Search Climate Insights Directory

The report argues that while next-generation geothermal has vast potential to provide clean firm power, its growth is hindered by a 'missing middle' financing gap, subsurface uncertainty, and outdated regulatory frameworks. It proposes five deployment levers: characterizing subsurface resources through data digitization and mapping, governing through streamlined permitting and clarified property rights, financing via procurement standards and convertible loans, connecting through improved transmission planning and workforce development, and innovating through sustained R&D and testbeds.

The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) transitioned from a reporting-only phase to a definitive period on January 1, 2026, introducing financial liabilities for importers of iron, steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity, and hydrogen. Exporters must now provide verified actual emissions data to avoid high default values, which include annual markups of +10% in 2026, +20% in 2027, and +30% from 2028 onward. Financial liability is calculated based on embedded emissions, adjusted by a Free Allocation Adjustment (FAA) that phases out by 2034, and monetized through CBAM certificates linked to EU ETS prices. The guide emphasizes that verified actual emissions and documentation of carbon prices paid in the country of origin are critical for maintaining competitiveness and reducing costs.

The document outlines the six-step interconnection process for large loads (over 20 MW), detailing the progression from preliminary inquiry to the execution of an interconnection agreement. It distinguishes between customer interconnection facilities, which are typically paid for by the customer, and network upgrades, which ensure broader grid reliability and are often allocated across a service territory. The guide also describes the roles of FERC and state PUCs in cost recovery and allocation.

The briefing proposes a 'regional-first planning' approach to integrate large load interconnection requests, such as those from data centers, into a single region-wide planning model. This method aims to replace project-by-project analysis with coordinated system-level solutions, thereby reducing total transmission costs and closing regulatory gaps regarding the oversight of network upgrades.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues that South Africa's Public Procurement Act (2024), specifically sections 30 and 31, provides a statutory mandate for civil society to monitor procurement. To translate this into practice, PARI proposes piloting civic observers for high-risk contracts, expanding community-led social audits for local service delivery, and adopting the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) for machine-readable transparency. The paper emphasizes that these measures shift oversight from retrospective audits to real-time risk mitigation and suggests that National Treasury can begin implementation using existing powers under the PFMA and MFMA even while the new Act is challenged in court.

The report argues that Colombia's electrical framework is outdated, designed for a hydro-thermal system and creating barriers to the integration of solar and wind energy. It proposes a structural shift toward a 'energy plus attributes' model, where systemic services like inertia and voltage control are explicitly valued. Key recommendations include reforming the reliability charge (Cargo por Confiabilidad), optimizing transmission capacity allocation to prevent 'hoarding', and transitioning to a more proactive planning role for the UPME. Technical evidence suggests Colombia could operate with over 95% renewable energy by 2038 if these regulatory and market bottlenecks are resolved.

The report argues that accelerating the deployment of non-conventional renewable energy sources (FNCER) in Colombia does not require structural legal reforms, as existing laws provide the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG), and the Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME) with sufficient powers to implement necessary changes. It provides a detailed roadmap of actionable recommendations across five strategic lines: efficient use of transmission capacity, modernization of reliability schemes, integration of synchronous condensers and thermal asset conversion, long-term contracting and auctions for FNCER, and adjustments to short-term market and dispatch rules. The document emphasizes that the primary challenge is the strategic and coordinated activation of existing administrative instruments—such as decrees, resolutions, and planning documents—rather than the creation of new laws.

The document argues that Colombia's previous energy auctions, which focused exclusively on price, failed to account for social risks, leading to significant project delays and cancellations, particularly in La Guajira. It proposes a three-phase transition from a price-only model to a multi-criteria evaluation system. This transition includes introducing basic documentary requirements, then structured community relationship and capacity-building plans, and finally requiring verifiable territorial evidence and community co-ownership as eligibility criteria. The report emphasizes that these co-benefits should complement, not replace, existing legal obligations like prior consultation and environmental licensing.

The document argues that state regulators must actively leverage new legislation to deploy advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), such as grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, to reduce consumer bills and accelerate the interconnection of new generation. It outlines four common legislative approaches—planning, siting and permitting, cost recovery, and study requirements—and provides specific recommendations for integrating ATTs into integrated resource plans (IRPs) and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) processes to overcome utility incentives that favor expensive capital expenditures over cost-efficient ATT solutions.

The report examines the role of securitisation in developing African capital markets, noting that while South Africa has a mature market, other sub-Saharan regions remain nascent. It identifies significant barriers, including fragmented legal and tax frameworks, a lack of a 'ratings culture', and limited understanding among financial institutions. Despite these challenges, the study finds a substantial supply of securitisable assets in banking, microfinance, and fintech sectors. It recommends a holistic regulatory approach, the use of anchor investors from DFIs and MDBs, and the adoption of scalable structures like warehouse facilities to mobilise private capital and bridge the private credit gap.

