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3,534 results
Strategic Plan for Advancing Energy Efficiency Across Demand Sectors by 2030
The Strategic Plan argues that current energy efficiency efforts are insufficient to meet global climate targets and calls for a doubling of the rate of energy intensity improvement and a tripling of annual end-use energy efficiency investments by 2030. It outlines five pillars for progress: buildings, industry, transport, financing, and behavioral changes, emphasizing international cooperation between the G20 and Global South countries. The plan aligns with the G20 New Delhi Leader Declaration and a Voluntary Action Plan to double the global rate of energy efficiency improvement within the decade.
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Document type: Report
Building Better Investment Infrastructure
The policy brief examines the challenges of sustainable finance, noting that a lack of standardized information and an over-reliance on green bonds for clean energy generation limit the flow of capital. It highlights international examples, such as the European Union's taxonomy and reporting directives, and suggests Canada adopt similar frameworks for transition finance and sustainability-linked finance to support high-emitting sectors and aggregated project investments.
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Document type: Policy brief
MONETARY INFORMATION TO INCREASE THE ADOPTION OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT OPTIONS: TRICK OR TREAT?
The document examines the 'energy efficiency gap' and evaluates whether converting energy consumption data (kWh/year) into monetary terms encourages the purchase of energy-efficient appliances. Based on field experiments and literature reviews, it finds that while monetary information can be effective, its success depends heavily on the appliance type and the method of delivery. For example, lifetime energy savings (LES) information is effective for fridges and washing machines when delivered via sales staff or labels, whereas lifetime energy cost (LEC) information is effective for A++ models of fridges, washing machines, and dishwashers when provided by sales staff. The authors suggest using QR codes on labels to address varying energy prices across EU countries.
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Document type: Policy brief
Property Certification OPPORTUNITIES IN TOKYO
The document outlines the benefits and application of the Climate Bonds Initiative's certification for commercial and residential buildings in Tokyo and 16 other Japanese cities, aiming for a zero-carbon future by 2050.
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Document type: Guide
Briefing on the GBER
The revised General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), approved on 9 March 2023 and applicable until the end of 2026, allows EU Member States to grant State aid for green transition projects without prior European Commission notification if specific conditions are met. While it introduces new support for clean mobility, biodiversity restoration, and renewable energy communities, it also maintains loopholes for fossil gas through high-efficiency cogeneration, gas-fired district heating, and carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). The regulation significantly raises financial notification thresholds and aid intensity rates to accelerate the Green Deal Industrial Plan, though it lacks an explicit 'energy efficiency first' principle and faces criticism for poor transparency in aid reporting.
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Document type: Briefing
Financial Aggregation Blueprints for Urban Climate Infrastructure
The report examines eight financial aggregation blueprints across three instrument types to help cities close the urban financing gap. It analyzes municipal pooled procurement (e.g., RAMCC Trust Fund, The Grand Challenge), municipal green bonds (e.g., Mexico City, Reykjavík, Manila Water), and municipal insurance pooling (e.g., UIIF, MRPWC). Key findings highlight that while aggregation achieves economies of scale and attracts private capital, implementation is often hindered by limited municipal borrowing authority, lack of technical expertise, and political instability.
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Document type: Report
Financial Aggregation Blueprints for Urban Climate Infrastructure
The document details the processes, financial mechanics, and outcomes of municipal green bonds in Mexico City and Reykjavík, and a sustainability bond by Manila Water. It highlights the importance of international standards, second-party opinions, and government guarantees in successfully attracting capital for climate-resilient urban infrastructure.
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Document type: Case study
Equitable Grid Principles Guidance for Electric Grid Infrastructure Decisionmakers and Stakeholders in the MISO Region
The Union of Concerned Scientists presents a framework of nine principles designed to make electric grid infrastructure planning in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region more equitable. These principles advocate for the prioritization of Indigenous rights, accountable decisionmaking, and procedural justice to prevent the replication of past harms. The guidance emphasizes shifting away from centralized fossil-fuel systems toward locally controlled clean energy resources, just sourcing of materials, and worker protections. It specifically calls for the adoption of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) standard for Indigenous communities and the implementation of social welfare metrics to benefit disadvantaged communities.
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Document type: Report
Mainstreaming Climate Resilience into Water Sector Planning, Development and Operations in Saint Lucia
The project aims to establish a climate-resilient water sector in Saint Lucia to address vulnerabilities caused by extreme weather, droughts, and aging infrastructure. It proposes a four-component approach: strengthening water governance and tariff structures, implementing integrated watershed management, upgrading physical water supply systems (including the John Compton Dam), and building capacity for vulnerable users through rainwater harvesting. The initiative is led by the Caribbean Development Bank and UNOPS, targeting 134,167 direct beneficiaries.
