Search Climate Insights Directory

The FY26 NDAA includes at least 24 provisions affecting US biodefense, featuring a mix of strategic advancements and institutional losses. Key positive developments include prohibitions on contracting with adversary-owned biotechnology providers to protect multiomic data, the establishment of a DoD Biotechnology Management Office, and the creation of a wastewater surveillance pilot program. Conversely, the act codifies the dissolution of the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center (NCBC) and maintains restrictions on the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) ability to run an enduring bioassurance program. The document also highlights efforts to enhance intelligence sharing on biotechnological threats and the authorization of $137,686,000 for the Biological Threat Reduction Program.

The EPA has proposed a significant rollback of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), which would remove reporting requirements for 46 of 47 source categories and suspend subpart W reporting until 2034. This proposal threatens the viability of over 270 carbon capture projects and $77.5 billion in capital investment because the 45Q tax credit relies on GHGRP for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). Specifically, the loss of subparts PP, RR, and VV would prevent carbon capture and storage (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects from claiming 45Q credits. For hydrogen projects, the delay of subpart W would reduce the reliability of upstream methane leak rate measurements used in the 45VH2-GREET tool for 45V tax credits, potentially forcing taxpayers to rely on an inaccurate 0.9% national average and increasing legal risks for high performers. Internationally, the rollback could disadvantage U.S. exporters in markets requiring verified data, such as those under the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Domestically, at least ten states, including California and Colorado, have embedded GHGRP into their legal frameworks; removing it would force these states to create costly patchwork substitutes to maintain emissions inventories.

The policy brief examines the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) to provide firm, low-carbon energy and industrial heat within the EU. It identifies significant structural barriers to deployment, including fragmented national licensing processes, uncertain state aid timelines, and a lack of standardised financing models. The author argues that to avoid a series of isolated, high-cost projects, the EU must move toward serial production and regulatory alignment, focusing early efforts on a limited number of mature designs to build supply chain and workforce capacity.

The document examines the health and economic impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as "forever chemicals," and advocates for a categorical regulatory approach. It highlights that current U.S. efforts, such as EPA drinking water limits, are insufficient because manufacturers can replace banned individual PFAS with other similar chemicals. The brief notes that annual health damages in the U.S. are estimated between $920.91 million and $62.6 billion across different studies, though these are likely underestimates. While cleanup technologies for water exist, those for soil and air remain undeveloped, making restrictions and bans the most cost-effective way to address ongoing contamination.

The UK's hydrogen strategy requires a course correction to prioritize hard-to-electrify sectors and resolve policy misalignments across government departments. While the UK has established production targets and funding streams like the Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HAR), inconsistent frameworks between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Transport (DfT) create investment barriers. The document warns that slow policy delivery and high energy costs risk turning decarbonisation into deindustrialisation, as seen in the shutdown of the UK ammonia industry. It recommends integrating hydrogen strategy with broader industrial decarbonisation, aligning low-carbon fuel standards, and increasing stakeholder representation in decision-making bodies like the Hydrogen Delivery Council.

The paper argues that while West Africa possesses over 300 Tcf of proven gas reserves, regional prosperity is hindered by regulatory fragmentation, bilateral financing that bypasses regional coordination, and global decarbonization risks. It recommends the adoption of a binding regional gas code, the creation of a 5 billion USD Gas Infrastructure Development Fund, and the establishment of a West African Gas Task Force to align national and external investments with a 10-year regional roadmap.

The United States has the potential for significant next-generation geothermal deployment, which could meet 15% of U.S. energy demand growth by 2050. However, the industry faces financing barriers due to slow and uncertain federal leasing and permitting processes, particularly on federal lands. The Clean Air Task Force advocates for increasing the technical capacity of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), implementing evidence-based categorical exclusions for low-impact exploration, and establishing clear permitting timelines to accelerate deployment while maintaining safety and environmental protections.

The author contends that GDP growth fails to eradicate poverty and instead drives environmental degradation and social inequality. The text proposes a shift toward 'decommodifying' essential services and reducing inequality to achieve social wellbeing without relying on economic expansion.

Executive Order 14300 directs a fundamental shift in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) mission, moving from exclusive risk minimization to weighing nuclear energy's benefits to national and economic security. The order mandates a wholesale regulatory revision within 18 months, establishes binding licensing deadlines (18 months for new reactors, 12 months for renewals), and aims to expand U.S. nuclear capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050. To achieve this, the document suggests streamlining exemptions for advanced reactors, adopting science-based radiation limits, and reducing the scope of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).

