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The report identifies that current investor-owned utility and independent power producer models are ill-suited for the low-carbon transition, potentially raising renewable energy costs by up to 20%. It proposes a systemic evolution across five segments: generation (matching financing to risk profiles), transmission (improving renewable integration), market operation (valuing flexibility), distribution (adapting to distributed generation), and customer management (integrating demand response and electric vehicles). The document highlights the emergence of new financing models like YieldCos as a way to provide secure cash flows and lower costs.

The document argues that strong national climate legislation acts as an enabler for more ambitious international agreements by increasing competitiveness, confidence, and knowledge. It highlights that domestic laws can provide the 'legal force' required for future UNFCCC outcomes and recommends strengthening the role of legislators through capacity building and better engagement with executive negotiators.

The fact sheet highlights the need for consistent energy efficiency data across the U.S. to support decision-makers in grid planning, finance, and regulatory compliance. It maps various drivers for harmonization—ranging from integrated resource planning to the Clean Air Act—and identifies existing initiatives like the Regional Energy Efficiency Database (REED) and the Uniform Methods Project that aim to standardize definitions and reporting formats.

The report outlines the progress of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, highlighting over 100 commitments from governments and businesses, including more than USD $50 billion from the private sector. It details a four-step country-action process adopted by 55 developing countries and identifies 50 high-impact opportunities across 11 action areas. The document also proposes a distributed global network for future implementation and a baseline report to track progress toward 2030 goals.

The document examines the increasing influence of multinational corporations within the UN, specifically regarding the 'Green Economy', 'Sustainable Energy for All' (SE4ALL), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), water policies, and the UN Global Compact. It contends that these partnerships lead to 'greenwashing' and the commodification of nature and water, while marginalizing civil society and the rights of the poor.

The GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge aims to move beyond shallow retrofits by leveraging ESPCs to achieve deep energy savings (over 50%) and net zero energy in a portfolio of 30-35 federal buildings. A workshop convened by RMI and GSA identified key barriers to this goal, including long procurement timelines, high financing costs, and a lack of integrative design. Proposed solutions include streamlining the ESCO selection process from 18 months to approximately 8 months, blending appropriated funds with ESPC financing, and adopting a 'right steps in the right order' approach that prioritizes load reduction before selecting HVAC and renewable systems. The challenge evaluates projects based on absolute energy savings, technical and financial creativity, and progress toward EISA 2007 goals.

The report examines 'development without carbon' (DWC) in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on hydropower's role. While hydropower provides 46% of the region's electricity and has significant untapped potential, climate change—specifically glacier retreat in the Andes and rainfall variability—threatens production reliability. The authors advocate for moving away from static planning toward flexible infrastructure and the use of integrated Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) and Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) tools to manage water-energy tradeoffs and climate uncertainty.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is implementing a wide range of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. These initiatives aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower long-term costs, and enhance mission effectiveness by decreasing dependence on liquid fossil fuels. Key goals include achieving 'net-zero' energy for numerous installations by 2020 and 2030, increasing the use of alternative fuel blends for aviation and naval vessels, and deploying diverse renewable technologies—such as solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass—at domestic and overseas bases. The DoD's efforts are guided by internal strategies, a 2010 Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Energy, and federal mandates including Executive Orders 13423 and 13514.

The Green Economy Coalition argues that fossil-fuel subsidies drive climate change and obstruct sustainable development by distorting the cost of low-carbon energy. While welcoming the G-20's September agreement in Pittsburgh to phase out these subsidies over the medium term, the Coalition calls for greater urgency and specific measures to protect the welfare of the poorest during the reform process.

In a speech delivered at a conference in Pretoria, Deputy Ambassador Søren Asp Mikkelsen discusses the necessity of a new international climate regime to replace the Kyoto Protocol, emphasizing the need for inclusive emission reductions and financial support for least developed countries. He highlights the 'Danish Wind Case' to demonstrate how legislative changes—such as feed-in tariffs and carbon taxes—can decouple economic growth from energy consumption and create a competitive export industry in renewable technology.

