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The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2019, which aims for the decarbonization of the U.S. electric power sector by mid-century. The legislation is described as technology-inclusive, supporting carbon capture and storage, nuclear energy, hydroelectric generation, and renewables. It proposes incentives for always-available zero-carbon electricity via a credit multiplier and a new Department of Energy RDD&D program. CATF notes that this federal effort aligns with existing state-level legislation in California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Washington, as well as targets set by major utilities covering 37.9% of US electricity sales.

The document details a transition in U.S. energy policy from renewable portfolio standards to Clean Electricity Standards (CES), which allow for a diverse range of zero-carbon technologies, including nuclear and carbon capture. It provides a comprehensive list of states and utility companies that have enacted or pledged 80-100% carbon-free electricity targets, noting that these commitments collectively cover approximately 38% of U.S. electricity sales and 31% of national utility CO2 emissions.

The report details Canada's greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2016, highlighting that while overall emissions grew nearly 17%, the oil and gas and transportation sectors were the primary drivers. It examines the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change and provides a detailed breakdown of emissions by province and territory, noting significant per capita disparities between jurisdictions like Alberta and Quebec.

The policy memo outlines a framework for federal infrastructure investments in the United States, emphasizing the need to modernize the electric grid, accelerate offshore wind and battery storage, and implement 'climate-ready' design standards. It advocates for targeting investments toward underserved communities and displaced fossil fuel workers to ensure an equitable transition to a low-carbon economy.

The German coal commission's plan to be coal-free by 2038 aims to avoid up to 1.8GtCO2e of emissions compared to a business-as-usual scenario. However, the author contends that the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) alone is insufficient to force a phase-out and warns that closing plants without cancelling permits allows other polluters to use them, known as the 'waterbed effect'. The document advocates for using public funds to support workers and communities in a Just Transition rather than compensating private shareholders of utilities like RWE.

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 Climate Action Tracker reports that current national commitments and policies are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's warming limits, projecting temperature increases of 3.2°C to 3.4°C by 2100. To align with a 1.5°C limit, global emissions must peak by 2020, requiring rapid decarbonization across the electricity, transport, building, industry, and agriculture sectors.

The briefing advocates for shifting or supplementing production-based carbon pricing with consumption-based models to eliminate the need for free allowances and exemptions that mute price signals. It highlights that pricing at the point of final consumption can prevent carbon leakage in basic materials like steel and cement, incorporate emissions from imports, and provide sub-national governments with jurisdictional autonomy. The text proposes an evolutionary implementation path, starting with undifferentiated sector benchmarks and moving toward full life-cycle carbon accounting.

The document asserts that the revamped EU ETS rules for 2021-2030 are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, necessitating additional national actions such as carbon floor prices. It highlights the UK's experience, where a floor price introduced in 2013 contributed to a nearly 60% drop in coal emissions in 2016. The text notes similar initiatives in the Netherlands and considerations in Nordic countries, arguing that such price floors provide investment certainty and discourage the use of coal to avoid stranded assets.

The Residential Rooftop Solar Accelerator is a lease model targeting the Indian residential market to overcome high upfront costs and performance risks. By using data-driven customer acquisition, standardized product offerings, and a mobile app for sales management, the instrument aims to scale rooftop solar deployment. A pilot in Kota, Rajasthan, targets 250 projects of 5 KW each by 2019, with a broader goal of installing projects for 20,000 households by 2022 to mobilize US$ 75 million and abate 130,000 tons of carbon emissions.

The report examines the Clean Power Plan, a 2015 EPA rule aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants. It argues that compliance costs are now lower than the EPA's initial Regulatory Impact Analysis suggested due to changes in the electric sector and findings from independent analyses.

The document argues that natural gas must be phased out alongside coal to limit global warming to 1.5˚C, warning that current investments in gas infrastructure risk creating stranded assets as the power sector transitions to carbon-free energy by 2050.

The authors argue that the Proposed Plan underestimates the readiness and effectiveness of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). They assert that CCS is technologically viable, citing sixteen integrated projects in North America and the necessity of the technology for deep decarbonization in industrial sectors like steel and cement. The coalition recommends that the Scoping Plan explicitly include CCS for both industrial and power sectors, identify potential synergies with the reduction of toxics and criteria pollutants, and remove regulatory barriers, such as the requirement that carbon capture occur onsite at crude oil production facilities.

The study evaluates the Netherlands' progress toward the Paris Agreement's goals across the power, transport, buildings, industry, and agriculture sectors, concluding that while the country leads in electric vehicle sales, it lags in renewable energy supply and requires substantially strengthened climate policy to meet its obligations as a developed nation.

The We Mean Business Coalition advocates for the implementation of the U.S. Clean Power Plan, stating it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and save consumers US$155 billion between 2020 and 2030. The author contends that the plan is supported by the private sector because it removes barriers to scaling clean energy and reduces business risk, countering claims that the policy would harm the economy.

The document defends the Clean Power Plan against claims that the EPA overstepped its authority. It asserts that the Plan adheres to the limits of Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, which requires the agency to avoid excessive costs, consider energy supply impacts, and use adequately demonstrated reduction techniques.

The document addresses four perceived barriers to the clean energy transition: the 'duck curve' ramping problem, the necessity of curtailing excess generation, the high cost of renewables, and the role of natural gas in emissions reductions. It argues that demand response and battery storage can manage variability, regional electricity trading can prevent waste, and energy efficiency combined with falling technology costs keeps customer bills low. Finally, it asserts that renewable energy and energy efficiency have contributed more to U.S. carbon emission declines since 2007 than the shift to natural gas.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) responds to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to temporarily halt the Clean Power Plan. WRI asserts that the plan is on solid legal ground and is essential for reducing power sector carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The organization emphasizes that the plan supports a low-carbon economy, drives innovation, and improves public health, noting that renewable energy is often now cheaper than traditional fuels.

The document defines GHG emissions neutrality as achieving net zero anthropogenic GHG emissions from all sectors, primarily through reductions and balancing remaining emissions with removals or negative emissions. It distinguishes this from carbon neutrality, which only addresses carbon dioxide. To limit warming to below 2 degrees C, CO2 emissions must reach net zero between 2060 and 2075, and total GHG emissions between 2080 and 2090. For a 1.5 degrees C limit, CO2 must reach net zero between 2045 and 2050, and total GHGs between 2060 and 2080. Achieving this requires a zero-carbon transformation, including increasing the low-carbon energy share in the electricity sector to over 80 percent by 2050 and phasing out unabated fossil-fuel use this century.

The document reports that decarbonization in the power and transport sectors is exceeding previous predictions. It highlights a faster-than-expected shift away from coal in the EU, US, and China, as well as wind and solar capacity growth that has surpassed forecasts. In transport, passenger vehicle fleets in key economies are less carbon-intense than in 2005, and the market penetration of electric drive vehicles is exceeding predictions.