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China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology innovation, utilizing aid, trade, and investment to support the energy transition in the Global South. Through mechanisms like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, China has deployed renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable agricultural technologies across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, the effectiveness of these partnerships is hindered by gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, geopolitical tensions with Western nations, and difficulties in meeting global ESG standards.

Africa possesses vast untapped renewable energy resources and critical minerals but faces significant barriers in financing, technology ownership, and value chain integration. While some progress has been made in solar, wind, and hydropower, the continent remains heavily reliant on imports for technology and patents. The document argues for strengthened partnerships, increased climate finance from the Global North, and the development of local manufacturing to ensure a just energy transition.

The report concludes that no single technology can achieve California's 2045 net-zero goal, requiring a diversified portfolio of electrification, carbon capture and storage (CCS), biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Key findings highlight a massive required grid expansion of 130–460 GW and the critical role of Direct Air Capture (DAC) to offset hard-to-abate emissions. The analysis suggests that while a 100% carbon-free grid is the current goal, a slightly lower constraint (e.g., 99%) could significantly reduce costs and overbuilding by allowing the use of clean dispatchable power like NGCCS.

The document serves as a '101' guide for journalists to report on climate change, explaining the difference between weather and climate, the primary causes of global warming, and the impacts of extreme weather. It offers specific phrasing to help reporters connect current events to climate change and distinguishes between mitigation and adaptation strategies. Additionally, it provides professional guidance on avoiding greenwashing, handling climate deniers, and centering climate justice in reporting, while emphasizing that climate coverage is based on scientific consensus rather than activism.

The document highlights the critical role of China's iron and steel sector in the global carbon budget, noting that current emission trajectories could exhaust the sector's projected budget in 5-12 years. It advocates for the development of industry-level targets derived from China's national goals of carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, supported by technological feasibility assessments and synergistic mechanisms involving trading, financing, and carbon asset management.

The document serves as an introductory resource for journalists to understand the causes and impacts of climate change and how to report on them accurately. It defines key terms, explains the role of greenhouse gases and fossil fuels, and details the effects of warming on weather patterns. The guide offers specific phrasing to help reporters connect extreme weather events to human-caused climate change and distinguishes between mitigation and adaptation strategies. It also outlines international and national policy frameworks, such as the Paris Agreement and the US Inflation Reduction Act, while advising journalists on how to avoid pitfalls like greenwashing and the platforming of climate deniers.

An analysis by Reclaim Finance and RIFT finds that most French life insurers continue to fund fossil fuel expansion through 'fonds euro' and 'unités de compte', with over 55% of 'responsible' or 'ESG' labeled funds exposed to fossil fuel developers.

The report finds a significant gap between the climate commitments of French life insurers and their actual investment practices. While most have pledged to stop funding new coal projects in their 'fonds euro', many continue to invest in oil and gas expansion. A critical 'blind spot' exists in 'unités de compte' (UC), where 63% of analyzed funds contain fossil fuel developers, including in products labeled as 'responsible' or 'ESG'. The report calls for regulators to mandate an 'eco-score' and extend ISR labeling to 'fonds euro' to protect savers from greenwashing.

The Climate Bonds Standard version 4.2 provides a science-based framework for certifying climate-aligned investments. It covers four primary certification paths: Use of Proceeds (UoP) debt instruments, specific assets, non-financial legal entities, and sustainability-linked debt (SLD). Certification requires independent verification by approved third parties and adherence to sector-specific criteria. For entities and SLDs, the standard emphasizes absolute measures tied to transition pathways, requiring climate mitigation performance targets (CMPTs) and robust transition plans. The standard also includes a specialized certification for agri-food entities focusing on deforestation- and conversion-free sourcing.

The report argues that achieving cost-optimal carbon neutrality in Canada's building sector requires a massive shift toward electrification, primarily through heat pumps, and a significant reduction in gas network reliance. It warns that current regulatory inertia and the continued expansion of gas infrastructure create risks of 'stranded assets' and higher costs for taxpayers. The authors recommend that provincial governments provide clear long-term strategic guidance, mandate net-zero targets, and empower regulators to prioritize electrification over gas expansion to protect long-term affordability and reliability.

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) argues that current 2030 climate targets and policies are insufficient, projecting end-of-century warming of 2.5°C to 2.7°C. To maintain the 1.5°C goal, the document asserts that governments must enter 'emergency mode,' peaking global emissions before 2025 and halving them by 2030. It outlines four essential elements for 2035 NDCs: ambition based on sectoral benchmarks, scaled-up climate finance for developing nations, credibility through the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and exploration, and transparency via absolute economy-wide targets that separate land-use sinks and carbon removals from domestic reductions.

