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The report argues that the EU ETS continues to reward heavy polluters through free allowances, which in 2023 alone amounted to approximately 40 billion euros. It highlights that sectors like steel, cement, and chemicals often receive more allowances than they emit, reducing the incentive for decarbonisation. The authors critique the Innovation Fund for over-financing carbon capture technologies (CCS/CCU) rather than scalable zero-emission technologies. To accelerate the transition, the report recommends phasing out free allowances by 2030, fully implementing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and reforming the Innovation Fund to prioritise material savings and renewable energy solutions.

The briefing examines the components of grid reliability—resource adequacy, operational reliability, and resilience—within the context of the U.S. transition to clean energy. It argues that while load growth and fossil fuel retirements create short-term risks, a diverse portfolio of wind, solar, batteries, and demand-side resources can maintain reliability. The document emphasizes the need for interconnection reform, updated market rules for inverter-based resources, and the scaling of demand-response programs to avoid unnecessary supply-side costs.

The document analyzes the economic, political, and governance challenges of phasing out coal in Indonesia, emphasizing the need for multi-level coordination, economic diversification for affected workers, and the removal of coal subsidies to enable a just energy transition.

The document outlines four pathways for low-carbon ammonia production: blue ammonia using carbon capture and storage (CCS), green ammonia via electrolysis, and novel methods including electrochemical and plasma-catalysis ammonia. It highlights that conventional ammonia production accounts for over 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on steam-methane reforming (SMR) for hydrogen.

The Federal Hydrogen Hub Program aims to establish a national hydrogen network through seven regional hubs, with funding distributed across four phases over 8-12 years. While hubs claim local economic and environmental benefits, the guide notes that many proposed projects may increase pollution or waste energy. As of January 28, 2025, the DOE has instructed all recipients to cease activities related to Community Benefits Plans, pending further guidance.

The US chemical industry, specifically the production of hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, ethylene, propylene, and benzene, accounts for a significant portion of industrial emissions. RMI identifies 20 emissions reduction levers, 10 of which are commercially viable today and could reduce sector emissions by 34%. With additional policy and infrastructure support, this near-term reduction could reach 48%. The report emphasizes that while supply-side interventions like carbon capture and methane leak mitigation are critical, they must be paired with demand-side measures and long-term innovation in electrification and alternative feedstocks to achieve a net-zero sector by 2050.

The policy brief argues that climate change threatens US national security by damaging critical infrastructure, increasing state fragility, and intensifying geopolitical competition. It recommends that the US government implement a National Adaptation Plan, integrate 'Operational Resilience' into military budgets, scale up resilience funding for strategic allies, and strengthen interagency coordination on the food-climate-security nexus to protect US interests and economic competitiveness.

The document identifies significant gaps in Poland's draft updated NECP, arguing that the current 'with additional measures' (WAM) scenario is too limited and fails to meet the EU's 55% greenhouse gas reduction target. It recommends diversifying the clean energy portfolio to include clean firm power, prioritising clean hydrogen for hard-to-abate industrial sectors rather than light-duty transport or grid blending, and streamlining the regulatory framework for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Additionally, it highlights Poland's vast CO2 storage potential (over 15 Gt) and urges the government to implement Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfD) to de-risk CCS investments. The report also calls for a dedicated Methane Action Plan to address significant emissions from the oil, gas, and coal sectors, and suggests increasing R&D spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.

The energy transition accelerated in 2024, driven by record uptake in solar, wind, and electric vehicles as costs for solar modules and batteries fell significantly. While renewables are poised to overtake coal as the leading power source in 2025 and many nations have set net-zero goals, progress in energy efficiency and methane reduction remains off track. The document argues that achieving 2030 targets requires shifting fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy investments, particularly in emerging economies.

The report evaluates the revitalization of Sherwan Hill Adventure Park in Abbottabad, Pakistan, as part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project. Using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, the analysis compares a nature-based infrastructure scenario—including reforestation and expanded green areas—against a business-as-usual scenario. The findings indicate that the project provides a significant return on investment, with every USD 1 spent yielding USD 2.49 in benefits over 30 years, totaling PKR 1.8 billion in avoided costs and gains across health, employment, property values, and climate resilience.

