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The document examines how frontier technologies enable developing countries, particularly in Africa, to bypass costly traditional infrastructure. It highlights the use of drones for precision agriculture in Mozambique and medical logistics in Rwanda, as well as the application of the Internet of Things for water safety in Bangladesh and the increasing accessibility of small-scale satellites for urban planning and land-use monitoring.

The report examines the decarbonization of the commercial vehicle sector, which contributes 37% of road-transport CO2 emissions. It highlights that technology pathways are shaped by national priorities and geopolitical interests, notes the uncertain cost-competitiveness of long-haul low-carbon trucks, and discusses the tension between OEM diversification and the need for economies of scale.

The report defines clean firm generation as dispatchable, low-emission electricity sources that do not rely on weather, including nuclear fission, fusion, geothermal, and carbon-capture-enabled fossil or bioenergy. It argues that integrating these technologies can significantly lower the total amount of wind, solar, and storage capacity needed, thereby reducing land use, critical mineral requirements, and overall system costs. The authors identify a 'missing middle' or 'valley of death' in financing for these capital-intensive projects and propose a multi-layered policy approach—combining RD&D, direct procurement, and technology-neutral targets—to achieve systemic bankability.

The report analyzes the transition of the steel industry toward net-zero emissions, highlighting the role of emerging technologies and startups. It identifies the dominance of coal-based blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) facilities, which contribute approximately 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and examines alternatives such as Hydrogen-Direct Reduced Iron (H2-DRI) and scrap-based electric arc furnaces (EAFs). The document categorizes innovations into three pathways: reducing demand ('Make Less'), improving existing processes ('Make Better'), and developing disruptive technologies ('Make New'). It emphasizes the need for strategic investor-offtakers in high-growth markets like Asia and Africa, the potential of modular furnace technologies, and the strategy of generating early revenue through high-margin, low-volume products to derisk commercial scaling.

The cement and concrete sector accounts for nearly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, primarily due to clinker production. Decarbonization requires a three-pronged innovation approach: 'Make Less' (reducing demand through design and efficiency), 'Make Better' (improving existing processes via supplementary cementitious materials and carbon storage), and 'Make New' (developing disruptive, zero-clinker chemistries and electrified production). While near-zero emission cement currently represents less than 1 percent of the market, the report highlights that scaling these technologies requires overcoming fragmented markets, outdated prescriptive standards, and a significant funding gap, as the sector has received less than 1 percent of climate tech venture capital over the last five years.

The report analyzes the green hydrogen value chain in China across production, storage and transport, and utilization, noting that while investment in startups has accelerated since 2020, risks remain regarding technology, operations, and capital markets.

The report examines the application of new technologies to address explosive hazards in Africa, including landmines, explosive remnants of war (ERW), improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and ammunition storage area (ASA) explosions. It evaluates remote sensing tools like visible light cameras, thermal imaging, LiDAR, and SAR, alongside AI-powered deep learning for data processing. The document also explores alternative disposal methods such as thermite tools, binary liquid explosives, and explosive harvesting systems. It concludes by assessing technology readiness levels (TRLs) and providing recommendations for African states, the African Union, and donors to modernize HMA operations despite shrinking funding.

The document highlights the role of US states in decarbonizing heavy industry, specifically petroleum refining, chemicals, iron and steel, and cement manufacturing. It outlines various technology pathways—such as CCUS, electrification, and hydrogen—and provides a menu of state policy tools including financial support, demand stimulation, and permitting reform to drive investment and deployment.

The report outlines a comprehensive toolkit for U.S. states to decarbonize heavy industry, emphasizing a combination of financial incentives, demand-side market policies, and regulatory reforms. It identifies four critical subsectors—petroleum refining, chemicals, cement, and iron and steel—which together account for approximately 40 percent of U.S. industrial emissions. The guide details technology pathways including electrification, CCUS, and alternative production processes, while providing case studies from Missouri, Louisiana, and Colorado to illustrate effective state-level implementation of these strategies.

The global chemicals industry, a $4.7 trillion sector responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, requires urgent innovation to decouple from fossil fuels. RMI and Third Derivative identify three primary innovation pathways: 'Make Less' (circular economy and materials substitution), 'Make Better' (electrification and process efficiency), and 'Make New' (defossilized production using CO2 conversion and biomass). Despite the potential, the sector is undercapitalized, with only 3% of climate tech venture capital directed toward chemicals and plastics over the last five years. Key barriers to scaling include high capital costs, feedstock availability, and a 60% drop in global clean industry investment in 2024. The report emphasizes the role of strategic partnerships with incumbents, non-dilutive funding, and low-carbon certifications in accelerating the commercialization of these technologies.

