Search Climate Insights Directory

National Grid has exceeded its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target, achieving a 68% reduction against a 1990 baseline. The company is investing in renewable energy through a $100m joint venture with Sunrun in the US and is expanding EV infrastructure, including a request for up to $166.5 million for its Electric Vehicle Market Development Program in Massachusetts. National Grid also employs an internal carbon price of £45 per tonne in certain UK operations and advocates for the US to remain in the Paris Agreement.

A statement by the We Mean Business coalition highlighting that 87 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US$ 2.3 trillion have committed to align their operations with a 1.5°C warming limit and net-zero emissions by 2050. The text asserts that this corporate leadership demonstrates the viability of decarbonization and calls for governments to provide policy clarity, such as carbon pricing, to unlock further investment and economic growth.

Carbon Market Watch argues that Horizon Europe, with its 100 billion euro budget, should prioritize the decarbonization of the economy and exclude all fossil fuel-based research and innovation to support a transition to net-zero emissions by 2040.

The research challenges the assumption that European far-right parties uniformly deny climate change, highlighting a spectrum of attitudes from explicit rejection to acceptance of science. While parties like Germany's AfD maintain strong climate denial, Austria's FPÖ and Italy's Lega have moved toward accepting climate change as a reality. However, these parties use the issue to promote 'climate nationalism', rejecting supranational governance and the Paris Agreement in favor of national sovereignty and border control.

The document highlights the disconnect between mass public demand for urgent climate action, evidenced by the September 20, 2019 strikes, and the lack of citizen engagement in the drafting of EU national energy and climate plans (NECPs). It asserts that current NECPs are insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals and calls for the establishment of permanent, multi-level public consultation platforms to ensure a rapid and just transition to zero-carbon societies.

The analysis argues that while Justin Trudeau has positioned Canada as a reliable, progressive partner for the EU and a defender of the rules-based international order, his actual record is marked by contradictions. Key discrepancies include a gap between international climate leadership and domestic support for extractive industries, a failure to meet UN peacekeeping pledges, and continued arms exports to Middle Eastern states despite human rights rhetoric. The document also contrasts Trudeau's approach with the more hawkish, US-aligned foreign policy proposed by Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.

The document is a formal petition by sixteen children from various countries against five states, alleging that their failure to mitigate climate change violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It details specific harms faced by the petitioners—including extreme heat, wildfires, and sea-level rise—and argues that the respondents' current emission pathways are inconsistent with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. The petitioners request that the Committee recognize climate change as a children's rights crisis and recommend that the respondent states accelerate mitigation efforts and prioritize the best interests of children.

The study finds that the EU's 2050 target of 80% to 95% reduction from 1990 levels is outdated and insufficient. An 80% reduction is incompatible with the Paris Agreement's temperature limits, and even GHG neutrality by 2050 is deemed an unfair contribution given the EU's historical emissions. The report suggests the EU would need to reach zero emissions by 2030-2040 to allow other countries a fair share of the remaining carbon budget.

The 'Building a Resilient Future' event, involving over 50 organizations and 900 delegates, emphasized that incremental change is insufficient to address climate change. The document argues for the urgent scaling of proactive resilience building to protect vulnerable communities and ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

The report assesses Indonesia's progress toward its goal of a 23 per cent renewable energy share in the national energy mix, noting that the country is currently off pace. It highlights that total renewable installed capacity was 9.4 GW at the end of 2018, failing to meet the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources' target of 15.5 GW for the second quarter of 2018. The document proposes solutions including increasing solar and biomass power, reducing coal reliance, and reforming energy pricing to align with Paris Agreement commitments and electrification goals.

The briefing discusses the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, highlighting the need to accelerate action due to IPCC warnings and youth-led climate strikes. It notes that while mitigation has seen progress with 183 parties submitting NDCs, adaptation remains severely under-implemented, particularly in developing countries. The author advocates for the integration of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into global strategies, noting its dual benefit for resilience and carbon sequestration, especially in Africa.

The document argues that while NDCs (short-to-medium term commitments) and LTSs (mid-century visions) serve different legal and functional roles, they should be developed synergistically. Aligning them prevents the 'lock-in' of carbon-intensive infrastructure and reduces administrative costs by sharing data, modeling, and stakeholder consultations. The authors suggest that ideally, an LTS should inform the NDC, though they provide options for countries developing both in parallel or those updating NDCs without a formal LTS.

The report analyzes climate mitigation commitments from subnational and non-state actors, finding that while individual commitments from ten major emitting economies can reduce 2030 emissions by 1.2 to 2.0 GtCO2e, international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) offer a much larger potential reduction of 18 to 21 GtCO2e. If fully implemented, these ICIs could put the world on track to limit global warming to 2°C. The report also highlights the synergies between these climate actions and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The document highlights a significant gap between projected fossil fuel production for 2030 and the levels required to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. It warns that expanding coal, oil, and gas production creates infrastructure lock-in that makes emission reductions more difficult and costly. Preliminary findings indicate that by 2030, the world is on track to produce 50% more fossil fuels than a 2°C pathway allows and 120% more than a 1.5°C pathway allows.

The document highlights a significant 'production gap' where planned fossil fuel production exceeds levels consistent with the Paris Agreement. Preliminary findings indicate that by 2030, the world is on track to produce 50% more fossil fuels than a 2°C pathway allows and 120% more than a 1.5°C pathway. This expansion risks locking in infrastructure that undermines emission reduction pledges and climate ambitions.

The briefing outlines three critical objectives for national leaders at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit to align global efforts with the 1.5 degrees C warming limit. First, leaders are urged to pledge net-zero emissions by 2050, following examples like Suriname and Bhutan. Second, they must prepare to submit more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement in 2020. Third, the document calls for a shift from 'brown' to 'green' financing, specifically halting coal plant funding and increasing contributions to the Green Climate Fund to support developing nations. The text emphasizes that investing $1.8 trillion in climate resilience from 2020 to 2030 could yield $7.1 trillion in net benefits.

A quantitative study indicates substantial public support for wind, solar photovoltaic, and geothermal energy in Kenya, which could help the country meet its Paris Agreement commitments. While overall assessments are positive, public opinion is shaped by price, infrastructure, and land-use requirements, suggesting that authorities must anticipate and mitigate specific drawbacks to ensure large-scale adoption.

The We Mean Business coalition calls on governments to align their policies with the 1.5C warming limit to provide the clarity and confidence businesses need to invest in zero-carbon technologies. The statement highlights that while nearly 1,000 businesses have made climate commitments and over 190 are transitioning to 100% renewable electricity via RE100, decisive government action is required to embed carbon costs into financial systems and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. Key policy demands include strengthened Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the implementation of TCFD recommendations, and support for the deployment of solar, wind, and electric vehicle infrastructure.

Levi Strauss & Co. has established science-based targets to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% and global supply chain emissions by 40% by 2025. The company achieved a 3% reduction in operational emissions between 2016 and 2017 and is scaling a partnership with the International Finance Corporation to reduce GHG emissions across its top suppliers. Its energy strategy includes a goal of 100% renewable electricity in owned facilities by 2025, supported by green utility contracts, PPAs, and on-site solar. Additionally, the company advocates for federal climate legislation in the US, supports the Paris Climate Agreement, and is a signatory of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action.

The article argues that while global adaptation governance is emerging, it remains weak and contested due to a lack of operationalization of the Paris Agreement's global goal, the absence of distinct metrics for measuring progress, and a lack of legitimacy stemming from poor problem-framing.