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The UK became the first G7 country to phase out coal power on September 30, 2024, with the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant. However, the author contends that this domestic achievement is contradicted by the actions of UK financial institutions, which provided US$6.5 billion to the global coal industry between 2021 and 2023. The document calls for stronger financial regulations to end coal expansion funding and redirect capital toward renewable energy and early decommissioning.

The report finds that Australia, Canada, and the UK (the "Big Three") have historically and currently dominated fossil fuel extraction emissions within the Commonwealth. While these wealthy nations have the highest emissions, they are the least economically dependent on fossil fuel rents. In contrast, lower- and middle-income countries like Nigeria and Papua New Guinea are more exposed to financial risks from carbon liabilities. The report concludes that Commonwealth production plans are inconsistent with the 1.5°C goal, with the Big Three's share of the gap between Business as Usual and Net Zero scenarios exceeding 50%.

The document examines the proposed regulatory framework to cap GHG emissions in Canada's oil and gas sector. It argues that existing carbon pricing is insufficient to incentivize decarbonization, as profit margins for production remain higher than those for emissions reductions. While the cap is deemed necessary for Canada to meet its Paris Agreement goals, the author warns that a 25-million-tonne 'compliance flexibility' cushion—comprising a Decarbonization Fund, domestic offsets, and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs)—could dilute the cap's impact by up to 25%. The brief specifically cautions against the use of ITMOs for LNG exports, citing risks of double counting, lack of additionality, and potential fossil fuel subsidies.

The document outlines a 'Decalogue of Ambition' for NDCs, emphasizing the need for science-based emission reductions, sector-specific targets, and a transition away from fossil fuels. It details requirements for mitigation, including a 43% global reduction by 2030, and adaptation, focusing on climate resilience in agriculture, health, and infrastructure. The guide also stresses the importance of just transition, gender equality, and the mobilization of finance from developed to developing nations.

The report argues that the EU and US should move away from a combative competitive race toward a cooperative agenda for industrial decarbonisation. It suggests a 'softer' path to alignment that prioritises short-term 'carrots' like cleantech incentives and long-term 'sticks' like harmonised standards, rather than attempting to reconcile contentious issues like carbon pricing. The study advocates expanding cooperation beyond hydrogen and carbon capture to include circular economy solutions and electrification, using a policy mix approach that categorises tools by supply push, price signals, demand pull, and systemic enablers.

The UK officially entered a coal-free power era on 1 October 2024 with the closure of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant. This transition saw power sector emissions drop by 74% between 2012 and 2023, driven by a combination of carbon pricing, renewable energy growth, and grid investment. The report argues that while the coal phase-out provides a roadmap, the next goal of clean power by 2030 will require a more complex whole-systems approach to displace gas and manage grid stability.

The document details a conference focused on the marginalization of Africa within the global economic system, specifically regarding the legacy of structural adjustment and the current lack of representative governance in international financial institutions. It identifies critical barriers to African development, including inflated risk premiums that cost the continent over $74 billion annually and the failure of the Global North to deliver over $1 trillion in promised climate financing. The report proposes a tiered reform agenda: short-term priorities include debt cancellation and increased access to Special Drawing Rights; medium-term goals focus on improving credit ratings through better data and combating illicit financial flows; and long-term goals aim for greater representation in the IMF and World Bank. Additionally, it explores the potential for Africa to leverage its natural capital and critical minerals for the energy transition, while cautioning against new dependencies on China as the world shifts toward a multipolar order.

The Clean Air Task Force supports integrating greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) into the UK ETS but argues that this must be phased in gradually to avoid market volatility and price drops. The organization emphasizes that emissions reductions must remain the priority and suggests maintaining the gross emissions cap to preserve the system's integrity. To ensure long-term deployment of durable GGRs, the document recommends complementary policies such as carbon contracts for difference (CCfD) or carbon takeback obligations (CTBO), as the ETS alone may not sufficiently drive innovation. Additionally, it calls for a separate UK GGR certification scheme and strengthened permanence frameworks to manage variable durability GGRs, including limits on their use that decline over time.

A group of Canadian physicians and healthcare professionals is calling for the immediate implementation of a strong emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, arguing that such a measure is critical for both climate mitigation and public health. They advocate for a 45% reduction in emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, asserting that the current proposed framework is insufficiently ambitious. The authors highlight that the oil and gas sector is Canada's largest source of greenhouse gas pollution and that reducing these emissions would significantly lower levels of dangerous air pollutants like NO2, PM2.5, and ozone, potentially preventing thousands of premature deaths and providing billions in economic benefits.

In a speech delivered on 4 July 2024, WTO Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam outlines the evolving relationship between the WTO and environmental protection. He notes a paradigm shift where climate change is now actively disrupting trade, citing examples like the Panama Canal drought. While the WTO has made progress through the 2022 Ministerial Declaration and the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, Paugam warns that uncoordinated national actions—such as the nearly 70 carbon tax schemes in development and varying green steel standards—risk fragmenting world trade. He advocates for a "reglobalization" approach that combines green industrialization with trade cooperation, suggesting the WTO may need to adopt new rule-making models, including plurilateral commitments or non-binding frameworks similar to the Paris Agreement, to remain relevant.

