Search Climate Insights Directory

Friends of the Earth International positions hydrogen as a dangerous distraction from real climate action, asserting that most production relies on fossil fuels and that even 'green' hydrogen is inefficient and risks perpetuating neocolonial extractivism. The document critiques various 'colors' of hydrogen, warns against carbon capture and storage (CCS) as an unproven patch, and calls for a systemic shift toward energy sovereignty and community-led renewables instead of industrial hydrogen projects.

The document argues that the industrial agro-food model is a patriarchal capitalist system that causes systemic socio-environmental crises, disproportionately affecting women through land dispossession, health risks from toxic chemicals, and increased violence. It details how monocultures—such as palm oil, soy, and pineapple—lead to deforestation, water pollution, and the loss of food sovereignty. The report emphasizes that women are central to biodiversity conservation and calls for a transition toward a feminist economy and community-led land management to replace corporate-driven agro-extractivism.

The document critiques the promotion of hydrogen as a clean energy alternative, asserting that the vast majority of global production relies on fossil fuels. It categorizes different 'colors' of hydrogen, arguing that grey, blue, black/brown, and turquoise versions perpetuate fossil fuel dependency, while green hydrogen is inefficient and risks replicating neocolonial extractivism. The paper highlights the high water and energy requirements of electrolysis and the unproven nature of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). It concludes that hydrogen serves as a distraction from deep systemic change and recommends a coordinated phase-out of fossil fuels and a transition to community-owned renewable energy.

Reclaim Finance strongly opposes the GFANZ proposal to introduce 'Expected Emission Reductions' (EER) as a metric for transition finance. The organization argues that EER relies on subjective, unprovable counterfactual baselines—similar to the failed logic of carbon offsets—which would allow financial institutions and polluters to manipulate data to justify continued funding for fossil fuels. While Reclaim Finance supports the concept of 'Expected Cumulative Emissions' (ECE) to track alignment with net zero, it warns that 'avoided emissions' metrics are generally unsuitable for climate solutions, except in the specific case of managed phaseouts of high-emission infrastructure like coal plants. The document concludes that instead of creating complex new metrics, financial institutions should improve financed emissions methodologies and adopt robust transition plans including strict exclusion criteria and an end to fossil fuel expansion finance.

Reclaim Finance critiques the IEA's "clean energy" scope, asserting that several included technologies—such as CCUS, nuclear power, and solid biomass—are unsustainable due to high costs, environmental damage, or continued reliance on fossil fuels. The organization advocates for a narrower definition of sustainable power focused on solar, wind, ocean, and geothermal energy, as well as modernized grid infrastructure, and calls for banks to disclose detailed inventories of their energy transition financing.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) defends its analysis of South Africa's fiscal position against claims by Tim Cohen, arguing that the National Treasury's narrative of an acute fiscal crisis is being used to justify budget cuts that would harm the vulnerable and hinder long-term growth.

The Asia Pacific Regional Biomass Working Group urges the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to cease support for wood bioenergy and the 'repurposing' of coal plants, arguing that biomass co-firing extends the life of coal infrastructure and causes severe ecological and social harm. The group highlights that in Indonesia, PT PLN's co-firing strategy could require 2.33 million hectares of energy plantations, potentially leading to 2.1 million hectares of deforestation annually. The letter demands that ADB recognize bioenergy as contradictory to coal phase-out goals, divest from wood biomass projects, and identify the sector as high-risk.

Ember's analysis indicates that Whitehaven Coal Limited could release over 1.2 million tonnes of methane by 2050, with emissions potentially doubling by 2030 due to planned expansions. The report highlights severe discrepancies in reporting, noting that the Narrabri mine's actual emissions have been nearly five times higher than final EIS estimates. Ember argues that Whitehaven's use of internal emission factors for open-cut mines—which are often significantly lower than Australian averages—leads to underreporting. The report recommends third-party verification, improved transparency, and a 75% reduction in portfolio-wide methane emissions by 2030 to align with 1.5 degree pathways.

The document argues that planned budget cuts in South Africa are misguided and dangerous, potentially slowing economic growth and undermining social protection. The authors contend that the current 'fiscal crisis' is manageable through alternative measures, such as drawing on reserves, increasing short-term borrowing, and raising revenue from high earners and corporate tax adjustments, rather than indiscriminate spending cuts.

