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Reclaim Finance's 2026 report reveals that 62% of analyzed unit-linked accounts (UC) in French life insurance are exposed to fossil fuel developers, despite growing saver demand for sustainable investments. The study highlights a systemic 'blind spot' where insurers apply climate policies to their general funds (fonds euro) but ignore them for UC. Specifically, 61% of UC are exposed to oil and gas developers, and 15% to thermal coal. The report also identifies significant greenwashing risks, noting that 47% of funds with 'sustainable' or 'ESG' labels still hold fossil fuel developers. It recommends that insurers stop referencing new fossil-exposed funds, demand robust climate strategies from asset managers, and calls for public authorities to implement an 'eco-score' for savings products.

An analysis of the winter 2024–2025 season indicates that offshore wind projects could significantly lower the risk of power outages in New England by offsetting high electricity demand during cold spells. A 1,500 MW fleet would have reduced the risk of energy shortfalls by 55%, while a 3,500 MW fleet would have reduced it by 79%. Such a transition to local renewable resources would decrease reliance on volatile imported LNG and lower wholesale electricity prices, potentially saving consumers $400 million.

The United States now leads the world in gas-fired power capacity in development, with nearly 252 GW planned, driven significantly by the energy demands of AI and data centers. Globally, the pipeline for gas power grew by 31% in 2025 to 1,047 GW, though expansion is currently bottlenecked by turbine production backlogs stretching to 2030. Texas is the primary hub for this growth in the U.S., with 80.6 GW in development, nearly half of which is intended to power data centers directly.

The report details the disproportionate risks faced by women environmental and human rights defenders (WEHRDs) in Africa, including gender-based violence, criminalization, and digital surveillance. It highlights a significant gap between the actual violence experienced and official data, which often underreports attacks against women. Through country spotlights on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria, the document illustrates how patriarchal norms and corporate-state collusion exacerbate the vulnerability of WEHRDs. It concludes with recommendations for African states and international donors to implement gender-responsive protection frameworks, end the criminalization of activism, and provide flexible, long-term funding for women-led grassroots initiatives.

The report finds that while OECD pension funds have significantly increased their climate target-setting and risk management since 2020, their portfolios remain heavily exposed to fossil fuel expansion. Pension funds often outperform other financial institutions in areas like policy engagement and emissions disclosure once climate goals are embedded in their governance. The analysis highlights that robust regulatory frameworks in countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and the UK drive higher adoption of targets, and suggests that the relationship between asset owners and asset managers is a critical lever for driving decarbonization.

The report finds that while OECD pension funds are increasing their climate target-setting and internal governance, their portfolios remain heavily exposed to expansionist fossil fuels. Progress is strongly linked to national regulatory environments, with the Netherlands, Denmark, and the UK leading. A critical lever for future impact is the governance of the asset owner–asset manager relationship, where leading funds are moving toward more active mandates, stricter stewardship oversight, and in some cases, the internalization of asset management to ensure alignment with net-zero goals.

In 2024, IDFC members reported USD 173 billion in green finance commitments, a 13% decrease from 2023. Climate finance dominated these flows, accounting for 96% (USD 167 billion) of the total, with mitigation finance at USD 140 billion and adaptation finance increasing by 64% to USD 17 billion. Biodiversity finance rose to USD 8 billion, while USD 4 billion was allocated to other environmental objectives like the circular economy.

The briefing argues that for a transition away from fossil fuels to be equitable, advanced economies must lead with more aggressive emission reductions. Using the IEA's Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario, it highlights that advanced economies need to reduce oil emissions by 40% and gas emissions by 33% by 2030, compared to significantly lower targets for emerging and developing economies. The document warns that recent failures to reduce emissions have led to a decline in the ambition of these targets in updated IEA models.

The report finds that while 98% of analyzed NAPs reference education, there is a significant gap in systemic integration. Only 40% include the education sector in impact, risk, and vulnerability assessments, and only 16% address all three components of a climate-resilient education system: curriculum change, resilient infrastructure, and educational continuity. While 84% of NAPs include education-related priorities, only 27% provide cost estimates for these actions. Institutional gaps are prominent, with only 11% of NAPs showing evidence that education ministries were consulted during the design process. The report also notes that while 94% of NAPs mention children and youth, only 23% reference their rights.

The EU remains highly vulnerable to energy price shocks and supply disruptions due to a 58% reliance on imported fossil fuels for primary energy. While the power sector has largely transitioned to homegrown sources, sectors like transport (88% reliant on imports) and buildings remain exposed. The report argues that electrification can reduce fossil import dependency to 30% by 2040, noting that 67% of EU energy demand can already be electrified with mature technologies. Current frontrunners, such as Denmark with electric vehicles and the Netherlands with heat pumps, demonstrate significant displacement of oil and gas imports.