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Document type: Report
Una Guía Para Informar Sobre las Soluciones
The document argues that climate coverage must expand beyond problem-focused reporting to include solutions to empower audiences and policymakers. It defines solutions journalism as rigorous, evidence-based reporting that investigates the effectiveness and limitations of responses to the climate crisis. The guide emphasizes equity and justice, noting that marginalized communities—including indigenous peoples, who manage lands containing "approximately the 80% of the biodiversity that remains in the world"—are often the most impacted yet least responsible for the crisis. It categorizes potential story leads into five areas: policy and government (e.g., carbon pricing and subsidies), economy and business (e.g., scrutinizing "greenwash" and "net zero" claims), technologies and practices (distinguishing between mitigation and adaptation), civil society (evaluating the "theory of change" behind activism), and culture (the role of arts and celebrities). The guide concludes that while not all reporting should be solutions-oriented, integrating this mindset is essential to providing a complete picture of the climate emergency.
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Document type: Guide
Weathering the winter
The EU power system successfully navigated the 2022-2023 winter without a return to coal, as record renewable generation and significant electricity demand reductions—driven by emergency legislation, high prices, and mild weather—led to renewables providing a higher share of electricity than fossil fuels for the first time in a winter period.
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Document type: Report
Geothermal Energy and Efficiency Upgrades Give New Life to an Old Illinois Church
The Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church in Oak Park, Illinois, transitioned toward net-zero energy by replacing a gas boiler with a $350,000 geothermal heat pump system in 2011, which reduced annual gas costs by $11,500 and greenhouse gas emissions by 81%. To offset the resulting increase in electricity demand, the church installed a 35-kW rooftop solar system in 2014 and later subscribed to a community solar farm in Rockford in 2021. Additional efficiency measures, including LED lighting and night setback temperature controls, further reduced electricity consumption by approximately 47,000 kWh annually.
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Document type: Case study
To phase out fossil fuels, the G7 must stop subsidising them
The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 leaders to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 or sooner, redirecting the over $80 billion spent in 2021 toward renewables and energy efficiency to accelerate the clean energy transition and avoid significant global GDP losses.
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Document type: Statement
La chaleur hybride au Québec
The report analyzes a partnership between Hydro-Québec and Énergir to transition buildings to bi-energy heating (electricity and natural gas). While the agreement reduces natural gas consumption by over 70% and is more cost-effective for Hydro-Québec than full electrification, the authors warn of potential 'carbon lock-in' due to 15-year contracts and the uncertain availability of renewable natural gas to cover remaining fossil fuel use by 2050.
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Document type: Report
St. Laurent North Denied
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) denied Enbridge Gas's $123.7-million St. Laurent North pipeline project, citing Ottawa's community electrification plan and reduced future gas demand. This decision highlights a tension between traditional utility business models—which reward infrastructure ownership—and the shift toward net-zero emissions. The case underscores the need for integrated resource planning (IRP) and raises concerns about the risk of stranded assets being passed on to ratepayers as Ontario transitions away from fossil fuels.
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Document type: Case study
Global Electricity Trends
In 2022, global electricity generation remained dominated by fossil fuels at 61%, though wind and solar reached a record 12% share. Despite record growth in renewables, global power sector emissions hit an all-time high of 12,431 mtCO2, driven by rising demand in major economies like China and India. The report highlights a gap between current trends and the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario, which requires a rapid phase-out of unabated coal and gas by 2035-2040.
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Document type: Report
We Mean Business Coalition Letter to G7 Ministers
The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 Ministers to accelerate the transition to clean energy to mitigate climate risks and economic loss. The coalition argues that while business is ready to deploy clean energy solutions, it requires supportive policies and the repurposing of $1 trillion in fossil fuel subsidies. Key recommendations include decarbonizing power systems by 2035, phasing out domestic coal by 2030, and ensuring 100% sales of zero emissions vehicles for new light-duty vehicles by 2035.
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Document type: Statement
G7: It’s time to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy
The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 leaders to accelerate the transition to clean energy through specific policy targets, including the phase-out of coal by 2030 and the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. The document argues that such policies provide the necessary clarity for the private sector to invest in renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency, while noting that clean energy investments could boost global GDP by 4% by 2030.
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Document type: Statement
Sustainable Debt Global State of the Market 2022
The global GSS+ debt market reached a cumulative volume of USD3.7tn by the end of 2022, though new issuance fell 24% year-on-year to USD858.5bn due to rising interest rates and macroeconomic instability. Green bonds remained the dominant theme, accounting for 58% of 2022 volumes at USD487.1bn, while social bonds saw the steepest decline (41%) as COVID-19 recovery funding tapered. Transition bonds were the only segment to grow, increasing 5% to USD3.5bn, driven by policy support in China and Japan. The report also highlights the emergence of sovereign sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) in Chile and Uruguay and the need for a dedicated Climate Resilience Taxonomy to scale adaptation and resilience (A&R) financing.
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Document type: Report
Policies to Accelerate the Transition to Clean and Competitive U.S. Industry
The document argues that U.S. manufacturing is responsible for a quarter to a third of national greenhouse gas emissions and proposes a suite of policy interventions to transition to clean industry. Key recommendations include trade mechanisms like carbon border adjustments, green public procurement, direct financial support for early-stage technologies, and the implementation of emissions and energy efficiency standards. It emphasizes the need for a combination of R&D support, subsidies for clean production, and improved lending mechanisms to ensure U.S. industry remains competitive against international producers while achieving decarbonization.
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Document type: Briefing