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The 'Environmental Impact Assessment Guideline for Renewable Energy Projects' outlines the regulatory framework and procedural requirements for deploying renewable energy technologies in South Africa. It details the environmental impacts of various technologies—including wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower—and maps these to the specific national legislation and authorisations required under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and other sectoral laws. The guide provides a structured approach to the Basic Assessment (BA) and Scoping and Environmental Impact Reporting (S&EIR) processes, including timeframes, stakeholder roles, and mitigation strategies to ensure sustainable development.

The report analyzes Costa Rica's transition from an agricultural to an export-led economy, highlighting successes in biodiversity and renewable energy alongside critical failures in wastewater management and public transport. It argues that a lack of sustainable public infrastructure and a mismatch in workforce skills hinder the country's goal of carbon neutrality by 2021. The authors recommend streamlining public procurement, diversifying the energy mix beyond hydropower, and implementing a green industrial policy to reduce economic vulnerability to external shocks.

Microsoft contracted for 285 MW of wind energy from two off-site projects, which were enabled by long-term off-take agreements. The company's data center energy group pursued these power purchase agreements (PPAs) to hedge against energy price fluctuations and reduce long-term costs, noting that powering a data center can cost twice as much as its construction. The process was supported by a corporate commitment to carbon neutrality established in 2012, which included an internal carbon fee and a "carbon neutral council." Microsoft accelerated its procurement timeline—completing the first deal in six months and the second in six weeks—by utilizing a dedicated centralized energy team, external partners, and explicit executive support.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on climate negotiators to establish a policy framework that signals long-term decarbonization to guide capital investment. Key demands include a global net-zero objective before the end of the century, a five-year cycle of science-based commitments aligned with IPCC reporting, and shared accountability rules to ensure emissions reductions are accurately tracked.

The document outlines various energy storage technologies—including pumped hydro, batteries, thermal, compressed air, flywheels, and hydrogen—detailing how they balance electricity supply and demand. It highlights the transition from a reliance on pumped hydroelectric storage toward rapidly scaling lithium-ion batteries, noting a 72 percent drop in battery capital costs between 2015 and 2019. The guide argues that energy storage enhances grid reliability, enables higher renewable energy integration, and provides community benefits by replacing polluting fossil fuel 'peaker' plants and increasing resilience against extreme weather.

The document defines a net phase out of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as reducing anthropogenic emissions to a level equal to or smaller than anthropogenic removals. To maintain a likely chance of meeting the 2°C target, global GHG emissions must be net zero by 2100, while CO2 emissions specifically should reach net zero around 2070. If action is delayed until 2020, these deadlines accelerate to 2080 for all GHGs and 2065 for CO2. The briefing notes that technological options already exist for approximately 90% of current GHG sources, though the remaining 10% require further innovation or offsetting. It highlights the critical role of bio-energy and carbon capture and storage (CCS) for achieving these targets, noting that limiting bio-energy significantly increases mitigation costs and reduces the number of models that find the 2°C target feasible.

The report identifies that while the Swedish transmission grid operator, Svenska Kraftnät, is a primary driver for grid development, most drivers are indirect, such as EU climate policy and the need to integrate wind power. Key barriers include a complex and ambiguous concession process, local resistance based on land-use and health concerns, and passive government governance. The study finds that current planned projects generally align with the geographic needs identified by the NORSTRAT project, though there are discrepancies in wind power production assumptions between the TSO and industry estimates.

The paper proposes four complementary mechanisms to enhance the UNFCCC's effectiveness for the 2015 agreement: specifying a global long-term emissions goal (such as net zero by mid-century), establishing a predictable commitment cycle for national contributions, ensuring each cycle results in increased emissions reductions, and implementing an assessment and revision process to identify further low-carbon policies.

The Measuring Up 2015 report analyzes climate action across 116 US local governments, representing approximately 14% of the US population. It finds that achieving these cities' 2050 emissions goals would be equivalent to shutting down 86 coal-fired power plants. The report highlights the success of cities like Atlanta, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, and Portland, noting that strong government leadership, supportive state policies, and private sector partnerships are critical for success. It argues that while local actions are significant, they require an enabling national policy framework, including strong power plant regulations and carbon pricing, to reach their full potential.

