Search Climate Insights Directory

Between 2021 and 2024, 24 major European banks provided US$41.9 billion to companies developing new gas plants, with 63% of this funding coming from seven banks in France and the UK. The report contends that gas power is not a 'transition fuel' but a source of severe air pollution, price volatility, and long-term greenhouse gas emissions lock-in. It highlights that 78% of this financing is directed toward OECD and European countries, where power sectors are expected to be carbon neutral by 2035. The document concludes that banks must immediately end financial services to gas power expansion to align with a 1.5°C warming limit.

The document highlights a paradox in the energy transition across Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico: while renewable capacity grew by approximately 29% between 2020 and 2023, social barriers and a continued reliance on fossil fuel investment hinder a just transition. It emphasizes that technical success does not guarantee social license, citing non-binding participation mechanisms in Chile and territorial conflicts in Mexico and Colombia. The report calls for a shift from mere 'socialization' to 'real participation' to prevent community displacement and ensure energy justice, including clean cooking and affordable tariffs.

The document analyzes the trajectory of Africa's fossil fuel emissions, noting that while the continent currently contributes less than 5% of global emissions, this share is projected to rise to 12.5% by 2063 under the Current Path and 15% under the Combined scenario. It identifies a small number of countries—most notably Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa—as the primary drivers of the continent's carbon footprint, with Nigeria projected to become the continent's largest emitter by 2050.

A coalition of NGOs argues that the European Commission's plan to modify the EU ETS Market Stability Reserve (MSR) is premature and risks undermining the carbon price signal. They highlight that the MSR has invalidated 3.4 billion allowances since its inception and is essential for managing structural oversupply of allowances, which is expected to persist until 2031. The authors contend that weakening the MSR could increase greenhouse gas emissions after 2030 and hinder the EU's 2040 climate target.

The document reports that carbon pricing now covers over 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions through 43 carbon taxes and 38 emissions trading systems. It highlights the vulnerability of specific industrial sectors in Southeast Asia to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which entered its definitive phase in January 2026, noting that over 20% of Viet Nam’s iron and steel exports and nearly 20% of Indonesia’s aluminum exports are destined for the EU. The briefing also details the expansion of Article 6.2 bilateral agreements, with over 100 announced or formalized, led by purchasing countries such as Japan and Singapore. Regionally, Indonesia is identified as the only Southeast Asian nation with an operational ETS, having aligned its framework with Article 6 via Regulation 110/2025, although its carbon tax under Law 7/2021 remains postponed. Other updates include the Philippines moving toward formal carbon pricing legislation and Viet Nam postponing carbon market trading until the end of 2026.

The document examines how reliance on imported oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exposes Asian economies to price shocks and supply disruptions, particularly those stemming from conflicts in the Middle East. It analyzes the economic impacts on countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan, highlighting how fuel price volatility drives inflation and weakens currencies. The report argues that returning to coal as a short-term fallback is economically and environmentally risky compared to renewables. It recommends investing in regional connected grids and clean technology supply chains to build long-term resilience and energy security.

A coalition of business, civil society, and research stakeholders calls on WTO ministers at MC14 to ensure that multilateral trade reform prioritizes sustainable development, the climate crisis, and the needs of developing countries, particularly least developed countries (LDCs).

RMI proposes five policies to accelerate heat pump adoption in Illinois: increasing incentives for heat pumps and weatherization while phasing out gas equipment subsidies, providing 0% financing, reforming electric and gas rate designs, implementing an AC-to-heat pump replacement policy, and adopting electric-friendly standards for new construction. The brief notes that while heat pumps can reduce energy bills for most Illinois households—particularly those using propane or electric resistance heat—high up-front costs remain a primary barrier.

The CEO of Mighty Earth critiques the continued sale of internal combustion engines and the scaling back of EV investments by US automakers, contrasting this with China's aggressive expansion in EV production, supply chain decarbonization, and market share.

In 2025, African nations faced a fragmented global order characterized by US strategic retrenchment and intensifying competition over critical minerals. The year was marked by the first G20 summit on African soil in South Africa, which pushed for reforms in sovereign credit rating practices and international financial support. While some states like Nigeria and Kenya increased domestic resource mobilization to counter US aid cuts, others in the Horn of Africa became focal points for geopolitical rivalry involving Israel and Gulf Arab states. Additionally, the Lobito Corridor emerged as a key site for US and EU efforts to counter Chinese dominance in critical mineral supply chains, though this development is accompanied by governance risks in the DRC and Zambia.

