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The Climate Action Tracker has established 'highest plausible ambition' benchmarks for four key sectors—Power, Transport, Industry, and Buildings—to guide the global transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. The report provides specific targets for 2030 and 2050, both globally and for seven major economies (Brazil, China, EU, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and the US), emphasizing that while starting points differ, all sectors must decarbonise by mid-century to meet the 1.5°C goal. Key priorities include the immediate phase-out of coal in developed nations by 2030, a rapid shift to zero-emission vehicles, and significant emissions intensity reductions in cement and steel production.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) urges the European Commission to align the TEN-E regulation with EU climate goals by prioritizing carbon dioxide (CO2) and clean hydrogen infrastructure. CATF recommends that the revised regulation maintain CO2 transport as a strategic priority, include diverse transport modalities (pipelines, ships, trucks, and trains), and ensure non-discriminatory third-party access to networks. For hydrogen, CATF emphasizes the need for new dedicated infrastructure and the repurposing of natural gas pipelines to support the EU's Hydrogen Strategy. Additionally, the document suggests using the TEN-E revision to reduce methane emissions by replacing aging transmission and distribution pipelines.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the European Commission's Hydrogen Strategy, emphasizing the need for a diverse range of low- and zero-carbon production pathways to ensure commercial success and global decarbonization. CATF specifically advocates for the inclusion of fossil hydrogen systems with carbon capture—which can capture over 95% of CO2—and nuclear energy systems with electrolyzers to mitigate the risk of failing to meet renewable energy expansion targets.

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 document argues that the ETS Innovation Fund should be scaled up by recycling auctioning revenues instead of providing free emission allowances. It recommends prioritising transformational projects in industrial clusters, mandating additionality for renewable electricity to avoid grid-emission accounting errors, and limiting CCS funding to non-abatable process emissions while excluding fossil-based hydrogen and gas.

The report by WWF and Carbon Market Watch argues that the EU Industrial Strategy lacks the specific targets, timelines, and governance structures necessary to achieve climate neutrality in energy-intensive industries. While it welcomes the focus on circularity and the Just Transition Mechanism, the authors highlight critical gaps regarding emission performance standards, the phase-out of free carbon allowances, and the lack of civil society inclusion in new industrial alliances.

The document outlines a framework for establishing comprehensive net-zero targets, emphasizing the need for all-sector and all-gas coverage, the setting of separate emissions reduction targets to avoid over-reliance on carbon removals, and the importance of transparent communication and participatory design processes.

The manual describes a tool for calculating the biogenic carbon footprint of wood-based products, measured in kg CO2eq. It explains two usage levels: a 'BASIC' mode for quick checks and an 'ADVANCED' mode for detailed analysis of up to 10 products. The calculator incorporates dynamic methods to assess the 'forest carbon gap' (the time until harvested biomass is regrown) and 'storage time benefits' (delayed emissions). It provides reference values for various forest species and climate zones based on IPCC 2006 classifications, as well as default lifespans for product categories ranging from energy combustion (0 years) to building materials (50 years). The tool also allows for the customization of wood processing efficiency, allocation methods, and end-of-life scenarios such as incineration, recycling, and landfill.

The report outlines a methodology for calculating the biogenic carbon footprint of harvested wood products, moving away from the common assumption of carbon neutrality. It introduces the GWPbio approach, which accounts for the time lag between carbon emissions from harvesting and the subsequent sequestration during forest regrowth. The framework separates the impact into the 'forest carbon gap' (GWPbio, forest) and the benefits of delayed emissions through product storage (GWPbio, product), while also incorporating fossil carbon footprints. The methodology utilizes the Bern carbon cycle model to simulate atmospheric CO2 decay and provides specific growth and decomposition parameters for boreal forest (Norway spruce), Douglas fir, and Loblolly pine.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the European Commission's goal of at least 55% emissions reductions by 2030 and argues that achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century requires a diverse portfolio of advanced technologies beyond wind and solar. CATF recommends optimizing the EU ETS to fund commercial-scale demonstrations of carbon capture and hydrogen, implementing mandatory leak detection and repair for oil and gas systems, and using the EU's purchasing power to pressure major gas suppliers like Russia and Qatar to reduce methane emissions.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the European Commission's vision for clean hydrogen but urges a broader approach that includes carbon capture and storage and nuclear energy alongside renewables to accelerate decarbonization. CATF recommends sustained financial support for production demonstrations, investment in storage and delivery infrastructure, and cost assistance for hydrogen use in heavy industry and transport. Additionally, the document emphasizes the need for international collaboration, particularly with North African countries and the United Kingdom, and the implementation of transparent carbon intensity assessments for supplied hydrogen.

