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The document reports that atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels continue to rise, with CO2 expected to break records in May 2022 and methane seeing its largest annual increase in 2021. It identifies the energy sector as the largest global emitter (34%) and the transportation sector as the largest U.S. emitter (27%), arguing that rapid and deep emission cuts across all sectors are necessary this decade to limit warming to 1.5C or below 2C.

Carbon Market Watch outlines recommendations for the EU ETS II, emphasizing that emission allowances should be auctioned rather than allocated for free to ensure the 'polluter pays' principle. The author argues that the estimated annual average revenue of €47 billion (2026-2030) should be recycled into socially fair compensation schemes for energy efficiency and renewable energy to protect low-income households. Additionally, the document asserts that carbon pricing must be complemented by regulatory frameworks, such as vehicle emission standards and energy performance requirements for buildings, as pricing alone is insufficient to drive full decarbonization.

The document details EU member state reactions to the proposed extension of the Emission Trading System (ETS) to road transport and buildings (RTB). While many delegations support the measure to meet the -55% emission target by 2030, significant concerns persist regarding socio-economic impacts on vulnerable groups, the sufficiency of the Social Climate Fund (SCF), and the timing of implementation. The briefing also notes discussions on the Effort Sharing Regulation, LULUCF targets, and CO2 standards for vehicles.

Research using the Oregon Energy Policy Simulator indicates that Oregon's current climate policies will reduce emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2035 and nearly 30% by 2050. However, implementing stronger policies across the economy, particularly in transportation and buildings, could achieve a 50% reduction by 2035 and 74% by 2050, while significantly increasing GDP and job creation.

The Canadian Climate Institute outlines a framework for Canada's Emissions Reduction Plans based on the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. The framework consists of three core elements: establishing emissions pathways consistent with net zero, implementing policies that credibly reduce emissions, and creating responsive governance processes for course correction. The report provides illustrative sectoral pathways for 2026 and 2030, noting that the oil and gas sector exhibits the greatest variability and risk, while the electricity sector is well-positioned to meet targets. It emphasizes that reaching net zero will require sustained policy effort and a shift from historical emissions growth to strong annual declines in sectors such as buildings and transportation.

The author contends that the proposed ETS2 for buildings and road transport risks exacerbating energy poverty and failing to drive decarbonization unless it is accompanied by complementary policies to remove renovation barriers and a reform of the current ETS to eliminate free allowances for heavy industry.

The State of Climate Action 2021 evaluates 40 sectoral indicators to measure progress toward a zero-carbon world, finding that none are currently on track to meet 2030 targets despite exponential growth in wind, solar, and electric vehicles.

The Japanese green bond market grew by a third in 2020, reaching a cumulative issuance of USD 26.15 billion. Issuance is led by financial corporates and government-backed entities, with proceeds primarily allocated to buildings, transport, and energy. The report highlights a strong record of external reviews and post-issuance reporting, while identifying significant opportunities to scale up the market through the refinancing of unlabelled climate-aligned debt, particularly in the transport sector. Additionally, it outlines Japan's policy shift toward net-zero emissions by 2050 and the resulting development of green growth strategies and ESG disclosure frameworks.

The report proposes a shift from supply-side to demand-side energy planning in China's new urban development zones to support carbon neutrality. By focusing on buildings, transportation, and industry, this integrated energy planning (IEP) approach aims to optimize resource allocation and improve efficiency. The document estimates that if all new urban development zones in China adopt this methodology, it could contribute at least 15% to the total emissions reduction required for China's carbon-neutrality goal.

The author contends that expanding carbon pricing to the transport and buildings sectors would shift the burden of emission reductions from polluting companies to consumers and undermine the EU's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The text argues that the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR), which covers approximately 60% of EU emissions, should be improved by raising binding national targets and removing 'loopholes'—specifically flexibilities related to the EU emissions trading scheme and the land-use sector—rather than being repealed or reduced in scope.

