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Skanska utilizes its proprietary 'Skanska Color Palette™' to set environmental targets, aiming for its Commercial Development units to produce only Green and Deep Green projects by 2020. The company implements 'Deep Green' standards to achieve near-zero environmental impact, resulting in energy-positive buildings and net-zero energy facilities. These initiatives have led to commercially-exploitable innovations, such as Deep Green Cooling (DGC) and road surface reuse, while attracting increased interest from banks and pension funds seeking green funding opportunities. Additionally, Skanska focuses on climate resilience, as demonstrated by the flood-resilient design of a medical center in New Orleans.

The Rocky Mountain Institute presents a business model for net zero energy (NZE) districts that achieves life-cycle cost neutrality compared to business-as-usual (BAU) developments. The model centers on an Integrated Energy Services Provider (IESP) that manages a micro-utility, district heating and cooling, and renewable energy deployment. By shifting capital costs for heating/cooling and solar PV away from parcel developers and providing on-bill financing for energy efficiency, the model reduces upfront costs for developers and lowers total energy bills for tenants. The approach includes outcome-based energy-performance requirements enforced through a system of incentives and penalties. A case study of a 180-acre mixed-use development in a midsize U.S. city demonstrates that the model remains economically favorable even under challenging conditions such as low electricity rates and a lack of net metering.

The Philippines employs a nationally driven approach to climate adaptation, centered on the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) 20112028. The CCC coordinates across national agencies, local government units, and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to align climate priorities with the Philippine Development Plan. Local implementation is supported by the Peoples Survival Fund, while international donor coordination is managed through the Philippines Development Forum and NEDA's public investment program.

The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) in Colorado is implementing a comprehensive energy strategy to reach net-zero energy and an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. Supported by a $576.5 million bond approved in 2014, the district is utilizing deep retrofits, retrocommissioning, and new construction across its portfolio of over 50 buildings. In partnership with RMI, BVSD has adopted an integrative design process and a Sustainable Energy Plan (SEP) to reduce energy use intensity (EUI) from an average of 65 to less than 30 kBtu/SF. The initiative aims to save nearly $500,000 annually in utility bills and serve as a model for other U.S. school districts.

The document defines GHG emissions neutrality as achieving net zero anthropogenic GHG emissions from all sectors, primarily through reductions and balancing remaining emissions with removals or negative emissions. It distinguishes this from carbon neutrality, which only addresses carbon dioxide. To limit warming to below 2 degrees C, CO2 emissions must reach net zero between 2060 and 2075, and total GHG emissions between 2080 and 2090. For a 1.5 degrees C limit, CO2 must reach net zero between 2045 and 2050, and total GHGs between 2060 and 2080. Achieving this requires a zero-carbon transformation, including increasing the low-carbon energy share in the electricity sector to over 80 percent by 2050 and phasing out unabated fossil-fuel use this century.

In 2014, Lockheed Martin completed an ESPC at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, achieving a 54 percent energy reduction across nine buildings. The project integrated a 956 kW solar PV system—the State Department's largest overseas—which is projected to offset 37% of the site's energy consumption. Key measures included LED replacements, chiller-plant optimization, and HVAC upgrades. To overcome challenges such as a lack of local utility incentives and frequent staff turnover, the project utilized third-party expertise from LBNL and the DOE, and implemented a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to ensure continuity of project knowledge.

Skanska advocates for a progressive COP21 agreement to provide legislative certainty for green investments and details its 'Journey to Deep Green' strategy. This approach focuses on near zero environmental impact and net zero energy performance, as demonstrated by the Solallén residential neighbourhood in Sweden and the Bentley Works facility in the UK, both of which utilize solar and renewable energy systems to reduce carbon footprints.

The EERA project in Benin, Mali, and Togo focused on creating a 'Smart Energy Path' by strengthening institutional capacities and implementing multi-sectoral, participatory decision-making. The three countries prioritize collective energy services—those benefiting health, education, and water access—over individual household energy to drive poverty alleviation. However, the document notes that renewable energy adoption has not been fast-tracked, partly due to a lack of reliable data on energy efficiency and climate vulnerability. Additionally, as these countries decentralize power, the report emphasizes the need for regulatory frameworks to define the role of subnational governments in energy policy.

