Search Climate Insights Directory

The document evaluates the early climate record of Prime Minister Andy Burnham, noting a slow initial response to the record heatwaves of summer 2026 and subsequent mixed signals. While the government has committed to net zero by 2050, invested £30 million in community energy, and planned a 'Wildfire Summit', it faces criticism over potential approvals for the Jackdaw and Rosebank oil fields, a new Heathrow runway, and possible dilution of the ZEV Mandate. The author argues that ambitious climate action is supported by the British public, including the 'Rooted Patriots' demographic, and urges the government to prioritize bold action over cautious tinkering.

The guide describes advance market commitments (AMCs) as financial mechanisms where governments or private entities guarantee the purchase of a future product to stimulate development and reduce investor risk. It outlines the essential steps for designing an AMC, including defining market boundaries, identifying eligible suppliers and buyers, and establishing standards and procurement processes. The text highlights the utility of AMCs for sectors like aviation, buildings, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide removal, while noting that they should be complemented by other policies to address infrastructure gaps.

The report analyzes the potential demand response to an EU ETS scope expansion for extra-EEA flights. It finds that demand effects are generally small at current price levels, particularly for high-emitting segments such as long-haul flights, business travel, and private aviation, which exhibit low price elasticity. The study highlights that cost pass-through rates are higher in competitive markets and at uncongested airports. Non-price factors, including value of time, airline loyalty, and airport attractiveness, are identified as primary drivers of the observed differences in price sensitivity across market segments.

The document outlines how climate-fueled hazards like rising sea levels and extreme weather are reshaping global tourism, leading to trends such as "coolcations" and the decline of snow-based activities. It highlights the economic risks for tourism-dependent communities, the carbon intensity of aviation, and the ethical dilemmas of "last-chance tourism." The guide suggests reporting on adaptation strategies, such as Hawaii's "green fee" and climate insurance in El Salvador, while urging journalists to contextualize aviation emissions beyond their current global percentage.

The author contends that CORSIA fails to address aviation's climate impact because it only covers emissions above a high baseline and lacks binding national enforcement mechanisms. Even with penalties, the scheme would only cover 20% of emissions for a Brussels-New York flight by 2030. In contrast, the EU ETS is presented as a superior model due to its 100% coverage of intra-EEA flights and harmonised penalties of €100 per tonne of CO2. The document advocates for the European Commission to extend the EU ETS to all departing flights by mid-2026, which could generate up to €9 billion annually by 2030 to fund zero-emission aircraft and high-speed rail.

Carbon Market Watch proposes extending the EU ETS to include all departing flights from the European Economic Area (EEA), non-CO2 aviation effects, and private jets. The brief argues that the current limited scope—covering only intra-EEA flights—fails to address the sector's full climate impact and misses significant revenue opportunities. By implementing these extensions and applying carbon price multipliers for private jets, the EU could generate substantial funds to finance e-kerosene development, upgrade railway infrastructure via the Trans-European Transport Core Network (TEN-T), and meet international climate finance targets. The author specifically recommends replacing support for biofuels with a focused e-kerosene scheme extended to 2040.

The report examines four scenarios for extending the EU ETS aviation scope beyond intra-EEA flights, potentially increasing revenues up to 1,160 billion € by 2040. It argues that including non-CO2 effects and private jets would significantly boost funding for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), rail infrastructure (TEN-T), and international climate finance (NCQG).

ACT Climate Labs partnered with Climate Catalyst and Walnut Unlimited to conduct research on communication strategies for aviation's climate impact. The project aimed to identify specific narratives and frames that would resonate with the general public and 'hard-to-reach audiences' to build support for climate action policies targeting the aviation sector.

The EU's current clean hydrogen strategy faces a significant gap between aspiration and achievement, with renewable hydrogen accounting for less than 0.4% of total supply. The authors advocate for a broader definition of clean hydrogen that includes carbon capture-enabled reforming, methane pyrolysis, and nuclear-powered electrolysis to improve scalability and affordability. They recommend prioritising hydrogen for hard-to-electrify sectors like chemicals, steel, shipping, and aviation, while steering residential heating and passenger vehicles toward direct electrification. To overcome high costs—where clean hydrogen can reach €17 per kilogram compared to €3.5 per kilogram for unabated hydrogen—the document calls for additional subsidies and the development of centralised production-consumption hubs to reduce expensive transportation.

