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The document asserts that wood biomass power in Japan and South Korea is not carbon neutral and often emits more CO2 than coal. It criticizes the use of subsidies—such as Japan's FIT system and South Korea's REC system—to support these facilities, arguing that such policies prolong the operation of coal plants and divert investment from wind and solar energy. The report highlights safety risks, including fires and explosions, and notes that the carbon debt of wood biomass can take 44 to 104 years to repay.

The document examines the transition from natural gas to hydrogen in gas turbines, detailing the physical differences between the fuels and the resulting engineering requirements. It highlights that while low-percentage hydrogen blends (~20% or less) can often be used with minimal modifications, higher blends require significant changes to combustion systems to manage NOx emissions and prevent flashback. The paper reviews the current capabilities and development roadmaps of major OEMs, including Ansaldo Energia, General Electric, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, and Siemens, most of whom target 100% hydrogen capability by 2030.

Global Witness asserts that tensions between NATO allies in the eastern Mediterranean over fossil gas are futile, as the EU's projected 90 percent reduction in gas demand by 2050 renders these reserves unnecessary. The report highlights that extracting discovered gas in disputed waters would produce carbon emissions comparable to the annual output of France and Spain combined. It specifically calls for the cancellation of the €6 billion EastMed pipeline, which is currently a "Project of Common Interest," arguing that its operation would cause immense environmental damage and further escalate regional conflict.

Between January 2013 and April 2020, Chinese financial institutions provided over $22.5 billion USD to companies producing and trading commodities at high risk of driving deforestation. The report highlights that a small number of major commercial banks dominate this financing, often with inadequate due diligence or safeguarding policies. Specific examples include financing for COFCO, which continues to use suppliers suspended by Unilever, and JBS, which has been linked to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The report argues that China's banking regulator should revise commercial banking laws to mandate the exclusion of companies linked to environmental destruction to align with China's 2060 carbon neutrality goal.

The City of Cape Town (CCT) conducted a three-year pilot project (2020-2022) comparing five BMWi3 electric vehicles (EVs) with five VW Golf GTI internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The study found that EVs are more affordable over a seven-year period when combining purchase price and operational costs, with the BMWi3 costing R768,950 compared to R1,415,281 for the ICE equivalent. The CCT identifies 477 hatchback vehicles in its fleet as potential candidates for electrification to reduce the 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted annually by that segment. The report emphasizes that EVs serve as a decarbonisation lever if charged with renewable energy and that future procurement must align vehicle range and charging infrastructure with operational requirements.

Mediclinic implemented solar PV across 29 hospital sites, using a PPA model for 10 sites, including Durbanville Hospital, to avoid upfront costs. The Durbanville installation, commissioned in November 2021, consists of a 704.6 kW (DC) system that produces approximately 1.17 GWh of green electricity annually, offsetting about 1,076 tons of carbon emissions. The 25-year take-or-pay PPA provided immediate savings, with initial electricity prices approximately 60% lower than municipal rates. The document highlights the benefits of PPAs for operational de-risking and financial hedging against rising grid costs, while recommending clear maintenance responsibilities and sector-specific provider experience for similar projects.

The document provides a high-level analysis of South Africa's carbon credit and REC markets, highlighting a significant supply deficit in the compliance market and the challenges of high project development costs. It details the transition to mandatory carbon budgets and the influence of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on the domestic landscape.

The report examines Ghana's energy, industrial, and gender policies, finding that while there is a strong focus on localisation and renewable energy targets, there is a lack of specific mechanisms to integrate small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and women into the production networks. It highlights implementation lags in the Renewable Energy Master Plan and the absence of a unified industrial policy, recommending targeted financial support and gender-responsive budgeting to ensure a just transition.

The report traces the history of international climate policy, highlighting the shift from the 'top-down' prescriptive approach of the Kyoto Protocol to the 'bottom-up' voluntary system of the Paris Agreement. It examines the central role of the 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR) principle and the challenges of ensuring the participation of major emitters while maintaining equity for developing nations. The text concludes that while the regime has grown in complexity and universality, current collective emission reduction promises remain insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C.

