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WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THE INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN UPDATE: ASSUMPTIONS, BASE CASE RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS, REVISION 1 AND ON THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that South Africa's draft Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) and Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update are inconsistent with the Constitution, the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), and the National Energy Act (NEA). The CER contends that the plans unjustifiably constrain renewable energy while promoting new coal-fired power stations, which they claim cause severe health impacts and contribute to climate change. They highlight that coal-fired power is no longer the least-cost option and risks creating stranded assets. The document recommends removing build limits on wind and solar, excluding new coal and nuclear power, and conducting a comprehensive assessment of external social and environmental costs.
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Document type: Statement
We accuse! BNP Paribas is the one that belongs in the dock
Friends of the Earth International and over 150 organizations condemn BNP Paribas for financing fossil fuels and facilitating tax evasion. The statement specifically opposes the legal action taken by the bank against activist Florent Compain for a non-violent protest in 2015. The document argues that the bank's financial activities exacerbate the climate crisis and violate human rights, calling for the redirection of funds from tax havens toward an ecological and social transition.
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Document type: Statement
A Good Start for Massachusetts on Clean Energy, but Lots More to Do
The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports Massachusetts' proposed technology-neutral Clean Energy Standard, which includes nuclear power and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to help achieve an 80% reduction in grid carbon emissions by 2050. However, CATF argues that the proposed power plant emissions caps are not deep enough and fail to account for the 'maximum technologically feasible reductions' required by law. Additionally, the document criticizes the state's methane reduction proposals for being too narrow, focusing only on certain leaky distribution pipelines for three years while ignoring larger transmission and storage facilities.
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Document type: Statement
Commodity prices and investment prospects for African countries in a brave new world
The paper argues that African countries should pivot away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy toward minerals and metals essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as copper and platinum. It highlights a decline in mineral exploration in Africa, particularly South Africa, and warns against the 'resource curse' associated with oil wealth. The author contends that the falling cost of renewables and the rise of smart technologies make fossil fuel investments risky, urging African policymakers to align industrial policies with the demand for green energy minerals to avoid premature de-industrialisation.
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Document type: Research paper
DEVELOPMENT TRENDS REPORT FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA
The report analyzes development trajectories for 14 Southern African countries, forecasting that while GDP is expected to grow, extreme poverty will persist due to rapid population growth and governance challenges. It uses scenario modeling to demonstrate that integrated policy interventions in governance, health, education, and infrastructure can significantly improve regional outcomes, with governance capacity identified as the primary catalyst for economic growth.
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Document type: Report
Coal Transition in the CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czech Republic has seen a significant decline in coal production and employment since 1990, with the share of coal in primary energy production falling from 89% to 58% by 2014. The transition has been characterized by the privatization of mines, the imposition of ecological territorial limits in the North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin, and state-funded environmental remediation. While the broader economic transformation is viewed as successful, specific mining regions have faced social isolation and economic distress. Future energy policy aims to further reduce coal's share in electricity and heat, favoring nuclear power and renewables.
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Document type: Case study
The 5th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO5)
The 5th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO5) analyzes energy trajectories for 10 ASEAN Member States through 2040. It compares a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario with two target-based scenarios: the AMS Targets Scenario (ATS) and the ASEAN Progressive Scenario (APS). The report finds that while the region is on track to meet energy intensity targets, achieving the 23% renewable energy share by 2025 requires significantly more ambition than current national targets provide. It highlights a continuing heavy reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal in the power sector, and projects increasing import dependency for natural gas and crude oil. The report recommends strengthening energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, including the use of auctions and expanding renewables beyond the power sector, to improve energy security and reduce CO2 emissions.
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Document type: Report
Renewable Energy: Facts and Futures
The report examines South Africa's renewable energy landscape, highlighting the success of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REI4P) in attracting R195 billion in investment and creating 26,790 jobs. It argues that South Africa possesses world-class solar and wind resources that could allow for a 70% renewable energy share by 2040, reducing costs and emissions. However, the document identifies significant barriers, primarily the state utility Eskom's reluctance to sign power purchase agreements and a historical path-dependency on coal. It also discusses the rise of rooftop photovoltaics and the necessity of a 'just transition' to protect workers in the coal sector.
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Document type: Report
Joint statement by CEE civil society organisations on implementing the Paris Agreement
The document argues that EU climate tools must be reformed to support a low-carbon transition in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically calling for a 55% emission reduction target by 2030 and the phase-out of fossil fuel and nuclear energy subsidies.
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Document type: Statement
United States Mid-Century Strategy FOR DEEP DECARBONIZATION
The United States Mid-Century Strategy (MCS) provides a roadmap for deep decarbonization by 2050, focusing on three primary pillars: transitioning to a low-carbon energy system, enhancing the land carbon sink, and reducing non-CO2 emissions. The strategy emphasizes a combination of aggressive energy efficiency, near-complete decarbonization of the electricity grid, and the deployment of carbon removal technologies like BECCS. It argues that these goals are compatible with robust economic growth and suggests that a carbon price starting at $20 per metric ton in 2017 could put energy CO2 emissions on a consistent pathway. The report also highlights the critical role of U.S. forests and soils in sequestering carbon and the necessity of international cooperation to drive down technology costs and prevent emissions leakage.
