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The research identifies persistent mismatches between technical vocational skills and industry needs in South Africa's emerging green hydrogen economy (GHE). It advocates for a shift from traditional quantitative forecasting to 'skills foresight' (SF)—a participatory, qualitative approach to anticipating multiple future scenarios. The paper proposes four priority areas: strengthening skills anticipation systems via a dedicated DHET foresight team, enhancing TVET sector responsiveness through futures literacy training, developing a 'transversal skills commons' to ensure workforce resilience, and co-creating a new social compact for post-school education and training (PSET) to elevate the status of vocational qualifications.

The South African electricity market is dominated by coal-fired power from Eskom, but is currently characterized by severe rolling blackouts and rising tariffs. This has driven a growing energy services (ES) market comprising rooftop solar PV, energy storage, and energy efficiency (EE). The ES value chain is primarily dominated by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Policy drivers include the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019, the Carbon Tax Act, and the removal of the licensing threshold for embedded generation. While rooftop solar is popular, energy storage is in early stages—with Lithium-Ion being most promising for short-duration use—and energy efficiency faces barriers such as a lack of reliable performance data.

The report argues that market forces alone cannot guarantee sustainable development from green hydrogen, necessitating a proactive role for multilateral development banks (MDBs). It proposes a framework to move MDB lending beyond 'do no harm' toward prioritizing value addition for producer countries. The analysis includes a Sustainable Development Impact Matrix and evaluations of four specific financing cases: the African Development Bank in Namibia, the World Bank in India, the European Investment Bank’s Green Hydrogen Fund, and Team Europe’s H2Global Instrument.

The report identifies 2023 as the likely peak for global power sector emissions, forecasting a decline in 2024 driven by record solar and wind additions. While electricity demand is expected to rise due to electrification, data centres, and air conditioning, the growth of clean energy is projected to outpace this demand. The document highlights that tripling renewable capacity by 2030 could halve power sector emissions. It also provides case studies of China, Brazil, and the Netherlands to demonstrate how high-level ambition, incentive mechanisms, and the removal of technical barriers can accelerate the transition regardless of geographic or economic starting points.

Reclaim Finance claims that ArcelorMittal uses the low-carbon recycled steel of the Paris 2024 Olympic flame to mask a global strategy that continues to build coal-fired blast furnaces. The organization highlights that four major French banks—BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, and BPCE—provided nearly 13 billion US$ to the company between 2016 and June 2023, urging them to adopt stricter sectoral policies to end financing for new coal-based steel projects and the companies that develop them.

Reclaim Finance criticizes ArcelorMittal for using the Paris 2024 Olympic flame, made from recycled steel, to mask a broader business strategy that relies on coal for 71% of its production and the use of carbon capture technologies. The report highlights that between 2016 and June 2023, four French banks—Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Société Générale, and BPCE—provided nearly $12 billion in financing to the steelmaker. The author calls for these banks to adopt robust sectoral policies to restrict financing for new blast furnaces and companies developing metallurgical coal projects.

The Clean Air Task Force testifies in support of Colorado Senate Bill 24-212, stating that the bill helps the state meet its decarbonization goals by providing counties with technical support, model codes, and wildlife best management practices for siting renewable energy infrastructure.

The Climate Bonds Initiative introduces a tool for financial institutions to evaluate corporate transition maturity across five categories, ranging from 'No Action' to 'Net Zero Achieved'. The system uses specific indicators across commitment, emission targets, implementation strategies, governance, and performance to determine if a company's financing can be labeled as 'transition finance' or 'green finance'. It emphasizes the need for science-based benchmarks, trackable annual actions, and board-level governance, while providing a weighted scoring method for companies with multiple business activities.

The Climate Bonds Initiative presents a tool for financial institutions to classify corporate transition maturity into five categories: No action, Committed, Aligning, Aligned, and Net zero. The system uses specific indicators across five components—Commitment, Emissions Targets, Delivery Strategy, Governance, and Performance—to determine a corporate's status. It distinguishes between 'short-term+' and 'full-term' plans within the 'Aligning' category and allows 'Climate Solutions' to be categorised as 'Aligned' for a limited period. The guide also provides a weighted-average methodology for corporates with multiple business activities and suggests that financing for corporates in the 'Aligning' and 'Aligned' categories can be considered 'transition finance'.

The report examines the potential for direct electrification to decarbonize China's industrial process heating, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of the manufacturing sector's CO2 emissions. It focuses on industrial heat pumps for low-temperature needs (up to 165 °C) and thermal batteries for high-temperature needs (up to 1,700 °C). A techno-economic analysis reveals that while coal-fired boilers currently have the lowest levelized cost, industrial heat pumps become the cheapest option for low-temperature heat when 2030 carbon pricing is included. The report identifies significant barriers, including the high cost of electricity relative to coal and limited equipment availability, and recommends policies such as equipment rebates, carbon pricing expansion, and the optimization of Green Electricity Certificates to accelerate the transition.