The document argues that Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries are heavily reliant on carbon-intensive heavy industries but possess significant potential for clean industry due to renewable energy resources and carbon dioxide storage. It calls for EU industrial policy to shift toward a place-based approach that supports countries with high deployment potential regardless of their current innovation track record. Key recommendations for the EU include revising the Public Procurement Directive to include lifecycle emissions and redesigning the Innovation Fund for first-of-a-kind national deployments. For CEE national governments, the statement recommends earmarking EU ETS revenues for climate action, implementing Carbon Contracts for Difference, and conducting integrated infrastructure planning for hydrogen and carbon dioxide transport.

Carbon Market Watch advocates for replacing 'net' climate targets with three distinct targets: gross emissions reductions, biogenic sequestration in natural sinks, and permanent carbon dioxide removals (CDR). The guide explains that 'net' targets often mask a lack of progress in emissions reductions by relying on uncertain or temporary removals. It distinguishes between permanent technical solutions, such as direct air capture and carbon storage (DACCS), and temporary natural solutions like reforestation. The document argues that separate targets prevent 'mitigation deterrence' and provide better governance of the finite resources required for CDR. While some progress is noted in Germany and Sweden, the author urges the European Commission to adopt this three-target approach in its upcoming 2040 climate target proposal.

The document advocates for separating carbon dioxide removal (CDR) from general climate goals to avoid 'mitigation deterrence,' where the hope of future CDR technologies slows current emission reductions. It proposes a three-pronged approach: binding targets for gross emission reductions, biosequestration in natural sinks, and permanent technological removal. While the EU currently uses 'net' targets for 2030 and 2050, the author suggests the upcoming 2040 target proposal is an ideal opportunity to formalize this separation.

The ITIAC recommends that the DOE prioritize budget increases for offices like IEDO and AMMTO, improve industrial energy data collection, and support cross-cutting technologies such as direct electrification and clean hydrogen. It specifically calls for the creation of a chemicals technology center of excellence and a 'Fast Track' program to accelerate commercialization. The report also emphasizes the need for grid reforms to lower electricity costs for industry and the development of standards for clean goods to facilitate long-term offtake agreements.

The paper examines the 'co-impacts'—both intended and unintended, positive and negative—of urban climate policies. It argues that current literature and city plans overemphasize positive co-benefits (such as improved air quality and health) while neglecting adverse effects and equity considerations. The authors propose a 'people, planet, and profit' framework to categorize these impacts across various urban strategies, including building retrofits, circular economy initiatives, and transport shifts, to help cities avoid policy backlash and ensure a just transition.

The report argues that the climate crisis is fundamentally linked to 'mimetic desire,' where individuals pursue luxury goods and status symbols not for their utility, but to emulate others. This cycle of conspicuous consumption fuels unsustainable economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions. The author explores various philosophical and economic responses, including degrowth communism, minimalism, and the concept of 'Buen Vivir,' while concluding that neither perpetual growth nor utopian degrowth fully resolves the tension between fulfilling essential human needs and maintaining planetary boundaries. The text identifies a 'climate–development trilemma' where societal stability, basic needs, and resource efficiency are in constant conflict.

The report analyzes marine geoengineering, dividing it into marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and marine solar radiation modification (SRM). It argues that these speculative technologies pose irreversible risks to ocean ecosystems and human rights, while facing significant monitoring and verification challenges. The authors contend that proposed deployment zones span every ocean basin, making the impacts inherently transboundary and potentially violating international law, including the CBD moratorium and UNCLOS.

The report details how petrochemicals, primarily plastics and nitrogen fertilizers, drive fossil fuel demand and contribute to a 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It highlights the significant health risks to workers and communities, particularly in Europe's Trilateral Chemical Region, and criticizes EU policy for prioritizing industry 'competitiveness' and speculative technologies like carbon capture over a phasedown of production.

Global energy transition investments reached a record USD 2.4 trillion in 2024, yet remain insufficient to meet the 1.5°C pathway. While solar PV and battery storage show strong growth, other technologies like wind and green hydrogen face significant headwinds. Investment is heavily concentrated in China and advanced economies, leaving least developed countries (LDCs) and Sub-Saharan Africa severely underfunded and dependent on international public finance.

The report identifies near-term, economically viable green investment opportunities in India across six emerging sectors—battery energy storage, green hydrogen, climate-smart agriculture, lithium-ion battery recycling, water, and sustainable cooling—to guide the channeling of private and institutional capital over a three to five-year horizon.