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The Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter's member companies approved 68 new oil and gas fields in 2024, totaling 14 billion barrels of oil equivalent and projected to release nearly 5 billion metric tonnes of CO2. Despite climate pledges, these companies are forecast to increase production by 17% by 2030, diverging from IEA pathways that require significant production declines. Ten companies drive over 90% of this expansion, with total new expenditures for 2024 projects reaching nearly USD 250 billion.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the regulatory and institutional advancements of the bioeconomy in Brazil under the third Lula administration. It details the creation of the National Secretariat of Bioeconomy, the establishment of the National Bioeconomy Strategy, and the coordination across multiple ministries to integrate biotechnological, bioresources, and bioecological visions of economic development.

This report provides a resource adequacy toolkit for regulators in the Western United States to manage the risk of electricity supply shortfalls during the transition to a low-carbon grid.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the financial and technical viability of phasing out coal-powered electricity in Asia. It argues that prioritizing the cessation of new coal projects is critical, as most existing plants will have recouped their investment costs by 2040. The document critiques co-firing as an expensive and inefficient alternative to retirement and highlights innovative financing models—such as renewables bundling and PPA replacements—that can make early retirement financially attractive. It emphasizes the need for concessional financing from developed nations to ensure a just transition for coal-dependent communities.

This case study examines the transition of the Sherburne County Generating Station (Sherco) in Minnesota from a coal-fired power plant to a clean energy hub. It details how Xcel Energy, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and local stakeholders utilized federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), along with a 'generator replacement' process to bypass interconnection queues, to replace coal capacity with solar and battery storage while supporting the local workforce and economy.

This report argues that traditional integrated resource planning (IRP) modeling assumptions are outdated for modern grids characterized by renewable energy, distributed resources, and climate change impacts. It advocates for updating assumptions across capacity expansion, production cost, and resource adequacy models, while integrating an energy equity lens to account for human impacts such as health and affordability.

This briefing outlines the critical need for sustainable cooling in Kenya, highlighting the vulnerability of millions of people to extreme heat and the potential climate impact of increasing refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) usage. It connects cooling access to health, nutrition, and economic goals, while aligning these needs with Kenya's Energy Transition and Investment Plan 2023-2050.

RMI expresses its readiness to collaborate with the new US administration and elected officials to support energy security, clean energy technologies, and clean manufacturing jobs, noting that cleantech investments are driving economic growth across the United States.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how a potential US slowdown in clean technology investment and deployment under a Donald Trump presidency could create market opportunities for emerging economies, specifically China, Brazil, and India.

The ninth FOCAC Beijing Summit (2024) marked a re-calibration of China-Africa relations, with China pledging USD 50.7 billion over three years. African leaders demonstrated increased agency, shifting focus from raw aid to value-added trade, technological transfer, and green energy. Key outcomes include a USD 1 billion deal to rehabilitate the Tazara railway and a strategic increase in Chinese security assistance via the Global Security Initiative. The summit highlights a growing ideological and geopolitical divide, as China offers an alternative governance model to Western liberal democracy and aggressively pursues the African EV and digital markets.

This policy brief provides guidance for utility modelers and regulators on integrating the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program into capacity expansion modeling. It outlines a three-step approach to maximize ratepayer savings: modeling portfolio-wide financing savings, prioritizing 'clean repowering' at existing fossil sites, and optimizing transmission investments. The document emphasizes the urgency of applying for EIR funding by the end of 2025 to meet the September 30, 2026, conditional commitment deadline.

This briefing by RMI outlines a strategic framework for the next US administration to sustain and advance the green industrial strategy initiated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It emphasizes three primary goals: accelerating economic growth through decarbonization, restoring US global manufacturing and innovation leadership, and ensuring clean energy investments reduce the cost of living and revitalize disadvantaged communities.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides initial reactions to the third 'non-paper' released on October 29, 2024, by the Chair of the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) tasked with developing a global plastics treaty. While CIEL views the non-paper as an adequate structure for negotiations at the upcoming INC-5 meeting in Busan, Republic of Korea, it argues that the current text relies too heavily on voluntary language and lacks essential provisions on production limits, chemicals of concern, and finance, which would result in an ineffective treaty.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Break Free from Plastics (BFFP) provides a streamlined comparison between the Chair's third Non-Paper and the Compilation draft text for the future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. The document synthesizes these two sources to facilitate discussions at the fifth intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC-5), highlighting critical omissions in the Non-Paper and presenting various textual options for the treaty's articles, including those on product design, chemicals of concern, and financial mechanisms.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the regulatory and institutional advancements in Brazil's bioeconomy under the Lula government since 2023. It highlights the creation of the National Bioeconomy Secretariat and the National Bioeconomy Strategy, while evaluating how these frameworks integrate three distinct visions of bioeconomy: biotechnological, bio-resources, and bio-ecological.

This progress report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to deepen African capital markets to mobilize long-term, local currency finance for sustainable development. The report outlines a four-pronged strategy focusing on policy and regulatory development, market infrastructure, capital market product innovation, and convening and advocacy. FSD Africa highlights its role as a neutral facilitator, leveraging technical assistance and grants to address systemic barriers such as risk-averse institutional investors and underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, with a specific emphasis on green, social, and gender-themed financing.

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the power sector transition in the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) region, highlighting a significant gap between stated renewable energy targets and actual project pipelines. It finds that fossil fuel capacity is being built at more than three times the rate of wind and utility-scale solar, with oil and gas leading the buildout. The report specifically critiques COP29 host Azerbaijan for low ambition in its renewable energy plans and a continued reliance on gas.

This briefing examines the landscape of global responsible mining standards, highlighting their role in mitigating environmental and social risks during the energy transition. It details the categorization of standards, the move toward harmonization via the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI), and provides recommendations for governments to integrate these voluntary frameworks into national regulations to enhance transparency and accountability.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the current state of green public procurement (GPP) in Indonesia. It examines the legal and governance frameworks, identifies key stakeholders, and evaluates existing tools such as eco-labels and the Timber Legality Verification System. The report highlights significant barriers to GPP adoption, including limited stakeholder knowledge, cost concerns, and procurer risk aversion, and provides four primary recommendations to accelerate the transition to sustainable procurement.

The Nigeria Energy Transition & Investment Plan (ETIP) Update (2024) provides a strategic roadmap for Nigeria to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. The plan emphasizes a massive shift toward renewable energy, electric mobility, and clean cooking to address energy poverty and climate goals. It estimates that reaching net-zero will require $500 billion in capital investment above business-as-usual (BAU) levels, which is offset by projected fuel savings of $686 billion.