Reclaim Finance reports that asset managers are using regulatory loopholes in ESMA's fund-naming guidelines to avoid excluding fossil fuel investments while retaining ESG-related names. The organization highlights that major financial firms lobbied for less stringent criteria and warns that similar lobbying regarding the SFDR regulation could institutionalize greenwashing. Reclaim Finance demands a strict ban on investments in new fossil fuel projects for any fund claiming to be sustainable, ESG, or transition-focused.

The document highlights widespread non-compliance with the landing obligation (LO) in the EU and UK, noting that illegal discarding remains 'prolific' and undermines stock assessments. It argues that setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) based on catch advice while illegal discarding continues allows for unsustainable fishing levels. To remedy this, the authors recommend the swift roll-out of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM), setting TACs lower than ICES maximum catch advice in the absence of robust controls, and making quota 'top-ups' conditional on demonstrated vessel compliance. The briefing also suggests using precautionary multipliers in catch accounting to incentivise selectivity and promoting quota redistribution to avoid raising overall TACs.

The report argues that the UK must implement mandatory methane regulations to maintain international leadership and comply with EU import requirements. It recommends a layered approach combining prescriptive measures (such as quarterly leak detection and repair), a phased transition to OGMP 2.0 Level 5 measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV), and the establishment of an emissions intensity standard for both domestic and imported fossil fuels.

The report examines the growth of hybrid energy systems in Türkiye, noting that while solar power is the most preferred hybrid source, its installed capacity remains low relative to standalone solar growth. It details the regulatory evolution from 2020 to 2023 and provides data on how hybrid solar plants complement wind and run-of-river hydroelectric plants to increase grid efficiency and production continuity.

Türkiye's hybrid solar capacity reached 1.4 GW by May 2025, despite a larger volume of granted licenses. The report highlights that hybrid solar systems significantly improve transmission line efficiency, particularly when paired with run-of-river hydroelectric and wind plants, increasing electricity delivery to the grid by an average of 14% in 2024.

The U.S. hydrogen regulatory landscape is characterized by a fragmented system involving multiple government agencies across federal, state, and local levels. Federal oversight is distributed among agencies such as the EPA, DOE, and DOT, while states like Texas, Louisiana, and North Dakota have assumed specific permitting responsibilities, such as Class VI Underground Injection Control primacy. There is currently no federal regulation specifically governing the siting and operation of pure hydrogen pipelines, leaving such oversight to state and local authorities. To address these complexities, the DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office has funded projects to identify permitting and safety challenges across the value chain.

The document details the SFC's Circular Externa 015 of 2025, requiring financial entities in Colombia to identify, measure, control, and monitor environmental and social risks, including climate risks. It outlines the implementation timeline, the scope of applicable entities, and the conceptual framework for managing these risks within a financial institution's risk appetite and strategic planning.

The report details Brazil's recent efforts to institutionalize the bioeconomy under President Lula da Silva, highlighted by the creation of the National Secretariat of Bioeconomy (SNB) and the 2024 National Bioeconomy Strategy. It analyzes the bioeconomy through three lenses: biotechnological, bioresources, and bioecological, noting that the current national strategy primarily aligns with the bioecological vision. The document maps the roles of multiple ministries—including the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), and the Ministry of Finance (MF)—in implementing this framework. It also identifies complementary regulations such as the Fuel of the Future Law and the Productive Forests National Program, while emphasizing the upcoming National Bioeconomy Development Plan (PNDBIO) as a key opportunity for cross-sectoral coordination.

The document analyzes the shift in Brazil's bioeconomy governance since 2023, highlighted by the creation of the National Bioeconomy Strategy and the National Bioeconomy Secretariat within the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA). It categorizes bioeconomy into three visions—biotechnological, bio-resources, and bio-ecological—noting that the current national strategy primarily aligns with the bio-ecological vision. The report details new regulatory frameworks such as the 'Fuel of the Future' law and various sustainable production programs, while mapping the transversal roles of multiple ministries (including MDIC, Fazenda, and MCTI) in coordinating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Gavin Coal Plant, owned by Lightstone Generation (a Blackstone and ArcLight Capital Partners joint venture), faces significant financial instability due to declining revenues in the PJM Interconnection market and high debt burdens. The plant is also subject to substantial EPA-mandated cleanup costs for coal ash contamination following a June 2024 court ruling. With the broader U.S. coal industry in decline and institutional investors divesting from thermal coal, the report urges pension funds to pressure owners to retire the plant responsibly to avoid the community and financial losses seen in other coal plant closures.