report argues that substituting tax-exempt public debt for investor-owned utility (IOU) equity and taxable debt can significantly lower transmission costs for ratepayers in New England. It identifies two primary paths: strengthening existing quasi-public entities or creating a new purpose-built transmission authority. The author emphasizes that any such vehicle must have a clear statutory mandate for FERC-jurisdictional transmission, non-recourse revenue-bond authority, the ability to form public-private partnerships, and governance structures that ensure state accountability and risk control.
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Document type: Report
Recomendações para o Plano Safra 2026/2027
The report argues that Brazil's primary agricultural policy instrument must be reoriented to align with national climate goals, specifically by restricting credit for illegal deforestation, expanding access for vulnerable family farmers, and reforming risk management programs like Proagro and PSR to ensure fiscal sustainability and environmental integrity.
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Document type: Report
Private Equity Middlemen in Medicaid
The report details how private equity firms have acquired Medicaid contractors to capitalize on government-backed revenue, often leading to operational failures. It highlights systemic payment errors and wage theft allegations at Public Partnerships, LLC; massive debt-driven cost-cutting and fraud allegations at Gainwell Technologies; and delays in care authorizations and the use of offshore labor at Acentra Health. The document also warns of the risks associated with AI-driven analytics and the offshoring of sensitive patient health information to India.
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Document type: Report
Risky_Venture_Report_BFF
The report argues that the TotalEnergies-EPH joint venture (TTEP) locks Europe into fossil gas dependency, increases energy bill volatility through LNG imports, and relies on public subsidies that should be redirected toward clean energy. It highlights that the venture's 12.5 GW gas capacity will produce emissions comparable to entire countries like Ireland or Denmark over five years, while challenging the companies' claims that such assets are necessary for grid flexibility.
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Document type: Report
Comment in Support of HB5000 (Health Facilities Planning.)
The Private Equity Stakeholder Project supports Illinois HB5000, arguing that private equity's expansion into healthcare—through leveraged buyouts, roll-ups, and joint ventures—often leads to higher prices, increased debt, and reduced quality of care. The document details specific financial tactics like sale-leasebacks and dividend recapitalizations, and highlights the growth of private equity in ambulatory surgery centers and physician practice management, urging regulators to increase oversight to protect patient access and cost.
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Document type: Statement
The USD 1.2 Trillion Problem: Energy Crisis Strengthens Case for Clean Public Finance
In 2024, global public financial support for fossil fuels reached USD 1.2 trillion, nearly five times the USD 254 billion provided to clean energy. The analysis highlights a cycle where energy price shocks lead to regressive blanket subsidies that entrench fossil fuel dependency. While international public finance is trending toward clean energy, G20 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) remain heavily invested in fossil fuels, with 81% of their 2024 capital expenditure funding fossil infrastructure. The authors advocate for replacing blanket subsidies with targeted social protection and aligning SOE investments with transition goals to build resilient, low-carbon energy systems.
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Document type: Research paper