The IISD Climate Change and Energy Team provides research, policy recommendations, and capacity building to help governments, corporations, and communities transition to low-carbon societies and adapt to climate change. The team focuses on the Kyoto Mechanisms, carbon markets, and the development of a post-Kyoto climate regime, while maintaining the Institute's status as a carbon-neutral organization.

The report identifies 'coronavirus profiteers' across the meat, auto, airline, logging, and fossil fuel industries who lobbied for deregulation and subsidies during the pandemic. It contrasts these with 'climate heroes'—including certain European automakers, EU leadership, and specific palm oil companies—who continued to pursue emissions reductions and forest protection. The text emphasizes that weakening environmental protections, such as allowing deforestation and air pollution, increases public health vulnerability to respiratory diseases and future pandemics.

The document argues that the Paris Agreement's goals—limiting temperature increases to well below 2°C and pursuing a 1.5°C limit—require Germany to increase its emissions reduction efforts. To determine the implications for Germany, the analysis compared sectoral emissions reduction scenarios from existing literature and utilized global scenarios and the total CO2 budget for 1.5°C to address a lack of sufficient German-specific 1.5°C data.

Reclaim Finance analyzes the EU's decision to include gas and nuclear energy in its green taxonomy. The report argues that the criteria for gas—such as the 270 gCO2e/kWh emission threshold and the 2030 construction deadline—are incompatible with the 1.5°C goal and risk creating stranded assets. Regarding nuclear energy, the report contends that long construction times and the lack of operational geological waste storage by 2050 undermine its status as a 'transitional' activity, while noting that only France and Finland currently have advanced storage projects.

The report asserts that existing production and export capacities are sufficient to meet global fossil gas demand, which is expected to peak before 2030. It highlights that demand declines in developed economies, such as the EU, Japan, and South Korea, will offset potential increases in emerging economies. The document concludes by calling for financial institutions to halt all support for fossil gas expansion, including new gas fields and LNG export terminals.

The report details ADNOC's plans to increase oil production by 25% by 2030, identifying it as a major global expansionist whose activities are largely incompatible with IEA Net Zero scenarios. It highlights the involvement of international 'carbon majors' and banks in financing these projects, the use of carbon capture for enhanced oil recovery, and the threat posed to the Marawah Biosphere Reserve by the Ghasha Mega Project.

Two years after the Paris financial center committed to coal exit strategies, Reclaim Finance finds a mixed record. While 24 of 54 analyzed actors have robust policies, others lack them entirely or have significant gaps, such as failing to exclude coal developers or lacking clear exit dates. Major banks like BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, and Natixis remain under scrutiny for continuing to support coal companies without credible transition plans.

The report highlights a significant gap in financial sector policies where coking coal, which accounts for approximately 14% of global coal production, is often excluded from coal phase-out restrictions. Despite the steel sector contributing 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 11% of CO2 emissions, financial institutions continue to fund coking coal projects due to the outdated belief that no alternative technologies exist. The document notes that since 2016, banks have provided over 557 billion USD to companies involved in coking coal projects. It calls for an immediate end to financial services for new coking coal projects and the adoption of strict policies requiring companies to provide detailed closure schedules and just transition plans.

The report asserts that new gas exploration, production, and LNG export terminals are incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. It highlights that existing fossil fuel infrastructure already threatens to exceed remaining carbon budgets and calls for financial institutions to immediately cease funding gas expansion across the entire value chain.

A coalition of climate and accountability organizations argues that Total's climate strategy is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. They highlight that Total's 2030 emissions reduction targets cover only a small fraction of its total emissions and that the company plans to increase energy production to 4Mboe/d by 2030, with gas production potentially increasing by 30%. The authors note that 80% of Total's capex remains assigned to oil and gas, creating a risk of stranded assets. The document specifically criticizes the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and Tilenga projects and calls on shareholders to vote against the company's climate resolutions and the leadership of CEO Patrick Pouyanné at the May 28, 2021 Annual General Meeting.

The briefing asserts that new gas exploration, production, and LNG export terminals are incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. It highlights that existing fossil fuel infrastructure already exceeds the remaining carbon budget for low-overshoot pathways and warns of LNG overcapacity. Consequently, it calls on financial institutions to stop presenting fossil gas as a transitional energy and to immediately cease financial services supporting fossil gas expansion.