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2,139 results
Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa
The document argues that while Africa's shift toward renewable energy is essential for climate goals and poverty reduction, it risks a "green resource curse" where green energy projects and mineral mining fuel conflict. It identifies three primary conflict trajectories: the establishment of projects (often involving land disputes and "green grabbing"), the mining of critical minerals (linked to weak institutions and rebel financing), and energy production (related to grid access and geopolitical shifts). While most conflicts are local and non-violent, the authors warn of potential for large-scale civil unrest and geopolitical tensions as the global energy balance shifts away from fossil fuels.
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Document type: Policy brief
Developing an Impactful Solar for All Proposal
The document outlines how to develop a competitive proposal for the EPA's Solar for All program, part of the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. It provides detailed guidance on five key evaluation criteria: impact assessment, meaningful benefits, market strategy, financial assistance, and equitable access. The guide emphasizes reducing upfront costs, leveraging federal tax credits via third-party ownership, and integrating energy efficiency to maximize benefits for disadvantaged communities.
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Document type: Guide
The 2022 French nuclear outages: Lessons for nuclear energy in Europe
The 2022 French nuclear outages were caused by a confluence of pipe corrosion, workforce shortages, and heat-related river curtailments, rather than inherent flaws in nuclear technology. The author argues that these issues can be mitigated through standardized reactor designs, consistent government policy to maintain a skilled workforce, and technical cooling upgrades. Despite the 2022 dip in availability, the document asserts that nuclear energy provides essential 'clean firm' power necessary for the cost-effective decarbonization of the European electricity grid.
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Document type: Research paper
How Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Can Drive Solar Development
REITs in the US control approximately 38.5 billion sq. ft. of solar-appropriate surface area, capable of generating over 25 percent of electricity used in US commercial buildings. While on-site solar is economically viable for 90 percent of the top 50 REITs by 2025, adoption is hindered by tax credit complexities, IRS recapture rules, and risks associated with tenant turnover and low energy intensity in industrial warehouses. Community solar is proposed as a solution to these barriers, offering additional tax credit bonuses of 10–20 percent when serving low- and moderate-income residents. Currently, only nine US states support rooftop community solar, though some leading REITs like Prologis, Lineage Logistics, Blackstone, Brookfield, and Hartz Mountain have already installed significant capacity.
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Document type: Guide
Cheaper, Cleaner, Faster
The briefing argues that insufficient transmission capacity is a major bottleneck for US decarbonization, with new capacity seeking interconnection consisting of 95 percent zero-carbon resources in 2022. It identifies grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) as cost-effective, rapid-deployment solutions that optimize existing transmission, but notes that utility adoption is hindered by risk aversion and regulatory incentives that reward capital expenditures over operational efficiencies. To overcome this, the document outlines four strategies for Public Utility Commissions (PUCs): building knowledge through investigative proceedings, mandating the consideration of GETs in planning processes, implementing performance incentive mechanisms or totex ratemaking, and engaging in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceedings.
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Document type: Briefing
New NEPA Guidance Can Give Us the Roadmap to a Just and Equitable Clean Energy Future
The document advocates for the Biden administration to use Phase II of its NEPA rulemaking to prioritize environmental justice, climate change considerations, public engagement, and tribal sovereignty. It argues that restoring NEPA regulations will provide the necessary guidance for building resilient clean energy infrastructure—such as wind and solar farms and transmission lines—while protecting marginalized communities and reducing litigation risks.
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Document type: Statement
Perspectives from Environmental Justice Communities: A National Survey
The survey reveals high levels of concern regarding air and water quality, particularly among Hispanic and Black communities. While there is strong support for the clean energy transition and interest in related careers, significant barriers exist, including lack of education, financial insecurity, and low awareness of job opportunities. Trust in government is low, while trust in scientists and family is high.
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Document type: Report
Industrial Thermal Batteries Decarbonizing U.S. Industry While Supporting a High-Renewables Grid
Industrial thermal batteries can convert electricity into high-temperature heat (1,500-1,700°C), potentially displacing 75% of U.S. industrial non-feedstock energy demand. The report analyzes two primary deployment modes: 'generation-following' (off-grid renewables) and 'price-hunting' (grid-connected, price-responsive). It finds that these batteries can provide heat at $35 to $62 per MWh, making them competitive with natural gas. The authors recommend financial incentives via the Inflation Reduction Act and reforms to electricity tariffs to reward the grid flexibility these batteries provide.
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Document type: Report
Financing a 1.5˚C-Aligned Transition
The document establishes a consensus across multiple energy models, including the IEA NZE and IPCC pathways, that no new oil and gas fields should be developed to meet the 1.5 target. It argues that oil and gas production must decline by at least 65% by 2050 from 2020 levels. The brief asserts that the energy crisis in Europe caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine does not justify new fossil fuel production, as existing capacity and demand reduction can meet needs. It highlights a significant investment gap in renewables, noting that annual solar and wind investments must reach USD 830 billion by 2030 to bridge a USD 450 billion annual gap. Finally, it recommends that financial institutions cease financing new oil and gas projects and push for the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.
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Document type: Policy brief
Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Spring 2023
A survey of 861 registered U.S. voters in Spring 2023 reveals broad support for local climate-friendly infrastructure and energy efficiency programs, though significant political polarization exists regarding national mandates and offshore drilling. While a majority believe corporations and government should do more to address global warming, actual individual political participation remains low, and only 11% of voters believe the U.S. government is responding well to the issue.
