Search Climate Insights Directory

The document examines how solar photovoltaics, batteries, and information and communications technology can revolutionize food production and address structural rural development challenges. It specifically highlights the role of solar-powered irrigation and the feasibility of solar-powered electric cookers in Kenya to improve gender equality and social inclusion.

The transition to low-carbon technologies is highly mineral-intensive, requiring an estimated 3 billion tons of minerals and metals to achieve a below 2°C future. This demand increases the risk of deforestation and fragmentation of intact forest landscapes (IFLs), particularly in the Amazon and Congo Basin. In the Amazon, mining contributes up to 9% of IFL area loss, while in the Congo Basin, the demand for cobalt for batteries drives exploration in high-forest-cover areas. Analysis shows a gap in corporate and government governance, with only a minority of assessed companies adopting specific forest-related commitments and 78% of state and regional governments lacking forest management plans that directly address mining-related deforestation.

The briefing argues that achieving a 1.5°C future requires substantial reductions in absolute energy use, which can be achieved through incremental gains, technological breakthroughs, and systems-level design. It contends that traditional energy models, which rely on extrapolating past supply, systematically underestimate the potential of efficiency. Using Tesla as a case study, the document demonstrates how integrated design across the supply chain can drastically reduce costs and resource use. It recommends that businesses and policymakers move toward service-oriented models and innovate across supply chains to avoid stranded assets and capture new economic opportunities.

The briefing highlights a rapid acceleration in US electric vehicle (EV) adoption driven by battery technology breakthroughs, state-level internal combustion engine (ICE) phase-out mandates in California and New Jersey, and large-scale corporate fleet electrification commitments from companies like Amazon and Walmart. It emphasizes the need for scaled charging infrastructure and ambitious policy goals to ensure the US remains competitive against China and the EU in the transition to decarbonized mobility.

The author calls on energy ministers attending the IEA Clean Energy Transitions Summit to allocate global stimulus funds toward a sustainable recovery. The text advocates for the IEA's Sustainable Recovery Plan and specific policy targets, such as phasing out coal by 2040 and ending fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, while highlighting the potential for significant job creation and the growing corporate and public support for a green transition.

The report examines the potential of solar PV, batteries, and ICT to transform agriculture in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights applications such as solar-powered irrigation, precision agriculture, and indoor farming, noting that while these technologies can reduce environmental harm and increase yields, they face barriers like high upfront costs and data privacy risks. The authors recommend government interventions in regulation, financing, and capacity-building to ensure inclusive and sustainable adoption.

Ember argues that the 4th Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list should be the last to include fossil gas projects, as current infrastructure is sufficient and demand is projected to decrease by 2030. The organization advocates for prioritizing renewable energy sources (RES), energy storage, and smart grid technologies to meet EU emission targets, while suggesting that the responsibility for writing the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) be expanded beyond the two ENTSOs to reduce conflicts of interest.

The document argues that the massive fiscal stimulus required for COVID-19 recovery presents a unique opportunity to transition to a low-carbon economy. It suggests that climate-aligned investments offer higher returns than traditional spending, citing benefit-cost ratios for adaptation between 2:1 and 10:1. The author proposes seven action areas: managing corporate bailouts with emissions targets, investing in climate-smart infrastructure (such as renewable energy and nature-based solutions), promoting regulatory reform, reforming tax and subsidy policies (including cutting fossil fuel subsidies), integrating climate risks into financial regulations, enhancing the role of development finance institutions, and sponsoring R&D for new technologies. The text emphasizes that green investments can create more jobs than fossil fuel investments, noting that in the US, $1 million spent on renewable energy creates 7.5 FTE jobs compared to 2.7 in fossil fuels.

A coalition led by Earthjustice urges the California Air Resources Board to increase zero-emission (ZE) truck sales targets, arguing that initial proposals are insufficient to meet the state's 2045 carbon neutrality goals. Citing analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the authors claim that without stronger mandates, carbon emissions from trucking would only drop by 18% by 2045. The letter proposes specific higher sales percentages for Class 7-8 tractors to meet drayage fleet goals by 2035 and calls for a 'work backwards' approach from 2040 fleet goals to eliminate internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales for urban delivery by 2033. The coalition asserts that technological advancements, falling battery costs, and corporate commitments from entities like Amazon and UPS make these higher targets feasible, shifting the primary barriers from technical or economic to logistical planning.

