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Seal River Watershed: The case for conservation
The Seal River Watershed in northern Manitoba is a 50,000 km2 area that is 99.97% intact and serves as one of Canada's largest free-flowing drainage basins. The report highlights its critical role in biodiversity, storing 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon and supporting species at risk such as polar bears and barren-ground caribou. Economically, the watershed provides at least CAD 214 million in annual ecosystem goods and services (EGS), including ecotourism and caribou harvesting, while the stored carbon is valued at CAD 314.5 billion. The document advocates for the creation of an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) led by the Sayisi Dene, Northlands Denesuline, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation to prevent threats from mining, hydroelectricity, and road development. It suggests the Manitoba government implement interim protections, establish a feasibility committee, and provide technical support for Indigenous Guardians programs.
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Document type: Report
Why Canada’s Energy Security Hinges on Renewables
The document asserts that Canada's reliance on oil, gas, and coal leaves it vulnerable to global market volatility and geopolitical shocks, despite being a major producer. It argues that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are now more cost-effective than fossil fuels and can provide long-term price stability because they do not require input fuels. The brief highlights Canada's existing hydroelectric capacity as a key asset for balancing variable renewables and suggests that electrifying transport and heating will further reduce exposure to fossil fuel price spikes. It concludes that prioritizing investments in flexible, integrated electricity grids and energy efficiency is essential for achieving a non-emitting electricity grid by 2035 and ensuring affordable energy security.
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Document type: Policy brief
Five priorities for the new UK Prime Minister
The Green Economy Coalition argues that the UK's cost-of-living crisis requires a combination of urgent financial support for the vulnerable and a strategic commitment to a green recovery. It rejects short-term fixes such as North Sea drilling, fracking, and scrapping the green levy, instead advocating for a transition to renewable energy, a pro-poor policy approach, and a green jobs strategy to ensure long-term economic and environmental resilience.
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Document type: Statement
ESTADO DEL MERCADO DE LAS FINANZAS SOSTENIBLES EN PERU 2022
The report provides a comprehensive overview of Peru's sustainable finance landscape, detailing the growth of Green, Social, and Sustainability (VSS+) bonds. It highlights Peru's role as a regional pioneer, starting with the first green bond in Latin America in 2014, and examines the current market composition where sustainable bonds dominate. The document identifies significant investment gaps in infrastructure, water management, and low-carbon transport, while outlining a roadmap for growth involving key public and private stakeholders. It also addresses systemic barriers such as low market liquidity, currency risk, and the need for a national green taxonomy.
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Document type: Report
BNDES in the Legal Amazon
The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon from 2009 to 2019, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale infrastructure, specifically hydroelectric power generation, which often serves the rest of Brazil while local populations remain energy-poor. The authors argue that BNDES has a significant opportunity to pivot toward the energy transition by replacing diesel-based isolated systems with renewable energy and improving basic services like sanitation and internet access to reduce regional inequality.
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Document type: Report
A la resistencia del pueblo hondureño
The report details a period of institutional violence in Honduras following the 2009 coup, characterized by the criminalization of environmental and land defenders, systemic gender-based violence, and the expansion of transnational corporate control over natural resources. It documents specific cases of human rights abuses, including the murders of Berta Cáceres and Keyla Martínez and the forced disappearance of Garífuna leaders. The text argues that the state acted as a facilitator for extractivist projects—such as hydroelectric dams and 'model cities' (ZEDEs)—often ignoring the right to free, prior, and informed consent. It concludes by welcoming the election of Xiomara Castro as a step toward democratic recovery and calls for continued international solidarity to support a feminist and just transition.
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Document type: Report
Respuesta al Informe de Seguimiento al Plan de Acción e Informe de Cierre de Caso – Borrador Preliminar - MICI-BID-CH-2017-0115 Proyecto “Hidroeléctrico Alto Maipo”
The document argues that the MICI's decision to close the Alto Maipo case is premature and fails to hold the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) accountable for environmental damage and human rights violations. It highlights severe reprisals against environmental defenders, including cyber-intelligence surveillance by AES Andes, and criticizes the IDB Invest's 'cut and run' divestment strategy, which the authors claim avoids responsibility for remediation. The authors emphasize that the project accelerated desertification in the Maipo River basin, threatening the water supply for over eight million people in Santiago, and call for a formal 'Responsible Exit' framework and a comprehensive reparation mechanism within the IDB's accountability system.
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Document type: Statement
BNDES in the Legal Amazon
The report examines BNDES's role in the Legal Amazon, finding that while the North Region receives the highest share of disbursements relative to its GDP, it receives the lowest total share of BNDES funds. Financing is heavily concentrated in large-scale hydroelectric infrastructure, often serving the rest of Brazil while local populations remain dependent on expensive, polluting diesel generation. The authors argue for a transition toward renewable energy, decentralized solar power, and improved basic services to reduce regional inequality.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Rebirth: Tunisia’s potential development pathways to 2040
The report examines Tunisia's basic infrastructure, noting successes in water and sanitation access and telecommunications penetration, while highlighting critical challenges in water scarcity, heavy energy subsidies, and a slow transition to renewable energy. It projects that Tunisia will not meet its 30% renewable electricity target by 2030, instead reaching it by 2040 unless more aggressive measures are taken.
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Document type: Report
Rivers of Diesel in the Amazon: Why does the region with Brazil's biggest hydroelectric plants still rely on expensive, dirty fuel?