The document analyzes how climate-induced stressors, such as desertification in the north and sea-level rise in the south, exacerbate security threats in Nigeria, including farmer-herder conflicts and insurgency. It evaluates the current security architecture, finding that while the National Security Strategy recognizes climate change, there is a significant lack of actionable integration within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies. The brief highlights gaps in institutional coordination, resource allocation, and risk assessment, while suggesting lessons from South Africa, Kenya, and Australia to build a more resilient, community-engaged policing model.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the CFTC's withdrawal of guidance for voluntary carbon credit derivative contracts risks eroding market integrity and undermining climate progress. CATF highlights systemic quality issues in voluntary carbon markets, particularly in forest carbon credits, and contends that the withdrawal process lacked transparency and legal justification. The organization recommends that the CFTC not only reinstate the guidance but move toward issuing specific regulations for these markets.

The document serves as a collection of expert perspectives on the intersection of trade, climate, and sustainable development. It specifically investigates where trade cooperation is most needed to meet Paris climate goals and identifies opportunities for concrete outcomes within the WTO and other international fora. The compilation covers a wide range of thematic areas, including clean energy value chains, green industrial policies, the decarbonization of maritime transport, and the role of trade in supporting climate adaptation and justice, with a particular focus on the needs of developing regions such as Africa and the Caribbean.

The document outlines the potential for geothermal energy to decarbonize district heating in Central and Eastern Europe, identifying financing and risk as the primary bottlenecks. It highlights national strategies in Hungary, Croatia, Poland, and Slovakia, while advocating for the adoption of next-generation technologies and a unified regional voice to influence EU policy.

The author contends that Alberta's TIER carbon market is currently broken, with credit prices hovering below $20 a tonne despite a headline price of $95. To align with the Alberta-Canada Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) goal of a $130 per tonne minimum price by 2030, the document proposes reducing the 48 million surplus credits through a revenue-recycling procurement fund and tightening performance standards to limit the supply of new credits and offsets.

The document analyzes the failure of Alberta's TIER system, where carbon prices remain below $20 per tonne despite a $95 reference price, due to an excess of 48 million credits. It proposes a memorandum of understanding between Canada and Alberta to target a $130 per tonne price by 2030, suggesting the creation of a procurement fund to retire at least 10 million tonnes of excess credits by 2030 and the tightening of performance standards to reduce future credit supply.

The document identifies climate disinformation as an escalating geopolitical threat driven by hostile states, fossil fuel interests, and AI, which undermines public trust and climate action. It highlights a critical gap in international response due to the closure of the U.S. Global Engagement Center (GEC) and urges the EU to expand its global role through multilateral cooperation, partner support, and investment in information integrity tools.

Since 2000, Britain's offshore wind sector has grown to 16,000 MW of capacity, providing 17% of the country's total generation in 2024 and employing approximately 40,000 people. The industry has evolved from the 4 MW Blyth wind farm to massive projects like Hornsea 2 (1.3 GW) and the under-construction Dogger Bank (3.6 GW). While the 'Contracts for Difference' (CfD) model has influenced global policy and provided price stability for consumers, the sector currently faces supply chain bottlenecks and inflation. Future growth depends on standardising turbine components, expanding national manufacturing in areas like blade technology and deep-water foundations, and leveraging new investments from Great British Energy.

GreenLatinos condemns the Trump administration's repeal of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars, SUVs, and heavy-duty trucks, stating that the move targets clean energy and low-income minorities. The organization highlights that low-income households spend approximately 30% of after-tax income on transportation, and that Latino families are particularly vulnerable due to longer commutes and a higher proportion of income spent on fuel.

The paper explores the bidirectional relationship between agriculture and industrial policy. It highlights how agriculture's long experience with subsidies and market distortions can inform current green industrial strategies, while detailing how the transition to a bioeconomy and green energy affects agricultural inputs and land use. The author emphasizes the need for 'sustainable productivity' metrics and warns of fiscal asymmetries between high-income and low-income countries during this transition.

The authors contend that for Africa to overcome extreme poverty, it must pursue sustainable industrialization through a modernized approach to policy-making. Rather than seeking a 'golden policy template,' the document proposes a framework based on five tenets: adaptive, consultative, partner-based, transboundary, and capacitated policy-making. This approach is designed to address 'the big five' contemporary challenges: policy consensus, green industrialization, supply chain security, shifting industrial paradigms (such as digitalization), and the expansion of policy space. The authors emphasize that building institutional capacity and utilizing 'policy-testing' zones like Special Economic Zones are essential for navigating the complexities of the current global geoeconomic and climate landscape.