Search Climate Insights Directory

This case study examines the economic transition of Germany's Ruhr region from a coal-mining and heavy industry center to a knowledge- and tourism-based economy. It details the shift from top-down structural policies to a decentralized, inclusive engagement strategy involving trade unions and government, culminating in the closure of the last hard coal mine in 2018.

This World Resources Institute fact sheet describes the European Union's Just Transition Mechanism, a financial and technical framework designed to support EU member states in phasing out high-emissions activities, particularly coal, while mitigating socio-economic disruption.

This case study examines Alberta, Canada's strategy to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030, focusing on the financial mechanisms and social dialogue used to support affected workers and communities.

This case study examines Kentucky's coal severance tax, introduced in 1972, and its role in funding economic diversification and basic services in coal-producing counties. While the tax has provided significant resources through funds like the LGEAF and LGEDF, its effectiveness is challenged by a lack of a coordinated long-term strategy and a sharp decline in revenues as coal production and employment plummet.

This briefing by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argues that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) must be strengthened to address the gendered and sex-specific dimensions of toxic exposure, which disproportionately affect women, particularly those who are racialized, low-income, disabled, or newcomers.

This statement, submitted in April 2021 by the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), the South African Medical Association, and Amref Health Africa, provides recommendations for South Africa's updated draft Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The authors argue that the draft's emission reduction targets are insufficient to protect public health and urge the government to align targets with a 2°C goal. The document emphasizes the critical link between climate action and health outcomes, proposing a 'One Health' approach and a policy roadmap focusing on energy, food and agriculture, and transportation to maximize health and equity co-benefits.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio analyzes the productivity of livestock farming in the Legal Amazon. It finds that the region is dominated by a homogeneous, low-productivity extensive business model, meaning that simply scaling existing local best practices would yield limited gains. The authors argue that significant productivity increases require a new business model involving technologies not yet used at scale and the combatting of land grabbing (grilagem).

This briefing by Ember analyzes energy scenarios from the UK, EU, and US, identifying a consensus that achieving zero-carbon electricity by the 2030s is a critical milestone for meeting 2050 net-zero targets. The report details the necessary phase-out of coal and gas, the required acceleration of wind and solar deployment, and the role of system flexibility and low-carbon firm power.

This executive summary outlines policy priorities to achieve 100 percent electric vehicle (EV) sales in the United States by 2030-2035. It argues that this transition, paired with a 90 percent clean grid by 2035, would save consumers $2.7 trillion, avoid 150,000 premature deaths, and create over 2 million net jobs by 2035. Key recommendations include implementing strong national fuel economy and tailpipe standards, providing means-based incentives, investing in charging infrastructure, and enacting 'Made in America' policies for domestic battery and vehicle manufacturing. The report emphasizes that these policies must be designed with input from frontline communities and those in historically redlined neighborhoods to ensure environmental justice.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal-fired power plant development in 2020, highlighting a significant surge in China that offset retirements in other regions. While the US, EU, and several Southeast Asian nations reduced their coal capacity or planning, China's increased activity led to the first growth in global coal capacity since 2015.

The report 'Boom and Bust 2021' analyzes the global coal plant pipeline, highlighting a divergence where a surge in coal development in China offset a general global retreat. While many countries in South and Southeast Asia, the US, and the EU are retiring plants or cancelling projects, China's commissioning of new capacity led to the first increase in global coal capacity since 2015.

The April 2021 report by Global Energy Monitor and partners tracks global coal-fired power plant plans, highlighting a divergence where a construction boom in China offset significant closures in the US and EU. While South and Southeast Asian nations are increasingly cancelling projects due to funding difficulties and renewable energy competition, China's capacity continues to expand, driven by provincial economic stimulus and central government deregulation.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's rapid expansion and a general global decline. While many countries in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia are decommissioning plants or canceling new projects due to financial pressures and climate goals, China's surge in new capacity offset global reductions, leading to a net increase in global coal capacity for the first time since 2015.

The report 'YÜKSELIŞ VE ÇÖKÜŞ 2021' analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's continued expansion and a general global decline. While the rest of the world saw record retirements and project cancellations—particularly in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia—China's surge in new capacity led to a net global increase in coal power. The document details the financial challenges facing coal, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on project timelines, and the gap between current national trajectories and the IPCC 1.5°C pathway.

The report 'BÙNG NỔ VÀ THOÁI TRÀO 2021' analyzes global coal power trends in 2020, highlighting a stark contrast between China's surge in new capacity and a general global decline. While many nations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the OECD are canceling projects or accelerating closures, China's rapid development has caused total global coal capacity to increase for the first time since 2015.

This policy brief analyzes how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) helped smallholder farmers in six countries cope with COVID-19. It finds that VSSs can build resilience through higher premiums, stronger buyer relationships, market diversification, and existing training in protocols. However, VSSs do not eliminate international price volatility or the disproportionate power of buyers. The brief recommends that governments support resilience by incentivizing sustainable consumption, ensuring living incomes via minimum prices, and extending social protection programs.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) examines how the OECD's Pillar Two global minimum tax proposal may negatively impact the mining sector in resource-rich developing countries due to 'timing differences' between accounting and tax profits.

This report analyzes the impact of the OECD's Pillar Two global digital tax reforms on the mining sector, specifically focusing on 'timing differences' between accounting profits and taxable income. It argues that without proper resolution of these differences, resource-rich developing countries could lose significant tax revenue and investment to developed nations where parent companies are based.

This policy brief examines the governance challenges associated with the sustainable use of natural resources, highlighting the gap between the principles established in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and current global trends of over-exploitation and inequitable distribution.

This briefing by the Public Affairs Research Institute examines the failure of the South African government to provide affordable electricity to low-income households despite the Energy Act of 1998. It highlights the systemic failure of the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) policy, where national budget allocations for poor households are not reaching the intended beneficiaries due to municipal mismanagement and registration barriers.