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The report advocates for a U.S. federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES) targeting 80% clean power by 2030. It asserts that such a target is technologically feasible, affordable, and reliable, while providing significant co-benefits. Key arguments include the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, the avoidance of over $1.7 trillion in health costs through reduced air pollution, and the establishment of a foundation for 100% clean power by 2035. The document highlights that achieving this goal requires rapid infrastructure build-out, specifically approximately 95 GW of wind and solar annually, and emphasizes the need for federal policy to reduce siting and interconnection barriers.

In 2020, global coal power capacity grew by 12.5 GW for the first time since 2015, driven primarily by China, which accounted for 76% of new commissions. While the US and EU saw record retirements, China's new capacity of 38.4 GW offset these gains. Meanwhile, South and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, significantly reduced their planned coal pipelines due to financing difficulties and the falling cost of renewables. The report concludes that current global trajectories remain far from the IPCC 1.5C pathway, which would require the cancellation or retirement of an additional 1,350 GW by 2030.

In 2020, global coal-fired power capacity increased by 12.5 GW, driven primarily by China, which operated 38.4 GW of new capacity. This offset record closures in the US (11.3 GW) and EU27 (10.1 GW). While China's development grew as an economic stimulus during the pandemic, other Asian nations like Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines announced plans to cancel up to 62 GW of planned projects due to falling renewable costs and financing difficulties. The report concludes that current global trajectories remain far from the 1.5°C warming limit, with approximately 1,350 GW of capacity needing to be cancelled or closed to meet IPCC targets.

In 2020, global coal capacity increased by 12.5 GW, driven by China's addition of 38.4 GW, which offset 37.8 GW of closures globally, primarily in the US and EU. While China saw a surge in new plans and construction as economic stimulus, other regions—particularly South and Southeast Asia—experienced significant project cancellations due to funding difficulties and the rise of renewables. The report highlights a widening gap between current global trajectories and the IPCC 1.5°C pathway, noting that substantial further closures are required to meet climate goals.

The report highlights a global divergence in coal power: while the US, EU, and parts of Asia are seeing record retirements and project cancellations, China's significant increase in new capacity in 2020 led to a net global growth of 12.5 GW. The document argues that current national trajectories remain far from the IPCC 1.5°C pathway, which would require the cancellation or retirement of 1,350 GW of capacity.

The report explores four international business models—municipal ownership in Germany, state-owned enterprise (SOE) transition in Denmark, public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Morocco, and cooperatives in the United Kingdom—to identify pathways for increasing renewable energy deployment in South Africa. It argues that while the current private-sector-led model (REIPPPP) has increased capacity, it is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target or offset the decommissioning of 24,100 MW of coal plants. The authors suggest that a combination of centralized and decentralized public ownership models can address political opposition from trade unions and parties while scaling up green energy. Key recommendations include reforming Eskom into a 'green utility,' conducting a policy gap analysis, and investigating the financial feasibility of non-private ownership models.

The document argues that South Africa's energy distribution system actively exacerbates poverty and inequality by failing to deliver on the affordable access promises of the 1998 White Paper on Energy. It identifies a critical conflict of interest where municipalities prioritize financial viability and revenue collection over the provision of Free Basic Electricity (FBE), leading to millions of funded households being denied benefits. The author contends that a 'just transition' to clean energy must include a 'just distribution' to prevent the entrenchment of a two-tier energy system.

The report by Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) examines the Institute of Physics' (IOP) investment portfolio and sponsorship ties. SGR identifies that while the IOP has a comprehensive environmental statement, it maintains investments in numerous fossil fuel and arms companies through funds like Vanguard and Invesco. The report highlights specific sponsorships from military entities such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and Babcock International. SGR argues that these financial ties contradict the IOP's stated goals of promoting a sustainable society and acting with integrity, particularly in light of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Paris Agreement.

The document argues that the US shift away from coal has occurred without adequate planning, leaving workers and communities to face economic upheaval. It proposes a support package including wage replacement, educational benefits, and community infrastructure investments, estimating the cost between $33 billion and $83 billion. The brief identifies 462 'coal counties' and highlights the need for environmental remediation of mine and plant legacies to enable future economic diversification.

The report assesses South Africa's natural gas value chain, identifying a current energy mix contribution of 2.6% with a target of 15.7% by 2030. It evaluates domestic reserves in basins such as the Orange and Outeniqua, regional supply options from SADC countries—particularly Mozambique—and global LNG markets. The document prioritizes gas-to-power projects as anchor demand to stimulate infrastructure growth, while also exploring industrial and transport applications like CNG for taxis and buses. It concludes with a PESTEL and SWOT analysis to inform a national roadmap for gas sector reforms.

