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The Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) integrates system dynamics simulation with project finance models to value risks and externalities typically ignored in traditional financial assessments. It applies to asset types including energy, roads, buildings, irrigation, sewerage treatment, and nature-based infrastructure. The tool aims to support the goals of the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals by optimizing value for money across an asset's life cycle. Case studies demonstrate its application in valuing climate-risk-related road disruptions in Morocco, the economic gains of wetland conservation in India, and the internal rate of return for wind energy in Senegal.

South Africa's Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 establishes a framework to place the country on a low-carbon trajectory while ensuring socio-economic development. The strategy focuses on a 'peak, plateau and decline' (PPD) emissions trajectory, with a peak projected between 2020 and 2025. Key interventions span the energy sector (diversifying the electricity mix via the Integrated Resource Plan and REIPPP), industry (energy efficiency and carbon taxes), AFOLU (conservation agriculture and afforestation), and waste (waste-to-energy and recycling). The document emphasizes a 'Just Transition' to protect vulnerable workers and communities, supported by research into hydrogen, fuel cells, and carbon capture and storage. Implementation relies on a combination of domestic funding and international climate finance.

The report finds that a majority of US registered voters believe global warming is happening and human-caused, with notable increases in these beliefs among Republicans. There is broad cross-party support for clean energy policies like the Green New Deal and carbon taxes, though voters remain split on fossil fuel expansion. While many express a willingness to take collective action, few have actually contacted elected officials in the past year.

The report finds that total quantified energy subsidies in India declined from INR 2,15,974 crore in FY2014 to INR 1,51,484 crore in FY2017. While support for renewables grew nearly six-fold and oil and gas subsidies dropped by 76%, subsidies for fossil fuels remained more than triple those for renewables and electric vehicles in FY2017. Electricity transmission and distribution emerged as the largest subsidy recipient, largely due to under-pricing for consumers. The document highlights the challenge of poor targeting in energy access subsidies and the stability of coal subsidies despite environmental externalities.

The report finds that Estonia's 2005 ecological tax reform was only partially implemented, with success largely limited to fiscal goals rather than behavioral or environmental changes. While excise duties on energy products and electricity were generally increased, transport and pollution taxes saw minimal progress. Consequently, several negative trends persisted or worsened between 2005 and 2017, including a 43% increase in direct material input, a rise in the number of passenger cars, and continued reliance on oil shale for electricity production. Positive developments were noted in the growth of renewable electricity and a reduction in certain air pollutants, though greenhouse gas emissions from transport increased by 10%.

The document outlines various mechanisms through which G20 nations can redirect public money—including subsidies, tax revenues, state-owned enterprise investments, and credit support—away from fossil fuels. It highlights specific national and regional successes, such as Indonesia's subsidy reforms and the EU's phase-out of coal mining subsidies, while emphasizing the need for a faster transition that protects vulnerable groups and ensures a just transition for workers.

The report examines how G20 countries can shift public funds away from fossil fuels through subsidy reform, increased taxation, and the redirection of state-owned enterprise investments. It highlights specific national examples, such as Indonesia's consumption subsidy reform and the EU's transition funds, while arguing that the current scale of public support for fossil fuels hinders decarbonization and sustainable development.

The document argues that the Adaptation Fund is a unique and essential part of the international climate finance architecture that requires improved operating modalities to enhance climate resilience. It specifically highlights the insufficiency of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a funding source and recommends exploring links to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement alongside diverse new revenue streams like national ETSs and carbon taxes.

The report finds that while more than six in ten Americans are worried about global warming in 2018, feelings of hope have declined since 2010. Hope is identified as a key driver for individual and political action. Despite this, the report highlights strong public support for renewable energy research, carbon taxes, and climate education, alongside the growth of the clean energy workforce and institutional commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement.

The report evaluates fossil fuel companies using a scoring guide that measures corporate political disclosure, engagement with Congress, and support for climate policies. It finds a wide disparity in performance, with some companies like ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil receiving 'Good' scores for their policy frameworks, while others like CONSOL Energy and Arch Coal are rated 'Egregious' or 'Poor' due to their opposition to the Paris Agreement or lack of political transparency.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that while ExxonMobil improved its scores in some areas—such as leaving the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and supporting a federal carbon tax—it continues to misrepresent climate science and maintain leadership roles in trade groups that spread disinformation. The company lacks a company-wide net-zero emissions target and has actively blocked climate-related shareholder resolutions.

