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The report details the technical and financial structuring of climate change adaptation plans for three Colombian sectors: Water and Basic Sanitation, Manufacturing Industry, and Housing, City and Territory. It establishes adaptation goals, indicators, and portfolios of measures for each, while providing estimated costs for prioritized actions. The process highlights a strong reliance on existing Disaster Risk Management (DRD) frameworks and a significant need for knowledge management and technical capacity building across all sectors.

The document provides an overview of energy storage solutions, highlighting the transition from traditional pumped-storage hydropower to advanced battery technologies like lithium-ion. It details the technical trade-offs between different storage methods, the economic trends driving adoption, and the regulatory environment in the U.S. aimed at increasing grid flexibility and resilience.

The report asserts that "clean coal" is impossible, detailing the severe impacts of coal mining and combustion in South Africa. It examines technologies like HELE plants, CFB combustion, and CCS, concluding they fail to substantially reduce emissions or costs compared to renewables. It further notes that Eskom and Sasol have frequently sought postponements to comply with national air quality standards.

The document outlines the challenges businesses face when extracting saline groundwater, specifically the production of brine during treatment processes like reverse osmosis. It categorizes brine management into direct discharge and treatment for resource recovery, noting that most solutions are constrained by high capital and operational costs or strict regulatory requirements. Key barriers include a 2019 liquids-to-landfill ban and high costs for sea outfall pipelines and crystallization technologies.

Cement production accounts for 5.6% of global CO2 emissions, split between thermal fuel combustion (30-40%) and limestone calcination process emissions (60-70%). The report highlights that concrete naturally re-absorbs CO2 through carbonation, sequestering roughly 48% of process emissions over several decades. To reach carbon neutrality by 2050, the author models scenarios suggesting that capturing 80% of process emissions is sufficient if electricity is decarbonized, or 53% if thermal fuels are also fully decarbonized. Mitigation strategies discussed include energy efficiency, clinker substitution (reducing clinker content to 60%), and novel technologies from CarbonCure and Solidia.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that space-based missile defense is an ineffective and dangerous strategy. The document explains that interceptors in orbit aim to destroy ICBMs during the boost phase to avoid decoy warheads, but this requires a massive number of satellites to ensure coverage. For example, covering North Korea would require 300 to 400 interceptors across seven or eight orbits. The National Academies of Science and Engineering estimated an 'austere' system of 600 interceptors would cost approximately $300 billion. Beyond cost, the system is vulnerable to saturation by multiple simultaneous missile launches and to ground-based anti-satellite weapons. Furthermore, the document warns that such a system would escalate tensions with Russia and China, as interceptors could be perceived as threats to vital military and economic satellites in various orbits, potentially triggering an arms race or military conflict.

The report identifies Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) as critical land areas that provide a disproportionate amount of surface water runoff or groundwater recharge, sustaining over 50% of South Africa's population and 64% of its economy. It establishes a management framework to mitigate impacts from forestry, agriculture, mining, and invasive alien plants, while providing guidelines for government planners to integrate SWSA maps into strategic development frameworks and zoning schemes.

The report advocates for a transition from conventional light-water reactors to advanced nuclear technologies to achieve a low-carbon energy future. It highlights that meeting climate targets may require up to 1,600 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2035–2050, necessitating a tenfold increase in current build rates. Advanced reactors offer potential improvements in safety through passive systems, reduced waste via fast neutron spectrums, and lower costs through modular factory manufacturing. The document identifies significant institutional obstacles in licensing and export controls and proposes internationally harmonized standards to accelerate global deployment.

The report outlines a variety of passive and active cooling strategies for urban environments, ranging from nature-based solutions like tree planting and green roofs to technical interventions such as cool pavements and district cooling systems. It emphasizes the importance of integrated urban planning, the implementation of Heat Action Plans to protect vulnerable populations, and the use of diverse policy incentives and business models to scale these solutions.

The report assesses the feasibility of solar thermal systems in South African hospitals, finding a total annual thermal energy demand of 370 GWh for domestic hot water. While current adoption is very low—with only 23 systems totaling 1,333 m² of collector area—the study suggests hospitals could feasibly meet 20% to 40% of their thermal needs through solar thermal capacity. A case study at Paarl Provincial Hospital indicates a potential internal rate of return (IRR) of 10% and a payback period of 12.3 years. However, widespread uptake is hindered by the prevalence of energy-efficient heat pumps, high upfront costs, and infrastructure challenges such as asbestos roofing and limited roof space.