The document outlines the 'fears and suspicions' of the climate community regarding how WTO rules and trade assumptions may obstruct progress on climate change. It argues that the trade regime's focus on economic growth and the avoidance of trade restrictions creates a 'chilling effect' on climate action, as countries fear carbon leakage and loss of competitiveness. The author explores three potential trade-related strategies for climate action: 'levelling up' through border adjustment measures or coordination, favoring environmental goods and services, and using trade sanctions. The paper concludes that while specific reforms to GATT Article XX and the most-favored-nation principle are ideally needed, indirect approaches via jurisprudence or guidelines are more politically realistic.

The report analyzes eight case studies—seven federal and one municipal—that utilized Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) to achieve deep energy retrofits. These projects cumulatively exceeded 600 billion BTUs in energy savings with an average energy use reduction of 58%. The document identifies six overarching best practices: setting aggressive long-term goals, engaging diverse stakeholders, establishing strong support systems, adopting a 'clean sheet' design mindset, using iterative and holistic design processes, and incorporating ongoing feedback and occupant involvement.

The United States can meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26–28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 through a combination of existing federal laws and state actions. The report proposes a 10-point action plan focusing on the power sector, energy efficiency, HFCs, and methane reduction. For deeper reductions beyond 2025, the authors argue that new legislation, such as a carbon price, could reduce emissions by 40–42 percent by 2030 and 50–53 percent by 2040 without sacrificing robust economic growth.

The report examines how credit-enhancement mechanisms—such as guarantees, first-loss provisions, and contingent loans—can mitigate the perceived high risks of green infrastructure to mobilize private capital. It analyzes the offerings of major MDBs (including the World Bank, ADB, and EIB) and provides case studies from India, Nigeria, and Mexico to demonstrate how targeting specific risks, such as exploratory costs or tariff volatility, makes projects bankable. The authors conclude that while MDBs have the tools to catalyze green investment, a lack of knowledge among governments and a lack of specialized approval processes for green projects hinder widespread adoption.

The document argues that removing global fossil-fuel subsidies, which total $543 billion annually, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 to 13 per cent by 2050 and save governments between 5 and 30 per cent of expenditure for reallocation toward low-carbon energy and households. It suggests that parties to the UNFCCC can use the Global Subsidies Initiative – Integrated Fiscal model (GSI–IF model) to estimate these reductions for their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

The 2015 update to the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 (CECP Update) outlines a comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. The plan identifies key drivers for these reductions, most notably vehicle GHG emission standards and the import of clean electricity. It also provides a framework for long-term goals, aiming for an 80% reduction by 2050 through a strategy of reducing energy consumption, decarbonizing the electricity supply, and electrifying transportation and heating. The report includes detailed assessments of building efficiency, transportation, electricity generation, and non-energy emissions, as well as research on land use and carbon storage in terrestrial and wetland ecosystems.

The document describes a study focused on the cost-effectiveness of biomass power deployment subsidies in Germany and the United Kingdom. It aims to inform policy debates by estimating the magnitude of benefits and establishing a framework that considers all costs and benefits to ensure the efficient use of government resources for low-carbon energy deployment.

The document asserts that 90 entities, including 50 investor-owned companies, are responsible for 63% of industrial CO2 and methane emissions since 1751. It argues that these companies ignored scientific warnings as early as 1988 and actively worked to discredit climate science. The author calls for these producers to stop disinformation, disclose financial risks, support the 2°C warming target, and pay for climate-related damages.

Mike Shinoda describes how Music for Relief has raised over $6 million USD and implemented sustainable energy projects in Haiti, Uganda, and Nepal through the 'Power The World' initiative. He argues that global leaders must move beyond fear-based rhetoric and 'clunky' terminology to earn the trust of a cynical youth population to achieve universal energy access by 2030.

The document outlines eleven strategic solutions to help companies achieve net-zero energy in corporate real estate. It categorizes these into 'organize' (securing C-suite support and multi-disciplinary teams), 'capitalize' (investing in smart building management, health-focused design, and external financing), and 'optimize' (using value-based approaches and portfolio-wide investment allocation). The report emphasizes that energy efficiency should be the first priority due to its cost-effectiveness and potential to improve employee productivity.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) asserts that climate change is the most critical sustainable development challenge and that sustainable energy access is a primary lever for eradicating poverty. The authors call for the final text of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to explicitly include both climate mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as the scaling up of sustainable energy access, to ensure global action and partnership between public and private sectors.

This paper examines the relationship between fossil-fuel subsidies and gender in India, specifically analyzing the impacts of subsidy reform on cooking, lighting, pumping, and transport fuels.