The 2018 Climate Accountability Scorecard evaluates Royal Dutch Shell's response to climate change, noting that while the company acknowledges climate science and supports the Paris Agreement in principle, it lacks a concrete net-zero action plan and maintains ties to industry groups that spread climate disinformation.

The briefing examines the intersection of poverty eradication and climate action, arguing that the "leave no one behind" (LNB) principle is essential for ensuring that the poorest populations—who are most vulnerable to climate impacts—benefit from and participate in the energy transition. It outlines four key implications for climate policy: including the poor in decision-making, targeting them as implementers of adaptation and mitigation, maximizing direct benefits for them, and providing compensatory measures to offset regressive impacts like carbon taxes. The author notes that while many Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) mention inequality, few contain concrete measures to realize these benefits, suggesting that upcoming NDC updates provide a critical opportunity to integrate LNB principles.

The report explores how jurisdictions can cooperate through 'carbon pricing clubs' to link carbon pricing instruments (CPIs) and reduce emissions cost-effectively. By analyzing non-climate institutions—specifically APEC, MTCR, OECD, and IFTA—the authors identify key governance dimensions: membership rules, decision-making processes, and compliance mechanisms. The report argues that 'hard coordination' and exclusive membership are essential for maintaining environmental integrity, while centralized secretariats can reduce administrative burdens and facilitate technical alignment. It concludes that a combination of strict accession criteria, peer-review processes, and flexible decision-making (such as majority voting) can help clubs adapt to changing political and economic circumstances while safeguarding their environmental goals.

The author suggests that the Talanoa Dialogue should be used as a platform for countries to share and replicate successful low-carbon policies. Based on a specific scenario, replicating successful policies in sectors covering 65% of global emissions could reduce emissions by approximately 10 GtCO2e by 2030 compared to current policies, effectively halving the reductions needed to keep temperature rise below 2 °C.

The document outlines four primary categories of financial interventions for regional governments to accelerate the energy transition: increasing capital availability, implementing first-cost solutions, creating market incentives, and reducing procurement costs. It details specific mechanisms such as green investment banks, energy savings performance contracts, carbon pricing, and reverse auctions, providing examples of legislation and programs from various global jurisdictions to illustrate their application.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, has written to Eskom to challenge the procurement of two coal-fired independent power producers (IPPs): Thabametsi and Khanyisa. The CER argues that these projects are not 'value for money' as they would increase system costs by 19.6 billion Rand, raise greenhouse gas emissions, and risk becoming stranded assets. The letter highlights that the projects lack necessary licenses and are subject to pending High Court reviews. It requests detailed information on the status of the PPAs, the 'value for money' assessment, and compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and New Generation Regulations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal Campaign, is challenging the progression of the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power stations. The CER argues that these projects fail the 'value for money' test, would increase greenhouse gas emissions, and are unable to reach commercial close due to missing licenses and pending High Court reviews. The letter requests detailed information on the status of the procurement process and the specific regulatory approvals required before PPAs can be signed.

The document argues that South Africa's reliance on coal has created an economic path dependency that now exposes the country to shrinking export markets and trade barriers as global climate policies tighten. To mitigate this, the author proposes a three-pronged approach: increasing investment in minerals essential for clean technologies (such as PGMs, chromium, and manganese), redeploying retrenched miners to municipal infrastructure projects, and establishing a national programme to rehabilitate over 6,000 derelict mines. The brief emphasizes a 'Just Transition' framework, calling for a dedicated taskforce and the integration of climate considerations into the Mining Charter and the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill.

The report analyzes the role of economic instruments in mobilizing private investment for clean energy in Indonesia, Mexico, and India. It examines specific mechanisms such as Indonesia's fossil fuel subsidy reforms, Mexico's Clean Energy Certificates (CELs), and India's Goods and Services Tax (GST), highlighting how these policies can either facilitate or obstruct the transition to renewable energy.