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corporate-climate-appendix-c-5e2d88c488a45c55.pdf
The document details the climate-related activities of various corporations, including utilities, oil and gas producers, and manufacturers. It tracks their public statements, lobbying spending, and affiliations with trade organizations and think tanks, highlighting discrepancies between public sustainability claims and political actions.
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Document type: Report
corporate-climate-appendix-e-114ce2fff63980f2.pdf
The document contains interview transcripts with executives from Denbury Resources, Exxon Mobil, NRG Energy, TECO Energy, and Waste Management (ConocoPhillips participated but declined to be quoted). The interviews explore corporate stances on climate science, the physical risks of climate change to business operations, mitigation efforts, and the funding of political or policy-oriented organizations. Findings reveal a spectrum of responses: some companies acknowledge the risks and invest in clean energy or efficiency, while others avoid taking official positions on climate science or deny that physical climate impacts currently affect their operations.
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Document type: Report
Cover Crops Public Investments Could Produce Big Payoffs
The document outlines the environmental and economic benefits of cover crops, such as reducing nitrate leaching by 40 to 70 percent and increasing soil fertility. It identifies significant barriers to adoption, including direct costs (ranging from $62 to $107 per acre for certain varieties in Kansas) and risks related to crop insurance and land tenure. The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends expanding USDA cost-share incentives through the CSP and EQIP programs, reforming crop insurance, and increasing technical assistance and research.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Climate Has Changed
Based on data from 1,763 companies, the report shows that low-carbon investments, particularly in energy efficiency and renewables, can deliver significant internal rates of return (IRR). It highlights that 'forward-thinking' companies—those aligning targets with climate science—outperform peers financially. However, it notes that most corporate targets remain insufficient to meet the 2°C global temperature rise limit, calling for stable, long-term policy frameworks to incentivize more expensive, transformational decarbonization.
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Document type: Report
Clearing the Air
The paper argues that reducing methane leakage from U.S. natural gas systems to under 1 percent of total production would make natural gas's climate impact lower than coal or diesel. It suggests that this can be achieved by cutting current emissions by one-half to two-thirds using cost-effective technologies, many of which have payback periods of three years or less. While EPA standards provide a foundation, the authors advocate for further federal rules under the Clean Air Act and state-level actions to address emissions from new and existing wells.
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Document type: Research paper
Assessing Implementation of China's Climate Policies in the 12th 5-Year Period
The document evaluates China's transition from broad climate goals to a framework of specific policy instruments during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), noting that many targets will likely be exceeded. It recommends three critical actions for the 13th Five-Year Plan: limiting energy and coal consumption, capping greenhouse gas growth, and implementing a national carbon pricing scheme.
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Document type: Research paper
Drylands, People, and Ecosystem Goods and Services
The report provides a global, map-based analysis of dryland ecosystems, examining their capacity to provide essential goods and services such as food, water, and carbon storage to support human livelihoods.
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Document type: Report
CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States
The paper argues that the United States must invest up to $6 billion per year in federal funding over the next decade to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, targeting a removal benchmark of 2 GtCO2 per year. It distinguishes carbon removal—which includes natural methods like tree restoration and high-tech methods like direct air capture—from emissions reduction measures such as CCS with fossil energy. The author asserts that public funding is necessary to bridge the gap between costs and co-benefits for natural pathways, while technological pathways require sustained R&D and commercialization support.
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Document type: Research paper
Financing the Energy Transition: Are World Bank, IFC, and ADB Energy Supply Investments Supporting a Low-Carbon Future?
The analysis finds that most energy supply investments by the World Bank, IFC, and ADB are either aligned with or could be aligned with 2°C pathways under specific conditions. Electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) represent the largest share of financing for the World Bank and ADB, accounting for approximately half of the volume of financing and 40 percent of projects. While renewables projects outnumbered natural gas power generation projects in both number and finance volume, the report warns that natural gas must act as a true 'bridge' by displacing coal rather than adding to it. The study identified 21 oil and gas production projects as 'controversial' due to high emissions and lock-in risk. Misaligned projects often cited strong development rationales, but the authors argue that the urgency of climate change requires transformational rather than incremental improvements. The report recommends that MDBs improve disclosure of indirect financing, shift toward newer technologies like battery storage, and ensure fossil fuel production support is reviewed against G7 commitments to phase out inefficient subsidies by 2025.