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Document type: Report
Why Ukraine’s reconstruction must be green
The author contends that Ukraine's recovery should not be a return to pre-war status but a comprehensive green transformation. This includes decentralizing the energy grid through wind and solar power to mitigate the impact of Russian attacks, modernizing agriculture to protect fertile chernozem soils, and aligning with the European Green Deal to accelerate EU membership. The text highlights the severe environmental damage caused by the invasion, including the Kakhovka Dam collapse and forest destruction, as urgent drivers for a sustainable reconstruction strategy.
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Document type: Research paper
Futureproofing Indian Public Sector Enterprises
The report outlines a diversification framework for Indian Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) to mitigate financial risks associated with fossil fuel dependency. It details a two-step process involving qualitative and quantitative analyses (SWOT, Porter’s diamond, MCDA, and growth share matrix) to identify and prioritize new business segments. The document applies this logic to Coal India Limited, Indian Railways, and NTPC Limited, highlighting their current efforts in renewable energy, electric mobility, and carbon capture to align with India's net-zero goals.
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Document type: Report
U.S. EPA Increases Crop-based Biofuels Mandate in Renewable Fuel Standard, Hampering Climate Action
The World Resources Institute (WRI) and Earthjustice oppose the U.S. EPA's finalized Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2023-2025, which increases the required volume of biofuels in transportation fuel. WRI argues that crop-based biofuels, such as corn ethanol and soy biodiesel, are inefficient compared to electrification, threaten food security by occupying 60 million acres of U.S. farmland, and increase emissions. The organization advocates for a shift toward electric vehicles and climate-smart agriculture rather than incentivizing fuel production from crops.
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Document type: Statement
Macron's climate finance summit: start by not financing fossils
The document critiques the upcoming Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, arguing that current climate finance is woefully inadequate and often delivered as debt-increasing loans. It advocates for 'polluter pays' taxes on shipping, aviation, and fossil fuel companies, and calls for a 'climate version of the Hippocratic Oath' for private investors to stop financing fossil fuels in the Global South while attempting to fund the energy transition.
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Document type: Statement
Power in Unity
The policy brief highlights a gap between current European electricity interconnection expansion plans and the actual needs of the power system. It asserts that doubling interconnection capacity is essential to integrate renewables cost-effectively and reduce reliance on fossil gas. The author identifies critical border corridors requiring urgent attention and proposes three pathways forward: accelerating the 22 GW of projects already in the pipeline, investing in non-wire solutions like storage and demand response, or increasing domestic renewable capacities at a higher cost.
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Document type: Policy brief
Las mejores prcticas para el periodismo climtico
The document outlines a set of professional standards for climate journalism, emphasizing the need to connect climate causes to news stories, avoid false balance by excluding climate deniers, and integrate climate perspectives across all reporting beats. It advocates for humanizing stories through local perspectives, highlighting climate justice for marginalized and indigenous groups, and reporting on a diverse range of solutions beyond just technology. Additionally, it warns journalists against 'greenwashing' and misinformation from powerful interests, while advising on the use of appropriate imagery and the importance of mental health care for reporters covering traumatic climate impacts.
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Document type: Guide
Stagnation or Growth? Algeria’s development pathway to 2040
The report identifies poor governance, hydrocarbon dependence, and an unsustainable subsidy system as primary barriers to Algeria's growth. It projects a modest GDP growth rate of 1.8% between 2020 and 2040 under the 'Current Path' but proposes an 'Algerian Dream' scenario based on four reform pillars: improved governance, economic transformation, investment in the knowledge economy, and a transition to sustainable agriculture and renewable energy.
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Document type: Report
Development prospects for the Horn of Africa countries to 2040
The Horn of Africa faces severe challenges including governance failure, chronic food insecurity, and high poverty rates, with no countries on track to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. The region is characterized by a very young population and high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, which is increasingly threatened by climate change and conflict. While Ethiopia and Sudan dominate the regional GDP, most nations suffer from poor infrastructure and dysfunctional health and education systems. The report models an 'Integrated Development Push' scenario involving improvements in governance, agriculture, and human capital, which could significantly increase regional GDP and reduce extreme poverty by 2040.
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Document type: Report
Development pathways for the DRC to 2050
The report analyzes the DRC's development challenges, including endemic corruption, high fertility rates, and severe infrastructure deficits. It argues that while the country possesses immense mineral and agricultural wealth, it suffers from the 'paradox of plenty.' The analysis suggests that a comprehensive strategy combining improved governance, human capital investment, agricultural intensification, and economic diversification could significantly reduce extreme poverty and increase GDP by 2050 compared to the current trajectory.
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Document type: Report
A House of Dreams: Dipikaben’s Tryst with Climate-Resilient Housing
The document details a project by the Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) and Selco Foundation to upgrade the home of Dipika ben Malik, a seamstress in the Bhagwatinagar slum of Ahmedabad. The original structure, featuring an asbestos roof and low plinth, caused productivity losses and increased electricity costs during heatwaves and flooding. The intervention replaced the roof with PUF panels, raised the plinth level, and solarized appliances, creating a climate-resilient environment that protects the resident's income and living conditions.
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Document type: Case study