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The 'Reinventing Fire: China' roadmap proposes a transition to a low-carbon energy system by 2050, focusing on demand reduction and a shift to non-fossil fuels. The analysis compares a 'Reference Scenario' with a 'Reinventing Fire Scenario,' finding that the latter can support 600% incremental GDP growth while keeping 2050 primary energy demand within 1% of 2010 levels. Key strategies include aggressive efficiency gains in industry, buildings, and transportation, alongside a power sector transition where 82% of electricity is non-fossil by 2050. The roadmap estimates a net present value savings of 21 trillion RMB and significant reductions in CO2, SO2, and NOX emissions.

A coalition of environmental groups argues that the BLM should deny rights-of-way for Enefit's oil shale project in Utah, citing severe risks to air and water quality, climate change, and endangered species, while alleging the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is legally deficient.

The document outlines the economic and environmental benefits of transitioning Oregon's transportation sector from petroleum to clean fuels, specifically electricity and biofuels. It highlights the cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles (EVs) and the state's potential to produce advanced biofuels from waste, residues, and energy crops. Central to this transition is the Clean Fuels Program, which aims for a 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions per unit of fuel by 2025 and aligns with regional policies in California and British Columbia to create a larger market for low-carbon alternatives.

The paper analyzes reference and alternative scenarios for China's CO2 emissions, finding that while reference paths project emissions to double by 2050, alternative paths suggest a peak around 2030. It identifies GDP growth, energy intensity, and the energy mix as primary drivers, arguing that deep decarbonization through industrial restructuring and non-fossil fuel expansion is necessary to meet climate goals.

The document analyzes Mexico's 2015 INDC, which commits to unconditional reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 22% and black carbon by 51% relative to a 2030 baseline. While noting Mexico's leadership as the first developing country to submit an INDC and its identification of a 2026 emissions peak, the analysis warns that current policy trajectories projected by external sources suggest emissions would continue to increase without further action. The authors recommend formalizing a robust baseline policy to avoid high-carbon lock-in and improving transparency regarding the expected emissions trajectory and the specific conditions required to meet conditional targets.

The document examines the drivers and implementation of low-carbon policies in China, noting a transition from national targets to local design across provinces and industrial zones. While this approach allows for local adaptation and policy learning, it has created a complex, overlapping regulatory environment that causes industry uncertainty, risks high compliance costs, and may lead to capital lock-in of high-emitting technologies. The text also references a separate IISD study on the fiscal risks facing BRIICS nations, including China, due to the global transition away from fossil fuels.

The document argues that most global decarbonization scenarios require energy intensity improvements that far exceed historical rates, while noting that policy makers have limited influence over the mechanisms driving these trends.

The report examines how China's industrial development zones (IDZs), which account for approximately 35% of total national emissions, are responding to a shift from growth-oriented policies to low-carbon mandates. It identifies a trend toward market-based instruments, such as the national cap-and-trade system, and highlights the role of eco-industrial park certifications in improving resource efficiency. Based on a survey of 230 firms, the document reveals significant gaps in GHG inventory management and policy awareness, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises. It recommends streamlining administrative procedures, increasing transparency in carbon trading, and establishing a capacity-building platform called 'Low Carbon, 2030' to support the national goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

The report examines China's effort to transition its industrial sector—responsible for 70% of energy consumption and 72% of carbon emissions—through three primary pilot programs: the Eco-Industrial Park (EIP) Demonstration Program, the Circular Transformation of Industrial Parks (CTIP), and the Low-Carbon Industrial Park Program. While these programs overlap in their goals to reduce pollution and resource scarcity, they differ in governance and metrics. The EIP program uses a rigid set of threshold values, whereas the CTIP program allows zones to set their own targets and provides direct national financing, averaging RMB 182 million per zone. The Low-Carbon Industrial Park Program, launched in 2013, specifically targets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The report concludes that while these voluntary schemes help build technical capacity and attract investment, they often lack comprehensive life-cycle assessments and clear guidance for participating firms.

The report identifies a shift in China's low-carbon policy landscape from rigid administrative commands to more flexible, market-based economic instruments. Based on an analysis of over 100 policies, it highlights the increasing importance of emissions trading systems, energy efficiency standards, and greenhouse gas auditing for industrial zones. It emphasizes that while national goals are set centrally, implementation is increasingly distributed, creating a complex regulatory environment for enterprises.

