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The document examines how electrifying heating systems and improving energy efficiency in buildings can reduce urban emissions, highlighting Copenhagen's achievement of reducing building-related emissions by over 60% between 2019 and 2023. It notes that while such measures reduce emissions at the source, they can increase induced emissions if the electricity grid remains carbon-intensive.

The document outlines a five-step process for governments to identify and quantify fossil fuel subsidies: applying a whole-of-government approach, establishing a comprehensive scope based on WTO standards, choosing measurement methods (price-gap vs. inventory), evaluating socio-economic and environmental impacts, and ensuring regular public disclosure. It emphasizes the use of the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) as a minimum baseline and highlights the role of effective carbon rates (ECRs) in improving cross-country comparability.

The report finds that while India has achieved its non-fossil electricity capacity target of 50% by 2025, government support for fossil fuels remains five times larger than for clean energy. Total government support to energy in FY 2024 was at least INR 6.3 lakh crore (USD 75 billion), with a significant portion shifting from direct subsidies to investments by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and public financial institutions (PFIs). The analysis highlights a critical fiscal reliance on fossil fuel revenues, which account for 90% of energy revenues, and a growing burden of electricity subsidies for end consumers that constrains fiscal space for clean energy. The report recommends transitioning to targeted direct benefit transfers for electricity, phasing out fossil fuel production subsidies, and implementing a strategic roadmap for aligning public finance with net-zero goals by 2047.

The report inventories quantified energy subsidies in South Africa, detailing nominal and real values from FY 2018 to FY 2025. It identifies a wide range of support mechanisms, including VAT zero-rating for liquid fuels, Eskom bailouts, and carbon tax exemptions, while also listing specific incentives for renewable energy and energy storage. The document applies the World Trade Organization's definition of subsidies to categorize these financial contributions and provides a breakdown of government guarantees as contingent liabilities.

The report finds that the world is off-track to meet all SDG7 targets by 2030. While electricity access has improved, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of the remaining deficit. Clean cooking access is severely lagging, with 2.1 billion people lacking access. Renewable energy shares in total final energy consumption are stagnating, and energy intensity improvements are insufficient, requiring a 4% annual increase to meet goals.

The document examines the role of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) as a cost-effective tool for Canada to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It highlights that internal decarbonization, particularly in heavy industry, is increasingly expensive, whereas ITMOs allow Canada to account for verified emissions reductions achieved abroad. The author suggests that by integrating ITMOs into its trade and financial strategies, Canada can open new markets for its clean technologies, such as methane reduction and advanced manufacturing. Using Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) as a model, the briefing recommends that Canada establish a national coordination mechanism involving multiple government departments to manage bilateral agreements and mobilize private investment.

Ember argues that Indonesia's JETP 2025 scenario is insufficiently ambitious, particularly regarding the captive power sector, where it suggests that integrating solar PV could significantly reduce emissions. The brief calls for the inclusion of captive power in peaking emission targets, the removal of solar quotas, and the redirection of JETP investments toward coal-producing provinces to mitigate fiscal vulnerabilities and job losses.

The analysis finds that tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling energy efficiency improvements, and cutting methane emissions by 2030 and beyond would significantly reduce the rate of global warming and lower projected century-end warming from 2.6°C to 1.7°C.

The research paper analyzes clean cooking policies across 43 G20 countries, finding that 50%–70% of public spending is directed toward direct fiscal support, primarily LPG subsidies. It argues that these subsidies often fail to reach the poorest populations, create fiscal burdens, and undermine energy security and climate goals. The author recommends that G20 nations phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and implement national roadmaps prioritizing electricity, biogas, and solar energy to meet SDG 7 targets by 2030.

The Integrated Net Present Value (iNPV) framework addresses the failure of traditional cost-benefit analyses to account for the full value of process modernization in US light manufacturing. Developed by RMI and Schneider Electric, the framework provides a method for measuring and monetizing value streams across categories such as operational flexibility, risk mitigation, and market differentiation to improve investment decision-making for decarbonization.

The document examines how Poland's high-carbon, energy-intensive economy leads to higher power and gas prices for businesses compared to the EU average, as well as significant costs from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). It posits that transitioning to renewables and improving energy efficiency can lower production costs, stabilize energy prices through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and increase GDP. The briefing highlights that achieving net-zero emissions could add 0.2% to Poland's annual GDP through 2050. It also discusses the role of emissions transparency and the growth of the service sector as additional avenues for competitive differentiation.