A coalition of civil society organisations and policy analysts opposes the South African National Treasury's plan for immediate, indiscriminate budget cuts to address revenue shortfalls and expenditure overruns. The authors argue that such cuts would stifle economic growth, worsen unemployment and hunger, and fail to reduce debt-to-GDP ratios. They propose alternative solutions, including drawing on the SA Reserve Bank's gold and foreign exchange contingency reserve account, reducing tax breaks for high earners, and implementing a wealth tax, while calling for a transparent, evidence-based budget review process over 12 months.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues that South Africa is not facing an unprecedented fiscal crisis, despite claims from the National Treasury. While revenue for 2023/24 is projected to grow by only 0.55% (missing targets by R54.2-billion) and spending is expected to exceed budgets by between R67.8-billion and R105.8-billion, the document asserts these deviations are consistent with historical norms. It contends that the overspend results from inadequate planning, specifically regarding public sector wages and essential social services. With a debt-to-GDP ratio of 71.4% in 2022/23, the document claims South Africa's debt levels are in line with emerging market averages, although debt service costs remain unusually high. The authors warn that austerity measures and budget cuts would hamper economic growth and increase long-term debt vulnerability, recommending instead a developmental fiscal policy focused on employment, poverty reduction, and productive capacity.

The authors argue that the Norwegian Arts Council's 2023-2030 strategy exhibits 'klimablindhet' (climate blindness) by failing to use the word 'climate' once, despite the urgent global climate crisis. They contrast this with the proactive approaches of the Danish Arts Foundation (Statens Kunstfond) and Arts Council England, which provide CO2 calculations, training, and strategic environmental programs. The authors claim that Norwegian cultural actors fear losing public support if they engage in climate critique, particularly regarding Norway's oil policy, and call for the Arts Council to acknowledge the climate crisis and support the sector's role in a just transition.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) asserts that South Africa's current revenue shortfall and expenditure overspend are within historical norms and do not constitute a 'fiscal crisis'. The IEJ estimates a revenue shortfall of R67.2 billion and an expenditure overspend of R67.9 billion for 2023/24, noting that the debt-to-GDP ratio of 71.4% in 2022/23 is comparable to the emerging market average of 69%. The document warns that indiscriminate budget cuts exceeding 1.5% of GDP could cause significant economic contraction. To resolve budget mismatches without austerity, the IEJ suggests utilizing the Reserve Bank’s Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account, increasing short-term borrowing, removing tax breaks for high-income earners and corporates, and restructuring Eskom debt.

The document explores the 'care economy'—the system of paid and unpaid activities that sustain human life—tracing its roots from the 1970s Wages for Housework movement to modern policy frameworks like the 3R/5R models. It critiques neoliberal 'human capital' approaches that view care primarily as a tool for economic growth and highlights how care in the Global South differs from the Global North due to the prevalence of non-capitalist production and infrastructure gaps. The paper concludes that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the systemic fragility of care structures and the tokenistic nature of 'essential worker' labels, calling for a transformative justice approach to care.

The report details the environmental and social impacts of the Obi Island Nickel Industrial Estate, operated by Trimegah Bangun Persada (TBP), and traces the indirect funding from the IFC via banks like OCBC NISP, DBS Bank, and KEB Hana. It highlights severe pollution, biodiversity loss, and the use of captive coal power plants that contradict the IFC's climate commitments.

The document asserts that REDD+ forestry credits are not equivalent to emission reductions due to systematic failures in five key areas: overestimated baselines, underestimated permanence risks, underestimated leakage, exaggerated carbon accounting, and weak safeguards. It concludes that current offsetting is unfit for purpose and recommends rigorous scrutiny, independent data verification, and a ban on using forest carbon storage to offset fossil fuel emissions.

The document critiques the use of temporary carbon storage as a climate solution, asserting that unless carbon is stored for significantly more than a century, it cannot physically offset the permanent impact of fossil fuel emissions. It argues that such schemes are often driven by economic interests seeking to avoid emission reductions and that they unfairly burden future generations with the risk of carbon release. The author calls for policymakers, particularly in the European Union, to prohibit temporary storage as carbon offsets and establish minimum durability requirements.

Indonesian NGOs and international think tanks are calling on global fashion brands to stop using biomass as a 'low carbon' alternative to fossil fuels. They argue that biomass leads to deforestation, violates indigenous rights, and produces high emissions, specifically citing the risks to the Leuser ecosystem and the flaws in carbon accounting used by the Indonesian government and companies like H&M, Puma, Adidas, and Inditex.

The report identifies critical methodological failures in Verra's REDD+ carbon credit system, specifically regarding overestimated baselines, underestimated leakages, inflated carbon accounting, and ignored permanence risks. It concludes that these credits do not represent real emission reductions and should not be used to offset fossil fuel emissions, recommending a shift from 'offsetting' to 'contribution' funding for forest conservation.

The report identifies critical methodological failures in REDD+ forestry projects certified by Verra, specifically regarding baselines, leakage, carbon accounting, permanence, and safeguards. It argues that project developers exploit methodological flexibility to inflate emission reductions, resulting in low-quality carbon credits that do not represent real climate benefits. The document concludes that REDD+ credits are not equivalent to emission reductions and should not be used to offset fossil fuel emissions.