Search Climate Insights Directory

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that South Africa's 2021 NDC update is insufficient to meet the 1.5°C global warming limit and fails to reflect the country's 'fair share' of global mitigation efforts. The CER highlights that the use of an emissions range allows for a higher upper limit that is inconsistent with safe climate pathways, potentially leading to domestic temperature increases of 4 to 6°C. The document requests the government clarify if it will revisit its 2030 targets as requested by the Glasgow Climate Pact and asks for details on the mechanisms used to monitor and track greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The document expresses a mix of support and concern regarding the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. While praising the $369 billion investment in clean energy, environmental justice, and health affordability, the signatories criticize the bill's continued support for fossil fuel leasing and its reliance on carbon capture and nuclear energy. The organizations call for further executive action to freeze oil and gas permits and the passage of the Environmental Justice for All Act to protect frontline communities.

The document critiques the draft National Land Policy of Mozambique for its limited scope, lack of clarity on land tenure, and failure to integrate climate change strategies and human rights protections. It advocates for the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), stronger protections for customary land rights, and a coordinated inter-sectoral approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the oil and gas industry. The authors emphasize the need for gender equality in land access and the establishment of clear mechanisms to combat corruption and land grabbing.

Research on cattle pastures in the Brazilian Pantanal reveals that seasonally flooded pastures are significant net emitters of CO2 carbon, particularly during aerobic phases, suggesting that improved livestock management and drought-resistant grasses could mitigate these emissions.

The paper examines the role of aid projects as 'system builders' that use demonstration projects and barrier removal to foster the adoption of climate technologies in developing countries. It defines 'familiarization' as the non-prioritization of a technology in a country's Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) document. The analysis finds that while higher project costs increase the likelihood of a technology being included in a TNA, longer project durations actually decrease that likelihood. The author concludes that sustaining the scale-up of these technologies requires donors to commit aid over multiyear periods to support long-term capacity building.

In the first half of 2022, GSS+ bond issuance totaled $417.8 billion, a 27% year-on-year decrease attributed to inflation and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Green bonds remained the dominant category, with China leading in issuance volume. The report highlights the growth of transition bonds, particularly in Japan and China, and discusses the evolving landscape of global sustainable finance taxonomies, including the EU's inclusion of gas and nuclear energy.

In H1 2022, cumulative GSS+ labelled debt reached USD 417.8 billion, a 27% year-on-year decrease attributed to inflation and market volatility following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Green bonds remained the dominant theme, accounting for 52% of H1 volumes, while transition-themed Use of Proceeds (UoP) bonds saw a 2.5-fold increase from Q1 to Q2. The report highlights the expansion of sovereign GSS+ issuance, the introduction of the EU's Complementary Delegated Act including nuclear and gas, and the proliferation of national sustainable finance taxonomies in jurisdictions such as Colombia and South Africa.

The policy brief highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon is a critical but overlooked driver of greenhouse gas emissions, often exceeding the impact of clear-cut deforestation. It identifies selective logging, fire, and the edge effects of deforestation as primary drivers. The author contends that while Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor degradation, it fails to include these emissions in national inventories or set specific reduction targets. The document calls for the integration of degradation metrics into environmental performance indicators and the application of Brazil's experience in combating deforestation to address this complex phenomenon.

Energy Innovation's modeling indicates that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 37-41% below 2005 levels by 2030, closing 50-66% of the gap between business-as-usual projections and the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Despite an estimated increase of up to 50 million metric tons (MMT) in emissions from required oil and gas leasing, the net effect is overwhelmingly positive, with at least 24 tons of emissions avoided for every ton generated by leasing provisions. The IRA is projected to create 1.4 to 1.5 million jobs and prevent 3,700 to 3,900 premature deaths by 2030, with health benefits disproportionately benefiting communities of color.

The report highlights the urgent need for food systems transformation in southern Africa due to climate change, population growth, and high rates of malnutrition. It reviews key 2021 global and regional events—including the UN Food Systems Summit, the AGRF Summit, and COP26—to identify national entry points for action across southern African states, emphasizing the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus and the role of youth and ecosystem restoration.

The document examines the feasibility of using Canadian LNG to replace Russian gas in the EU, concluding that the 3-to-5-year timeline for building new Canadian facilities is incompatible with the EU's immediate needs and its medium-term goal of phasing out gas by 2025-2027.

