Search Climate Insights Directory

Reclaim Finance criticizes Aviva Investors for allowing fossil fuel companies up to three years to develop net zero plans, arguing that this delays urgent divestment. The statement highlights contradictions in Aviva's policy, specifically noting continued investments in coal developers like BHP Group and Glencore, and significant holdings in Polish coal and gas companies such as PGE and PGNiG through third-party managed assets.

The report highlights the critical link between the fast-fashion business model and the extraction of fossil fuels, noting that polyester is found in over half of all textiles. It warns that synthetic fibre production is projected to grow to 73% of total global fibre production by 2030, significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The document dismisses current recycling efforts as a 'red herring' because less than 1% of clothes are recycled into new clothes, and most recycled polyester comes from plastic bottles rather than garments. It concludes that voluntary industry commitments are insufficient and calls for urgent legislative action, such as the EU strategy for textiles, to decouple fashion from fossil fuels and mandate producer responsibility.

The document argues that fossil fuel extraction on U.S. public lands and waters is incompatible with climate goals, noting that nearly 25% of U.S. climate emissions originate from these areas. It highlights President Biden's early actions, including a pause on new oil and gas leasing and the protection of the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic canyons from drilling. The author calls for further measures, such as reinstating a coal leasing moratorium, strengthening methane regulations, and shutting down the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The report 'Fossil Fashion' details how the fast-fashion industry is fundamentally dependent on cheap synthetic fibres, primarily polyester, which are derived from oil and gas. This reliance drives overconsumption and a waste crisis, as synthetic textiles are difficult to recycle and release toxic microfibres. The document highlights the role of the petrochemical industry in betting on plastic production for future growth and criticizes industry-led sustainability metrics and 'recycled polyester' from PET bottles as greenwashing. It concludes with recommendations for the EU to implement mandatory due diligence, eco-design measures, and taxes on virgin plastics to decouple fashion from fossil fuels.

The document argues that Export Development Canada (EDC) provides disproportionately high levels of support for oil and gas compared to clean technology, often lacking transparency in its transactions. It highlights that EDC's domestic mandate expansion, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has facilitated continued fossil fuel financing. The brief recommends that EDC phase out public finance for fossil fuels, set clear climate action targets, and implement 'green strings' (climate-related conditionalities) to ensure economic recovery is aligned with the Paris Agreement and Canada's 2050 net-zero goal.

The document analyzes the gap between Total SE's public climate ambitions and its actual business strategy, which continues to prioritize fossil fuel expansion. It highlights the role of French banks and investors in supporting this model and calls for a shift toward absolute emission reductions and the cessation of new fossil fuel projects.

The submission argues that the proposed legislation should be based on Article 192 TFEU for environmental protection and calls for a comprehensive framework including mandatory measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), rigorous leak detection and repair (LDAR), and a ban on routine venting and flaring (BRVF). It emphasizes the need for granular data, the inclusion of abandoned wells and mines, and the establishment of methane intensity standards, such as a 0.2% limit for the upstream oil and gas industry by 2025, to drive innovation and align with EU climate targets.

The document argues for a stronger legal basis under Article 192 TFEU and proposes rigorous standards for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV), leak detection and repair (LDAR), and a ban on routine venting and flaring (BRVF). It specifically highlights the need for granular data, the inclusion of abandoned wells and mines, and the implementation of methane intensity limits to drive innovation and align with EU climate targets.

The document evaluates the EITI, a global transparency standard for extractive industries, noting its success in improving investment climates and contract disclosure while highlighting failures in preventing corruption and ensuring civil society participation.

The briefing outlines a strategy for the U.S. federal government to support fossil fuel workers facing displacement due to the energy transition and the economic impact of COVID-19. It proposes three immediate federal interventions: employing workers to rehabilitate abandoned coal mines and plug orphan oil and gas wells, expanding funding for existing economic development programs like the POWER Initiative and the EDA ACC program, and utilizing innovative financial mechanisms such as securitization to lower costs for ratepayers and fund community support. For long-term stability, the author advocates for a comprehensive federal energy transition adjustment assistance program modeled after the Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance, providing retraining, relocation allowances, and wage insurance.