The document commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Union Carbide industrial disaster in Bhopal, India, highlighting the long-term human and environmental toll and criticizing Dow Chemicals for avoiding accountability. It calls for a legally binding UN system to judge corporations for ecocide and human rights violations, framing the struggle of Bhopal survivors as a catalyst for the global environmental justice movement.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G20 leaders to move beyond rhetoric and commit to specific policy actions to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions and hold global temperatures below 2 °C. The coalition advocates for the elimination of high-carbon energy subsidies, the enactment of carbon pricing, and the scale-up of low carbon energy and public finance. It further encourages the G20 to integrate findings on climate-compatible infrastructure investment into the establishment of a global infrastructure hub, asserting that climate action is compatible with economic growth.

The report argues that Norway's fair share of the global climate effort is significantly larger than its population size suggests due to its high wealth and historical emissions. Using the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDR) framework, the analysis finds that Norway's combined Responsibility and Capacity Indicator (RCI) for 2020 is 0.84% of the global effort, despite representing only 0.07% of the world's population. To meet a 'Strong 2°C pathway', the report suggests Norway must combine ambitious domestic cuts—approximately 50% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels—with substantial international financial and technological support to achieve further reductions in other countries.

The report identifies diverse strategies used by developing countries to protect tropical forests, ranging from national-scale policies in Brazil and India to community-led projects in Madagascar and Kenya. It highlights the effectiveness of REDD+ programs, payments for ecosystem services (PES), and governance reforms, while noting that success is often linked to broader socioeconomic development and the use of remote sensing technology for enforcement.

The report examines diverse strategies used by developing tropical nations to combat deforestation and restore forests, categorizing successes into policy-driven reductions, payment for environmental services, and socio-economic shifts. It highlights the 'forest transition' curve and emphasizes that combining environmental action with social and economic development is key to sustainable success.

The 2012 Seattle Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory finds that core emissions (road transportation, building energy, and waste) declined 4% from 1990 to 2012 after accounting for offsets. While absolute core emissions remained relatively flat, per person core emissions decreased by 22% over the same period, despite a 23% increase in population and a 14% increase in jobs. Road transportation remains the largest core emission source at 64%, while building energy and waste account for 33% and 3% respectively. In an expanded view including industry and air/marine travel, total emissions were 6.0 million tons CO2e in 2012, representing a 1% reduction from 1990 levels, falling short of a 7% reduction target.

The report proposes an 'accelerated scenario' for Fort Collins to reach an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, twenty years ahead of its original 2050 target. This path involves reducing building energy use by 31%, achieving a carbon-neutral electricity system, and reducing transportation energy use by 48%. The analysis indicates that while this requires higher upfront capital, it would result in a net present value benefit of $260 million by 2030 and $2.0 billion by 2050 compared to business-as-usual. Key strategies include the deployment of distributed solar PV, increased wind capacity, smart growth urban planning, and the adoption of electric vehicles.

The document details SEI's multi-scale approach to climate mitigation, focusing on sub-national policy for cities, the necessity of limiting fossil-fuel infrastructure to meet the 2°C target, and the strategic use of modern bioenergy in developing countries. It highlights the use of the LEAP system for low-carbon planning and describes ongoing efforts to integrate social variables into technical climate analysis.

The report analyzes the energy landscape of Central America, noting a contradictory trend where the region leads in geothermal and hydroelectric power but faces increasing dependence on imported fossil fuels. It argues that while the region has the potential to meet 100% of its electricity needs through renewables, significant gaps in data, administrative inefficiency, and fossil fuel subsidies hinder progress. The document recommends integrating technical resource assessments with socio-economic analysis (LCOE+), simplifying bureaucratic processes through 'single-window' permitting, and strengthening regional interconnection via SIEPAC to manage variability in wind and solar power.

The research paper investigates a bottom-up scenario for Seattle to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, identifying potential per capita GHG reductions of 34% by 2020 and 91% by 2050 within the buildings, transportation, and waste sectors. It further proposes a "core" emissions accounting framework that excludes industrial activity and a consumption-based perspective to expand the scope of policy solutions.

A snapshot analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that representations of climate science on Fox News Channel and in the Wall Street Journal's opinion section were overwhelmingly misleading, despite News Corporation's public commitments to environmental sustainability.