The report identifies fragmented policies and challenged economics as primary barriers to the US hydrogen industry's scale-up, risking a loss of global leadership. It suggests that federal and state policymakers should maintain incentives, promote exports, and increase demand-side supports across sectors such as steel, aviation, and maritime shipping to secure supply chains and expand the industrial base.

The document assesses the effectiveness of the EU ETS and CORSIA in addressing aviation emissions, finding that both schemes fail to cover non-CO2 effects and that CORSIA's reliance on low-quality offsets and a high baseline limits its climate impact. It recommends extending the EU ETS to all flights departing from the European Economic Area (EEA) by 2027.

The report finds a substantial divergence in ambition between the EU ETS and CORSIA. While the EU ETS is moving toward 100% auctioning of allowances by 2026 and high carbon prices, CORSIA relies on offsetting emissions above a baseline, resulting in significantly lower emissions coverage and a much weaker price signal. The EU may expand the EU ETS to extra-EEA flights by 2027 if CORSIA is deemed insufficient to meet climate goals.

The letter, sent by ClientEarth, Fossielvrij NL, and Reclame Fossielvrij to airlines at Amsterdam Schiphol, details the legal boundaries for climate-related advertising following a court ruling that KLM's claims about 'sustainable' flying and CO2 compensation were misleading. It argues that aviation growth is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and warns that the industry's 'licence to grow' communication strategy likely violates the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).

The guide argues against one-size-fits-all climate action lists, instead encouraging individuals to audit their own habits in four key areas: diet, electricity use, travel, and home temperature regulation. It highlights the environmental impact of agriculture, fossil-fuel electricity, and transportation, offering specific practical steps—such as shifting to plant-rich diets, upgrading to LED bulbs, and reducing air travel—to lower personal greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is a cap-and-trade mechanism designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the power, heavy industry, aviation, and maritime sectors by pricing pollution. It operates by setting a decreasing cap on total emissions, divided into EU Allowances (EUAs), which companies can trade or buy at auction. While the system has raised over €152 billion since 2005, its effectiveness has been historically hampered by an oversupply of permits and the extensive use of free allocations to prevent 'carbon leakage'. A separate system, ETS2, will be introduced in 2027 to cover buildings and road transport. The document highlights concerns regarding the environmental integrity of the current cap relative to the EU's carbon budget and the lack of transparency in how member states spend auction revenues.

The EU ETS for aviation currently covers intra-EEA flights, with a potential expansion to global flights pending a 2026 evaluation of ICAO's CORSIA. A key reform is the gradual phase-out of free allowances, with airlines paying for all emissions by 2026. The system is also introducing monitoring for non-CO2 emissions and providing 20 million free allowances until 2030 to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uptake.

The document outlines the bidirectional relationship between aviation and climate change, noting that global air travel emitted over 780 Mt CO2 in 2022 while simultaneously facing operational disruptions from the resulting warming. It identifies five primary climate-driven disruptions: coastal flooding threatening airport infrastructure, high temperatures reducing aircraft lift and capacity, increased lightning strike risks, shifting jet stream patterns affecting flight duration, and a rise in severe clear-air turbulence. The text emphasizes the need for the aviation industry to implement adaptation measures, such as coastal defenses and adjusted flight scheduling, to maintain safety and manage costs.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) provides a framework for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and selected Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs to transition from application to action. CATF emphasizes prioritizing hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors, ensuring transparency in project planning, coordinating funding across federal programs, and deepening community engagement to ensure equitable and climate-beneficial outcomes.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is funding between four and ten Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) using $8 billion allocated by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). These hubs are designed to catalyze domestic clean hydrogen production and operationalize the DOE's Hydrogen Shot goal of reducing production costs by 80% to $1 per kilogram within ten years. Applicants are evaluated on feedstock diversity (requiring demonstrations from fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear energy), end-use diversity (covering electric power, industrial, residential/commercial heating, and transportation), a minimum 50% non-federal cost share, and community benefits plans aligned with the Justice40 Initiative. The program aims to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors—which accounted for nearly 16% of U.S. emissions in 2018—and foster hydrogen-fueled transportation corridors and export potential. Financial viability is further supported by the Inflation Reduction Act's Section 45V tax credit, offering up to $3.00 per kilogram of clean hydrogen for projects starting construction before 2033.

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.