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The report finds that record-breaking sea surface temperatures in July 2026 across European coasts were driven by human-induced climate change, with some regions experiencing warming that substantially exceeds global averages. These extreme temperatures have triggered marine heatwaves, species range shifts, and increased risks to human health and coastal infrastructure. The analysis indicates that such events would have been virtually impossible in a pre-industrial climate and will continue to intensify as global warming progresses.

The report argues that clean flexibility solutions are ready to scale across the EU to replace fossil-based grid balancing. It projects a fourfold increase in battery capacity by 2030, which would allow batteries to deliver over 80% of the power that all EU gas plants combined can generate in a single hour. Additionally, the report highlights the role of smart EV charging and heat pumps in absorbing surplus renewable generation and reducing peak demand, provided that regulatory barriers are removed and smart meter rollout is accelerated.

The EU battery fleet is projected to grow fourfold from 37 GW in 2025 to 178 GW by 2030, significantly reducing the need for gas-based backup. By 2030, utility-scale batteries could provide short-term flexibility at 20% lower cost than new gas peakers. Additionally, the report highlights the role of demand flexibility: by 2030, 50% of electric vehicles (EVs) could use smart charging to absorb 7% of peak wind and solar generation, and 15% of heat pump demand could be shifted to high-renewable periods, reducing peak demand by 3%. The report recommends that policymakers avoid overbuilding gas capacity, set ambitious non-fossil flexibility targets by January 2027, and accelerate smart meter rollout to enable these technologies.

Analysis of 144 U.S. cities shows that 90% have experienced increased hourly rainfall intensity since 1970, with the highest average increases in the Upper Midwest. Projections indicate that at 2°C of global warming, 85% of U.S. counties will likely see a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days, with disproportionate risks for Black communities and rural areas.

In 2025, clean power met all global electricity demand growth for the first time since the pandemic, as China's fossil generation plateaued. Solar power is the primary driver of this shift, and the deployment of battery storage is increasingly enabling solar to displace fossil fuels during non-daylight hours. India is expected to follow a less coal-reliant path than China due to lower energy intensity and the maturity of low-cost clean technologies.

The paper identifies a disconnect between Nairobi's sanitation policy rhetoric and its implementation, noting that a focus on sewerage development marginalizes other sanitation regimes and fails to address equity. Projections suggest that climate change will exacerbate these inequalities, leaving a significant portion of the population with poor sanitation services by 2030.

The report finds that the world is off-track to meet all SDG7 targets by 2030. While electricity access has improved, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of the remaining deficit. Clean cooking access is severely lagging, with 2.1 billion people lacking access. Renewable energy shares in total final energy consumption are stagnating, and energy intensity improvements are insufficient, requiring a 4% annual increase to meet goals.

The Climate Action Tracker reports that global warming projections have remained stagnant at 2.6°C for four consecutive years due to a lack of ambitious 2030 and 2035 climate targets. While the Paris Agreement has helped reduce projected warming from 3.6°C in 2015 to 2.6°C today, and renewable energy surpassed coal in electricity generation in 2025, continued fossil fuel expansion and policy rollbacks in the United States threaten to offset these gains. The gap between current targets and the 1.5°C pathway is expected to increase to 31 GtCO₂e by 2035.

Severe storms in the U.S. have become significantly more costly, with billion-dollar events increasing more than five-fold between 2005–2024 compared to 1985–2004. While the overall frequency of severe and tornadic thunderstorms has not changed significantly since 1979, tornado activity is concentrating into more frequent and extreme outbreaks, and 'Tornado Alley' has shifted eastward. Projections suggest a 5-20% increase in conditions favorable to severe thunderstorms per 1.8°F of warming, with one study projecting a 6.6% increase in supercell frequency by the end of the century.

Analysis of 247 major U.S. cities shows that under high-emissions scenarios, summer high temperatures are projected to increase by an average of 3.6°F by 2060 and 7.9°F by 2100. For many cities, these future conditions will resemble current climates in locations hundreds of miles to the south, with 16 cities projected to reach temperatures only currently found in Pakistan, the Middle East, and North Africa.

In 2024, Türkiye's combined wind and solar electricity generation reached 62 TWh, surpassing the historical peak of domestic coal production (53 TWh in 2019). While solar generation grew by 39% to reach a 7.5% share of total production, wind growth slowed, maintaining a 10.7% share. Despite a record high in total coal generation (122 TWh), making Türkiye the highest coal-producing country in Europe, the overall share of fossil fuels fell to 55%, the lowest since 1993, driven by a decrease in natural gas use. However, renewable growth has not kept pace with a 5.5% increase in electricity demand, which was driven by record temperatures in June and July. Türkiye's new 2035 targets aim to quadruple wind and solar capacity to 120 GW, which could potentially reduce the fossil fuel share of electricity production to below 20%.

