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Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate transition from a pollutant-heavy energy system to a decentralized, people-led model. The statement rejects 'false solutions' like carbon capture and argues that developed nations must take primary responsibility for emissions reductions and financial transfers to the Global South to ensure a just transition.

Friends of the Earth International calls for an immediate global shift away from 'dirty energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydroelectricity—toward community-led, decentralized energy systems. The statement emphasizes that the Global North must take primary responsibility for emission cuts and financial support for the Global South to achieve climate justice and prevent irreversible planetary tipping points.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a transition from 'Dirty Energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and large-scale hydropower—to decentralized, people-centered community energy. The statement criticizes 'false solutions' like BECCS and carbon offsets, highlighting the disproportionate responsibility of the global North for emissions and the need for a just transition that includes significant financial flows to the global South.

The briefing highlights the momentum of corporate and municipal climate commitments and advocates for a 'next generation' of low-carbon solutions. It suggests that moving beyond simple wind and solar additions to include technologies like energy storage, nuclear energy, and demand response—implemented through utility-customer partnerships—can more effectively 'green' the grid and reduce overall system emissions at a lower cost.

The paper proposes a new research agenda, the Climate Investment Research Collaborative on Long-term Effectiveness (CIRCLE), to rethink climate finance for deep decarbonization by 2050. It argues that relying on 'best immediate bang for your buck' investment strategies is insufficient for mid-century goals. Instead, it suggests prioritizing sectors with high abatement costs to avoid expensive abrupt transformations and 'adjustment costs'. The authors advocate for moving beyond aggregate volumetric financial metrics, which fail to account for technology cost reductions or high-carbon investments, toward a more nuanced understanding of financial actor roles across the technology development spectrum and the impact of domestic R&D in developed nations on technology adoption in developing countries.

The report argues that the UK is on track to phase out coal by 2025 without needing new large gas plants. It finds that renewables, particularly offshore wind, and increased electricity imports via interconnectors will replace coal generation. Analysis of the Capacity Market shows that coal is being replaced by batteries, demand-side response, and small peaking gas plants rather than large combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). The report suggests that new large gas plants are incompatible with climate targets and would be unnecessarily costly due to low required load factors.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submits that South Africa must urgently transition from coal to renewable energy due to the declining competitiveness of coal, severe health and environmental impacts, and extreme vulnerability to climate change. The CER argues against new coal and nuclear infrastructure, recommends the decommissioning of non-compliant coal plants, and calls for a transformation of Eskom into an organ of state promoting clean energy. It further emphasizes the need for meaningful public consultation in energy planning and warns against the continued operation of high-emission facilities like Sasol's Secunda complex.

The Life After Coal Campaign and Greenpeace Africa have written to South Africa's Minister of Energy to express concerns that the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity is being fast-tracked without sufficient public consultation. The authors argue that the IRP must be based on the least-cost technology combination, account for external costs to health and climate, and align with South Africa's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. They specifically oppose the continued inclusion of coal and nuclear power, citing the risk of stranded assets and the need for a just transition to renewable energy. The letter warns that failing to provide a transparent, fair process for public comment would make the final IRP vulnerable to legal challenges.

The Institute for Policy Integrity submits that the New York Public Service Commission correctly applied the Social Cost of Carbon to internalize the external costs of carbon emissions when pricing zero-emissions credits for nuclear generators. This mechanism supports the state's Clean Energy Standard goal of reaching 50% renewable generation by 2030 by preventing potential pollution increases that would occur if nuclear plants closed.

A March 2018 survey of 1,067 registered US voters reveals broad bipartisan support for renewable energy and carbon pollution limits, despite significant political divides over the causes of global warming and the priority level assigned to climate action. While 73% of voters believe global warming is happening, only 40% of conservative Republicans share this view. However, majorities across the political spectrum support funding renewable energy research and regulating carbon dioxide. The report also notes a gap between stated support for climate action and actual individual engagement, with only 13% of voters having contacted an elected official about global warming in the previous year.

The Life After Coal Campaign, comprising the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, urges the South African government to abandon new coal and nuclear power projects in favor of a least-cost, renewable energy trajectory. The campaign argues that current energy planning must adhere to constitutional rights, international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, and scientific evidence showing that new fossil fuel infrastructure is no longer competitive. Citing studies from Meridian Economics, the CSIR, and other international bodies, the document asserts that accelerating the decommissioning of older coal plants and curtailing certain new units could save Eskom up to R17 billion while improving public health and environmental outcomes.

