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In 2025, the BRICS nations experienced their largest power capacity expansion on record, characterized by a 'split transition' where both fossil fuels and renewables reached historic highs. While 125 GW of new coal, oil, and gas capacity was added, solar and wind additions totaled 497 GW. This growth was heavily concentrated in China and India, where record renewable deployment began to reduce coal-fired generation despite continued coal capacity expansion. In contrast, other BRICS members like Russia and Iran remain overwhelmingly fossil-based, while Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, and the UAE show varying degrees of renewable growth and fossil fuel reliance.

The research evaluates climate governance across 12 intergovernmental fora, including the G7, G20, ASEAN, and AU, using a framework of five functions: Guidance and Signal, Rules to Guide Collective Action, Transparency and Accountability, Means of Implementation, and Knowledge and Learning. The analysis of 1,412 references reveals that while most fora have adopted long-term decarbonization visions and medium-term targets, the strength of these signals varies. Informal groups, particularly the G7 and G20, provide the most significant contributions. Key strengths include commitments to the Paris Agreement and joint R&D, while critical weaknesses are found in transparency and accountability mechanisms, as well as a lack of actionable policy coordination. Some signals, such as the promotion of gas as a transition fuel or the image of coal, are noted as potentially contradictory to Paris Agreement goals.