Search Climate Insights Directory

The document details how GreenCape, a nonprofit sector development agency, acts as an independent bridge between the public and private sectors to drive green growth in South Africa's Western Cape. Established in 2010, it initially focused on renewable energy before expanding into energy efficiency, water, waste, and agriculture. The agency's success is attributed to its legal independence, strong government support, and a multidisciplinary approach to removing market barriers. Between 2010 and 2015, GreenCape facilitated ZAR 17 billion in renewable energy project investments and created over 2,000 associated jobs.

The document details Bogor City's transition toward a low-carbon development trajectory from 2013 to 2016. By utilizing the GreenClimateCities framework, the city established a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and integrated low-emission development strategies (LEDS) into its Regional Medium Term Development Plan for 2015–19. Key initiatives include the revitalization of the Transpakuan bus rapid transit system using compressed natural gas, a 'Walkability Campaign' to expand pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and streetlight retrofitting. The case emphasizes the necessity of political leadership, technical coordination, and international peer-to-peer learning to move from planning to implementation.

The report finds that the CIF provides a unique, programmatic approach to climate finance that differs from the project-by-project model of the GCF. It has been the largest source of external concessional finance for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), particularly in high-risk technologies like geothermal and concentrated solar power. The authors recommend keeping the CIF operational to maintain momentum and bridge investment gaps, suggesting it work complementarily with the GCF.

The policy brief argues that the EU's Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) must be significantly strengthened to meet Paris Agreement goals. It recommends a 95% emission reduction by 2050 and at least 45% by 2030, based on a carbon budget. The author identifies five critical loopholes—including the use of ETS credits and land-use offsets—that could allow an additional 4,703 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to be released. It further proposes robust governance through National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and stronger financial penalties for non-compliant Member States.

The paper argues that traditional Cost of Service Regulation (COSR) creates a capital bias that motivates utilities to pursue expensive infrastructure projects over more cost-effective, non-utility-owned, or distributed energy resource (DER) alternatives. Through three case studies—distribution circuit upgrades, grid modernization, and regional capacity requirements—the author demonstrates that COSR often misaligns shareholder value with public interest. The analysis finds that multiyear revenue caps, particularly those with 'stretch factors' to encourage efficiency, and Performance Incentive Mechanisms (PIMs) targeting specific outcomes like CO2 reduction or peak demand, are more effective at aligning utility motivation with societal goals. The document recommends a gradual transition toward these PBR tools to manage investor risk while accelerating the energy transition.

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 document details the establishment and operation of GreenCape, a nonprofit sector development agency created by the Western Cape Government to bridge the public and private sectors. It outlines how GreenCape's independent structure, multidisciplinary team, and strategic alignment with government policies enabled it to facilitate significant private sector investment and job creation in renewable energy and other green sectors. The case study highlights key success factors, such as maintaining political neutrality and providing impartial market intelligence, and provides quantitative results of its impact between 2010 and 2015.

The SEforALL Strategic Framework for Results (2016-21) establishes a partnership-based delivery model to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 and the Paris Agreement. The framework focuses on empowering leaders to broker partnerships and unlock finance, utilizing 'heat maps' to prioritize engagement in high-impact countries. Key priorities include an 'energy efficiency first' approach, scaling up renewables through IRENA's REmap, and ensuring a people-centered transition that prioritizes women and the energy poor. The global team is transitioning into a Quasi-International Organization headquartered in Vienna to improve operational efficiency and governance.

The Stockholm Environment Institute reviewed 24 climate change mitigation policy databases, finding that while data availability is increasing, it is heavily skewed toward the energy sector and industrialized nations. The analysis reveals significant gaps in information regarding the agricultural sector, sub-Saharan Africa, policy costs, and actual emission savings. Furthermore, the review notes a lack of interactivity and poor linkage between different databases, which limits potential synergies for policy makers.

