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The report advocates for a systemic shift in Africa's energy landscape, moving away from fossil fuels toward a decentralized, community-owned 100% renewable energy system by 2050. Based on modeling by Dr. Sven Teske, the plan suggests that achieving this goal requires an annual investment of approximately $130 billion. The document emphasizes that this transition would not only mitigate climate impacts and address severe energy poverty—where approximately half of sub-Saharan Africans lack electricity—but also create up to 7 million jobs by 2050. It calls for a 'just and feminist transition' that prioritizes gender equity and workers' rights. To fund the plan, the authors propose ending illicit financial flows, canceling African debt, and demanding that developed nations fulfill their climate finance obligations.

The report argues for a systemic shift in Africa's energy landscape, moving away from fossil fuels toward a decentralized, community-owned system of 100% renewable energy by 2050. Based on modeling by Dr. Sven Teske, the plan estimates a need for 360 GW of capacity by 2030 and 2,280 GW by 2050, requiring an average annual investment of $130 billion. This transition is projected to create 7 million jobs by 2050. The document emphasizes 'energy sovereignty' and 'energy as a common good,' calling for the cancellation of African debt, the end of illicit financial flows, and the fulfillment of climate finance promises by developed nations to fund the transition.

The Brazilian sustainable debt market has grown to a cumulative USD 10.8bn, with green bonds dominating at 84% of the market. Land use is a primary driver of this growth, representing 67% of total volume across green, sustainability, sustainability-linked, and transition labels. Forestry is the leading agriculture-related theme with USD 6.4bn in funding, followed by agriculture (USD 848m) and bioenergy (USD 832m). While non-financial corporates lead issuances, financial institutions and government-backed entities are increasingly entering the market. The document highlights the emergence of performance-linked instruments like Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs) and transition bonds, though it notes concerns regarding transparency and the need for science-based transition pathways to avoid greenwashing.

The Brazilian sustainable debt market has grown to USD 10.8 billion, with green bonds dominating at 84% of the market. Land use is a primary driver, accounting for 67% of emissions across green, sustainable, sustainability-linked, and transition labels. The forestry sector is the most significant theme, led by pulp and paper companies like Suzano and Klabin. Bioenergy and agriculture are emerging sectors, while livestock remains a challenge but shows potential through transition bonds. The document highlights a significant investment potential of USD 163 billion for green agriculture in Brazil by 2030.

The report argues that stopping the expansion of fossil fuels is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement; instead, an active wind-down of existing production is required. It proposes specific annual decline rates for coal (9.5%), oil (8.5%), and gas (3.5%) between 2021 and 2030. The authors conclude that this transition is technically feasible because global solar and wind potential could meet primary energy demand more than 50 times over, ensuring 100% energy access without risking energy security.

The report contends that "net zero" pledges from "Big Polluters"—including fossil fuel, agribusiness, and tech giants—are deceptive strategies to avoid responsibility for climate change. It identifies "dangerous distractions" such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and carbon offsets, arguing these schemes often lead to human rights abuses and "carbon colonialism." The document details how these corporations influence policy through lobbying, financial contributions to politicians, and the funding of academic research at institutions like Stanford and MIT to validate "net zero" narratives. Case studies of Shell, Total SA, and JBS are used to illustrate how these plans often mask continued production of high-emissions products.

The document details a participatory process to define a subnational bioeconomy for Valle del Cauca, Colombia, focusing on the agricultural, agro-industrial, and nature tourism sectors. It proposes a transition toward 'bioresource' and 'bioecology' visions that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability and social inclusion. The resulting roadmap emphasizes the need for a multi-actor governance scheme, targeted financial incentives for circularity, and critical infrastructure improvements in rural transport and basic services to enable the processing of biological resources.

The IEA Net Zero Scenario projects a massive expansion of solar and wind energy, with solar and wind together providing almost 70% of global electricity by 2050. It calls for an immediate end to new oil, gas, and unabated coal investments, forecasting a 90% decline in coal demand and a 275% decline in oil use by 2050. The transition relies heavily on the scaling of currently non-commercially viable technologies, including CCUS, hydrogen, and negative emission technologies (NETs), as well as a 60% increase in bioenergy use.

The report criticizes the EU's REDII sustainability criteria for forest biomass, arguing that they prioritize legal formality over actual ecological sustainability. It contends that the criteria allow destructive forestry practices to continue by equating the existence of national laws with sustainability, while failing to provide rigorous verification mechanisms or incorporate NGO evidence. Through five case studies in Canada, Estonia, France, Portugal, and Finland, the document demonstrates that current rules would not prevent the logging of old-growth or high-nature-value forests for energy production.

