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The report identifies clinker production as the primary source of emissions in the cement sector, accounting for 88% of total emissions. It evaluates three main decarbonization levers: substituting clinker with materials like fly ash and calcined clay, replacing coal and gas with biomass, waste, or green hydrogen, and deploying CCUS. While some progress is noted in developed markets, the report warns that absolute emissions will rise as production grows in emerging markets like India and Africa unless green processes are scaled. Key barriers include supply constraints for substitutes, high upfront costs for CCUS, and a lack of carbon transport infrastructure in high-growth regions.

The global steel sector faces significant challenges in decarbonization, with emissions intensity growing by 0.5% annually since 2010. While hydrogen-based Direct Reduced Iron (H-DRI) and Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) offer paths to near-zero emissions, their deployment is hindered by high costs, limited green hydrogen supply, and a shortage of high-grade iron ore. The report highlights a geographic divide: the EU and US are shifting toward low-emission tech supported by subsidies and carbon pricing, while high-growth regions like India continue to expand high-emission Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) capacity. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is viewed as a necessary but expensive tool for abating existing capacity, though commercial-scale projects remain limited.

The report argues that a carbon price exceeding US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured would make forest restoration more profitable than cattle ranching across most of the Brazilian Amazon. This mechanism could capture 16 Gt CO2 through restoration and avoid 32 Gt CO2 from deforestation over 30 years, totaling 48 Gt CO2. The study uses a dynamic spatial model to show that such payments would generate US$ 320 billion in revenue, preventing the forest from reaching a tipping point and transforming the region from a net carbon emitter to a carbon sink.

The report identifies the oil and gas sector as the primary obstacle to Canada's 2030 climate targets due to rising emissions. It proposes four complementary policies: strict methane regulations, targeted public support for carbon capture and storage (CCS), an emissions cap for the sector, and a government-backed transition investment taxonomy. The author emphasizes that explicitly addressing regional equity is essential for the political durability and success of these climate policies.

The Canadian Climate Institute proposes a four-part policy framework to decarbonize Canada's oil and gas sector while addressing regional fairness. The sector is identified as Canada's largest and fastest-growing source of emissions, contributing 189 Mt of greenhouse gases in 2021 (28% of the national total). To balance climate targets with economic stability, the report recommends stringent methane regulations, targeted public support for carbon capture and storage (CCS), a sector-specific emissions cap, and a government-backed transition investment taxonomy. This approach aims to ensure that oil and gas-producing regions contribute their fair share of reductions while protecting the trade balance and mitigating the risk of stranded assets as global demand for fossil fuels declines.

The We Mean Business Coalition outlines a framework for a just transition to clean energy, requiring the phase-out of unabated thermal coal, oil, and gas by 2040 at the latest. The principles demand that corporate energy consumers and producers publish Climate Transition Action Plans (CTAPs) with interim targets, while financial institutions must immediately end funding for coal value chains and new oil and gas exploration. Governments are urged to reach 100% decarbonized power systems by 2035 in advanced economies and 2040 elsewhere, with wealthier nations acting as first movers and supporting the Global South through finance and capacity-building.

A survey of 58 European climate experts reveals skepticism about Europe's ability to meet its 2030 and 2050 climate goals, citing lagging investments and bureaucratic hurdles. While experts show varying confidence in technologies like CCS and hydrogen, there is a notable call for a more prominent role for nuclear energy and a shift toward 'technology optionality' and simplified, incentive-based policymaking.

The document examines the role of fiscal incentives in driving plastic production and proposes that the future plastics treaty adopt the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement) definition of subsidies to ensure legal coherence and workability. It distinguishes between direct subsidies (e.g., grants for plants) and indirect subsidies (e.g., cheap fossil fuel feedstocks), recommending a form-based prohibition for the former and an effects-based prohibition for the latter. The brief emphasizes the need for transparency, binding elimination targets, and special and differential treatment for developing countries to facilitate a just transition.

The cement industry accounts for approximately 7% of global CO2 emissions and faces significant barriers to decarbonisation due to high capital intensity and the nature of process emissions. The report argues that achieving net-zero by 2050 requires a combination of technological shifts—such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), alternative binders, and fuel substitution—and robust policy support. Key policy recommendations include the implementation of carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs), green public procurement, and carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) to prevent carbon leakage. Financial investment needs are estimated to reach USD 70 billion annually between 2030 and 2040, which the report suggests could be unlocked through the sustainable debt market and science-based certification standards.

The report positions the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as a pivotal figure in the low-carbon transition, responsible for integrating climate risks and opportunities into a company's financial framework. Based on a survey of 50 respondents from 32 entities, it argues that early adoption of decarbonisation strategies provides a competitive advantage and recommends building robust business cases that quantify the cost of inaction. The document highlights the use of sustainable finance instruments, such as green and sustainability-linked bonds, to mobilise capital and signal commitment. Key challenges identified include the calibration of science-based targets and the difficulty of tackling scope 3 emissions, which often represent the majority of a company's carbon footprint.

