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The report analyzes the environmental, health, and economic impacts of medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) pollution in the US and advocates for an accelerated transition to battery-electric trucks. It highlights that while MHDVs make up a small fraction of road vehicles, they contribute a disproportionate share of NOx, PM2.5, and greenhouse gas emissions. The document argues that battery-electric vehicles (BETs) are technically and economically superior to hydrogen fuel-cell alternatives for most duty cycles. It details the role of state policies like California's Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulation and federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in driving adoption. The report concludes with recommendations for expanding charging infrastructure, implementing indirect source rules for warehouses, and maintaining high-road labor standards during the transition.

The paper defines Zombie Energy Systems (ZES) as outdated, inefficient, and environmentally harmful energy assets that persist in Africa despite being obsolete. It argues that the current international focus on new renewable energy projects overlooks the necessity of decommissioning or rehabilitating these failing systems, which include ageing power plants, inefficient grids, and second-hand appliances. The authors trace the origins of ZES to colonial legacies, poor maintenance, and political corruption, and propose a holistic strategy involving comprehensive system assessments, regulatory strengthening, and local capacity building to ensure a just and effective energy transition.

The document outlines four pathways for low-carbon ammonia production: blue ammonia using carbon capture and storage (CCS), green ammonia via electrolysis, and novel methods including electrochemical and plasma-catalysis ammonia. It highlights that conventional ammonia production accounts for over 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its reliance on steam-methane reforming (SMR) for hydrogen.

Campinas, Brazil, launched its Local Climate Action Plan (PLAC) in June 2024, aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The plan utilizes an integrated approach that connects climate priorities with social inclusion and nature, supported by a roadmap of approximately 130 short-term activities to ensure feasibility through 2032. To avoid governance gaps, the city established the Municipal Committee for Coping with Climate Change Impacts, which includes deliberative, consultative, and participative groups. Key immediate priorities include expanding 150 km of cycling infrastructure by 2030 and aligning climate targets with the 2026–2029 Multi-Year Plan (PPA) budget cycle.

The Federal Hydrogen Hub Program aims to establish a national hydrogen network through seven regional hubs, with funding distributed across four phases over 8-12 years. While hubs claim local economic and environmental benefits, the guide notes that many proposed projects may increase pollution or waste energy. As of January 28, 2025, the DOE has instructed all recipients to cease activities related to Community Benefits Plans, pending further guidance.

The IISD response to the DESNZ consultation argues that updated EIA guidance for fossil fuel projects should require the separate reporting of Scope 3, Category 11 emissions and the use of zero-emission baselines for new projects. It further recommends that the significance of emissions be assessed against science-based 1.5°C scenarios and the specific need for the project.

The study tests the IPCC's carbon accounting methods for soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Argentinean Pampa Region, finding that a developed Tier 2 (T2) method using the RothC model significantly outperforms the Tier 1 (T1) method. While T1 showed poor performance at both sub-region and county scales, the T2 method demonstrated strong accuracy at the sub-region scale (R2 = 0.85) and improved accuracy at the county scale (R2 = 0.73) when excluding the Flooding Pampa region. The T2 method identified the highest average SOC losses in Central Pampa (35%), Southern Pampa – Eastern (28%), and Rolling Pampa (26%).

The document analyzes the role of electricity supply as a climate adaptation tool for groundwater pumping, specifically highlighting how low night-time tariffs in Mexico have led to increased pumping and higher emissions, threatening aquifer sustainability and riparian ecosystems.

The 2022 Scorecard evaluates eight major private equity firms managing $3.6 trillion in assets, finding that ten of the largest buyout firms held at least 80 percent of their energy portfolios in fossil fuels as of October 2021. The Carlyle Group received the lowest grade (F), with its downstream power plants emitting over 10.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020. Other firms including Warburg Pincus, KKR, Brookfield, Ares, Apollo, and Blackstone Group received Ds, while TPG earned a B. The report highlights a lack of transparency, noting that The Carlyle Group's TCFD report excludes its fossil-fuel-focused subsidiary, NGP Energy Capital, despite NGP contributing nearly 61 percent of the firm's profit in the first half of 2022. The authors demand that firms align with 1.5°C targets, cease fossil fuel expansion, disclose all emissions, and integrate climate and environmental justice.