Reclaim Finance asserts that the EU sustainable taxonomy's climate mitigation and adaptation criteria have been watered down due to pressure from Member states and industry lobbies. The author claims the current proposal allows for the burning of all forest biomass and creates pathways for fossil gas and nuclear energy to be labeled as sustainable, thereby undermining the EU Sustainable Finance Strategy and contradicting scientific research.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the European Commission's 2021 delegated acts for the EU sustainable taxonomy, claiming that political and industrial pressure has overridden scientific criteria. The author asserts that the current framework allows for greenwashing by adopting weak bioenergy standards and leaving the door open for fossil gas and nuclear energy, which the author argues are incompatible with the Paris Agreement goals.

Colombia is integrating just transition principles into national planning documents and partnerships with the ILO and UNDP, aiming for a national strategy by 2023. However, the country faces a tension between these goals and its continued economic reliance on coal exports and fossil fuel revenues to fund its peace process.

The document identifies an "unspoken consensus" among the UK, EU, and US that transitioning to zero-carbon power by the 2030s is essential for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. It analyzes official pathways, noting a shared commitment to rapidly phasing out coal and reducing fossil gas, while dramatically scaling up wind and solar power. The briefing highlights a "credibility gap" in other OECD nations, such as Japan and South Korea, which have net-zero targets but lack corresponding coal phase-out commitments.

The study evaluates the feasibility of supplying 300 million litres of ethanol annually to PetroSA's Conversion of Olefins to Distillate (COD) plant. It compares three primary feedstock pathways: first-generation (1G) molasses, second-generation (2G) lignocellulosic biomass (primarily invasive alien plants and garden waste), and third-generation (3G) industrial off-gases. The analysis finds that molasses-based ethanol is the most cost-effective and carbon-efficient option, while lignocellulosic ethanol is the most expensive due to high acquisition and processing costs. However, the report suggests that a diversified sourcing strategy incorporating invasive alien plants (IAPs) could meet broader socio-economic goals, such as job creation and drought resilience, at an additional cost of approximately R1 billion per year.

In 2020, renewables generated 38% of the EU's electricity, surpassing fossil-fired generation (37%) for the first time. This shift was driven primarily by wind and solar, while coal generation fell by 20% to 13% of the total mix. However, the report notes that the transition remains too slow to meet 2030 and 2050 climate targets, as gas generation remains high and nuclear output saw a record 10% decline.

In 2020, renewables became the EU's primary electricity source for the first time, generating 38% of electricity. While wind and solar growth remained robust despite the pandemic, the report argues that deployment must nearly triple to meet 2030 Green Deal targets. Coal generation fell by 20% in 2020, though this decline was partially offset by increased gas generation and a record 10% drop in nuclear output. Consequently, Europe's electricity carbon intensity fell to 226 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour in 2020, a 29% reduction since 2015.

Thailand is promoting a bioeconomy centered on cassava and sugarcane to drive economic growth and social equity, though the industrial sector is more advanced than community-based efforts. While integrated into policies like Thailand 4.0 and the 20-year National Strategic Plan, the transition faces regulatory hurdles, such as the Cane and Sugar Act (1968), and environmental pressures including land and water scarcity. Social challenges include wage inequality for plantation workers and food security risks for farmers shifting from rice to sugarcane.

Ember argues that the viability of BECCS as a negative emissions mechanism is undermined by the fact that burning biomass may be net carbon emitting rather than carbon neutral. The document highlights the lack of UK policy measures to ensure carbon-saving biomass production and warns that the land requirements for energy crops could lead to significant food, water, and biodiversity impacts. Furthermore, Ember contends that public subsidies for BECCS are expensive and potentially less effective than investing in rapid decarbonisation or natural forest restoration.

The document contends that replacing coal with biomass is not a viable climate solution, as solid biomass can emit 3% to 50% more CO2 per unit of energy than coal. It highlights that biomass production drives deforestation and ecosystem loss, particularly in Europe and North America, and releases harmful air pollutants. For financial institutions, the document warns of reputational, financial, and regulatory risks, noting that biomass is more expensive than wind or solar and heavily dependent on subsidies.

The report identifies systemic gender inequalities across seven Sahelian countries that hinder women's resilience to climate change, specifically citing limited land ownership, high burdens of unpaid care work, and restricted access to climate information and financial services. It proposes a Gender Action Plan to increase women's economic empowerment, reduce workloads through solar-powered technologies, and improve access to climate-smart agricultural inputs and micro-insurance, targeting at least 40% of interventions for women.