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The report argues that while the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) significantly advances U.S. climate goals, it is insufficient on its own to meet the 2030 NDC. Using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), the authors propose a comprehensive set of additional federal, state, and local policies across the electricity, industry, transportation, and building sectors. The electricity sector is identified as the primary driver for 2030 reductions due to its ability to decarbonize faster than sectors limited by slow stock turnover. Proposed measures include a nationwide 80 percent clean electricity standard, stricter tailpipe emissions standards, and the electrification of industrial and building heating. The report estimates that this combined policy pathway would create 2.7 million additional jobs, grow GDP by $700 billion, and avoid 3,900 premature deaths by 2030.

The document analyzes the synergistic effect of the Energy Act of 2020, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 on the U.S. energy transition.

The report finds that IFIs have historically had limited exposure to the steel sector, with most investments focused on business-as-usual modernization rather than transformative decarbonization. While barriers such as the high capital intensity of steel projects and a lack of national policy frameworks in developing countries exist, the authors argue that IFIs can accelerate the transition by de-risking first movers, supporting green hydrogen strategies, and creating demand through green public procurement standards for infrastructure projects.

The Clean Air Task Force calls for COP27 leadership to move beyond prescribed solution sets toward 'region-centric flexibility' and 'technology optionality'. It emphasizes that climate strategies must align with national interests and energy security, particularly for emerging economies, while advocating for the deployment of a broad range of carbon-free technologies including nuclear, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage to address hard-to-abate sectors.

The report identifies a 'carbon-pricing certainty gap' that inhibits private investment in Canada's industrial decarbonization. It proposes three primary recommendations: introducing carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs) to guarantee the carbon-price schedule, preventing carbon-credit oversupply through strengthened federal benchmarks and public registries, and offering policy-contingent loans via the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The authors suggest that a successful CCfD program could accelerate up to 40 Mt of emissions reductions by 2030 with limited contingent liabilities for the government.

The author contends that using the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) as a funding source for REPowerEU is destructive, as it would increase pollution limits, depress carbon prices, and reduce industrial incentives to decarbonize. The text suggests alternative funding methods, such as auctioning free pollution permits, and calls for the exclusion of fossil fuel infrastructure investments from the REPowerEU plan.

The report argues that decarbonizing the global steel sector requires a shift from project-based funding to systemic international cooperation that addresses both high capital and operational costs. It highlights a significant gap in green steel initiatives, which are currently clustered in the EU, while production growth is projected in emerging economies. The authors propose the international application of Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs) to cover incremental costs of clean production and mitigate risks for private investors. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that successful transformation depends on fostering trust through non-hierarchical policy dialogues and peer review processes to avoid concerns over national sovereignty and 'carbon colonialism'.

The Inflation Reduction Act is framed as a national security win that reduces U.S. carbon emissions, enhances energy resilience against fossil fuel volatility, and lowers the cost of clean energy technologies for global partners. It specifically supports Department of Defense decarbonization goals in aviation and heavy industry while strengthening U.S. geopolitical influence relative to China.

The Inflation Reduction Act commits $369 billion to energy and climate initiatives to decarbonize the US economy and secure clean energy supply chains. Key measures include tax credits for electric vehicles, residential energy efficiency, and green hydrogen, alongside funding for urban forestry and carbon capture. The legislation targets a reduction in energy costs for households, the revitalization of former fossil fuel communities, and the acceleration of low-carbon industrial production in sectors like steel and cement.

The World Resources Institute warns that the potential failure of a U.S. Senate reconciliation package containing clean energy investments would be a 'devastating setback' to the United States' goal of halving emissions by 2030. The statement argues that clean energy measures would save households $500 annually and are essential for economic growth and climate mitigation.

The policy brief outlines a proposed framework for a German national carbon management strategy, emphasizing the necessity of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture (DAC) to meet 2045 climate goals. It suggests five pillars: setting clear quantitative targets, prioritizing hard-to-abate sectors like cement and refineries, engaging civil society, developing shared CO2 transport infrastructure, and fostering international cooperation, particularly within the EU and with countries like Norway and Denmark.