The report analyzes the evolving policy landscape for low-carbon development in China's industrial zones, highlighting a shift from rigid command-and-control regulations toward more flexible economic instruments and performance standards. It examines the role of the 12th Five-Year Plan and the cascading effect of national directives from the State Council and NDRC to provincial and municipal levels, specifically focusing on regional emissions trading pilots and the increasing importance of GHG inventories and auditing.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the readoption of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) through 2020 but argues against reducing the indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions score for corn ethanol. CATF contends that current modeling, specifically the CA GTAP-BIO model, underestimates emissions by ignoring water scarcity, failing to differentiate between commercial and non-commercial forests, and using flawed yield price elasticity assumptions. The document also highlights the negative impact of corn ethanol on global food security and proposes liquid ammonia as a scalable, low-carbon fuel alternative for the post-2020 period.

The document outlines seven categories of detailed upfront information for Parties submitting INDCs: reference points, implementation time frames, scope and coverage, planning processes, methodological assumptions, justifications for fairness and ambition, and other contextual information.

The briefing examines the use of Upstream Emission Reductions (UERs) to meet the Fuel Quality Directive's (FQD) target of reducing transport fuel greenhouse gas intensity by 6% by 2020. It warns that the current implementing measure lacks additionality requirements and oversight, creating a high risk of double counting across EU Member States, between the EU and third countries, and between the FQD and the EU ETS. The author highlights that projects from the Alberta Offset System, including road construction for tar sands mining, could potentially qualify. To ensure environmental integrity and reduce administrative burdens, the document recommends that Member States restrict UERs to CDM projects in Least Developed Countries, noting that a single project in Angola could potentially meet the entire estimated 0.8% gap in the FQD target.

The document examines Gevo's GIFT platform, which converts corn sugars into isobutanol for use as a fuel additive or chemical feedstock. It highlights that achieving 'advanced biofuel' certification from the US EPA is critical for the technology's commercial success, as the product would otherwise be only marginally better than ethanol in terms of carbon impact. The report notes significant financial instability at Gevo, including a risk of insolvency and potential delisting from the NASDAQ. Economically, retrofitting an ethanol refinery with GIFT and a combined heat and power (CHP) system would increase capital requirements by approximately 60%. Additional risks include past process contamination at a Minnesota plant, ongoing patent litigation with Butamax, and the emergence of potentially cheaper ethanol-to-butanol conversion technologies.

The policy brief analyzes the effectiveness of coal-fired electricity regulations in Canada and the United States. It finds that the U.S. approach, which targets the broader electricity sector and existing plants, will deliver significantly higher national emission reductions by 2020 and 2030 than the Canadian approach, which focuses on new plants and those reaching the end of their useful life. Despite these policies, neither country is projected to meet its Copenhagen Accord target of a 17% reduction in emissions by 2020 relative to 2005 levels.

The document assesses the impact of implementing the SSP2 scenario in the GCAM model, finding that a business-as-usual approach leads to a temperature increase of nearly 5ºC by 2095. It further evaluates a stabilization policy (RCP2.6) using a global carbon tax, which achieves negative emissions by 2100 through massive deployment of nuclear power, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and afforestation, though it highlights tensions between economic efficiency and regional equity.

EU coal emissions rose 6% from 2010 to 2013, contributing to 18% of total EU CO2 emissions. This increase was driven by fuel-switching from gas to coal in Germany, the UK, and Poland, which together account for 66% of coal-based emissions. While renewables and falling demand reduced overall fossil generation by 4.3% per year, the low carbon price under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) failed to prevent coal's resurgence. The report warns that the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) may not force expected closures because of cheaper compliance technologies and the introduction of capacity markets, particularly in the UK and Poland, which risk locking in high-carbon infrastructure into the 2030s. Modelling suggests that if coal remains cheaper than gas, emissions will fall only 3% by 2016, though the potential for fuel-switching will increase by 2020. Sandbag recommends urgent ETS reform, mandatory carbon intensity reporting, and targeted CCS funding.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) submitted comments to the California Air Resources Board (ARB) arguing against reducing indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions estimates for biofuels. CATF contends that the GTAP model used by ARB undercounts emissions by ignoring water scarcity constraints, failing to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial forests, and using flawed yield improvement assumptions. Specifically, CATF cites research showing that accounting for irrigation constraints can increase land-based emissions by 27.5%. The document also highlights that climate-driven drought in the US Midwest may decelerate corn yields and that the current framework ignores nitrous oxide emissions from increased fertilizer use required to sustain yield growth.

The report argues that the EU ETS has failed to drive domestic emissions reductions due to a cap set against inflated projections and a flood of low-quality offsets. It finds that the system is now cancelling out approximately 700 million tonnes of abatement from other EU policies. The author recommends the permanent removal of 1.7 billion allowances from Phase 3 auctions to restore environmental integrity and increase Europe's 2020 climate target to 30% below 1990 levels.