Search Climate Insights Directory

The Clean Air Task Force supports the SCALE Act, a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives to accelerate the deployment of CO2 transportation and storage infrastructure. The Act focuses on four areas: supporting carbon utilization technologies, providing low-interest loans and grants for transport infrastructure via the CIFIA program, expanding cost-sharing for commercial-scale saline geologic storage through the CarbonSAFE program, and increasing EPA funding for Class VI storage well permitting.

The World Resources Institute supports the Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act, which aims to reduce obstacles to CO2 infrastructure by funding transport, geological storage, and permitting. The act would establish a testing center for utilizing captured CO2 in products and provide funds for low-carbon procurement. According to the statement, the deployment of carbon capture and storage plants necessary for climate goals could create more than 61,000 American jobs by 2035.

The document marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement by calling for a national mobilization on climate and recovery in the United States and global corporate leadership. It emphasizes the role of youth activism, the 'We Are Still In' coalition, and the 'Alliances for Climate Action' in driving decarbonization. The author highlights the need for credible corporate strategies to avoid confusion over terms like 'net zero' and promotes WWF's 'Beyond Science-Based Targets' report as a blueprint for companies to maximize their climate impact.

The report examines the role of cities, regions, and companies in the EU's climate action, noting that 40% of 2016 emissions are covered by individual targets and 36% of the population is covered by subnational net-zero targets as of October 2020. It argues that while significant mitigation potential exists, these reductions require coordination with national and EU-level policies. The study finds limited data on overall progress toward targets, though some European cities showed good progress toward 2020 goals.

The World Resources Institute acknowledges a growing momentum toward net-zero transformations following the Climate Ambition Summit, noting new targets from the EU, UK, Colombia, and China. However, it emphasizes that too few major economies provided bold 2030 emission cuts or the financial mobilization necessary for developing nations, specifically noting the failure of developed countries to provide clear signals on meeting the $100 billion annual climate finance commitment.

The document asserts that the Paris Agreement's success is hindered by a failure to recognize that a public mandate is essential for reducing emissions and transforming personal behaviors. It highlights the neglect of Article 12 and Article 11 of the Paris Agreement, which mandate climate education and public participation. The author notes that while the UK's Committee on Climate Change now acknowledges that net zero is impossible without engaging people, central government ministries still lack a dedicated strategy or budget. The document calls for a 'step change' in public engagement leading up to COP26 in Glasgow, proposing the launch of a Climate Engagement Initiative to ensure citizens' rights to understand climate impacts are upheld.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development evaluates Canada's new climate plan, highlighting the carbon pricing trajectory, the commitment to a national adaptation plan, and CAD 15 billion in low-carbon economy investments. While acknowledging the plan as a 'good start', the statement emphasizes the need for further just transition policies, increased provincial ambition, and private sector investment to ensure national competitiveness in the global race to net zero.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BlackRock's 2021 Stewardship Expectations, arguing that the asset manager's commitment to support more climate-related shareholder votes is undermined by a lack of robust engagement strategies. The document highlights that BlackRock supported only 11% of climate resolutions in 2020 and continues to invest in companies expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, including 240 companies planning new coal projects. Reclaim Finance asserts that effective engagement requires public, time-bound demands for 1.5ºC alignment and absolute emission reductions by 2030, alongside the use of divestment for non-transitioning companies.

The document traces the history of international climate governance, highlighting the shift from the 'top-down' Kyoto Protocol to the 'bottom-up' Paris Agreement. It analyzes the central tension between ensuring universal participation and maintaining the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR). While the Paris Agreement achieved universality by allowing self-differentiation through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the brief notes that current collective pledges are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C or 2°C, and that the regime's success depends on the ambition of major emitters.

Based on a survey of 98 policy makers and experts from 83 countries, the report finds that while fundamental drivers for a low-carbon transition remain, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed NDC and LTS processes. It warns that many countries do not currently plan to significantly increase their ambition in the current update cycle and that short-term economic relief may lead to the bailing out of polluting industries without climate conditions. The report urges countries to act before the 2025 update cycle to avoid the scale of the task becoming unreachable.