The document argues that South Africa must shift from a carbon-intensive export model to low-carbon manufacturing to avoid international trade barriers and leverage a global market for low-carbon products estimated at US$5 trillion. It details several technical approaches to achieve this, including eco-design, material substitution, additive manufacturing, and remanufacturing, while highlighting the systemic challenges of R&D, cost, and technological lock-in.

The briefing challenges three myths regarding the role of renewables and distributed energy resources (DERs) in Puerto Rico's grid recovery. It asserts that renewables and energy storage are now cost-competitive with fossil fuels, with energy storage costs dropping 70 percent between 2010 and 2016. The text highlights that renewable infrastructure proved more durable than transmission networks during the 2017 hurricanes, noting that 90 percent of utility-scale solar and wind capacity remained operational or ready. Furthermore, it argues that these technologies can be deployed quickly, citing examples of large-scale storage projects completed in months, and recommends a coordinated effort by the Puerto Rico government and utility to prioritize these projects for a more resilient energy future.

The document argues that emerging energy technologies—including solar PV, wind, battery storage, and microgrids—are now cost-competitive and more resilient than traditional fossil-fuel-based systems. It highlights that while the 2017 hurricanes caused the longest sustained outage in U.S. history, the resulting damage provides an opportunity to rebuild the grid using distributed resources that can be deployed quickly and reduce reliance on expensive imported fuels.

The briefing discusses the challenge of meeting 2025 fuel efficiency standards due to low gas prices and the popularity of SUVs and trucks. It proposes the adoption of high-octane, low-carbon fuels, such as E25, as a cost-effective compliance method that supports the increasing production of direct-injection, turbocharged engines while reducing greenhouse gas and toxic emissions.

The report examines the intersection of urban growth, aging electricity infrastructure, and climate change in Canada, arguing that the deployment of smart grid technologies is essential for decarbonization and grid resiliency. It identifies a significant financing gap for modernization, estimating a need for CAD 350 billion in investment over 20 years. The document outlines four emerging business models—Energy Service Provider, Customer Energy Marketplace, Local Balancing Authority, and Smart City—and notes that their adoption varies by region. It highlights barriers to smart grid deployment, including technical complexity, cyber security risks, and regulatory frameworks that treat smart investments as traditional capital infrastructure. The report concludes by calling for a National Vision on Grid Modernization to coordinate stakeholders and align the energy transition with mid-century climate goals.

The paper analyzes the technical challenges of accounting for internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) given the diversity of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). It focuses on four primary areas: the definition and scope of ITMOs, methods to avoid double counting through corresponding adjustments, the accounting of mitigation outcomes' vintage relative to target time frames, and the governance of tracking systems. The authors recommend an emissions-based approach to corresponding adjustments and the adoption of common multi-year target periods to prevent increases in aggregated global greenhouse gas emissions.

The briefing examines how blockchain's inherent properties—such as tamperproofing, decentralization, and public-private key cryptography—can protect the electrical grid from cyber-threats. It highlights the risks posed by the proliferation of Internet-connected energy devices and proposes blockchain as a solution to obsolete authentication methods and data manipulation. While noting that blockchain introduces a new risk of key mismanagement, the author suggests that integrating keys into physical devices can mitigate this issue.

The Union of Concerned Scientists ranked U.S. states on their clean energy momentum using 12 metrics divided into technical progress, direct effects, and policy environments. California ranked first overall, followed by Vermont and Massachusetts. The analysis found that 13 percent of U.S. electricity was generated from renewable energy in 2015, and 36 percent of generating capacity being built between 2016 and 2019 is expected to be renewable. Significant reductions in power plant emissions were noted between 2011 and 2015, with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide declining by 47, 24, and 11 percent, respectively.

The report argues that while vehicle tailpipe emissions are decreasing due to efficiency gains, the overall climate impact of gasoline is rising because the oil industry is shifting toward more energy-intensive and polluting extraction and refining methods. It highlights the high emissions from depleted wells, tight oil (fracking), and tar sands, and calls for increased transparency, the elimination of routine flaring, and a transition to cleaner fuels to reduce the projected 100 billion barrels of oil consumption between 2015 and 2035.

Earthjustice, representing St. Johns Riverkeeper and Miami Waterkeeper, urges the EPA to reject Florida's proposed water quality criteria revisions. The statement claims the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) violated public participation laws and used an unsound probabilistic risk analysis that fails to protect sensitive populations, such as children and subsistence fishers. The document highlights drastic increases in allowable concentrations for several toxins and the failure to regulate 22 substances recommended by the EPA.