COP 23 served as a technical transition to establish the 'Paris Rulebook' for implementing the Paris Agreement. Key outcomes included the design of the Talanoa Dialogue for monitoring collective efforts, a breakthrough agreement to address agriculture and food security, and the adoption of a Gender Action Plan. However, the document notes a lack of substantial progress on long-term climate finance and 'loss and damage' funding, while highlighting a tension between official negotiations and civil society demands for climate justice and an end to the fossil fuel era.

In 2017, renewables generated 30% of Europe's electricity for the first time, with wind, solar, and biomass overtaking coal generation. However, overall EU greenhouse gas emissions rose by approximately 1% due to increasing electricity consumption and a significant drop in hydro generation, which was the lowest this century. While Western European nations like the Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal announced coal phase-outs, Eastern European countries continued to rely on coal. The report also highlights the impact of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) reforms and the ongoing negotiations of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package.

The report examines the restructuring of Poland's coal sector following the 1989 transition to a market economy. While the sector successfully reduced its workforce from 388,000 in 1990 to 98,000 in 2015 and closed 40 of 70 collieries, it struggled with persistent lack of profitability and significant social costs. The authors analyze the Mining Social Package (MSP) and special privileges for mining communes, noting that while the MSP effectively reduced employment, it led to long-term labor market inactivity due to a lack of comprehensive job-seeking support. The report concludes that coal phase-out requires integrated regional development and mandatory professional retraining to avoid social exclusion.

The World Resources Institute developed a three-step method to estimate thermal power plant water demand: identifying cooling and fuel types via satellite images, assigning water-use factors from empirical data, and calculating total use based on net generation. Tested on 200 U.S. plants, the method achieved 90% precision in cooling and 89% in fuel identification, though water demand estimation precision was lower at 69%. The authors note limitations regarding image resolution, the inability to distinguish specific generation technologies within a fuel type, and the reliance on U.S.-based water-use factors which may vary globally.

Greenpeace Africa argues that the draft IRP 2018 Update is inadequate for achieving a just transition to renewable energy and fails to meet South Africa's international climate commitments. The submission calls for the total removal of new coal and nuclear capacity, the elimination of artificial caps on wind and solar energy, and an accelerated decommissioning of coal-fired power stations. It highlights severe air pollution in Mpumalanga and the critical need to prioritize water security in energy planning. The document emphasizes that the plan must be based on the latest IPCC science to limit global warming to 1.5°C and should incorporate transparent data on costs and demand-side management.

The report examines India's coal dependency and the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Using the AIM/Enduse model, it compares the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) scenario with two 2°C pathways: a 'conventional' one relying on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and a 'sustainable' one shifting toward renewables, gas, and nuclear power. Key findings highlight the risk of significant stranded assets—including approximately 220 billion tonnes of unutilized coal reserves valued at USD 6.7 trillion—and the increasing vulnerability of coal power plants to water shortages, which already cause substantial generation losses. The report argues that while coal remains a mainstay until 2030, a managed phase-out is necessary to meet global climate targets, requiring synchronized actions in energy efficiency, renewable scaling, and the retirement of inefficient sub-critical plants.

The report analyzes the necessity of transitioning Poland's coal-dependent energy system to meet global climate goals. It compares a 'baseline' business-as-usual scenario with a '<2°C-consistent' scenario, the latter requiring a 67% reduction in per capita CO2 emissions by 2050. The analysis highlights that while the power sector must shift toward renewables and nuclear energy, the transition's social viability depends on managing the decline of the mining sector—particularly in the Śląskie region—through natural attrition, retraining, and conditional financial support to avoid the social exclusion seen in previous regional closures.

The Clean Air Task Force argues that New Jersey's nuclear plants, specifically Hope Creek and Salem, are critical for maintaining the state's zero-carbon electricity share. The testimony asserts that replacing these plants with wind and solar would require an impractical scale of immediate buildout, and replacing them with gas would increase regional emissions by approximately 11 million tons annually, undermining goals like those of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The author supports a proposed subsidy of approximately $10/MWH to keep these plants operational as a low-cost interim measure.

The report analyzes the aftermath of the ANC's 54th national conference, where Cyril Ramaphosa narrowly defeated Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. It argues that while Ramaphosa's victory averted a major crisis, the party remains deeply divided between 'reformists' and 'traditionalists,' placing South Africa in a 'muddling along' scenario. Key challenges include the potential recall of Jacob Zuma, avoiding a credit rating downgrade by Moody's, and managing the Tripartite Alliance. The author predicts the ANC will retain national power in 2019 but may lose its majority in Gauteng province, with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) emerging as a potential kingmaker there.