COP30 in Belém, Brazil, is positioned as a critical inflection point for the global climate regime, occurring ten years after the Paris Agreement. The briefing highlights a tension between the summit's goals and local environmental degradation, such as the construction of the Avenida Liberdade expressway through a rainforest protection area and Brazil's pursuit of oil exploration in the Equatorial Margin. Key negotiation priorities include updated NDCs, the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, and a new collective quantified goal for climate finance estimated at USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035. The document also underscores the influence of non-state actors, such as YOUNGO and the Women and Gender Constituency, and argues that recent advisory opinions from the ICJ and IACHR have transformed climate action from a political choice into a binding legal responsibility for states.

The document details the three main priorities for COP30 in Belém: closing the ambition gap for 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to limit warming to 1.5ºC, mobilizing $1.3 trillion annually for developing countries by 2035, and concluding the global adaptation indicators program. It also highlights the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) led by Brazil to protect forests through innovative financing, and a broader global action agenda focusing on renewable energy, just transition, and urban resilience.

The policy brief argues that gas utilities in the U.S. spend between $3.5 billion and $7 billion annually to replace aging service lines. It proposes a service line NPA framework where utilities offer customers financial incentives to electrify and disconnect from the gas system instead of replacing the pipe. This approach aims to reduce ratepayer costs, lower emissions, and avoid stranded assets. The brief highlights Con Edison's Energy Exchange Program as a developed example and discusses design considerations such as participant incentives, utility support, and customer outreach.

The document examines the challenges facing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in attracting and managing foreign direct investment (FDI). It highlights a disconnect between regional elite institutions and citizens, exacerbated by the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in January 2025. While West Africa possesses significant mineral resources and growth potential in renewables and IT, it suffers from weak governance, fragmented infrastructure, and an overdependence on foreign donors for energy project funding. The author recommends a harmonised regional investment framework and a prioritisation of cross-border energy infrastructure to enhance collective bargaining power and sustainable development.

The policy brief examines how virtual power plants (VPPs) can mitigate grid interconnection delays for large loads, specifically data centers, in the United States. It highlights that VPPs can scale to meet over 20% of US peak demand by 2030 and are significantly cheaper than new gas plants. The document proposes three commercial models—pass-through funding, capacity transfer, and reliability reinforcement—to align incentives between large loads, utilities, and VPP aggregators. It also recommends reforms in interconnection policy, integrated planning, and customer protection to enable this transition.

The World Resources Institute argues that COP30 must move beyond pledges to implementation by establishing a global roadmap for ambition, accelerating sectoral action for 2030 goals, and mobilizing long-term net-zero strategies. It emphasizes the need for G20 leadership in aligning near-term goals with long-term transitions and calls for a credible finance package, including the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap and country platforms, to unlock capital for developing nations.

RMI highlights the transition from climate commitments to action across several global regions. China is leading in renewable deployment and clean tech exports, while Brazil focuses on low-carbon shipping and ambitious NDCs as the COP30 host. India is pursuing energy independence by 2047 through clean mobility and cooling innovations. Southeast Asia is scaling clean infrastructure and battery storage, and the United States continues to see subnational progress in grid optimization and clean industrialization despite federal delegation concerns.

The document outlines three critical areas for action at COP 30 to ensure the global transition away from fossil fuels remains viable: phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and public finance, closing the ambition gap in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and evolving the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) into a practical support mechanism. It highlights a significant gap between current production plans and the 1.5°C target, noting that current plans would see fossil fuel extraction increase by over 120% by 2030. The briefing also emphasizes the need for gender-responsive approaches to ensure the energy transition is inclusive and equitable.

The document asserts that Canada is falling behind its 2030 and 2035 emissions targets and should utilize Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) to achieve cost-effective reductions. It suggests that Canada can leverage its strengths in methane detection, clean electricity, and carbon removal technologies to create bilateral agreements, similar to Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). The report warns that simple liquefied natural gas (LNG) export deals are unlikely to meet strict Article 6 additionality requirements and recommends establishing a national coordination mechanism to integrate climate finance with trade and sustainable development goals in the Global South.