In the first half of 2025, China, India, the EU, and the US accounted for 63% of global electricity demand and 64% of CO2 emissions. China and India saw declines in fossil fuel generation as clean energy growth outpaced demand, with China contributing 55% of global solar and 82% of global wind growth. Conversely, the US experienced a rise in emissions as solar and wind growth failed to keep pace with demand, leading to a 17% increase in coal generation. In the EU, strong solar growth was offset by declines in wind and hydro due to poor weather conditions, resulting in a 14% increase in gas generation and a 4.8% rise in power sector emissions.

Climate finance for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) surpassed USD 1 trillion in 2023, with 80% mobilized domestically. Mitigation finance dominates, accounting for 92% of flows (USD 979 billion), while adaptation finance reached USD 48 billion. China is the primary driver, providing 64% of total EMDE flows. Significant gaps remain, with annual mitigation needs estimated at USD 3.86 trillion. The report recommends strengthening domestic enabling environments, improving the quality of international finance, and increasing data transparency to scale investment.

The report examines the evolution of state governance in the Global South, utilizing World Bank governance indicators and four global scenarios (Growth, Sustainable, Divided, and War) to project potential outcomes. It highlights a critical gap between political participation and institutional performance, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and warns of the systemic risks posed by rising debt, digital divides, and climate vulnerability. The analysis suggests that future state legitimacy will shift from procedural norms toward tangible performance and hybrid governance models that integrate traditional and non-state authorities.

The September 2025 Carbon Minefields monitor reports that while licensing activity may decline slightly compared to 2024, significant global expansion continues. In August 2025, 8,700 square kilometers of acreage were awarded, with oil and gas volumes reaching their highest point for this stage of the year in five years. Over the past 12 months, 492 new licences were awarded, which could emit 1,777.8 MtCO2 if fully combusted. National oil companies (NOCs) are key drivers, acquiring over one third of these licences and accounting for half of global production. Future outlooks indicate 77 licences currently open or under evaluation and 454 additional blocks in planning, with China having the largest planned block emissions at approximately 2,670.4 MtCO2.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and diversity of the forest-climate nexus across 91 tropical countries. It quantifies forest extent, carbon stocks, and deforestation rates to argue for differentiated, fit-for-purpose policy strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The analysis concludes that there is no inherent trade-off between forest conservation and economic development.

In August 2025, wind and solar power generated 34% of Brazil's electricity, totaling 19.0 TWh, the highest monthly share on record. This growth has allowed Brazil to maintain low fossil fuel generation (14% in August 2025) despite hydro output hitting a four-year low of 27 TWh due to drought. Between 2014 and 2024, wind and solar generation increased fifteenfold, contributing to a 31% decline in power sector emissions to 79 MtCO2 in 2024. While demand growth has accelerated to 5.3% in 2024, solar capacity additions slowed in the first half of 2025 to 7.1 GW due to grid congestion and regulatory uncertainty.

The report identifies 'electoral cumulative inequalities' where precincts with majority populations of color consistently exhibit lower voter turnout and higher ballot rejection rates compared to majority-White precincts. Analyzing data from battleground counties in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the authors argue that these disparities are systemic and not solely explained by state-level factors. The study highlights that communities with the lowest turnout also face the highest rates of ballot rejections, further diminishing their political representation. The authors advocate for more equitable ballot design and increased election data transparency to mitigate these inequities.

Türkiye's electricity use for space cooling is growing significantly faster than overall electricity demand, reaching 10 TWh in 2024. During peak summer hours and extreme heat events, cooling accounts for a substantial share of total consumption, reflecting the increasing pressure of climate change on the country's energy system.

The research finds that grandfathering provisions in the U.S. Clean Air Act's New Source Review program created perverse incentives that delayed the retirement of old boilers and increased their operational hours. This regulatory differentiation reduced the probability of a grandfathered boiler retiring by 2.4 percentage points and increased annual operations by approximately 1,150 hours. These effects are estimated to have caused annual societal damages of up to $2.5 billion due to increased SO2 emissions.

International climate finance to Brazil averaged R$ 26.6 billion per year in 2021–2022, an 84% increase from 2019–2020. Growth was primarily driven by the energy sector, specifically solar and wind power, and a significant rise in private commercial financing. While Western Europe, led by France, was the primary source, the AFOLU sector—responsible for most of Brazil's emissions—received only 11% of total funding, mostly through public multilateral sources.