The document argues that Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries must implement coordinated national and regional strategies to decarbonise heavy industries like refining and ammonia production. It identifies four priority actions: cost-competitive policy design, targeted deployment in industrial clusters, shared financial risk schemes, and cross-border collaboration for infrastructure. The analysis highlights that CEE accounts for nearly 25% of EU hydrogen consumption, with Poland as the dominant user, and emphasizes that the lack of domestic regulatory frameworks for CO2 storage in Poland currently forces a reliance on more expensive export options.

Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are factory-built reactors with capacities under 300 MW that offer potential for flexible, low-carbon power and industrial heat. While the Nuclear Energy Agency projects a global market of 375 GW by 2050 that could avoid 15 Gt of cumulative CO2 emissions, SMRs remain in the demonstration phase. Significant barriers include high costs—estimated by Wood Mackenzie at US$6,000 to US$8,000 per kilowatt—which far exceed those of solar and wind power, as well as regulatory hurdles, waste disposal issues, and long deployment timelines that may limit their near-term impact on the energy transition.

The document assesses three types of multifunction mechanical systems designed to reduce the cost and disruption of building decarbonization retrofits in multifamily housing. It examines fully packaged systems (e.g., Systemair Genius), partially packaged systems (e.g., Villara AquaThermAire), and distributed systems (e.g., Ephoca AIO WM paired with SanCO2), focusing on their ability to integrate heating, cooling, ventilation, and domestic hot water (DHW) using low global warming potential refrigerants.

The report analyzes the US synthetic nitrogen fertilizer market, which is highly centralized with 71% of capacity held by four producers. It evaluates seven ammonia production pathways, ranging from mature 'blue ammonia' (SMR with CCS) to lab-scale electrochemical and photochemical methods. The document identifies key barriers to green ammonia adoption, including high financing risks, lack of industrial standards, and the absence of long-term offtake agreements from farmers. It highlights state-level incentives in North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, and Michigan, alongside federal support via the Inflation Reduction Act's 45V clean hydrogen production tax credit, which offers up to $3/kg of hydrogen.

The report argues that the U.S. needs approximately 1 billion metric tons of permanent CDR annually by 2050 to reach net zero, but current policies are insufficient. It introduces an Innovation Technology Framework that categorizes technology development into R&D, Early Output, and Commercialization stages, each requiring different policy levers: lowering costs, improving access to finance, reducing project development time, and removing ecosystem barriers. The authors recommend tripling DOE CDR R&D funding, implementing a technology-neutral production tax credit for the Early Output phase, and transitioning toward long-term regulatory drivers like a carbon takeback obligation or removals trading system. Key ecosystem recommendations include establishing an interagency task force for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and streamlining EPA Class VI well permitting to 12 months.

The document outlines four pathways for low-carbon ammonia production: blue ammonia using carbon capture and storage (CCS), green ammonia via electrolysis, and novel methods including electrochemical and plasma-catalysis ammonia. It highlights that conventional ammonia production accounts for over 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on steam-methane reforming (SMR) for hydrogen.

Nigeria faces a growing threat from improvised landmines in its northeastern region, with casualties quadrupling between 2022 and 2024. Current clearance efforts, managed exclusively by the Nigerian Army, rely on slow and risky manual tools like handheld metal detectors. The document argues that integrating airborne remote sensing and AI—technologies that have shown success in NATO and Harvard University experiments—could accelerate detection and improve safety. However, implementation is hindered by stringent drone regulations from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and state security concerns regarding the dual-use of UAVs. The brief recommends that federal authorities grant special derogations for humanitarian trials and formalize these technologies within the national mine action strategy currently being developed with the ICRC.

The industrial sector represents 17% of U.S. GDP, and its global competitiveness now depends on reducing production emissions. The document identifies specific decarbonization pathways for cement, steel, chemicals, and hydrogen production, while highlighting the role of federal laws like the Inflation Reduction Act in catalyzing these projects. It argues that reducing emissions is essential for U.S. products to remain competitive, particularly as the European Union implements the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are viewed as a potential source of reliable, emissions-free electricity in Canada, capable of replacing fossil-fuel baseload plants and diesel generators in remote areas. While Canada possesses an established nuclear industry and uranium reserves, SMRs are currently classified as 'wild cards' because they are not yet commercially viable and face significant technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles. Current Canadian efforts include a joint strategic plan by Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, with specific projects such as a reactor at the Darlington site and a micro-reactor at Chalk River. However, global examples, such as cancelled projects in the United States, highlight a trend of mounting costs and lengthening timelines that challenge the technology's competitiveness against wind and solar power.

Advanced geothermal energy, including enhanced, closed-loop, and deep geothermal technologies, offers a potential source of emissions-free, dispatchable power and heat. While it faces high upfront costs and a lack of commercial scale, recent innovations and investments—such as the Canadian government's $90 million investment in Eavor Technologies—are moving the sector toward market readiness. The Canadian Climate Institute classifies it as a 'wild card' due to uncertainties regarding performance, reliability, and replicability at scale.