The report identifies over 60 mitigation policies adopted between July 2019 and August 2020, noting the highest activity in the energy and transport sectors. It highlights a lack of explicitly 'green' COVID-19 recovery measures in most assessed countries, except for the EU and Republic of Korea. Additionally, it tracks the progress of NDCs and LTS, noting that only Vietnam has officially revised its NDC target among the group, while the EU and Japan have submitted net-zero long-term strategies.

Carbon Market Watch argues that including road transport and buildings in the EU carbon market would fail to reduce emissions and instead provide an excuse for inaction. For transport, the author suggests CO2 standards for new vehicles are more effective, while for buildings, they advocate for energy efficiency standards and deep renovations. The document warns that adding these sectors would risk market instability by increasing the number of pollution permits and potentially undermining existing regulations.

The H1 2019 green bond market report by the Climate Bonds Initiative tracks global issuance trends, noting that Euronext Amsterdam was the top listing venue and HSBC was the leading global underwriter. The data highlights the performance of sovereign green bonds, which often showed higher book cover and larger spread compression than vanilla equivalents, and identifies energy as a primary area for use of proceeds.

The study argues that current national climate plans are insufficient and would necessitate disruptive changes after 2030. By implementing a global roll-out of regional regulatory policies across energy, transport, buildings, industry, and land use, global CO2 emissions could be reduced by an additional 10 GtCO2eq by 2030. While these policies are less disruptive than immediate global carbon pricing, they result in higher economic impacts, suggesting they should complement rather than replace carbon pricing to achieve the Paris goals.

The Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency serves as the energy efficiency hub for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), focusing on creating and disseminating knowledge to scale energy efficiency actions globally. The Centre operates as a collaborating centre of the UN Environment Programme and part of the UNEP-DTU Partnership. Its primary activities include providing technical assistance to cities and countries, supporting the SEforALL Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform across sectors such as buildings, industry, and transport, and co-hosting the EE Global Forum to increase momentum for energy efficiency as a primary driver of the clean energy transition and Sustainable Development Goal 7.

The Q4 2018 Risk Dashboard indicates that the Green Climate Fund's portfolio concentration and liquidity remain within approved risk tolerance levels. As of 31 December 2018, the fund reported no non-performing loans for the eighth consecutive quarter and maintained a foreign exchange commitment risk buffer of USD 33 million equivalent. The portfolio consists of 93 approved funding proposals with a geographic distribution led by Africa (39%) and Asia-Pacific (34%), and a funding balance favoring mitigation (39%) over adaptation (25%).

The India-UK partnership has focused on unlocking India's energy efficiency sector through technical assistance, advocacy, and the development of investment strategies. Key efforts targeted buildings, industrial efficiency, standards, labelling, and demand-side management, involving stakeholders like the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The brief highlights that while India has implemented significant schemes such as the Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme, the viability of energy efficiency investments remains dependent on national and state-level policies and the coordination of multi-level government and non-government actors.

The authors propose that city-scale greenhouse gas accounting should shift its focus from national-scale principles of completeness and accuracy toward 'relevance' to better align with the governance structures of city governments. They suggest creating a 'core' category of emissions—such as CO2 from buildings and passenger transport and CH4 from waste management—to help mayors more effectively implement the emission reduction pledges made during COP21.

The 2030 Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) is a central EU tool covering approximately 60% of total greenhouse gas emissions, specifically targeting the transport, buildings, agriculture, and waste sectors. While the proposal aims for a 30% reduction in non-ETS emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, Carbon Market Watch argues that this target is insufficient and threatened by various 'loopholes'. These include the use of ETS allowances and LULUCF forestry credits to offset emissions, as well as an inflated starting point based on 2016-2018 average emissions rather than 2020 targets. The brief recommends increasing the 2030 non-ETS target to 45%, implementing five-yearly ratchet mechanisms, and prohibiting the use of forestry and ETS credits to ensure environmental integrity.

The letter advocates for raising the EU's non-ETS emission reduction target from -30% to beyond -45% by 2030. It proposes that the starting point for the instrument be based on actual 2016-2018 emissions to avoid 850 million tons of CO2, and argues that carbon removals from land use and forestry (LULUCF) should supplement, rather than replace, emission reductions in existing sectors.