The US chemical industry, specifically the production of hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, ethylene, propylene, and benzene, accounts for a significant portion of industrial emissions. RMI identifies 20 emissions reduction levers, 10 of which are commercially viable today and could reduce sector emissions by 34%. With additional policy and infrastructure support, this near-term reduction could reach 48%. The report emphasizes that while supply-side interventions like carbon capture and methane leak mitigation are critical, they must be paired with demand-side measures and long-term innovation in electrification and alternative feedstocks to achieve a net-zero sector by 2050.

The document analyzes the nexus of energy, water, and climate in Mexico, arguing that subsidized nighttime electricity tariffs have incentivized indiscriminate groundwater pumping, undermining water conservation efforts and threatening aquifer sustainability. It estimates that emissions from agricultural groundwater extraction in Mexico account for 3.6% of total national emissions.

In Q4 2024, US utilities updating their IRPs reduced planned wind and solar capacity by 20 GW and increased planned gas capacity by 12 GW, leading to an 8 percent increase in projected emissions despite a small downward adjustment in projected load.

The report finds significant disparities in climate progress across South Africa, with affluent cities and provinces leading in ambition while less wealthy regions lag. It highlights a one-directional influence where provincial strategies shape city policies, particularly in the Western Cape, and notes inconsistent just transition commitments within the private sector.

The research examines jatropha-based bioenergy projects in Yucatan, Mexico, finding that the popular discourse promoting the crop as a tool for rural development and sustainability is flawed. Based on 70 interviews, the study concludes that these projects failed to provide significant social sustainability benefits and argues that bioenergy projects alone cannot achieve social sustainability without a comprehensive understanding of local socioeconomic problems.

The text highlights that developing countries will bear 99% of the health burden from climate change and suggests that Peru leverage the Paris Agreement to create policies that simultaneously improve public health and the climate system.

Copper is essential for renewable energy and electric vehicles, with demand projected to grow by at least 50% by 2050. While mining faces challenges like long lead times and decreasing ore quality, recycling copper—which is 100% recyclable—can save up to 85% of the energy used in extraction. Currently, recycled copper provides about one-third of the global supply, but doubling end-of-life recycling rates from 32% to 66% could recover over 6 million tons of copper from landfills annually by 2040. Scaling this requires improving collection systems, expanding high-standard processing capacity, and increasing market demand for recycled materials across the U.S., EU, and China.

The brief, submitted by the lead Assembly sponsor of the CLCPA and several nonprofit organizations, contends that the CLCPA was designed to work in tandem with local climate actions rather than replace them. It argues that there is no legislative intent for the state to occupy the entire field of climate regulation and that the state has explicitly relied on Local Law 97 to meet its own emissions targets. The authors warn that a ruling of preemption would stifle local innovation and jeopardize New York's ability to meet its 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas reduction mandates.

The report finds that while post-issuance reporting in the GSS bond market is widespread and generally high-quality, significant gaps remain in the disclosure of project lifetimes, impact assessment methodologies, and quantitative linkages to entity-level sustainability strategies. Analysis of 75 issuers (USD 1.4tn issued) shows that 88% of 2020–2022 issuers reported allocations, but 35% failed to report within 365 days of issuance. Sovereigns and development banks demonstrated the highest reporting quality, while non-financial corporates were the least likely to provide entity-level framing. The report recommends the adoption of standardized reporting platforms and mandatory regulatory frameworks to enhance market transparency.

The report finds that sustainable agriculture finance in India averaged INR 22,393 billion annually between FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22, with a heavy reliance on domestic private finance (67%) and commercial financial institutions. While public funding remains significant, international flows are negligible at 0.5%. The study highlights a concentration of funds in farming practices and storage/markets, while critical areas like research, natural capital, and alternative supply chains are severely underfunded. It recommends the creation of a sustainable agriculture taxonomy, improved granular data reporting, the diversification of financial instruments beyond debt, and expanded capacity building to foster a more resilient agricultural ecosystem.

The report establishes a comprehensive framework for tracking sustainable agriculture finance in India, adopting a value-chain approach that covers upstream, farming, and downstream activities. It defines the criteria for 'sustainable agriculture' based on food security, emission reduction, and climate resilience, and details the data sources used—including government budgets, OECD databases, and private equity trackers—to identify public and private disbursements.