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Shifting Public Financial Flows from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy under the Paris Agreement
The report argues that governments have failed to fulfill commitments to shift public financial flows away from fossil fuels, with subsidies increasing since the Paris Agreement. It identifies significant data gaps regarding state-owned enterprise investments and provides a framework for fossil fuel subsidy reform based on pricing, impact management, and stakeholder support.
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Document type: Report
Strategic Plan for ADVANCING ENERGY EFFICIENCY ACROSS DEMAND SECTORS BY 2030
The Strategic Plan for Advancing Energy Efficiency Across Demand Sectors by 2030 outlines a framework for G20 countries to double the global annual rate of energy intensity improvement. It focuses on five pillars: buildings, industry, transport, financing, and behavioral change. The plan argues that energy efficiency is the 'first fuel' for the energy transition and proposes specific high-impact opportunities, such as rethinking building codes (RENEW), scaling motor efficiency for SMEs (SME²), and aggregating energy services (FAST). It emphasizes the need to triple annual energy efficiency investments to approximately USD 840 billion by 2030 and highlights the potential of the Indian 'Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) initiative to reduce global CO2 emissions by 2 billion tonnes by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Annual Results Report for 2022
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) 2022 Annual Results Report details the organization's progress across three impact areas: reducing climate risk, promoting sustainable resource use and resilient ecosystems, and improving health and well-being. Key achievements include contributing to the COP27 decision to establish a loss and damage fund, developing the Global Environmental Impacts of Consumption (GEIC) indicator adopted at COP15, and implementing water management master plans in Bolivia. The report highlights the use of digital tools like LEAP, WEAP, and Trase to inform policy in various regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Organizationally, SEI reports an increase in scientific publications, a diversification of funding sources, and the implementation of a global monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) procedure.
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Document type: Report
COMMUNITY CONNECT GRANT PROGRAM
The Community Connect Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations to deploy broadband internet in rural, economically challenged communities. The program is linked to climate goals by enabling the use of precision agriculture and smart home energy devices. For fiscal year 2023, Congress appropriated $35 million for the program, which requires grant recipients to provide a cash match of at least 15%.
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Document type: Fact sheet
RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM (REAP)
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. Funded through the 2018 Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, the program supports technologies such as solar, wind, and biomass, and implements a tiered application process based on project cost.
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Document type: Briefing
RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM (RESP) Program Description
The Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides zero-interest loans to entities like electric cooperatives and green banks. These entities then offer low-cost financing to rural consumers for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electrification projects, with repayments made via utility bills. Between FY 2019 and FY 2022, the program awarded between $69.6 million and $107.3 million in loans annually, leveraging discretionary funding authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Consideration of accreditation proposals – Addendum III Re-accreditation assessment of RAPL018
The GCF Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for a second term with no conditions. The assessment confirms that IDB continues to meet GCF's basic and specialized fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, and gender policies. IDB's portfolio includes eight approved GCF projects totaling USD 761.7 million, with a strong track record in mitigation and adaptation, particularly in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The report highlights IDB's commitment to Paris Agreement alignment and its capacity to support direct access entities through capacity-building initiatives.
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Document type: Report
Climate action can address the cost of living crisis
The document asserts that the current cost of living crisis is driven by fossil fuel price volatility, particularly natural gas, rather than the costs of net-zero policies. It identifies that poorer households are disproportionately affected by energy poverty and argues that short-term government subsidies are insufficient. The briefing proposes that expanding renewable energy capacity, implementing building energy efficiency retrofits, installing heat pumps, and electrifying transport can lower energy bills, reduce market volatility, and enhance energy security.
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Document type: Briefing
Australia’s Green Bank
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Australia's green bank, uses an endowment-based model to provide concessional loans and equity to low-carbon projects. Since 2012, it has committed A$10.8 billion, leveraging a private-finance rate of 242 per cent and achieving over 200 megatonnes of CO2e reductions. While successful in crowding-in private investment and maintaining profitability, the CEFC faces risks of political interference via government-appointed boards and lacks specific targets for climate justice. The document suggests Canada's Canada Growth Fund and Canada Infrastructure Bank should adopt clear mission-driven mandates, target strategic institutional partners, and prioritize technical institutional knowledge.
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Document type: Case study
La Banque verte de l’Australie
The document examines the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Australia's 'green bank', which uses public capital to crowd-in private investment for low-carbon technologies. It details the CEFC's financial instruments, its success in generating a positive return on investment and significant emission reductions, and its vulnerability to political shifts. The analysis concludes with strategic recommendations for Canada's Canada Infrastructure Bank and Canada Growth Fund based on the CEFC's ten-year experience.
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Document type: Case study
GreenLatinos Statement on President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union Address
GreenLatinos supports President Biden's goals for clean energy transition and pollution reduction, emphasizing the need for the Inflation Reduction Act and Justice40 Initiative to benefit Latine and other communities of color.
