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The chemicals sector contributes approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with production projected to grow up to 43% by 2050. While low-emission technologies exist, their scale-up is hindered by high capital intensity, long investment horizons, and complex value chains where intermediaries have little incentive to pay premiums for green inputs. To address this, the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) and RMI are promoting demand aggregation and 'book and claim' systems using Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs). These mechanisms allow downstream brands to pay for emissions reductions directly to upstream producers, bypassing value chain intermediaries and geographic constraints. GMA and RMI have launched a Low-Emissions Chemicals Initiative focusing on low-emissions ethylene to provide the demand certainty required for capital-intensive projects.

The brief argues that Poland should prioritise clean hydrogen deployment in heavy industry, specifically in refining, fertilisers, chemicals, and primary steel. It recommends a staggered production strategy, starting with low-carbon hydrogen (natural gas with CCS) to ensure stable, cost-competitive baseload supply while the electricity grid is decarbonised to support future renewable hydrogen. Additionally, it suggests aligning deployment with industrial clusters, such as the Silesia-Opole region, to share CO2 transport and storage infrastructure and meet EU mandates.

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 author contends that the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin are bypassing clean air laws by granting pollution waivers to coal-fired power plants and chemical manufacturers. The document asserts that the administration is distorting Section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act—originally intended for extraordinary national security circumstances—to provide corporate giveaways without scientific review or public input. It highlights that 68 coal-fired power plants have already received two-year exemptions from Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and that industry groups like the American Chemistry Council are seeking similar exemptions for over 200 chemical facilities.

The briefing examines the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS), noting that the majority of the world's 41 operational projects are linked to the oil and gas industry, specifically for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). It highlights a history of 'unmet expectations' and slow deployment, with capture rates often falling short of targets. While CCS is proposed for hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel, the document argues it is often less cost-effective than electrification or energy efficiency. It further details how CCS projects in Norway, Canada, and Australia have been used to maintain the financial viability of fossil fuel extraction.

The document argues that U.S. manufacturing is responsible for a quarter to a third of national greenhouse gas emissions and proposes a suite of policy interventions to transition to clean industry. Key recommendations include trade mechanisms like carbon border adjustments, green public procurement, direct financial support for early-stage technologies, and the implementation of emissions and energy efficiency standards. It emphasizes the need for a combination of R&D support, subsidies for clean production, and improved lending mechanisms to ensure U.S. industry remains competitive against international producers while achieving decarbonization.

The policy brief examines the potential of the US Inflation Reduction Act's hydrogen production tax credit to scale clean hydrogen and decarbonize heavy industry. It argues that for grid-connected electrolyzers to qualify, the US Treasury must implement three pillars: additionality, emissions-accurate temporal accounting, and deliverability. Without these, the credit risks inducing higher emissions. If implemented correctly, the credit could provide up to $3 per kilogram of clean hydrogen, drive investment in geothermal and long-duration storage, and establish US leadership in international clean commodity standards.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports that over 14 million people live within five miles of 104 ethylene oxide (EtO)-emitting facilities, with a disproportionate impact on people of color and low-income communities. EtO is a known carcinogen used primarily for medical sterilization, and UCS advocates for stricter EPA emissions controls and the adoption of less toxic alternatives.

The Clean Air Task Force asserts that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential for decarbonising foundational industries like cement, iron, steel, and chemicals, which account for approximately one-fifth of total emissions. While some national initiatives exist in the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, the author argues that a centralized EU strategy is needed to resolve cross-border transport issues, close a projected €10 billion funding gap, and address a storage capacity deficit where available space by 2030 may only meet half of the captured CO2 volume. The proposed strategy would include setting milestone targets, developing strategically placed storage sites, and creating a regulatory platform for CO2 transport infrastructure.

The briefing evaluates MEP Mohammed Chahim's draft report on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), focusing on the phase-out of free allowances, the extension of sectoral scope, financial support for Least Developed Countries, the allocation of revenues, and the handling of export rebates.