The document outlines eight benefits of building electrification in the United States, asserting it is the only established way to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial heating and cooking. It highlights that all-electric homes are cheaper to build than mixed-fuel homes, improve indoor air quality—particularly for children and marginalized communities—and can create millions of jobs. The text dismisses alternatives like renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, and synthetic methane as too costly or limited in scale, while noting that nearly 60 percent of new US homes are already built all-electric.

The paper outlines how national and city governments can collaborate to decarbonise the power sector, emphasizing that local governments are a 'missing link' due to urban areas accounting for two thirds of global final energy consumption. It advocates for a '3D' transition—decentralisation, digitalisation, and decarbonisation—where local governments accelerate national efforts by reforming regulations, investing in renewable infrastructure, and engaging communities, provided they are supported by national policies.

The briefing examines the initial net-zero announcements from Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo. While these institutions have committed to 2050 targets, the document notes that they are in early stages, lacking specific interim targets, defined pathways, and clear coverage standards for business units like capital markets. It highlights varying organizational responses, ranging from Wells Fargo's centralized Institute for Sustainable Finance to Goldman Sachs' hybrid model, and notes the adoption of the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) by several banks to improve emissions reporting consistency.

The document argues that the US power sector faces a critical investment window between 2020 and 2030, with an estimated 420 GW of resource procurement needed. It advocates for a shift toward 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement practices to move away from legacy processes that reflect past conditions rather than emerging trends. The guide provides specific actionable recommendations for legislators, state commissions, and utilities to increase transparency, engage stakeholders, and better integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) into the planning and procurement cycle.

The paper explores the concept of Buen Vivir, rooted in indigenous Latin American paradigms, and its potential as an alternative to the anthropocentric and growth-based models of development prevalent in Europe. It highlights the tension between Buen Vivir and the 'Green Economy' or 'European Green Deal', arguing that while the latter seeks to 'decouple' growth from resource use, Buen Vivir rejects the logic of infinite economic growth entirely. The authors note that while official EU-Latin American diplomatic recognition of Buen Vivir has been limited and largely stagnant since a 2015 resolution, local-level initiatives in European cities—such as Amsterdam—and countries like Spain and Greece are increasingly adopting practices aligned with Buen Vivir, including agroecology, local currencies, and the promotion of the 'commons'.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the CLEAN Future Act, describing it as a blueprint for economy-wide decarbonization. CATF highlights the bill's focus on transmission planning, community assistance for clean energy transitions, the reduction of methane 'Super Pollutants', and the deployment of clean energy technologies. Additionally, the organization notes that the bill's Clean Electricity Standard is designed to accelerate power sector decarbonization while ensuring affordability and fairness.

The document argues that the EU's current legal framework, which excludes installations under the Emissions Trading System (ETS) from certain Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) requirements, is insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. ClientEarth contends that the ETS alone cannot drive full decarbonisation because it lacks a focus on prevention technologies and allows for the displacement of pollution. The brief proposes a synergetic approach where the IED provides mandatory, scientifically-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission limit values (ELVs) and energy efficiency standards based on Best Available Techniques (BAT). This would align EU policy with the 'prevention principle' and the 'Hierarchy of action on pollution', ensuring that emissions are avoided by design rather than just traded. The author concludes that deleting Art. 9 IED and Art. 26 ETSD would create a 'win-win-win' for operators, the climate, and the environment by stimulating technological innovation and ensuring a level playing field.

The document advocates for a global carbon price on shipping to drive decarbonisation, suggesting that such a measure must avoid offsets and free permits while using revenues to fund green infrastructure and support vulnerable nations through rebates rather than exemptions.

The report asserts that the Great Barrier Reef's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is deteriorating due to climate change, with the IUCN assessing its outlook as "critical" in 2020. It argues that Australia is fueling this crisis by maintaining inadequate emissions targets, expanding fossil fuel exports, and failing to align its Reef 2050 Plan with a well-below 1.5°C warming pathway. The document concludes that site-level mitigation is insufficient and calls for the World Heritage Committee to require Australia to implement national-level decarbonization and legislative commitments to protect the Reef.

The document assesses the transition to low-carbon transport in the SADC region, focusing on the synergy between e-mobility and the power sector. Using the South Africa TIMES (SATIM) model, it compares four scenarios: Fossil-Car, Fossil-Efficiency, Electric-Car, and Eco-Mobility. The analysis finds that while modal shifts (road-to-rail and transit-oriented development) significantly reduce energy demand, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is the primary lever for rapid GHG emission reductions. The paper highlights that a transition to EVs would eliminate the need for new crude-oil refinery capacity in South Africa but would increase electricity demand by approximately 20% by 2050. It also explores the role of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs) for heavy corridor freight and the potential for a regional value chain leveraging the mineral resources of the DRC and Zambia.