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This policy brief, produced to inform the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, outlines a long-term vision for transforming global energy systems to achieve sustainability. It argues that a fundamental shift is necessary to address simultaneous challenges of energy access, climate change, air pollution, and energy security, emphasizing that such a transition is technologically and economically achievable but requires integrated policy frameworks and scaled-up investments.

This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines pathways for the global steel sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It highlights the necessity of transitioning away from conventional blast furnaces by 2025 to avoid stranded assets and catastrophic climate impacts, emphasizing a mix of hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (HDRI), carbon capture and storage (CCS), and increased recycling. The document stresses the critical role of policy-makers in providing clean energy, creating lead markets, and fostering international cooperation, specifically mentioning the Glasgow Breakthrough on Steel.

The Production Gap Report 2023 finds that global governments plan to produce significantly more fossil fuels by 2030 and 2050 than is consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. Despite net-zero pledges, many major producers continue to plan for increases in coal, oil, and gas production, creating a misalignment between production plans and climate goals.

This fact sheet from the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines three energy scenarios from 2009 to 2050: a Baseline scenario (BAS) reflecting business-as-usual trends, a Basic Energy Access scenario (BEA) focusing on universal basic energy access and climate constraints, and a Shared Development Agenda scenario (SDA) which aims for more balanced global income distribution and extensive development in poor regions.

This policy brief, published in November 2011 by UNESCO, SCOPE, and UNEP, examines the scientific, policy, and ethical implications of geoengineering (climate engineering). It distinguishes between carbon geoengineering and solar geoengineering, outlines a four-stage research framework, and highlights the urgent need for an international governance framework to manage the risks and equities associated with large-scale climate manipulation.

This policy brief from the World Resources Institute provides analysis and recommendations for UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol Parties on technical issues related to carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). It aims to establish best practice criteria to ensure safe and effective CCS deployment without presupposing the technology's global success or recommending its inclusion in specific mechanisms.

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the necessity and current state of a regulatory framework for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) in China. It argues that while China relies heavily on coal and views CCS as a critical tool for reducing emissions, it lacks a comprehensive domestic regulatory framework to ensure environmental health, safety, and efficacy, particularly regarding geologic storage.

The World Resources Institute report 'Over Heating' provides a framework for investors and analysts to evaluate how water scarcity and declining water quality impact thermal and hydroelectric power plants in South and Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on publicly listed companies in India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Testimony by Deborah Seligsohn of the World Resources Institute regarding China's energy transition, focusing on the outcomes of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the goals of the 12th Five-Year Plan, and the resulting business opportunities for international investors.

This working paper uses the India Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source system dynamics model, to analyze two climate policy scenarios—the NDC-SDG Linkages (NDC-SDG) and Long-Term Decarbonization (LTD)—to identify cost-effective pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining economic growth in India.

This testimony by Sarah Forbes of the World Resources Institute (WRI) to the U.S. House of Representatives emphasizes the urgent need for a global network of carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrations to mitigate climate change, specifically highlighting the necessity of collaboration with China and the establishment of international funding and regulatory frameworks.

This report examines the potential and challenges of implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a means to continue using coal for power generation while mitigating climate change impacts, specifically focusing on the technological, policy, legal, and investment hurdles of large-scale deployment.

This report by the World Resources Institute examines the concept of sustainable development policies and measures (SD-PAMs) as a way to align economic development in developing countries with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

This working paper evaluates the first five years (Phase I, 2011–2015) of the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium (ACTC) under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). The ACTC focuses on advancing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and coal utilization. While the collaboration has fostered mutual trust between the United States and China, the paper identifies administrative, organizational, and technical barriers to effective joint research, development, and demonstration (RD&D).

This working paper by the World Resources Institute explores the potential for technological carbon removal in the United States, focusing on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), direct air capture with storage (DACS), and frontier technologies. It identifies the infrastructure, policy, and research needs required to scale these technologies to help meet Paris Agreement temperature targets.

This guide by the World Resources Institute provides a framework for community engagement in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects, targeting project developers, regulators, and local communities to foster two-way communication and respect for local values during the deployment of climate mitigation technologies.

This research paper examines technical pathways for decarbonizing petroleum refineries in the United States to support the national goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. It analyzes the use of fuel switching, electrification, and carbon capture to reduce facility emissions and suggests a long-term transition toward processing renewable feedstocks for hard-to-abate transportation sectors.

This report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) outlines a strategic pathway for China to achieve deep decarbonization by 2050, focusing on the critical transition period of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). It argues that adopting a 'Strengthened Ambition Scenario' (SAS) can lead to significant economic and social benefits, including a net social gain of 6.5 trillion yuan in 2050 and the avoidance of 1.89 million premature deaths annually by that year. The report emphasizes the role of key economic regions—the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area—in leading the national transition by peaking emissions early.