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This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics explores how decarbonisation can provide a competitive advantage for Polish businesses by reducing energy costs, improving productivity, and appealing to climate-conscious consumers. It highlights the financial risks associated with Poland's high-carbon energy mix, specifically the costs of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), and suggests that transitioning to renewables and energy efficiency can enhance national GDP and corporate profitability.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that decarbonization is a strategic pathway for Polish enterprises to gain a competitive advantage by reducing energy costs, increasing productivity, and improving market positioning. It highlights the economic risks of Poland's high-emission energy mix, including high electricity and gas prices and significant EU ETS costs, while presenting opportunities through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transparency in emissions reporting.

The 'Phasing out plan for fossil fuel subsidies' is a report by the Netherlands Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth, published in October 2025. It outlines the Dutch government's strategy to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies through a 'Whole of Government Approach,' focusing on international cooperation, European Union alignment, and national policy adjustments. The plan emphasizes the 'polluter pays' principle and utilizes both an 'external costs approach' and an 'inventory approach' to identify and quantify fossil fuel benefits, which amounted to 18.0 billion euros in 2024.

This report by Ember analyzes methane emissions from Polish coal mines in 2018, highlighting that Poland accounted for 70% of methane leaks from active coal mines in Europe. The document argues that these emissions have a more significant climate impact than the CO2 emissions from the Bełchatów Power Plant and identifies specific companies and mines responsible for the majority of these leaks, while proposing six policy solutions to reduce emissions.

An analysis of preliminary 2019 emissions data from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), highlighting a significant decline in power sector emissions driven by the collapse of coal power and the emergence of steel plants as primary emitters in several countries.

This report by Ember investigates the phenomenon of 'carbon leakage' where EU countries import electricity from non-EU countries that lack carbon pricing, effectively offshoring emissions to 'offshore carbon havens' like Turkey and Ukraine. The authors argue for the implementation of a Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) on electricity imports to protect the integrity of EU climate policy and incentivize carbon pricing in neighboring states.

This report by Sandbag summarises feedback from 15 stakeholders regarding the barriers to decarbonising industrial sectors within the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS). It identifies systemic issues in carbon pricing, the design of product benchmarks, and regulatory norms that discourage breakthrough low-carbon investments in favour of incremental improvements.

This briefing argues that without a carbon intensity limit of 550gCO2/kWh for capacity payments, Europe's coal plants could be 'supercharged,' extending their operational lives and crowding out cleaner energy alternatives. The document outlines existing EU policy gaps that favor coal and details how specific capacity market designs risk subsidizing fossil fuels over modern technologies like batteries and demand-side response.

This report by Ember analyzes European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) data for 2015, excluding aviation. It details a slight overall decrease in emissions, driven by trends in the power and heat sectors and specific national shifts in fuel use, while noting that 10% of emissions data—primarily from Poland—was unavailable at the time of publication.

The report reviews the European power sector in 2015, noting a record increase in renewables generation that was largely offset by increased electricity demand and a decline in nuclear and hydro output. Consequently, power sector CO2 emissions fell by only an estimated 0.5% in 2015, following a much larger 7.5% drop in 2014. The author maintains a forecast that EU ETS emissions will fall 21% from 2014 to 2020, potentially leading to 30% economy-wide CO2 cuts by 2020.

The research paper examines the MRV requirements of the CDM, finding them to be overly complex and stricter than those of the EU ETS, which hinders project issuance and creates avoidable barriers without adding to environmental integrity.

This research paper examines the strategic shift in electricity production and consumption within the Swedish pulp and paper industry over the last decade, analyzing the influence of national and EU energy and climate policies.

This executive summary outlines a joint study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Climate Strategies regarding the effectiveness of the EU ETS in driving low-carbon investment. It identifies that while the EU ETS provides a foundation for investment, its impact is hindered by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), current International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and short corporate payback expectations, suggesting a need for increased stringency and complementary policies.

This executive summary describes a multi-institute analytical project conducted between February and December 2010 to evaluate whether the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) facilitates a shift toward low-carbon investments. The project assessed the EU ETS's effectiveness in capturing the attention of decision-makers, providing clarity for strategic planning, and creating an enabling environment for project realization.

This research paper analyzes the relative importance of various climate policy elements—specifically the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and long-term climate policy targets—on the investment decisions of European power sector companies. Based on a 2009 survey of 65 power generators and 136 technology providers, the study examines two dimensions of innovation: the adoption of new plants and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities. The findings indicate that climate policies are generally less influential than market factors and technology-specific regulations, though long-term targets are particularly critical for the RD&D activities of technology providers.

This research paper analyzes the impact of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) on low-carbon investment and innovation in manufacturing firms. Based on interviews with approximately 800 firms across six European countries, the study examines how carbon pricing influences energy-saving measures, R&D for clean processes and products, and the strategic behavior of firms within the carbon market.

This working paper assesses Germany's Fast-Start Finance (FSF) contributions for the 2010-2012 period, analyzing the distribution of funds, the definition of additionality, and the transparency of reporting. It finds that Germany exceeded its self-defined pledge, providing EUR 1.29 billion, with a primary focus on mitigation and a significant reliance on multilateral channels and EU ETS auctioning revenues.