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The report finds that while Poland has significant geological storage potential (estimated at 15 Gt) and industrial demand in hard-to-abate sectors like cement, the CCS sector remains pre-commercial due to regulatory uncertainty and a lack of revenue support. It identifies regulatory certainty and revenue adequacy as the most critical barriers to final investment decisions (FID). To address these, the report proposes a three-phase roadmap: establishing regulatory and financing foundations by 2027, initiating pre-commercial value chains by 2030, and expanding infrastructure for market scale-up thereafter. Key recommendations include adopting a national CCS strategy, implementing Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs), and creating a digital 'one-stop shop' for permitting to align with Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) requirements.

The report argues that current transition finance frameworks lack the systemic safeguards necessary to prevent carbon lock-in, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. It proposes moving from asset-level financing to a systemic approach underpinned by Paris-aligned, subnational net-zero pathways. The document examines the gap between corporate transition plans and the requirements for credible transition finance, noting that many high-emitting oil, gas, and agrifood entities lack mature strategies. It advocates for the use of Paris-aligned taxonomies to ensure that use-of-proceeds (UoP) instruments drive genuine decarbonisation without creating 'dead-end pathways'.

The roadmap advocates for a phased exit from fossil fuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizing a transition that integrates climate justice, economic diversification, and the recognition of nature's rights. It categorizes countries by their hydrocarbon profile—booming production, mature production, or importing with refining capacity—to tailor phase-out strategies. Key goals include achieving a net-zero electricity system by 2050, decarbonizing industrial and transport demand, and reforming financial systems to reduce debt-based climate finance. The document also calls for the criminalization of ecocide and the exclusion of climate policies from investor-state arbitration mechanisms.

The report argues that the expanded BRICS bloc is not a coherent actor but a collection of competing interests, where fossil-industrial interests often conflict with climate rhetoric. It categorizes members into five functional actor groups and proposes a five-axis 'Climate and Energy Compass' and a focus on climate finance reform to facilitate a just and sovereign energy transition.

The document argues that the energy transition within the expanded BRICS bloc is a contest of power between incumbent fossil-industrial interests and emerging green regimes. It identifies a 'grey space' of hybrid compromise where ambitious climate rhetoric masks continued fossil fuel expansion. To navigate this, the authors introduce the BRICS Climate and Energy Compass and a strategic action plan focusing on financial architecture reform, investment in hard-to-abate sectors, and the localisation of climate finance.

The document outlines the role of Indian banks in the climate transition and proposes the Corporate Transition Assessment (CTA) framework to move beyond historical data in credit appraisals. CTAs assess companies across strategy and ambition, feasibility, and accountability to provide decision-focused insights for risk management and green investment.

The document argues that traditional green finance is insufficient for the Indian iron and steel sector because many necessary transitional technologies are not yet 'green' enough or are economically unviable. It identifies four core enablers for a transition finance (TF) market: sectoral roadmaps, climate finance taxonomies, credible corporate transition plans, and specialized TF instruments. To address high capex and cash flow constraints, the authors propose the Partial Deep Discount Carbon STRIPS (PDDCS) bond, which offers long-term debt (25-30 years) and allows investors to receive coupons in either cash or carbon credits generated by the project. The brief also suggests a flexible version (PDDB+C) to align with current Indian Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) regulations, which currently limit carbon trading to registered entities.

The report identifies a growing global landscape of over 60 sustainable finance taxonomies, noting high-level interoperability in classification structures and objectives but significant challenges at the granular criteria level. While development is accelerating, implementation remains in early stages, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). The Taxonomy Roadmap Initiative, launched at COP29, aims to address these gaps through three pillars: identifying core economic activities, developing common technical approaches, and formulating transition finance guidelines. To support these goals, the initiative is launching a set of tools at COP30, including a Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Mapper and Principles for Taxonomy Interoperability.

The report identifies a conservative USD 4.4 trillion pipeline of creditworthy sustainable bonds from 12 climate-leader countries through 2035. It argues that global megatrends—such as electrification, urbanisation, and the rise of AI—will further accelerate this pipeline beyond current projections. The document also outlines policy levers, including taxonomies and monetary policy, that governments can use to channel capital into mitigation and resilience projects.

The document argues that social acceptance is a critical bottleneck for CCS deployment in Poland, where public awareness is low and skepticism is high. It highlights the risk of 'NIMBY' (Not In My Back Yard) and 'WIMBY' (Why In My Backyard?) attitudes, drawing parallels to the historical failure of onshore wind development in Poland. Through international case studies from Japan, Norway, and Australia, the brief demonstrates that transparency, early engagement, and tangible local benefits are essential for securing a 'social licence to operate.' It recommends that the Polish government implement mandatory early community engagement, public data sharing, and benefit-sharing mechanisms to ensure the technology is accepted as a tool for industrial decarbonisation and job retention.

