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The report finds that currently agreed EU and Member State policies are on track to deliver a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, surpassing the existing 40% target. Using the E3ME model, the analysis suggests that further adjustments to coal phase-outs, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle penetration could increase this reduction to 58%. However, the report warns that the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) remains vulnerable to a growing surplus of allowances as emissions fall faster than the current cap, necessitating reforms such as a one-off cap reset in 2026 to maintain a meaningful carbon price.

The GEC 2019 briefing reviews the global transition to green economies, noting that while renewable energy and green finance grew in 2018, biodiversity loss and inequality remain critical. The document outlines the GEC's mission to champion inclusion, equity, and environmental limits through financial reform, natural capital accounting, and just transitions. It emphasizes that environmental protection is dependent on improving human livelihoods, citing specific examples of community-led success and the need for structural economic reform.

The document highlights a 'production gap' where current fossil fuel extraction trajectories far exceed carbon budgets for 1.5°C and 2°C scenarios. It advocates for a combination of supply-side measures—such as exploration moratoriums and subsidy removals—and demand-side policies to achieve cost-effective emission reductions and a just transition for affected workers.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argues that Canada's history of missing greenhouse gas reduction targets necessitates a legislated accountability framework. While acknowledging the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF) as a first step, the authors contend that a proposed $20 million 'Institute' for expert advice is insufficient because it lacks legal permanence and a mandate for government response. They propose five specific requirements: enshrining accountability in law, creating a public expert committee, implementing 5-year carbon budgets, focusing the committee's mandate on assessing government progress, and requiring the government to formally respond to committee reports. The document cites the United Kingdom's 2008 Climate Change Act as a successful model of such transparency and accountability.

South Africa's Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 establishes a framework to place the country on a low-carbon trajectory while ensuring socio-economic development. The strategy focuses on a 'peak, plateau and decline' (PPD) emissions trajectory, with a peak projected between 2020 and 2025. Key interventions span the energy sector (diversifying the electricity mix via the Integrated Resource Plan and REIPPP), industry (energy efficiency and carbon taxes), AFOLU (conservation agriculture and afforestation), and waste (waste-to-energy and recycling). The document emphasizes a 'Just Transition' to protect vulnerable workers and communities, supported by research into hydrogen, fuel cells, and carbon capture and storage. Implementation relies on a combination of domestic funding and international climate finance.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that the draft IRP 2018 is unlawful and irrational because it includes 6,732MW of new coal capacity despite its own findings that a least-cost plan would exclude coal. The CER highlights severe failures in the draft, including inflated electricity demand forecasts, outdated and high cost assumptions for renewables and battery storage, and a total lack of consideration for water and climate change externalities. The document specifically objects to the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal projects, citing their high emissions and risks to water resources in the Waterberg and Highveld regions. Furthermore, the CER criticizes the Department of Energy for failing to conduct meaningful public consultations with impacted communities and for withholding the Plexos modelling data necessary for transparent stakeholder review.

Synapse Energy Economics identifies several critical flaws in South Africa's draft 2018 IRP, arguing that it relies on an unreasonably high load forecast, overstates the costs of renewable energy and battery storage, and ignores the economic optimality of retiring aging coal plants. The report highlights a significant disconnect between the IRP's optimized modeling—which suggests no new coal in the 2020s—and the proposed resource plan, which calls for over 6,500 MW of new coal capacity. Additionally, the authors criticize the plan for inadequate carbon budgeting, failure to account for water scarcity, and a lack of transparency in providing modeling data to stakeholders.

The document outlines a dialogue between stakeholders on the necessity of a managed decline of Canada's oil and gas sector to avoid the economic and social disruptions of an unmanaged collapse. It emphasizes that climate leadership for wealthy fossil fuel producers requires ending production expansion and implementing supply-side policies. Key discussions focus on the need for a dedicated transition fund, the reform of fossil fuel subsidies and Alberta's low royalty regimes, and the importance of participatory planning that protects workers and communities. The paper argues that a comprehensive policy portfolio—combining demand-side carbon pricing with supply-side production limits—is essential for Canada to meet its global fair share of emissions reductions.