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Document type: Research paper
Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage and the UNFCCC
The document argues that carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) may be essential for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2050. It identifies key technical and regulatory challenges—such as permanence, MRV, and liability—that UNFCCC Parties must address to ensure safe and transparent CCS deployment.
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Document type: Policy brief
Green Energy Policy In China
The document evaluates China's pledges to reduce carbon intensity and increase non-fossil fuel energy use by 2020, arguing these goals are achievable but require policies beyond 'business as usual'. It highlights the importance of a new biannual emissions reporting system and advocates for sustained U.S.-China bilateral cooperation in clean energy research and technology deployment.
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Document type: Briefing
CCS in China
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.
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Document type: Policy brief
Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change
The executive summary argues that strengthening legal forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities is a vital tool for mitigating climate change. It finds that forests under strong legal recognition and government protection experience significantly lower deforestation rates than those without such protections. The document emphasizes that legal rights alone are insufficient if governments undermine them through the allocation of resource concessions or failure to prevent illegal encroachments.
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Document type: Executive summary
Over Heating
The report highlights the growing vulnerability of the power sector in South and Southeast Asia to water-related risks, noting that 74 GW of existing and planned capacity for major power companies is located in water-scarce or stressed areas. It argues that while regulatory protections have historically shielded shareholders from the financial impact of water-related outages, these protections may become unsustainable as climate change and demographic pressures intensify water shortages. The document also notes a trade-off between water mitigation and carbon emissions, as technologies like dry cooling reduce water dependency but increase carbon emissions per unit of power output.
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Document type: Report
Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector
The document evaluates over 20 combinations of power-generating technologies and cooling systems to identify strategies for reducing the environmental footprint of China's power sector. It highlights energy efficiency as the most cost-effective and impactful strategy for reducing both emissions and water use. While wind and run-of-river hydroelectric power are identified as low-impact alternatives, the report warns that certain low-carbon technologies, such as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), can significantly increase water consumption. The World Resources Institute recommends that China implement sectoral water withdrawal quotas and align technology deployment with regional water availability.
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Document type: Briefing
Liability and Financial Responsibility Frameworks for Carbon Capture and Sequestration
The document assesses the liability and financial responsibility frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), noting that significant jurisdictional differences at the state level are likely to impact the siting, construction, and operation of these projects.
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Document type: Briefing
The Transformation of China's Energy System
The testimony outlines China's progress in reducing energy intensity and increasing non-fossil fuel use, highlighting the targets of the 12th Five-Year Plan and the potential for U.S. and international investment in China's clean technology sector.
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Document type: Statement
Pathways for Decarbonizing India’s Energy Future: Scenario Analysis Using the India Energy Policy Simulator
The paper evaluates two policy packages for India: the NDC-SDG scenario, aligning with 2030 goals, and the LTD scenario, targeting 2050. The LTD scenario offers higher emission reductions and health co-benefits but relies more on nascent technologies. Both scenarios demonstrate that deep decarbonization can coexist with GDP growth and employment increases, with a carbon tax identified as a critical policy lever.
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Document type: Research paper
FutureGen And The Department of Energy's Advanced Coal Programs
The testimony argues that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential for mitigating climate change given that coal is responsible for over 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. The author calls for a global network of 15 to 20 demonstrations to move the technology from the 'valley of death' into commercialization, noting that technical understanding is already adequate for large-scale projects. A significant focus is placed on China, where coal-related emissions may reach 51 percent of the world's total by 2030, necessitating joint public-private partnerships and research exchanges. The document highlights existing initiatives like the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum and the Global CCS Institute, while recommending that the U.S. formalize partnerships with the UK, EU, China, and Australia to avoid duplication and share regulatory knowledge.
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Document type: Statement
U.S. Contributions to a World Bank Administered Clean Technology Fund
The document provides recommendations for the US House Committee on Financial Services regarding a proposed $400 million annual investment in the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). It argues that the fund should prioritize 'zero carbon' outcomes and energy efficiency over marginally cleaner fossil fuel technologies like supercritical coal. The author emphasizes that the CTF should be used as a lever to force the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks to integrate climate change considerations into their core energy portfolios, noting that as of 2007, over 50% of Bank energy financing ignored climate change. Finally, it asserts that the CTF must align with UNFCCC principles, ensuring transparency, balanced representation between donor and developing nations, and that funding is additional to poverty alleviation aid.
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Document type: Statement