The document outlines a comprehensive approach to transition finance for Vietnam's high-emission industrial sectors. It introduces a 'Five Hallmarks' framework for creating credible transition plans—covering performance targets, robust planning, implementation, internal monitoring, and external reporting—and provides specific decarbonisation pathways and technical criteria for the steel, cement, and basic chemicals industries. Additionally, it offers a five-tier maturity scale for financial institutions to assess corporate transition credibility and provides best-practice recommendations for issuing sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) and loans (SLLs) to support the energy transition.

The document outlines a comprehensive methodology for creating and assessing corporate transition plans in Vietnam's high-emission industries. It introduces a 'Five Hallmarks' framework for credible plans, provides sector-specific decarbonization criteria for steel, cement, and basic chemicals, and details the use of sustainability-linked financial instruments. It also presents a five-level classification system for financial institutions to evaluate the maturity and ambition of corporate transitions.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the EU's Clean Industrial Deal must adopt a technology-neutral approach, integrating a diverse portfolio of low-carbon solutions including carbon capture, hydrogen, and small modular reactors. The brief emphasizes the need for coordinated cross-border infrastructure, particularly for CO2 transport and storage to avoid regional cost disparities, and calls for a robust funding strategy to bridge a projected €180 billion gap following the end of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in 2026. It further recommends targeted market measures, such as reforming public procurement and prioritizing clean hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors like steel and shipping, while warning against the use of public funds for inefficient solutions like hydrogen blending.

The document explores transition finance as a tool for emerging and developing economies, particularly in Asia, to decarbonise high-emitting sectors that struggle to meet strict green finance criteria. It analyses the taxonomies of Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and ASEAN, while highlighting risks of 'transition-washing' and the need for science-based targets and independent verification to ensure alignment with 1.5°C pathways.

The steel industry accounts for 11% of global CO2 emissions, but decarbonization is hindered by financial institutions' reliance on outdated myths. The briefing argues that the next six years are critical for transformation and urges financial institutions to restrict funding for metallurgical coal and coal-based steel projects while increasing investment in fossil-free technologies.

The report argues that the EU and US should move away from a combative competitive race toward a cooperative agenda for industrial decarbonisation. It suggests a 'softer' path to alignment that prioritises short-term 'carrots' like cleantech incentives and long-term 'sticks' like harmonised standards, rather than attempting to reconcile contentious issues like carbon pricing. The study advocates expanding cooperation beyond hydrogen and carbon capture to include circular economy solutions and electrification, using a policy mix approach that categorises tools by supply push, price signals, demand pull, and systemic enablers.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes VCMI's revised Scope 3 Framework, asserting that it allows companies to pollute up to 25% beyond their annual scope 3 decarbonisation targets until 2038. The organization argues this flexibility undermines the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal and creates a 'green fig leaf' for climate laggards, particularly in sectors that are easier to decarbonise than the hard-to-abate industries the framework was intended for.

The report argues that India requires cumulative investments of US$10.1 trillion by 2070 to reach net-zero, yet current tracked mitigation finance is only about 25 percent of the required amount. It distinguishes between 'green finance' for near-zero emission technologies and 'transition finance' for hard-to-abate sectors that lack immediate green alternatives. The document identifies critical gaps in the supply of finance, noting a lack of standardised taxonomy and an underdeveloped corporate bond market. On the demand side, it analyses the decarbonisation needs of the steel, cement, transport, power, and agriculture sectors, highlighting the high capital costs and technical risks of transformative technologies like Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS). The report proposes a five-pillar roadmap covering scope and definition, transparency, cooperation, supply chain support, and financial innovation, while recommending the establishment of a Prime Ministers Net Zero Council (PMNZC) to coordinate inter-ministerial efforts.

The Clean Air Task Force contends that Treasury's proposed guidance for the section 48E investment tax credit (ITC) incorrectly limits eligibility to hydrogen storage used solely for energy, contradicting the statute's plain text. The author argues that restricting credits based on end use is administratively difficult because storage operators cannot easily track hydrogen after it leaves their facilities. Expanding eligibility is presented as vital for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like refining, steel, and heavy-duty trucking by providing a reliable supply of clean hydrogen and mitigating the variability of renewable energy.

The report argues that current credit ratings and ESG frameworks fail to adequately measure a company's environmental impact, creating a gap that hinders transition finance for hard-to-abate sectors like steel and cement. To address this, the Climate Policy Initiative proposes a Carbon Rating Framework that evaluates a company's carbon emission intensity over a three-to-five-year horizon. The framework suggests a weighted approach combining past emission intensity (indicatively 70%) and projected future intensity (indicatively 30%), the latter being a function of projected emissions and revenue. The authors propose a 10-point rating scale based on the distribution of carbon intensity among companies reporting under SEBI's Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report (BRSR). The framework focuses on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions at the company level and suggests a composite rating system to account for sector-specific challenges in hard-to-abate industries.