The report finds that heat pumps are the lowest-cost heating and cooling option for most Canadian households over the system's lifetime, though adoption is hindered by high upfront costs, information gaps, and structural barriers for renters. It recommends streamlining rebates, establishing one-stop shop services, and updating building codes to include cooling requirements.

The report finds that heat pumps are the most economical heating and cooling option for the majority of Canadian households over their system life cycle, particularly in cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax. Despite this economic advantage, adoption remains low due to behavioral, economic, and structural barriers, including high initial costs, lack of consumer confidence, and complex government rebate programs. The document argues that heat pumps are critical for both decarbonizing residential buildings and increasing resilience against extreme heat, which has caused significant mortality in regions like British Columbia. It recommends that governments maintain financial supports, simplify application processes through 'one-stop shops', implement indoor maximum temperature limits in building codes, and mandate high-efficiency, non-polluting systems in new constructions where electrically-powered heating is most cost-effective.

The report argues that a carbon price of US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured would incentivize a shift from cattle ranching to forest restoration in the Brazilian Amazon. This transition could capture 16 Gt of CO2 and avoid 32 Gt of emissions over 30 years, generating US$ 320 billion in revenue. The analysis contrasts this with a historical implicit valuation of US$ 5.76 per ton, which the authors suggest leads toward a critical tipping point of deforestation.

The report estimates that annual climate finance needs will rise to USD 6.2 trillion by 2030 and USD 7.3 trillion by 2050 to achieve Net Zero, while tracked global finance only surpassed USD 1 trillion for the first time in 2022. Transport and energy systems represent the largest investment needs, requiring at least USD 3.2 trillion and USD 2.1 trillion annually, respectively. The study highlights a significant disparity in finance distribution, with 75% of global spend concentrated in East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and North America. It argues that public finance must act as a catalyst to mobilize private capital, particularly in developing economies where the cost of capital is significantly higher. While private sector commitments are growing—such as the 30 largest banks pledging USD 870 billion annually—the report notes that asset managers and owners have been slower to set quantifiable targets. Key recommendations include aligning stakeholder policies, supporting non-commercially viable technologies like CCUS and green hydrogen, and implementing just transition frameworks.

The report analyzes 67 of the 129 measures in Canada's Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP), finding that while 44% may reduce poverty, 19% could increase inequality. It highlights that CAD 10 billion in funding is tied to measures that may exacerbate inequality without social safeguards. The analysis suggests that sector-specific risks—such as 'renovictions' from building retrofits or the regressive nature of ZEV subsidies—require complementary policies like public transit expansion and national energy poverty strategies to ensure an equitable transition.

The We Mean Business Coalition's 'Fossil to Clean' campaign provides a framework for phasing out fossil fuels by 2040. It outlines specific requirements for demand-side companies to end unabated fossil fuel use, for producers to cease new exploration and reach near-zero methane emissions by 2030, for financial institutions to halt new fossil fuel funding, and for governments to decarbonize power systems by 2035-2040.

The document argues that while harmonizing all border carbon adjustments (BCAs) is impossible due to diverse national carbon pricing methods, international cooperation is essential to manage the proliferation of these instruments. It highlights that a diversity of BCAs increases uncertainty and administrative burdens for traders in sectors like steel, aluminum, cement, and fertilizers, which are critical for the export revenues of many developing countries. The brief suggests that strategic international discussion is a necessary alternative to trade disputes within the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement system.

The Canadian Climate Institute outlines five key areas of concern regarding the federal Clean Electricity Regulations (CER), including the treatment of gas-powered facilities built after 2025, the 'prescribed' lifespan of existing gas plants, rules for using gas to balance renewables, the management of post-2035 residual emissions, and the potential shift from output-based to full carbon pricing for the electricity sector.

The document examines the challenges of implementing border carbon adjustments (BCAs), focusing on the need for international cooperation to standardize embedded emissions calculations, determine geographical exemptions, establish credits for foreign climate policies, and decide on the use of revenues. It evaluates various multilateral, regional, and bilateral venues for these discussions, noting that while the WTO is a primary site of tension, substantial multilateral progress is currently lacking.

The report examines the transition of North Sea oil and gas producers toward net-zero or complete phase-out scenarios. It identifies government as the primary actor responsible for managing these transitions and emphasizes the need for participatory governance to overcome industry resistance. The analysis highlights that while the three countries share a geography, their different levels of economic dependency on fossil fuels lead to divergent transition stages and enabling conditions.