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Document type: Statement
Declaración de GreenLatinos sobre el discurso del Estado de la Unión 2023 del presidente Joe Biden
GreenLatinos endorses President Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union goals, specifically those regarding the replacement of lead pipes, the construction of resilient power grids, and the transition to clean energy. The organization emphasizes the need for the Inflation Reduction Act and the Justice40 Initiative to provide tax credits and grants to marginalized communities, including Latino, Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander populations, to ensure a just transition and address the disproportionate pollution burdens faced by these groups.
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Document type: Statement
The Economic Tides Just Turned for States
RMI's analysis indicates that US states can secure significant federal investment, job growth, and health improvements by ambitiously adopting the Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) tax credits, rebates, and grants. Under a "Climate Ambitious Scenario," states could see cumulative investments between $1 billion and $130 billion by 2030, with the highest per capita gains expected in states with strong renewable energy potential and industrial activity, such as Wyoming, Montana, and Louisiana.
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Document type: Report
How a Connecticut Theater Put Energy Efficiency in the Spotlight
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts implemented a series of energy efficiency projects, most notably replacing a 40-year-old boiler with a 92 percent efficient three-way steam system. This project was funded through a combination of a $250,000 state grant, a $16,000 utility rebate, and a $384,016 C-PACE loan. The theater also utilized the Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credit Program to attract donor funding for LED lighting, air handling units, heat pumps, and roof insulation. These measures have resulted in annual energy savings of $60,000 and an annual reduction of 37.2 metric tons of carbon emissions.
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Document type: Case study
How to Get Your Local Government to 100 Percent Clean Electricity
RMI developed the Local Energy Action Framework (LEAF) to help US local governments move from setting carbon-neutrality goals to implementing efficient energy projects. By analyzing six US cities and counties, the framework emphasizes a holistic approach that considers the interaction between energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable procurement. Key findings suggest that prioritizing high-demand facilities like water treatment plants for efficiency and using flexible loads or batteries to manage peak demand are critical for achieving 24/7 clean electricity. The guide also highlights that while electrification significantly reduces emissions, it increases building loads, necessitating the use of efficient technologies like heat pumps and the procurement of off-site non-solar renewable energy to fill remaining gaps.
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Document type: Guide
GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION PLAN
Project GAIA establishes a framework to integrate gender equality and social inclusion into its investment cycle, requiring all approved projects to develop specific GESI Action Plans. The plan focuses on five pillars: governance, leadership, employment, capacity building, and consumption (access to basic services). It sets platform-level targets, such as achieving 30% women in governance by year one, and project-level requirements, including mandatory gender assessments and the use of sex-disaggregated data in impact reporting. The framework also incorporates safeguarding measures against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and gender-based violence (GBVH).
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Document type: Report
China permits two new coal power plants per week in 2022
In 2022, China experienced a dramatic surge in coal power project activity, permitting 106 GW of new capacity—the highest level since 2015. While 50 GW started construction, representing six times the capacity of the rest of the world combined, the trend is driven by rising peak electricity loads and a rigid grid paradigm. Despite claims that new plants are for "supporting" grid stability, evidence suggests they are intended for baseload use. This expansion occurs alongside record clean energy additions, but risks undermining China's carbon neutrality goals if it leads to a moderation of clean energy buildout or increased CO2 emissions.
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Document type: Briefing
COUT DU CAPITAL “VERT” : LE ROLE DE LA BCE
The policy brief proposes that the European Central Bank (ECB) use monetary policy to create a cost-of-capital differential between 'green' and 'brown' activities. It suggests a green financing facility providing preferential refinancing rates to banks that fund renewable energy and energy-efficient building renovations. The author argues this would ensure credit availability, incentivize banks to meet environmental commitments, and support long-term price stability without increasing public spending, urging France to use its influence via the Banque de France to promote this agenda.
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Document type: Policy brief
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE FOR STATES: HOME EFFICIENCY REBATE PROGRAM
The Home Efficiency Rebate program, established by the Inflation Reduction Act, provides $4.3 billion to incentivize whole-home retrofits for single-family and multifamily dwellings. Funding is distributed to state energy offices (SEOs) via formula, with rebate amounts scaling based on energy savings and doubling for low-income households. The guide recommends that states avoid subsidizing new fossil fuel appliances, stack incentives, and prioritize low-income access by setting spending goals of 40% to 80% of program funds for these households. It also suggests providing upfront rebates and utilizing zero-interest loans for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties to avoid tax complications.
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Document type: Guide
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE FOR STATES: HOME ELECTRIFICATION REBATE PROGRAM
The Home Electrification Rebate program, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, provides point-of-sale rebates for electrification projects in single-family and multifamily residential units for low- and moderate-income households. The program allocates $4.5 billion, with $4.275 billion for state energy offices and $225 million for tribal governments. To maximize impact, the guide recommends training contractors on new technologies like heat pump water heaters and induction cooktops, simplifying the 'stacking' of multiple incentives, and prioritizing low-income households by setting spending goals of 40% to 80% of funding. It also suggests using zero-interest, long-term loans for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties to avoid tax complications and implementing tenant protections to prevent rent increases following upgrades.
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Document type: Guide