The document highlights how current life-cycle assessments (LCAs) for building materials in Canada may misdirect decarbonization efforts due to data gaps and a lack of transparency. It specifically notes that LCAs often ignore biogenic carbon emissions from wood products, which can account for up to 72% of their total lifecycle emissions, potentially overstating the carbon advantage of wood over materials like concrete and steel. The briefing recommends that the federal government invest in regionalized national life-cycle inventories and that policymakers prioritize energy efficiency, building durability, and material efficiency over a narrow focus on embodied emissions.

The document outlines a methodology for governments to identify 'critical' or 'strategic' minerals based on technical, economic, and geopolitical risks. It emphasizes that while advanced economies focus on supply security, producing countries should use criticality assessments to maximize financial benefits, increase industrial value-added, and position themselves as preferred partners in the energy and digital transitions. The guide proposes a four-step process: understanding criticality, conducting a comprehensive balance of risks and opportunities, making strategic decisions, and establishing a periodic review cycle. It includes detailed checklists for geological, economic, social, environmental, and geopolitical data collection.

The We Mean Business Coalition welcomes the G7's commitment to include the phase-out of fossil fuels and the scaling up of clean energy in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The Coalition argues that these signals provide the regulatory clarity necessary for businesses to invest in low-carbon systems and decarbonise their models. However, it notes that financial flows, including public investments and subsidies, must still be aligned with these goals, urging the G7 Finance Ministers to ensure coherence in their upcoming May meeting.

The document analyzes the emergence of 'equity PIMs'—regulatory tools that provide financial rewards or penalties to utilities based on their performance regarding equity metrics. It identifies seven US jurisdictions using these tools to address energy poverty and the inequitable distribution of clean energy benefits. The report distinguishes between program-based and outcome-based PIMs, discusses the role of reporting metrics and scorecards as precursors to financial incentives, and argues that PIMs must be part of a broader regulatory strategy including cost-control reforms and low-income assistance to be effective.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 nations to lead the global energy transition by embedding specific phase-out timelines for unabated fossil fuels into their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The statement advocates for the decarbonization of power systems by 2035, the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, and the reform of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. It emphasizes that early transition will enhance long-term competitiveness, energy security, and public health, while urging G7 countries to provide finance and capacity-building to the Global South for 1.5°C-aligned economic pathways.

The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective October 2023, imposes carbon tariffs on imports to prevent carbon leakage and encourage global decarbonisation. The document argues that the CBAM will disproportionately harm African countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), by reducing GDP and exports of key materials like aluminium, iron, and steel. It highlights concerns regarding the mechanism's equity, its potential conflict with WTO non-discrimination rules, and the EU's plan to use revenues for internal debt rather than supporting LDCs. The brief recommends that the AfCFTA negotiate for exemptions, a slower phase-in period, and the exclusion of indirect emissions, while urging the EU to increase climate finance and technology transfers to Africa.

The briefing examines how high returns on equity (ROE) for regulated utilities hinder climate progress by incentivizing capital-intensive projects over energy efficiency, increasing the overall cost of the energy transition, and making utilities less competitive than third-party developers in procurement processes. It suggests that aligning ROEs with market conditions would lower costs for consumers and reduce utility resistance to renewable energy adoption.

The analysis indicates that India's current transport trajectory is not aligned with a Paris-aligned just transition. While baseline and least-cost pathways fail to meet decarbonisation goals, transition pathways focusing on shifting demand to public modes, specifically electrified rail, show promise for reducing emissions and costs. Achieving net-zero targets between 2050 and 2070 would require annual public investments of approximately USD 164 billion (2020 USD) from 2023 to 2030, primarily for electrified rail and bus infrastructure. Such a transition is projected to foster economic growth, create jobs in the electric vehicle industry, and reduce reliance on crude oil imports.

Reclaim Finance criticizes ENGIE's Climate Plan for failing to align with a 1.5°C trajectory, citing continued gas expansion, reliance on unproven technologies like CCUS and hydrogen, and a net-zero target date of 2045 that lags behind IEA recommendations.

Reclaim Finance assesses ENGIE's 2025 climate plan, finding it insufficient for a 1.5°C pathway. The analysis highlights that nearly half of ENGIE's capacity remains fossil gas-based, with no specific exit dates or asset-by-asset strategies. While renewable targets increased to 95 GW by 2030, the company continues gas expansion through new plants and LNG contracts. The briefing recommends that financial institutions demand a halt to gas infrastructure and that shareholders vote against the 'Say on Climate' proposal and the reappointment of CEO Catherine MacGregor.