The document identifies plastic pollution as a material business risk, categorising it into transition, reputational, physical, and liability risks. It details how regulatory shifts, technological disruptions, and public perception threaten the long-term viability of plastic-intensive companies. Furthermore, it asserts that under UK law, directors have codified duties to manage these risks to promote company success and exercise reasonable care, warning that failure to do so could lead to personal liability.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on the post-2020 mitigation system. The CER advocates for the use of the 'low peak plateau decline (PPD) trajectory' for mitigation ambition and strongly opposes the use of 'grandfathering' (historical emissions) to set carbon budgets, as it rewards polluters. The document emphasizes the necessity of public access to facility-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emission data, citing precedents in the EU, USA, and Australia, and objects to the DEA's use of Non-Disclosure Agreements to keep such data confidential. Regarding the carbon tax, the CER argues it should remain a distinct instrument from carbon budgets and should apply to all emissions rather than only those exceeding budgets. Additionally, the CER highlights an Energy Research Centre (ERC) report finding that proposed coal-fired power stations (Thabametsi and Khanyisa) are not least-cost, are unnecessary for demand, and would increase GHG emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over 30 years.

The study finds that new coal-fired power plants are not necessary to meet South Africa's electricity demand at the lowest cost and that committing to the Thabametsi and Khanyisa IPPs would substantially increase both system costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Using the South African Times Model (SATIM), the authors demonstrate that a least-cost build plan relies on wind, solar PV, and gas, while the coal IPPs would create a generation surplus and potentially accelerate Eskom's financial crisis. The report highlights that the emissions from these plants would almost entirely offset the savings from the National Energy Efficiency Strategy or the expected reductions from the carbon tax.

The study finds that new coal-fired power plants are not necessary to meet South Africa's electricity demand at the lowest cost and that their inclusion would substantially increase both system costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Using the South African Times Model (SATIM), the authors demonstrate that a least-cost build plan relies on wind, solar PV, and gas, while the coal IPPs would create a generation surplus and potentially accelerate Eskom's financial crisis. The report highlights that the emissions from these plants would almost entirely offset the savings from the National Energy Efficiency Strategy or the carbon tax, complicating South Africa's ability to meet its Paris Agreement commitments.

This policy brief examines the economic resilience of Canada's oil sands and the resulting 'carbon lock-in,' arguing that continued production could create a global oil oversupply that hinders the low-carbon transition and undermines international climate action.

The report argues that the UK is on track to phase out coal by 2025 without needing new large gas plants. It finds that renewables, particularly offshore wind, and increased electricity imports via interconnectors will replace coal generation. Analysis of the Capacity Market shows that coal is being replaced by batteries, demand-side response, and small peaking gas plants rather than large combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). The report suggests that new large gas plants are incompatible with climate targets and would be unnecessarily costly due to low required load factors.

The aviation sector is a top-ten global emitter that could emit 56 GtCO2 between 2016 and 2050, representing one-quarter of the remaining carbon budget. While CO2 emissions account for 2.1% of the global share, the inclusion of non-CO2 effects increases aviation's contribution to global warming to an estimated 4.9%. The document asserts that current government policy measures are "woefully insufficient" and calls for bold government action to establish long-term decarbonization pathways. A proposed roadmap includes deploying near-term technology, investing in breakthrough clean aviation technologies, strengthening the ICAO CO2 standard, revisiting subsidies, and supporting modal shifts through new mobility solutions.

The agreed ESR reform requires only 14 Mt CO2 additional annual reductions for the EU28, which is approximately 0.5% of 2005 emissions, leaving the EU likely to miss its 2030 climate target. The document asserts that the non-ETS 2030 target would need to be tightened to at least -40% to align with the Paris Agreement. To achieve the current -30% target cost-effectively, the report advocates for project-based cooperation where higher-income Member States finance reductions in lower-income Member States. This mechanism could potentially generate up to 614 million AEAs in supply, compared to only 96 million AEAs without additional reductions.

The document advocates for a managed decline in global fossil fuel production to meet Paris Agreement goals, suggesting that supply-side policies complement demand-side efforts to reduce emissions and carbon lock-in. It proposes using NDCs, long-term strategies, and a global stocktake to track production phase-downs while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and economies.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the lack of transparency and the voluntary nature of offset criteria in ICAO's CORSIA scheme, warning that these flaws, combined with a reliance on low-quality CDM credits, could render the program's climate contribution null.

The report argues that South Africa's coal sector is in a state of crisis due to rising costs, energy insecurity, and the increasing competitiveness of renewable energy. It models three pathways: a least-cost NDC-based scenario, a 2°C-consistent scenario, and a sensitivity analysis regarding Sasol's Secunda plant. The findings indicate that meeting a 2°C target requires the rapid retirement of coal-fired power plants, including Medupi and Kusile, and a shift toward wind and solar PV. While the transition offers benefits like cheaper electricity and improved air quality, it poses significant risks to employment in coal-mining regions, particularly Mpumalanga, necessitating a planned 'just transition' to support workers and diversify local economies.

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.