The European Parliament elections, held June 6-9, 2024, determine the legislative representation for 27 EU Member States, with the number of seats increasing from 705 to 720. The document emphasizes the role of the European Parliament in shaping the EU Green Deal and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, while warning against the weakening of environmental requirements in the Common Agricultural Policy and the dropping of chemical regulations like REACH. It advocates for closing the 'implementation gap' of environmental laws, which could save the EU economy EUR 55 billion annually in health and environmental costs, and calls for universal access to justice rights for citizens and NGOs to challenge environmental law-breaking across all Member States.

The report evaluates claims made by candidates from the Socialist Party, Renew, La France insoumise, and Les Écologistes across five key sectors: transport, housing, agriculture, international trade, and finance. It corrects misconceptions regarding railway privatization, energy renovation rates, agricultural demographics, and the financial impact of proposed green taxes.

In 2023, solar and wind power continued to grow, with solar producing a record 5.5% of global electricity and wind reaching 7.8%. China was the primary driver for both, accounting for 51% of solar growth and 60% of wind additions. Conversely, coal generation reached a record high of 10,434 TWh (35% of the global mix), largely due to droughts in China reducing hydropower output, which fell by a record 88 TWh. Fossil gas remained the second-largest source at 23%, with growth driven by the US. Nuclear generation saw a slight rebound to 9.1% of the mix, while bioenergy reached a record 697 TWh (2.4%). The report notes that while solar and wind are on a positive trajectory, coal and gas must decline sharply, and nuclear and hydro must accelerate growth to meet IEA Net Zero Emissions targets by 2030.

In 2023, the world's top six electricity sector emitters—China, the US, India, the EU, Russia, and Japan—accounted for approximately 72% of global emissions from this sector. China remains the largest emitter, though it leads the world in wind and solar growth. The US and EU have seen long-term emissions declines driven by the replacement of coal with gas and renewables. India's emissions continue to rise as demand growth outpaces clean energy additions. Russia's electricity mix remains largely unchanged over two decades, while Japan is seeing a recovery in nuclear generation and a significant increase in solar share, despite very low wind deployment.

A fact-checking cell composed of experts from QuotaClimat, INRAE, the Institut Rousseau, Egis, and Blunomy analyzed ecological statements made during the May 2, 2024, European election debate. The cell found that ecology was not a priority for the moderators, leading to a lack of discussion on key transition themes such as agriculture, energy, and transport. Specific claims by candidates were flagged as false or misleading: Léo Deffontaines' claim about energy production for carbon neutrality was deemed partially false for omitting energy sobriety; Manon Aubry's figures for taxing super-profits and super-fortunes (125 and 250 billion euros) were identified as global rather than European estimates; and François-Xavier Bellamy's claims regarding French taxation and public spending levels were labeled as fallacious or false based on GDP percentages and investment needs.

The Climate Bonds Initiative introduces a tool for financial institutions to evaluate corporate transition maturity across five categories, ranging from 'No Action' to 'Net Zero Achieved'. The system uses specific indicators across commitment, emission targets, implementation strategies, governance, and performance to determine if a company's financing can be labeled as 'transition finance' or 'green finance'. It emphasizes the need for science-based benchmarks, trackable annual actions, and board-level governance, while providing a weighted scoring method for companies with multiple business activities.

In 2023, China maintained its position as the world's largest green bond issuance market, despite a slight decline in total volume. The market is characterized by a strong preference for short-dated debt and a growing reliance on Second Party Opinions to enhance credibility. While green bonds are increasingly aligned with the 100% Use of Proceeds (UoP) rule, social and sustainability bonds face challenges with transparency and disclosure. Sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) are prolific in number but rarely utilize greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Policy drivers include the China Green Bond Principles and the China-EU Common Ground Taxonomy, alongside emerging local transition finance guidelines for hard-to-abate sectors like steel and chemicals.

The report concludes that ExxonMobil's strategy prioritizes fossil fuel expansion and shareholder returns over sustainable energy investments. It finds that the company's 2030 production targets and LNG capacity expansions significantly exceed the limits required to align with a 1.5°C pathway. Furthermore, the report highlights a lack of scope 3 emissions targets and a diversification strategy that relies on unsustainable energies like blue hydrogen and biofuels.

The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective October 2023, imposes carbon tariffs on imports to prevent carbon leakage and encourage global decarbonisation. The document argues that the CBAM will disproportionately harm African countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), by reducing GDP and exports of key materials like aluminium, iron, and steel. It highlights concerns regarding the mechanism's equity, its potential conflict with WTO non-discrimination rules, and the EU's plan to use revenues for internal debt rather than supporting LDCs. The brief recommends that the AfCFTA negotiate for exemptions, a slower phase-in period, and the exclusion of indirect emissions, while urging the EU to increase climate finance and technology transfers to Africa.