The document evaluates the suitability of NGFS, IEA, and NITI Aayog scenarios for the Indian context, highlighting that global models often underestimate India's specific macroeconomic risks. It details transmission channels from macro-variables to micro-level financial risks and analyzes case studies from the ECB, Bank of England, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Central Bank of Colombia. The authors propose a phased roadmap for the Reserve Bank of India, moving from preliminary top-down exercises to the development of in-house macroeconomic models and comprehensive bottom-up stress tests over a long-term horizon.

The report highlights that China's steel industry requires at least 1.6 trillion yuan (approximately 220 billion USD) in fixed asset investment to achieve decarbonisation by 2050. While technical feasibility for zero-carbon steel exists, high costs remain a barrier. The document argues that transition finance, carbon pricing mechanisms like the EU's CBAM, and green public procurement are essential to drive investment toward deep decarbonisation technologies, such as low-carbon hydrogen, and to avoid 'carbon lock-in' as 78% of existing coal-based blast furnace capacity requires reinvestment by 2030.

The report highlights that China's steel sector requires at least CNY1.6tn (USD220bn) in fixed-asset investment for decarbonisation by 2050. While the labelled bond and loan markets have the capacity to provide this capital, current issuance from the steel sector is minimal, representing only 0.1% of the Chinese labelled bond market. The document recommends aligning provincial transition finance guidelines with national and international standards, encouraging the use of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-reduction targets in sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), and implementing green public procurement to stimulate demand for low-carbon steel.

The report concludes that Saskatchewan can comply with a revised version of the federal Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) without compromising grid reliability and with only a marginal increase in residential electricity rates (6% to 9% by 2035) compared to SaskPower's reference scenario. Using the COPPER model, the analysis shows that while the CER would require additional capital investments of $4 billion to $6.5 billion by 2035, it would significantly reduce cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 2025 and 2050 compared to the province's current plans. The report emphasizes the central role of wind power and the importance of federal investment tax credits in maintaining affordability during the transition to net-zero electricity by 2050.

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) evaluated four market-based measure (MBM) proposals for the IMO's GHG strategy. The 'Pacifics' proposal (Belize et al.) was ranked highest (82/100) due to its high levy of $150/tCO2e and strong support for climate-vulnerable nations. The EU/Japan proposal scored 62/100, while the Bahamas et al. and Canada proposals both received a 'C' grade (49/100 and 46/100 respectively) for lacking specificity in funding and contribution levels. A proposal by Angola et al. was excluded from the scoring as it was deemed a technical fuel standard rather than a market-based economic measure.

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) assessed several market-based measure (MBM) proposals for the international shipping sector, using a methodology developed by CE Delft. The evaluation focused on alignment with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal, immediate emission reductions, support for vulnerable nations and workers, and funding for research and development. The analysis highlights that current IMO strategies are insufficient for 1.5°C alignment and that only proposals with high carbon levies—such as those from Canada and Austria et al.—provide a strong enough price signal to drive the transition to zero-emission technologies.

Carbon Market Watch evaluated several greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing proposals for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), scoring them based on criteria such as emission reduction potential, support for vulnerable nations, and revenue use for R&D. The analysis finds that while some proposals, such as those from Canada and Belize et al., show strength in levy levels and support for vulnerable nations, others, like the Bahamas et al. proposal, are insufficient as they do not function as robust market-based measures. The document argues that meeting the IMO's net-zero goals by or around 2050 requires ambitious levies and strong enforcement to incentivise zero-emission technologies.

The report examines border carbon adjustments (BCAs) as a tool to prevent carbon leakage, synthesizing views from stakeholders in five countries. It analyzes the risks of carbon leakage—specifically in Canada's heavy industry—and evaluates the design of the EU and UK CBAMs. Key discussions include the challenges of product-level emissions measurement, the need for revenue to support decarbonization in developing nations, and the potential for domestic carbon pricing as a strategic response to foreign BCAs.

The report examines how the EU's CBAM and potential future BCAs from other nations affect Vietnam's export-oriented economy, focusing on the iron, steel, aluminum, cement, and fertilizer sectors. It highlights the administrative and financial burdens on Vietnamese enterprises, particularly SMEs, and argues for the development of a domestic carbon pricing mechanism to retain revenues and improve competitiveness. The document also emphasizes the need for technical assistance and the application of the 'common but differentiated responsibilities' principle to ensure fairness for developing nations.

The document argues that Oregon cannot achieve climate-safe emission levels through individual behavioral changes or technological solutions alone. It highlights a significant 'emissions gap' where consumption-based emissions grew over 20% in 16 years, despite stabilizing in-state production emissions. The authors advocate for a shift from growth-centric neoclassical economics toward paradigms like the well-being economy, degrowth, and doughnut economics. Proposed structural interventions for Oregon include redesigning economic measurements beyond GDP, investing in the care economy, implementing carbon pricing, and adopting smart growth urban policies to ensure a just and equitable transition.