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Document type: Report
DIRTY ENERGY IN AFRICA
The document examines the impacts of coal, oil, gas, and megadams across Africa, highlighting how these 'dirty energy' sources drive climate change and cause severe social and health crises. It details specific cases, such as South Africa's coal reliance, Uganda's oil expansion, and Mozambique's megadams, while warning against the 'extreme energy' frontier of fracking and tar sands. The briefing concludes that African governments must reject these outdated pathways in favor of decentralized, sustainable energy systems supported by climate finance from developed nations.
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Document type: Briefing
ENERGÍA SUCIA EN ÁFRICA
The document examines the impacts of 'dirty energy' (coal, oil, gas, nuclear, industrial biomass, mega-dams, and waste incineration) across Africa. It highlights how these technologies drive climate change, cause severe health and environmental damage, and often benefit elites and multinational corporations over local populations. The report provides case studies on coal in South Africa, oil in Nigeria and Uganda, mega-dams in Mozambique, and the risks of 'extreme energy' like fracking and bitumen extraction in the Maghreb and Nigeria. It concludes by calling for 'energy sovereignty' and a just transition to decentralized, renewable energy systems.
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Document type: Report
Open letter on the decision to approve Hinkley Point C
Scientists for Global Responsibility argues against the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, citing unproven EPR technology, high costs, and the precarious financial state of EDF. The letter suggests that energy conservation, infrastructure improvements, and renewable energy are more cost-effective and secure alternatives to nuclear baseload power.
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Document type: Statement
REINVENTING FIRE: CHINA
The 'Reinventing Fire: China' roadmap proposes a transition to a low-carbon energy system by 2050, focusing on demand reduction and a shift to non-fossil fuels. The analysis compares a 'Reference Scenario' with a 'Reinventing Fire Scenario,' finding that the latter can support 600% incremental GDP growth while keeping 2050 primary energy demand within 1% of 2010 levels. Key strategies include aggressive efficiency gains in industry, buildings, and transportation, alongside a power sector transition where 82% of electricity is non-fossil by 2050. The roadmap estimates a net present value savings of 21 trillion RMB and significant reductions in CO2, SO2, and NOX emissions.
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Document type: Executive summary
The Health Benefits of the Clean Power Plan
The document argues that transitioning from fossil fuel-based electric power to clean renewable energy is a public health imperative. It details how climate change exacerbates respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental health issues, and how the Clean Power Plan's goal to reduce carbon pollution by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030 will prevent thousands of premature deaths and asthma attacks. The toolkit provides clinicians with messaging and model letters to influence state policymakers, while explicitly arguing against nuclear power due to radiation risks and waste management failures.
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Document type: Guide
BEYOND PARIS: USING CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS TO MANAGE RISK
The document analyzes how two climate scenarios, Radical Emissions Reduction (RER) and High-end Climate Change (HCC), impact four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the stability of Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. Under RER, the transition to meet Paris Agreement targets may trigger food-versus-fuel conflicts, gender-based violence from biofuel-driven displacement, and geopolitical instability in oil-dependent states. Conversely, the HCC scenario suggests that climate-driven agricultural failure and water scarcity would exacerbate armed conflicts, global inequality, and the influence of extremist groups. The authors argue that the short-term geopolitical costs of rapid climate action must be integrated into national policy formulation to manage risks effectively.
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Document type: Policy brief
We cant count on the Paris Agreement to stop climate change
Friends of the Earth International asserts that the Paris Agreement fails to deliver the scale of action required to limit global warming to 1.5°C, noting that current national pledges could lead to warming of around 3°C. The organization warns that terms like 'climate neutrality' may justify the use of dangerous geoengineering, carbon markets, and nuclear energy. To achieve climate justice, the document advocates for a just global energy transformation characterized by community-owned renewable energy, the blocking of dirty energy projects, and financial support from developed to developing nations.
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Document type: Statement
5 Lessons Learned from the Pepco-Exelon Merger Battle in D.C.
The document examines the $6.8 billion merger between Exelon and Pepco, focusing on the contentious approval process in Washington, D.C. It uses this case to highlight five industry trends: increased utility consolidation to hedge against low wholesale power prices, disputes over microgrid ownership, the criticality of rate design equity, the rise of empowered local customer constituencies, and the proliferation of state-level power sector transformation proceedings.
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Document type: Case study
It’s Official: The United Kingdom is to subsidize nuclear power, but at what cost?
The report argues that the UK government is providing a comprehensive package of subsidies for Hinkley Point C that creates significant financial uncertainty and risk for the public. These include a long-term price guarantee, loan guarantees, and caps on waste disposal and liability costs, which the authors suggest could make nuclear power more expensive than renewable alternatives.
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Document type: Report
Meeting the Clean Power Plan in Illinois
The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that Illinois can cost-effectively meet its Clean Power Plan (CPP) target—reducing carbon emissions by 34 percent below 2012 levels by 2030—by adopting a "Clean Path Case." This approach involves strengthening the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and energy efficiency portfolio standard (EEPS) alongside a mass-based emissions trading program. The analysis suggests this pathway would yield nearly 6,000 MW of new wind and solar capacity, reduce typical household electricity costs by 9.4 percent by 2030, and generate $14.3 billion in cumulative health and economic benefits through 2030 by reducing CO2, SO2, and NOx pollution.
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Document type: Report