The report finds that while Estonia's total greenhouse gas emissions fell from 18,687.4 kt CO2e in 2018 to 11,555.8 kt CO2e in 2020, significant gaps remain across all sectors to reach 2050 neutrality. The energy sector shows a positive trend in renewables, but wind capacity investment is lagging. The buildings sector lacks incentives for non-residential renovations, which are identified as highly cost-efficient. The LULUCF sector transitioned from a carbon sink to an emitting sector in 2020. Transport emissions are decreasing, but a modal shift toward public transport and cycling has not been achieved. Agriculture emissions continue to rise slowly, and the sector faces limited reduction potential without impacting food production. The report highlights the contradiction of government support for a new shale oil refinery, which is viewed as a step away from climate neutrality.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the European Commission's proposal to revise the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) fails to meaningfully address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because it maintains the exclusion of GHGs from installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The organization recommends deleting Article 9.1 to allow binding emission limits for ETS sectors, maintaining the deletion of Article 9.2 to make energy efficiency requirements mandatory, and strengthening the requirements for industrial transformation plans (TP) to ensure they are binding, detailed, and implemented before 2030.

The Netherlands aims to reduce industrial GHG emissions by 59% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050. The government employs a 'carrot-and-stick' approach, using a National CO2 Tax as a floor price and the SDE++ subsidy scheme to support low-carbon technologies. CCS is currently prioritized as a cost-effective transition technology, with projects like Porthos nearing final investment decisions. Hydrogen strategy involves a transition from grey to blue and eventually green hydrogen, supported by plans for a national 'hydrogen backbone' utilizing existing gas infrastructure. However, the report notes that current policy is insufficient to enable gigawatt-scale green hydrogen projects, and the SDE++ scheme tends to favor mature technologies over long-term innovation.

The California Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) 3.3.1 update finds that current policy commitments will leave California's 2030 emissions nearly 20% above the SB 32 target. To address this, Energy Innovation proposes a 'Deeper Decarbonization Scenario' focusing on rapid electrification of vehicles, appliances, and industry, alongside a strengthened clean energy standard. This approach is projected to lower 2030 emissions to 230 MMT of CO2e and generate significant economic and public health benefits, including $60 billion in monetized social benefits by 2050, while reducing reliance on unproven carbon dioxide removal technologies.

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 Clean Air Task Force advocates for increasing the 45Q tax credit to $85 per tonne for carbon capture and $180 per tonne for DAC, while indexing these values to inflation from 2020 to prevent economic erosion. The brief suggests that these enhancements, combined with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, could lead to a 13-fold increase in carbon capture projects by 2031, sequestering between 72 and 125 million tonnes of CO2 annually.

The report finds that neither the scale of capital investment nor access to financing are primary obstacles to Sweden's green industrial transition. Instead, the most critical barriers are the lack of market demand for more expensive green products, insufficient infrastructure (particularly renewable electricity), and slow permitting processes. The authors recommend that policymakers focus on market formation through carbon pricing and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while continuing direct support for R&D and demonstration projects through programs like Industriklivet.

The briefing emphasizes that clean electrification is the most efficient path to net-zero in Canada, noting that three quarters of emissions from building heating must be eliminated by 2040. It highlights the need for the industrial sector to increase electricity use to 41% by 2050 and for the electricity sector to accommodate a doubling of consumption by the same date, while noting that the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets is currently lagging behind the light-duty market.

An open letter from multiple environmental and industrial organisations calling for the EU ETS to be strengthened by increasing reduction factors, eliminating free allowances for industry and aviation, and reinvesting auction revenues into the green transition. The authors argue that free allocation creates market failures and windfall profits while slowing decarbonisation, and they specifically oppose the creation of a Carbon Leakage Protection Reserve in favour of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).