The author analyzes President Obama's 2009 speech in Ghana, noting a transition from viewing Africa instrumentally through the 'war on terror' to seeing its development as intrinsic to global security. The new policy rests on four pillars: democracy and good governance, smart development assistance, public health, and conflict reduction. However, the author argues that the US's influence has diminished due to the Iraq war and the domestic financial crisis, allowing China, the EU, Russia, India, and Brazil to offer more programmatic or comprehensive partnerships. The document suggests that African nations, such as Ghana, can benefit from this competition by diversifying their partnerships across different global powers to meet specific national needs.

The report details a March 2009 workshop in Vancouver where 32 diverse Canadian stakeholders discussed the future of the Internet through the lens of sustainability. Participants analyzed four scenarios—government-regulated, unregulated market, VIPnet (elite-only), and Internet commons—to identify critical uncertainties and policy needs. Key recommendations include pursuing universal broadband access, integrating ICT into national greenhouse gas reduction strategies, and establishing a Canadian Internet Governance Forum. The report argues that Canada needs a more unified, holistic ICT policy function within the government to ensure the Internet serves human and environmental needs rather than just economic growth.

The document critiques the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for promoting large-scale biofuel monocultures as a 'clean energy' solution. It argues that these projects, particularly in Brazil and Colombia, lead to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and rural displacement while failing to provide significant greenhouse gas reductions. The report calls for a shift toward small-scale, decentralized energy systems that support local food security and rural development.

The report analyzes 10 award programmes (including the Goldman Prize, Ashoka, and Echoing Green) to understand how they support sustainable development entrepreneurs. It finds that while these programmes provide critical cash, prestige, and support services, there is a systemic lack of rigorous monitoring and evaluation regarding the long-term impact of awards and the effectiveness of scaling up and replicating successful projects.

The document presents a series of personal narratives from professionals across various scientific and engineering disciplines to inspire students and graduates to pursue ethical careers. These cases highlight the challenges of navigating corporate and military interests, the value of interdisciplinary education, and the possibility of transitioning into non-profit, academic, or political roles to achieve social and environmental goals.

The AES Corporation partnered with the World Resources Institute and CARE to fund a reforestation project in Guatemala to offset carbon dioxide emissions from its Thames power plant. The project aimed to plant 52 million trees over ten years to sequester 19 million tons of carbon, leveraging a $2 million AES grant into $14.5 million of total funding. While the initiative received mixed press and investor reactions, it aligned with the company's corporate value of social responsibility. Subsequently, AES established a Sustainability Task Force in 1991, which concluded that the company should hedge its portfolio by developing natural gas projects alongside coal to address long-term economic and environmental sustainability.

The document highlights that Burundi possesses significant superhot rock geothermal resources, with just 1% of its endowment capable of providing 36 GW of energy capacity. While unlikely to meet Burundi's 2030 emissions reduction goals, the technology offers a low-land-footprint, 24/7 renewable energy source that could reduce energy poverty and attract foreign investment.

The document identifies critical infrastructure barriers to the clean energy transition and details CATF's strategies to overcome them through policy advocacy, research, and stakeholder engagement, requesting $12 million in funding over three years to support these efforts.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that while the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are projected to reduce U.S. emissions by just over 40% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels, additional federal policy is required to reach net-zero emissions by midcentury. CATF is advocating for several specific policy interventions, including a zero-carbon fuel standard, revised siting and permitting for clean energy infrastructure, and a federal electricity procurement model requiring 24-7 zero-emission clean electricity. The organization is also focusing on supporting advanced nuclear supply chains, reducing methane from oil, gas, and agriculture, and developing regulatory structures for hydrogen infrastructure. To implement these strategies and expand its policy expertise, CATF seeks $25 million in funding over the next five years.

The document highlights that superhot rock geothermal could be a transformative energy source for Chad, with preliminary modeling suggesting that just 1% of the country's resource could provide 3,051 GW of energy capacity. While unlikely to meet 2030 climate goals, the technology offers a low-land-footprint alternative to fossil fuels and other renewables, potentially addressing Chad's severe energy poverty where less than 10% of the population has electricity access.