Colombia has committed to reducing GHG emissions by 51% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. While the government has developed a robust legal framework for climate mitigation and adaptation, the report finds a critical gap in Just Transition planning. Massive layoffs are already occurring in the thermal coal sector due to falling international prices and the shift toward renewables, yet the government has not implemented specific policy responses to support affected workers. Similarly, conservation efforts in the AFOLU sector, particularly the expansion of protected areas and páramo ecosystems, threaten the livelihoods of informal rural workers and ethnic communities. The report concludes that Colombia's Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system lacks the capacity to track social welfare and employment impacts, and recommends urgent, regionally differentiated strategies for economic diversification and worker retraining.

China's engagement in Iraq and Syria is primarily driven by economic logic and the Belt and Road Initiative, though it increasingly faces security risks from terrorism and political instability. In Iraq, China has become a top trading partner with a heavy focus on oil, while in Syria, it provides political cover for the Assad regime and explores limited reconstruction opportunities. The document argues that China lacks a unified regional strategy, instead employing a cautious, pragmatic, and piecemeal approach that balances economic opportunism with a traditional policy of non-interference, though the need to protect assets may eventually push Beijing toward more active counter-terrorism efforts.

The document provides the technical appendices for the 2021 Production Gap report, outlining the data sources and calculations used to determine the discrepancy between planned fossil fuel production and climate-consistent levels. It describes the 'countries’ plans and projections' (CPP) pathway, which aggregates data from 15 major producer countries and scales it globally using IEA STEPS. It also details the selection of 1.5°C and 2°C consistent pathways from the IPCC SR1.5 database, applying specific constraints on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. Finally, it compares the 2021 findings with the 2019 assessment, noting that the overall production gap remains largely unchanged despite minor declines in coal and oil projections.

The 2020 Production Gap report highlights that current government plans for fossil fuel production far exceed the levels necessary to meet Paris Agreement temperature goals. To limit warming to 1.5°C, global production must decline annually by 11% for coal, 4% for oil, and 3% for gas, yet governments are planning annual increases of 2%. By 2030, countries aim to produce 120% more fossil fuels than is consistent with the 1.5°C limit. The report argues that the COVID-19 recovery presents a critical choice: either return to production trajectories that lock in catastrophic warming or implement a managed wind-down of fossil fuels as part of a 'build back better' strategy.

The Clean Air Task Force proposes a set of regulatory measures to reduce U.S. oil and gas methane emissions by 65% relative to 2012 levels by 2025. The plan focuses on seven key areas: frequent leak detection and repair (LDAR), replacing gas-driven pneumatic equipment with non-emitting alternatives, controlling storage tank emissions, minimizing well completion emissions, regulating compressors and dehydrators, reducing oil well venting and flaring, and minimizing maintenance venting. The analysis suggests these measures would reduce 2025 emissions by 7.8 million metric tons of methane compared to current policies, equivalent to 680 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent over a 20-year horizon.

The report finds that the value of Uganda's upstream oil reserves has declined by 70% since 2013 due to structural changes in the global oil market, with a further $10 billion at risk in a transition aligned with the Paris Agreement. Current commercial terms are deemed insufficient for international oil companies like Total and CNOOC to reach a final investment decision, likely necessitating costly renegotiations for the Ugandan government. The authors argue that relying on oil for economic development is increasingly risky and recommend diversifying the economy, potentially through electrification, while incorporating climate transition and physical risks into public debt sustainability forecasts.

The document highlights a significant misalignment between government energy production plans and Paris Agreement goals, noting that governments planned to extract 60% more oil, 70% more gas, and 280% more coal by 2030 than is consistent with a 1.5°C pathway. It suggests that NDCs and LT-LEDS can be used to communicate pathways, targets, and policy measures to manage the transition away from fossil fuels while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.

Reclaim Finance argues that Société Générale's pledge to reduce oil and gas exposure by 10% by 2025 is flawed because it focuses on stocks rather than flows, excludes equity and bond issuances, and ignores transport and processing activities. The organization highlights that the bank's previous commitment to reduce coal exposure did not prevent increased funding to major coal producers and notes that the bank's alignment with the IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario is insufficient for a 1.5°C trajectory.

The 2019 Production Gap Report, produced by SEI and partners, identifies a significant gap between government fossil fuel production plans and the levels required to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. The report aims to shift climate discourse toward targeting both production and consumption, influencing policymakers in countries such as Norway and the United States.

The Clean Air Task Force supports the European Commission's methane strategy but urges the transition from a strategy to mandatory legislative commitments. It specifically advocates for mandatory quarterly leak detection and repair (LDAR), a firm ban on routine venting and flaring by 2021, and the implementation of a methane performance standard for all gas imported into Europe to ensure the EU meets its climate neutrality goals.