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SKF Group has fully electrified the heating and cooling systems at its Massa factory in Italy, replacing gas-fired boilers with reversible heat pumps. This transition, integrated with a digital monitoring system, has reduced operational energy demand and lowered costs, despite high electricity prices in Italy. The factory sources 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, utilizing a virtual power purchase agreement for a solar plant in Spain and Guarantees of Origin. This project is part of a broader SKF Group strategy that has seen similar electrification and decarbonization efforts across eleven other global factories.

Europe is facing a significant demographic shift characterized by declining working-age populations and increasing old-age dependency, which is expected to create tighter labour markets and labour shortages by 2050. While this trend may stunt GDP growth and complicate investment, it provides an opportunity for trade unions to increase worker bargaining power and revitalize their membership, particularly by organizing the expanding care sector.

The report provides a detailed breakdown of aligned GSS+ debt volumes, issuer types, and geographic trends for Q1 2026, highlighting the continued dominance of green bonds and the European market.

The briefing examines the surge in consumer demand for clean energy technologies in Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Spain, and the UK following the start of the Iran war. It highlights a strong correlation between fossil fuel price shocks and increased inquiries for solar PV and EVs, noting that supportive policies—such as feed-in tariffs, grants, and tax breaks—significantly bolster the economic case for adoption. Germany is identified as a leader in plug-in solar adoption due to its early policy interventions, while France and Germany are noted for social-based EV support models. The document also contains a disconnected section discussing the health and climate impacts of coal in Southeast Asia.

Turkey experienced record growth in wind and solar energy capacity in 2025, with combined new installations reaching 6.5 GW and total installed capacity for both sources hitting approximately 40 GW. Solar electricity generation doubled between 2023 and 2025, rising from 18.4 TWh to 37.3 TWh. While Turkey leads in its immediate region, its overall renewable energy share of electricity production (43% in 2025) remains below the European Union average of 48%.

Ember's analysis reveals a significant gap between planned renewable energy expansion and available grid capacity in Europe, with at least 120 GW of projects at risk. While some distribution grids can support household electrification, transmission bottlenecks threaten large-scale wind and solar projects, particularly in countries like Austria, Bulgaria, and Poland. The report advocates for 'non-wire solutions' and administrative reforms to unlock capacity and ensure energy security.

Austria aims for climate neutrality by 2040, relying on industrial carbon removals (up to 6.3 Mt CO2eq) and land sinks, yet lacks a legally binding national climate law. While the 2024 Carbon Management Strategy (CMS) provides a transparent roadmap, significant delivery risks exist regarding the technical feasibility and timing of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. Furthermore, there is high uncertainty regarding the long-term performance of the LULUCF sector and a lack of safeguards to prevent BECCS deployment from degrading the natural land sink.

The report finds that European governments are increasingly integrating carbon dioxide removals (CDR) into their climate strategies, often as a substitute for deep emission reductions. Analysis of the European Commission and six countries reveals a pattern of 'overreliance,' characterized by fragmented planning, a lack of feasibility assessments for engineered removals, and land-sink projections that ignore climate risks or contradict existing forestry policies. The report warns that betting on uncertain future technologies and unstable land sinks risks delaying essential decarbonization and undermining climate targets.

The report highlights that 'next generation geothermal' technologies, such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), have expanded the geographic viability of geothermal power beyond volcanic regions. In the EU, approximately 43 GW of capacity could be developed at costs below 100 €/MWh, potentially generating 301 TWh of electricity annually. While Europe has a strong historical foundation in geothermal energy, the report warns that the EU risks losing its leadership to the US and Canada due to slow permitting and a lack of coordinated policy frameworks. It also notes geothermal's potential to meet the rising energy demands of AI data centres and its ability to provide firm, low-carbon power and mineral recovery, such as lithium.

The report documents a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, book bans, and restrictive legislation in Western countries, noting a convergence of extremist ideologies. It highlights how tech platforms exacerbate these harms through the rollback of protections, the overmoderation of LGBTQ+ content via AI and safety legislation, and the rise of coordinated harassment campaigns like 'transvestigation'.