Analysis of 144 U.S. weather stations shows that 88% of cities experienced increased hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2024, with an average increase of 15% across those locations. The highest average regional increases occurred in the Upper Midwest (+18%), Northern Rockies and Plains (+16%), and Ohio Valley (+15%). Individual cities with the largest increases include Wichita, Kansas (+38%), Reno, Nevada (+37%), Fairbanks, Alaska (+37%), and El Paso, Texas (+37%). Projections indicate that with 2°C of global warming, 85% of U.S. counties are likely to see a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days, with particularly high intensification expected in Alaska (43%) and Hawaii (30%).

Analysis of 232 U.S. cities shows that 91% have experienced a long-term decrease in freezing nights since 1970, with an average reduction of 15 nights. This trend is most pronounced in the West, Northeast, and Southwest, and is attributed to climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels. While fewer freezing nights may reduce acute cold-exposure risks and home heating costs, the trend threatens snow-fed water supplies, winter recreation economies, and fruit crop yields that require winter chill, while potentially expanding the range of disease-carrying pests.

The study finds that human-induced warming from burning fossil fuels made peak January Fire Weather Index (FWI) conditions 35% more probable and 6% more intense. It also notes that the dry season has lengthened by approximately 23 days, increasing the overlap between available fuel and the Santa Ana winds. While climate models show varying results on precipitation trends, the overall evidence indicates that climate change has increased the likelihood of devastating fires in the region, with disproportionate impacts on elderly, disabled, and lower-income populations, including Black residents in Altadena.

Global warming projections for 2100 have remained stagnant since 2021, with current policies leading to a median estimate of 2.7°C of warming. While clean energy investments now double those for fossil fuels, record-high fossil fuel subsidies and funding for prolonging projects are preventing the steep emissions decline required by the Paris Agreement. The briefing emphasizes that seven large emitters and the COP Troika countries, responsible for 63% of 2022 global emissions, must set more ambitious 2030 and 2035 targets to align with 1.5°C.

The report finds a substantial divergence in ambition between the EU ETS and CORSIA. While the EU ETS is moving toward 100% auctioning of allowances by 2026 and high carbon prices, CORSIA relies on offsetting emissions above a baseline, resulting in significantly lower emissions coverage and a much weaker price signal. The EU may expand the EU ETS to extra-EEA flights by 2027 if CORSIA is deemed insufficient to meet climate goals.

New analysis from the World Resources Institute reveals that 25% of global crops are grown in areas with highly stressed or unreliable water supplies. This vulnerability is particularly acute for staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn, with 33% produced in such areas. The report highlights a critical dependency on a small number of countries for irrigated crops and the increasing instability of rainfed agriculture due to climate change. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends strategies including reducing food waste, shifting diets away from water-intensive meats, increasing irrigation efficiency, and investing in nature-based solutions.

The study finds that WACC in Africa's power sector remains high compared to global benchmarks, driven primarily by a cost of equity that is on average double the cost of debt. While WACC is projected to decrease from 18% to 13% by 2070, significant regional disparities persist, with Eastern Africa facing the highest costs and Northern Africa the lowest. The authors argue that using uniform cost of capital assumptions leads to underestimation bias in energy costs and misguides policy, particularly for capital-intensive clean energy projects.

The report finds that June 2024 was historically hot across the United States, with climate change making temperatures 2.3 times more likely on average. The Southwest experienced the most extreme anomalies, with Nevada's temperatures being 8.2 times more likely due to climate change and the region seeing an average of 4.2 additional days above 90°F. Analysis of 191 ACIS stations showed that 12 experienced their hottest Junes on record, and 168 stations had at least one day where temperatures were at least twice as likely due to climate change.

India's heavy industries emit 920 million tonnes of CO2 annually, with steel and cement contributing 18% of total national emissions. The report argues that green electrification is a critical lever for decarbonisation, starting with the transition of current electricity demand to renewable energy sources (RES) by 2030 and moving toward deep electrification and power-to-fuel technologies by 2050. By 2030, meeting the projected 253 TWh industrial electricity demand with RES would require 120 GW of capacity and could avoid 180 Mt of CO2. In the long term, a 'Potential Electrification Case' suggests that electricity's share of industrial energy consumption could triple to 34.5% by 2050, requiring 699 GW of RES capacity and potentially reducing CO2 emissions by 37% (737 Mt) compared to business-as-usual.