The document argues that the rapid growth of chemical production, which nearly doubled between 2000 and 2017, necessitates more robust international governance to protect human health and the environment. It identifies four primary challenges: the delayed onset of harm, the ability of chemicals to travel through air and water, their ubiquity in the environment, and information asymmetry between manufacturers and consumers. To address these, the author proposes a governance framework based on ten pillars divided into three stages: chemicals control before market entry (making determinations, accessing information, issuing bans, and restricting use), management during manufacture and use (disseminating information, meeting treaty obligations, monitoring exposure, and ensuring safety), and end-of-life management (preventing new toxic waste and cleaning legacy pollution). The document emphasizes that effective governance requires dedicated government institutions with adequate resourcing.

The community of Manchester in Houston, Texas, faces significant public health threats due to a dense concentration of industrial facilities, including oil refineries and chemical plants. Residents, who are 98 percent minority and 65 percent low-income, are exposed to hazardous air pollutants such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. The document highlights the disproportionate burden of pollution on low-income communities of color and calls for local officials to prioritize public health and safety in fence-line communities.

The study finds that potential BCAs by the US and EU would capture only a small fraction of China's total exported emissions, though certain energy-intensive sectors like iron and steel would face significant charges. The impact varies greatly depending on whether charges are based on direct or embodied emissions, with embodied emissions resulting in significantly higher costs. Overall, the authors conclude that such measures would have limited impact on incentivizing total carbon reductions as exporters might divert production to other regions.

The document examines the Asia and the Pacific region as a critical driver of global environmental outcomes, highlighting its role as the fastest-growing region with rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that while some progress has been made in mitigation and adaptation, urgent action is needed to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient societies. The text identifies key pressures from unsustainable economic growth, population increase, and urbanization, and recommends integrated water management, the '3Rs' approach to waste, and governance improvements to ensure sustainable development.

The document addresses common concerns and misconceptions regarding carbon capture and storage (CCS), asserting that it is a proven technology essential for reaching net-zero emissions, especially in industries like cement and steel where electrification is insufficient. It highlights Europe's significant storage potential and the role of government funding in scaling the technology.

The U.S. chemical manufacturing sector accounts for 2.9% of total U.S. emissions, totaling 186 MMT CO2e. Decarbonization strategies include process electrification (such as electric steam crackers), replacing fossil-based feedstocks with clean hydrogen or bio-based inputs, and deploying carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). To accelerate these transitions, the document recommends that states implement supplemental tax incentives for CCUS and hydrogen, establish public procurement commitments for low-carbon chemicals, and offer accelerated depreciation for low-carbon equipment.

The briefing examines how CETA's requirements for licensing procedures—that they be clear, objective, established in advance, and as simple as possible—provide Canadian companies with legal avenues to challenge environmental and social regulations in EU Member States. It argues these disciplines are incompatible with a precautionary approach to environmental protection and allow international arbitration panels, often lacking technical expertise, to supersede the judgment of local regulators.

The report examines how CETA's domestic regulatory disciplines may conflict with the EU's Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). It highlights that CETA's requirements for licensing processes to be 'objective' and 'established in advance' could be used by Canadian investors to challenge the discretionary judgment of regulators, the use of Best Available Techniques (BAT), and the inclusion of public participation in environmental permitting.

The report details extensive environmental degradation and human rights violations linked to the operations of Industries Chimiques du Sénégal (ICS). Key findings include severe air pollution from toxic gas leaks (SO2, SO3, and fluorides) causing crop necrosis and respiratory illnesses, soil contamination with phosphorus and cadmium, and the discharge of untreated fluosilicic acid into the sea at Weuta beach. The audit also highlights the loss of agricultural livelihoods due to the expanding mining front, inadequate compensation for land expropriation, and a systemic lack of transparency regarding environmental impact assessments. It recommends that ICS improve its waste management and that the Senegalese state revise expropriation rules and sanction harmful mining practices.

The report documents extensive environmental pollution, health crises, and social disruptions caused by Industries Chimiques du Sénégal (ICS) in the Tivaouane department. Key findings include severe air, soil, and water contamination, resulting in crop failure, respiratory and digestive illnesses, and the displacement of entire villages. The audit highlights a lack of transparency regarding environmental impact studies and inadequate compensation for land expropriation, calling for urgent technical reforms and state intervention to protect local communities.