The analysis indicates that the Clean Power Plan and the extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC) will drive significant clean energy growth and consumer savings in the US. By 2030, these policies are projected to generate 204 GW of new wind and solar capacity, resulting in $30.5 billion in net consumer savings and $127 billion in cumulative health and economic benefits from reduced emissions.

The briefing outlines six key drivers for companies successfully adopting science-based emissions targets: a history of meeting previous goals, a strong business case, alignment with climate science, company-wide employee engagement, stakeholder demand for sustainability, and business-specific strategies. Examples include Pfizer's energy projects saving $150 million annually and Coca-Cola Enterprises exceeding its 2011 emissions reduction target.

The report evaluates alternative electricity rate designs for mass-market customers, focusing on time-based rates and demand charges. It finds that well-designed time-based rates can significantly reduce peak load (0-50%) and total energy consumption (0-10%) without harming customer acceptance. Key drivers of success include high peak/off-peak price ratios, active enabling technologies, and opt-out enrollment. In contrast, the report notes a significant lack of empirical evidence regarding the impact of mass-market demand charges on peak reduction or customer acceptance, describing current claims as largely speculative. The document provides a framework of design dimensions—such as cost allocation, peak coincidence, and financial mechanisms—to guide utilities and regulators in implementing more sophisticated pricing structures that reflect system costs.

The briefing advocates for redefining thermal comfort in buildings by moving away from monolithic central heating and cooling systems toward a model based on six variables: air temperature, air velocity, activity level, clothing level, surface temperature, and humidity. Using the ASHRAE 55 standard and the CBE Thermal Comfort Tool, designers can use the Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) metric to create more energy-efficient, occupant-centric environments. The author details the application of this approach at RMI's Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado, highlighting the necessity of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) to manage the risks associated with passive design and the complexity of integrating multiple targeted systems. The document emphasizes that achieving such efficiency requires a paradigm shift in risk allocation, long-term system tuning, and active occupant engagement.

The document outlines the use of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) to model the impact of the Clean Power Plan and federal tax credits. It specifies adjustments made to standard EIA cost and performance assumptions for various energy technologies, including wind, solar, coal, and nuclear, and defines three primary analysis scenarios: a Reference Case, a Clean Energy Transition Case, and a Clean Power Plan Only Case.

Illinois can achieve 75% of its Clean Power Plan target by following existing clean energy policies and improving fossil plant efficiency, and can exceed the target by expanding efficiency and renewable standards.

Carbon Market Watch and a coalition of NGOs advocate for a revised 2030 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) that aligns with the Paris Agreement. They propose seven key reforms: increasing ambition to reach 95% emission reductions by 2050, implementing 5-yearly review and ratchet-up mechanisms, strengthening governance with annual targets, basing 2021 allowances on actual emission levels, banning the use of EU ETS surplus allowances for ESD compliance, treating carbon removals in a separate LULUCF pillar, and prioritizing energy efficiency through synergies with existing EU legislation.

The document celebrates the signing of the Paris Agreement and calls on the business community to move from government intent to implementation by adopting science-based targets, internal carbon pricing, and risk mitigation strategies to support the goal of keeping warming well below 2°C.

Friends of the Earth International asserts that the Paris Agreement fails to deliver the scale of action required to limit global warming to 1.5°C, noting that current national pledges could lead to warming of around 3°C. The organization warns that terms like 'climate neutrality' may justify the use of dangerous geoengineering, carbon markets, and nuclear energy. To achieve climate justice, the document advocates for a just global energy transformation characterized by community-owned renewable energy, the blocking of dirty energy projects, and financial support from developed to developing nations.

The report finds that while Democrats are generally more convinced of human-caused global warming than Republicans, liberal and moderate Republicans often align with the mainstream public and moderate Democrats. A significant majority of registered voters support various climate policies, including renewable energy research, tax rebates for energy efficiency, and carbon dioxide regulation, though conservative Republicans remain a distinct outlier in their skepticism and opposition to these measures.

A coalition of businesses and environmental organizations calls on the United States to implement the Clean Power Plan and invest in a low-carbon economy to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.