In 2025, African states navigated a multipolar landscape marked by a transactional US approach under the second Trump administration, which led to aid cuts and a push for domestic resource mobilisation in countries like Nigeria and Kenya. The AU-EU partnership faced skepticism over the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while South Africa's hosting of the G20 Summit resulted in the G20 Africa Engagement Framework and proposals to reform sovereign credit rating practices. Geopolitical competition intensified in the Horn of Africa, exacerbated by Israel's recognition of Somaliland, and along the Lobito Corridor, where the US and EU compete with China to secure critical mineral supply chains and midstream processing capacity.

The RMI framework establishes rules for the issuance, transfer, and retirement of Book-and-Claim Units (BCUs) for low-emissions iron and steel. It introduces a dual functional-unit system (iron and crude steel) with eligibility thresholds anchored to ResponsibleSteel's Decarbonization Progress Level 3 (DPL3). To prevent fossil lock-in, the framework mandates route-specific criteria, including a 2035/2040 phase-out for BF-BOF eligibility and strict 90% capture rates for CCS/CCUS. It defines rigorous accounting methods—direct and enhanced substitution—to prevent over-claiming and double counting, while prohibiting on-product claims to maintain the incentive for physical green steel procurement.

WRI collaborated with stakeholders in Shanxi, China, to implement a "coal-to-tourism" business model that created over 1,000 jobs for displaced coal workers and increased local household incomes by 10%-20%. The initiative led Shanxi to become the first Chinese province to formally integrate "just transition" principles into its government workplan, a model now being adopted by Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang provinces.

The briefing examines the US$107 billion in potential investment for LNG terminals and gas pipelines in Southern Asia, specifically India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. While industry forecasts predict strong demand growth, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that these countries have shelved or cancelled 2–3 times as much proposed LNG import capacity as they have brought online over the last decade. The document highlights that LNG remains uncompetitive against falling renewable power costs and that recent geopolitical shocks, such as the March 2026 conflict in Iran affecting the Strait of Hormuz, underscore the energy security risks of LNG dependence. While India continues to promote gas infrastructure, Pakistan has shifted toward domestic power and local gas exploration, and Bangladesh's new government signals a move toward renewables and domestic gas.

The guide outlines how window upgrades—including multi-pane glass, low-emissivity coatings, and air sealing—reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, thereby lowering energy bills and carbon footprints. It also highlights non-replacement budget strategies like heat-shrink films and strategic shading to improve energy efficiency.

RMI's analysis of more than 200 utility PIMs reveals a strong preference for 'upside-only' reward structures over penalties, with Return on Equity (ROE) and shared savings being the most common and highest-paying designs. While utilities consistently achieve targets for percentage adder-based and equity-focused PIMs, the report suggests that targets may be set too low. Most PIMs are short-term experiments lasting two to three years, except for fuel cost-sharing and distributed energy resource mechanisms, which often lack end dates to provide regulatory certainty.

This report describes the role of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) as one of three primary technological categories for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial sector, specifically within the United States.

The document critiques the Indonesian government's strategy of nationalizing companies that violated environmental laws, arguing that state-led initiatives like the Food and Energy Estates are causing massive deforestation in Papua. It warns that these projects risk repeating the failures of the 1990s Mega Rice project and may deter foreign investment due to perceived legal instability and corruption. The author suggests that the government should instead leverage its power to force companies to fund ecosystem restoration and shift agricultural expansion to degraded lands rather than intact forests.

The document evaluates the feasibility of fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) and hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks in India. It finds that while FCETs could be more cost-competitive than diesel trucks in long-haul, heavy-duty applications by 2040, they currently struggle to reach cost parity with battery electric trucks (BETs) due to high hydrogen fuel costs. These costs are driven by production, refueling infrastructure, and an 18% GST. The brief argues that hydrogen trucks are a critical complement to BETs for use cases requiring high payload and minimal downtime. It recommends a coordinated pathway involving capital subsidies, tax rationalization (reducing GST to 5%), and the development of public hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) to unlock the market.

The briefing proposes Bring-Your-Own (BYO) tariffs to allow large energy users, such as data centers, to fund their own power resources to speed up grid connection and reduce financial risks for other ratepayers. It distinguishes these from 'baseline' tariffs and highlights specific examples of BYO and Clean Transition programs in the US, including initiatives by PJM, NV Energy, and Georgia Power.