The document argues that current NDCs insufficiently address the transport sector, which accounts for approximately one-quarter of energy-related CO2 emissions. It advocates for a comprehensive approach based on the "Avoid-Shift-Improve" framework: avoiding unnecessary travel through land-use planning, shifting to low-carbon modes like public transit and cycling, and improving vehicle technology via electrification and fuel efficiency. The authors identify three primary opportunities for NDC enhancement: accelerating electrification and fuel economy, amplifying avoid-and-shift measures, and addressing freight emissions through clean fuels and information technology.

The document applies a methodology to Canada's NDC, suggesting that since 2017, the falling costs of wind, solar PV, and batteries could enable a further reduction of the 2030 emissions target by 1 to 2 percentage points, or 4 to 9 MtCO2e.

The report proposes the PAYS for Clean Transport instrument to address the high upfront costs of electric buses, which can be up to 40% higher than diesel alternatives. Under this model, utilities invest in batteries and charging infrastructure and recover costs through a fixed charge on the bus service provider's (BSP) electric bill. This approach shifts capital expenditure from the BSP's balance sheet to a monthly operating expense, reducing the need for grants and leveraging private finance. Modeling for a 100-bus fleet in Santiago, Chile, indicates that PAYS can make electric buses cheaper than diesel over their lifecycle and leverage over 70 dollars of private investment for every grant dollar provided.

The briefing highlights the dual role of the mining industry in the energy transition, noting its necessity in providing raw materials for low-carbon technologies while remaining a significant source of global emissions. It advocates for the adoption of science-based targets, the use of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, and the cocreation of a comprehensive decarbonization pathway to mitigate physical and financial climate risks.

SEI scientists Peter Erickson and Michael Lazarus argue that limiting fossil fuel supply, specifically high-cost and high-emissions oil in California, is essential for solving the climate crisis. They contend that reducing production helps avoid stranded assets and that California's projected decrease in oil demand by 2030 allows for a production phase-down without increasing oil imports.

The document argues that the US is losing its leadership in energy storage to countries like China and requires strategic federal RD&D to overcome private sector investment gaps. It identifies critical research priorities—including long-duration storage, systems integration, and cost reduction—and recommends a diverse portfolio of high-risk research, expanded public-private partnerships, and the creation of a federal energy storage roadmap.

The document examines the intersection of mining, governance, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa. It argues that while the global energy transition will double demand for minerals like copper, lithium, and cobalt, African countries must strengthen institutions to ensure these resources drive broad-based industrialisation rather than remaining as disconnected enclaves. The author analyzes specific governance failures and opportunities in South Africa, Guinea, Botswana, and Tanzania, emphasizing the need for stable legal frameworks, the protection of ecological integrity, and the formalisation of artisanal mining. It concludes that leapfrogging traditional development trajectories via renewable energy and smart technology is possible if governments prioritize inclusive institutions over the interests of politically connected elites.

The report argues that electric orchard tractors are well-suited for the low-speed, high-torque requirements of South African horticultural farms, particularly in the citrus industry. It estimates a potential market of 1,480 electric tractors by 2030, which could save up to 5,200 tonnes of CO2 annually if powered by renewable energy. While initial capital costs are higher than diesel alternatives, the report identifies a payback period of less than six years due to lower fuel and maintenance costs. It further proposes a local manufacturing model developed by Nelson Mandela University, suggesting that producing 300 units annually by Year 5 could create 53 direct jobs.

The document asserts that financial incentives, particularly the federal tax credit, are essential for bridging the price gap between electric vehicles (EVs) and gasoline cars while battery costs decline. It highlights that EVs offer significant fuel savings and lower global warming emissions, and that government support fosters domestic manufacturing and R&D. The brief warns that premature removal of these incentives would stall US leadership in EV technology, citing a sharp drop in sales in Georgia after its state tax credit ended in 2015.

Scientists for Global Responsibility urges UK political leaders to prioritize climate action through home energy conservation, renewable energy, and energy storage, while ending subsidies for fossil fuels and new nuclear power commitments.

RMI proposes that a nearly 100 percent renewable energy system is achievable by the mid-2050s by applying market adoption 'S-curves' seen in previous industrial revolutions to clean energy technologies. The briefing emphasizes that the transition is driven by declining costs, electrification of end-uses, and decentralized adoption rather than solely by government mandates. To meet the 1.5°C target, the document asserts that the energy sector must be paired with high-impact measures in the agricultural, forestry, and land-use (AFOLU) sectors to create net carbon sinks by mid-century.