Five years after the Paris Agreement, there has been a significant increase in net-zero commitments from major economies and businesses, though current pledges only limit temperature rise to 2.1ºC. The author argues that green recovery plans provide better economic and employment benefits than traditional stimulus and calls for mandatory climate-related financial disclosures and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies to unlock further private investment.

The document argues that while many countries have submitted long-term climate strategies, a formal decision at COP26 is necessary to provide a new timeframe for submissions, encourage regular updates, and align these strategies with short-term Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It outlines six functions for such a decision, including welcoming existing strategies and facilitating continuous improvement based on science and national developments. The author emphasizes that long-term strategies are critical for guiding structural economic shifts, sparking innovation, and ensuring a just transition for workforces.

The report evaluates the climate and air quality impacts of residual waste treatment in the UK, comparing landfill and incineration across different scenarios. It finds that while incineration may currently appear more favorable due to energy credits, its relative performance is expected to decline by 2035 as the electricity grid decarbonises and waste composition changes. The study emphasizes that pre-treatment is essential for both technologies to align with net-zero targets and notes that incineration has a more significant negative impact on local air quality than landfill.

The document advocates for the use of the corporate bond market as a strategic lever for climate action, arguing that it offers more direct influence over companies than equity-based engagement. It specifically calls for investors to stop purchasing bonds from companies not aligned with the Paris Agreement and highlights the Samcheok coal plant project in South Korea as a critical test case for investor climate consistency.

The document defines net zero as the balance between greenhouse gas emissions released and those removed from the atmosphere. It identifies the primary U.S. emitting sectors as transportation (28%), electricity (27%), and industry (22%), and outlines solutions including the electrification of transport and buildings, the expansion of wind and solar power, and the use of natural and technological carbon sinks. It highlights that while 12 U.S. states have net-zero mandates by 2050, massive adoption of electric vehicles and carbon removal technologies is necessary to meet Paris Agreement targets.

The document examines the risks posed to UK agricultural environmental standards by new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), particularly with the US, Australia, and New Zealand. It proposes a system of 'core' environmental standards based on environmental significance, production constraints, and cost impacts. To protect these, the author suggests several mechanisms: voluntary labelling, legally binding non-regression clauses, conditional import tariffs, and the introduction of mandatory environmental standards for imports. The briefing emphasizes the need for an independent expert body to provide the evidence base and governance required to implement these measures without breaching WTO rules.

The report introduces a four-step blueprint for corporate climate action: accounting and disclosing emissions, reducing value chain emissions via science-based targets, quantifying a financial commitment by pricing remaining emissions, and investing that commitment into further reductions, climate innovation, and high-quality carbon credits. It argues that current 'footprint-based' approaches are insufficient and advocates for a forward-looking model that integrates nature-based solutions and policy advocacy to achieve a net-zero global economy.

The Clean Air Task Force proposes a federal policy platform to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through the deployment of zero-carbon technologies, strong regulatory standards, increased RD&D funding, and targeted financial incentives. Key priorities include achieving 100 percent zero-carbon electricity, reducing oil and gas methane emissions by 65%, and transitioning away from unabated fossil fuels while supporting vulnerable and fossil-fuel-dependent communities.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) commends the Canadian government for tabling Bill C-12, the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. The organization highlights four key strengths of the legislation: the legal enshrining of the 2050 net-zero target, a five-year milestone accountability framework, the creation of an independent science-based advisory body, and new requirements for reporting climate-related financial risks within the federal government. While supporting the act as a foundation for a resilient recovery, IISD notes that it lacks specific initiatives to reach net zero and calls for further actions, including a detailed 2030 target plan, sectoral pathways, a Just Transition Act, and a National Adaptation Plan.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the UK government's Green Recovery plan for its focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and low carbon hydrogen as essential for net-zero goals. The plan allocates £1bn total to CCS and £500M to low carbon hydrogen, targeting industrial clusters such as Teesside and Humber. While endorsing the 'all of the above' approach and the development of zero carbon liquid fuels, CATF emphasizes that the UK must immediately reduce methane emissions from natural gas to effectively mitigate warming.