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 report argues that current green finance in China focuses too narrowly on individual assets and lacks robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to prove additionality. It proposes a 'deep green' finance framework designed to overcome structural barriers to sustainability, such as the economic dependency of Shanxi on coal and the systemic transmission and tariff constraints affecting Sichuan's hydroelectric resources. The author suggests four tests for deep green finance and six recommendations for policymakers to align finance, policy, and market design to accelerate a systemic low-carbon transition.

Energy Innovation modeled a subset of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis's recommendations, finding that these policies could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and 89% by 2050. The analysis projects that net carbon dioxide emissions would reach zero by 2048, avoiding 62,000 premature deaths annually by 2050 and generating approximately $8 trillion in monetized health and climate benefits (at a 3% discount rate). The modeling covers sectors including electricity, transportation, buildings, industry, oil and gas, agriculture, and natural climate solutions, assuming a transition to 100% clean electricity by 2040 and 100% zero-emission vehicle sales for light-duty vehicles by 2035.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) welcomes the IRS guidance on 45Q tax credits, stating it provides the certainty needed for CCS developers to proceed with projects. CATF specifically supports the IRS's rejection of the Energy Advance Center's proposal to minimize oversight for geologic storage in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects to ensure secure CO2 storage. While supporting the proposed alternative compliance pathway, CATF argues that the same annual public reporting of storage required under existing IRS rules should also apply to this alternative standard to ensure transparency.

The Unfriend Coal/Insure Our Future campaign calls on the insurance industry to leverage the economic disruptions of COVID-19 to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. The authors argue that while progress has been made in restricting coal insurance, insurers must now expand these restrictions to oil and gas to meet Paris Agreement targets. The letter outlines five specific demands, including an immediate end to insuring new coal, oil, and gas projects and the divestment of assets from companies not aligned with a 1.5ºC pathway.

The NGO Forum on ADB calls for the Asian Development Bank to align its energy policy with the 1.5°C goal, divest from coal, and provide unconditional debt relief to developing member countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter also demands the 'No Dilution' of the 2009 Safeguards Policy Statement and the introduction of binding labor and social protections.

The document examines the postponement of critical 2020 ocean governance negotiations due to COVID-19, highlighting the urgent need for integrated climate and biodiversity action to prevent marine ecosystem collapse.

The document argues that fully decarbonizing global industry is essential for limiting global warming to 2°C, noting that 33% of global anthropogenic emissions in 2014 came from industry. It identifies a small number of industries as the primary sources of these emissions and proposes a blueprint involving energy efficiency, carbon capture, electrification, and zero-carbon hydrogen, supported by policies that ensure a just transition and economic development for low- and middle-income countries.

The report analyzes Polish state aid for the power sector, concluding that subsidies for conventional power (mostly coal) were twice as high as those for renewables between 2013 and 2018. It highlights systemic inefficiencies in the EU ETS derogations, capacity markets, and the Energy Prices Act, while identifying RES auctions and EU funds as positive drivers of transition. A case study of the Bełchatów Power Plant illustrates how subsidies often support owners rather than environmental goals. The document compares Poland's cost-ineffective model with the more successful transitions in Germany and Great Britain.