In 2025, EU wholesale electricity prices rose in 21 countries, driven by spikes during peak gas-use hours. Grid-scale battery capacity in the EU exceeded 10 GW in 2025, more than double the 4 GW recorded in 2023. A pipeline of projects in Germany, Poland, and Italy could push capacity beyond 40 GW, potentially displacing costly gas generation and reducing the waste of curtailed wind and solar power.

In 2025, the EU power sector reached a tipping point as wind and solar generated 30.1% of electricity, surpassing all fossil fuel sources at 29.0%. Solar generation hit a record 369 TWh, growing by 20.1% over 2024, while coal fell to a historic low of 9.2% of the mix. Despite a slight increase in gas power generation and associated import costs, renewables provided nearly half of the EU's electricity (47.7%), with solar output helping to offset low wind and hydro production caused by unusual weather in early 2025.

Climate Strategies' 2026-2029 strategy focuses on accelerating the science-policy nexus to deliver inclusive and effective climate action. The organisation operates as a neutral knowledge broker, connecting a network of over 120 members with policymakers to address systemic gaps in climate finance, adaptation, and fossil fuel phase-out. Its strategic framework is built around five impact areas: Prosperity Post Fossil Fuels, Nature and Resilient Food Systems, Global Majority-Powered Change, Equitable Carbon & Climate Innovation, and Building Evidence-Based Climate Narratives. The strategy emphasises the need for Just Transitions, the inclusion of Global Majority perspectives in policy recommendations, and the use of evidence-based narratives to counter climate obstruction and misinformation.

The report finds that textual GenAI misinformation is increasingly perceived as credible over time, while visual GenAI misinformation, such as deepfakes, shows a decline in perceived credibility. Preventive corrective information and content labeling are identified as effective countermeasures, though their impact varies by context.

The report finds that text-based generative AI misinformation currently poses a greater persuasive risk than visual misinformation. It identifies preventive corrective information as the most consistently effective intervention to reduce the perceived credibility of such content, while noting that content labeling is promising but highly dependent on consistent design and implementation. The authors highlight a critical evidence gap, as current research is heavily concentrated in English-language and high-income countries.

The document analyzes the impact of generative AI misinformation, finding that textual misinformation currently poses a higher persuasion risk than visual misinformation. It highlights a significant global data gap, as research is heavily concentrated in high-income, English-speaking countries. Among countermeasures, preventive corrective information is identified as the most consistent intervention for reducing perceived credibility, while content labeling is effective only when applied consistently and with rigorous design.

The report finds that generative AI-produced textual misinformation currently poses a higher persuasion risk than visual misinformation. It identifies preventive corrective information as the most consistently effective intervention for reducing the perceived credibility of such content, while content labeling shows promising but inconsistent results depending on design. The analysis highlights a significant global evidence gap, as most research is concentrated in high-income, English-speaking countries.

The report analyzes 60 effect estimates from 24 peer-reviewed studies (33,801 participants) published between 2018 and 2025 to evaluate generative AI (GenAI) misinformation. It finds that GenAI-generated text currently poses a higher risk of persuasive impact than visual misinformation. The most consistently effective countermeasure is the preemptive provision of corrective information, while content labeling shows variable effectiveness depending on design and application. The authors highlight a significant global knowledge gap, as research is heavily concentrated in English-speaking, high-income countries.

The report finds that text-based generative AI misinformation poses a higher persuasive risk than visual misinformation. It identifies a significant knowledge gap due to research focusing primarily on high-income, English-speaking countries. Among countermeasures, preemptive corrective information is the most consistent and effective intervention, while content labeling shows promising but inconsistent results depending on design and application.

The document outlines a five-step process for governments to identify and quantify fossil fuel subsidies: applying a whole-of-government approach, establishing a comprehensive scope based on WTO standards, choosing measurement methods (price-gap vs. inventory), evaluating socio-economic and environmental impacts, and ensuring regular public disclosure. It emphasizes the use of the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) as a minimum baseline and highlights the role of effective carbon rates (ECRs) in improving cross-country comparability.