The report highlights a paradox in the Legal Amazon: while the region hosts Brazil's largest hydroelectric plants and generates over 25.7% of national electricity, approximately four million of its residents lack access to the National Interconnected System (SIN). Around three million people rely on isolated systems, 97% of which are powered by expensive and polluting diesel fuel, while nearly one million people have no reliable public energy access at all. These isolated systems are heavily subsidized by the Fuel Consumption Fund (CCC), which reached an estimated value of over R$ 10 billion in 2022. The document finds that municipalities with isolated systems consistently perform worse across key socioeconomic indicators, including the Human Development Index and GDP per capita, compared to connected municipalities. To address this, the report recommends modifying auction rules to make renewables more competitive, incentivizing decentralized solar power, and improving the 'More Light for the Amazon' program through better oversight and community involvement.
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Document type: Report
Rios de Diesel na Amazônia Legal: Por que a Região com as Maiores Hidrelétricas do País Depende de Combustível Caro e Poluente?
The document analyzes the energy landscape of the Legal Amazon, highlighting the disparity between the region's role as a major energy exporter via the National Interconnected System (SIN) and the internal reality of 4 million people disconnected from it. It examines 'Sistemas Isolados' (Isolated Systems) and populations without any electricity access, linking these energy deficits to poor socioeconomic indicators. The report criticizes the current auction model for isolated systems for favoring diesel over renewables and evaluates the 'Mais Luz para a Amazônia' program, providing recommendations for a transition toward decentralized solar energy and improved regulatory frameworks.
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Document type: Report
Access to Tech Finance for the Peaceful Application of Nuclear Technology in Africa
The document examines the potential for nuclear energy and technology in Africa, contrasting its developmental benefits in medicine and research with the high costs and financial risks of commercial power plants. It finds that major development finance institutions generally avoid nuclear funding, leaving African nations reliant on vendor financing from countries like Russia and China. The authors argue that due to the falling costs of renewables, investing in solar, wind, and energy storage is generally a more cost-effective path to energy security for the continent.
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Document type: Policy brief
Volte-face
The executive summary outlines a strategy for Canada to reach carbon neutrality by shifting from fossil fuels to clean electricity. It emphasizes the need for a massive expansion of electricity production capacity, the acceleration of wind and solar deployment, and the implementation of 'electro-federalism'—a coordinated policy approach across all levels of government to manage the transition and ensure equity.
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Document type: Executive summary
VOLTE FACE
The report argues that Canada must transition to larger, cleaner, and smarter electrical systems to achieve net-zero emissions. It highlights the need for a massive increase in production capacity, the elimination of fossil fuel power, and enhanced grid flexibility. To overcome institutional and financial barriers, the authors recommend 'electro-federalism,' where the federal government provides strategic funding and standards while provinces manage regional implementation and integration.
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Document type: Report
Scaling Up Clean Electricity
The report identifies a critical gap between current Canadian utility planning and the electricity supply needed for net-zero, suggesting that consumption must at least double by 2050. It proposes five catalysts to accelerate this transition, focusing on three supply-side actions: embedding net-zero mandates into regulator and utility roles, aligning resource planning with decarbonization pathways, and leveraging private and Indigenous capital to fund infrastructure. The document highlights that while Canada has abundant renewable resources, conservative demand forecasting and regulatory frameworks focused solely on low cost and reliability currently hinder the necessary build-out.
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Document type: Report
A Case Study in the Environmental Risks of War: Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant
The case study examines the potential cascading effects of a successful attack on the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP). It argues that the destruction of such infrastructure triggers a chain of risks: immediate power loss for up to 370,000 end users, a shift toward environmentally damaging backup energy sources like biomass, and the failure of critical environmental management systems. Furthermore, a dam breach would cause catastrophic flooding for over 5 million people along the Dnieper River and potentially release contaminants from industrial sites like the Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant into the water system.
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Document type: Case study
ROADMAP FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION TO 2050 IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The report assesses the current state of energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean, identifying gaps in energy efficiency, electrification, and the adoption of low-carbon technologies like hydrogen and CCUS. It highlights the region's strong baseline in renewable electricity, primarily from hydropower, while emphasizing the need for more aggressive long-term targets and climate adaptation strategies to protect energy infrastructure from extreme weather.
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Document type: Report
Global Trends Trends in global electricity
In 2021, wind and solar generated over 10% of global electricity for the first time, but record-high electricity demand led to a record rise in coal power and the largest absolute increase in power sector CO2 emissions ever recorded.
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Document type: Report
Coopération nordique et provincialisme canadien
The document analyzes how Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland created a highly integrated electricity market, notably through the Nord Pool exchange, to balance variable renewable energy with hydroelectric storage. It argues that Canada's 'balkanized' grid, characterized by provincial control and political resistance, could benefit from similar bilateral exchanges—specifically linking hydroelectric-rich provinces like Quebec, Manitoba, and British Columbia with those transitioning from fossil fuels—to lower costs and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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Document type: Case study
Nordic Co-operation, Canadian Provincialism
The document analyzes the Nordic model of electricity co-operation—characterized by two-way trade, market harmonization via Nord Pool, and regional governance—as a blueprint for Canada. It argues that Canadian provinces could lower decarbonization costs by using hydro-rich provinces as 'batteries' to back up variable renewable energy in other regions, provided they overcome political resistance and regulatory misalignment.
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Document type: Case study