The report outlines a 'Route to Net Zero' for Colombia by 2050, arguing that current national energy plans are insufficient for carbon neutrality. It proposes a strategy centered on high electrification (targeting 60% of final energy consumption by 2050), a massive expansion of non-conventional renewable energy (FNCER), and a gradual phase-out of fossil fuels. The analysis emphasizes that decarbonization must be paired with a 'just transition' framework to protect communities and workers dependent on the mining and hydrocarbon sectors, particularly in regions like La Guajira and Cesar.

Trend Asia challenges PT PLN's claim that biomass co-firing facilitates an energy transition and reduces emissions. The report argues that the massive land requirements for energy plantation forests (HTE) to supply wood pellets would lead to significant deforestation, resulting in net carbon emissions rather than reductions. It finds that biomass has become a complement to, rather than a substitute for, coal, with total coal consumption continuing to rise.

Trend Asia argues that PT PLN's biomass co-firing strategy does not reduce coal utilization and instead increases overall emissions due to deforestation and the carbon-intensive production of wood pellets. The report calculates that implementing 10% co-firing across 107 power plants could generate between 7.9 and 26.5 million tonnes of CO2e annually, depending on the tree species used, while potentially requiring millions of hectares of land for energy timber plantations (HTE).

The report evaluates the climate action plans and policies of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire using the UCS Resilience Gap Framework. It identifies a regional trend where mitigation and adaptation efforts remain siloed and equity goals are often articulated in policy but poorly implemented. Maine and Vermont are highlighted as regional leaders in alignment with the framework, while New Hampshire is noted for having an outdated plan and a lack of state leadership. The assessment reveals a widespread failure across all six states to account for maladaptation in their planning.

The memorandum outlines a series of legislative amendments to the South African tax regime. Key proposals include a ramp-up of the carbon tax rate to US$30/tCO2e by 2030, the extension of energy efficiency and electricity price neutrality incentives until 2025, and the introduction of an excise duty on vaping products. It also addresses technical corrections in retirement fund transfers, insurance accounting under IFRS 17, and VAT registration for foreign suppliers.

The document argues that as the two largest greenhouse gas emitters, the USA and China must cooperate to mitigate climate change. It proposes specific mechanisms for collaboration, including a joint clean energy research institute, the removal of trade tariffs on renewable components, and the establishment of exchange programs between subnational governments, NGOs, and private companies to share expertise on clean energy infrastructure and regulation.

The European Union's projected hydrogen demand is expected to rise from 8.3 Mtpy to over 60 Mtpy by 2050, with the World Energy Council estimating that 50% of this demand must be met through imports from regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the U.S. To ensure these imports are climate-beneficial, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) advocates for a certification system that measures greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the entire value chain—including production, storage, transport, and conversion—rather than focusing solely on production facilities. The document highlights a regulatory gap, noting that the Gas Package's delegated act for GHG emissions methodology is not planned until 31 December 2024, which lags behind current market activities and Memoranda of Understanding. CATF recommends that the EU adopt a technology-inclusive approach covering renewable and low-carbon hydrogen (including blue hydrogen), incorporate stringent methane leakage criteria, and align its methodology with the Methane Regulation's monitoring, reporting, and verification requirements by 2027.

The European Union faces a significant hydrogen supply gap, with demand projected to rise from 8.3 million tonnes per year to over 60 million tonnes by 2050, necessitating imports from regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and the USA. The Clean Air Task Force argues that current certification efforts are often voluntary or too narrow, focusing only on production plants rather than the full value chain. To avoid market uncertainty and investment risks, the document recommends that the EU's 'Gas Package' and subsequent delegated acts establish a technology-neutral certification methodology. This methodology must employ a full life-cycle analysis (LCA) that includes upstream methane leaks, transport, storage, and distribution to ensure genuine greenhouse gas reductions.

The Life After Coal campaign expresses support for rolling out renewable energy and battery storage from the 2019 IRP but strongly opposes the use of the energy crisis to introduce gas into the electricity mix. The campaign argues that gas is not a transitional fuel and poses risks of stranded assets and higher costs for consumers. It further criticises the potential for privatising new generation and the lack of specific support for rooftop solar for poor South Africans whose housing may not support such installations. The document also warns that Eskom's repurposing plans favour expensive gas turbines over low-cost solar power.