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Tripling of global renewable capacity means a tripling of G7 renewables capacity
The policy brief asserts that for the global goal of tripling renewable capacity to be met, G7 nations must collectively increase their capacity from 0.9 TW in 2022 to 2.7 TW by 2030. Current G7 targets only amount to 2 TW, representing a doubling rather than a tripling, and leaving a 0.7 TW gap. While Germany and the UK have targets reaching at least 80% of a tripling, France and Japan are lagging, and the US and Canada lack official targets.
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Document type: Policy brief
A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches
The report highlights 'bright spots' in Canada where local governments are integrating natural infrastructure—such as wetlands, trees, and rain gardens—to complement traditional grey infrastructure for services like stormwater management and flood protection. It examines the City of Nelson's use of bylaws, Halifax Regional Municipality's policy embedding, and EPCOR's integrated investment strategy in Edmonton.
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Document type: Executive summary
Produced Capital in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago
The report examines produced capital—human-made assets used in production—across Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2020. It finds that while produced capital has grown, levels remain low compared to developed nations and are heavily concentrated in a few sectors, such as petroleum in Trinidad and Tobago and manufacturing and real estate in Ethiopia and Indonesia. This concentration creates economic risks and hinders the transition to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. The authors argue that the lack of regular measurement of produced capital by national statistical offices leaves policy-makers blind to these structural challenges, underscoring the need to move beyond GDP toward comprehensive wealth metrics.
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Document type: Policy brief
Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation
The document argues that the global transition to renewable energy, specifically wind and solar, frequently results in 'green colonialism' where Indigenous rights to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) are ignored. It documents human rights violations and land-grabbing in countries such as Kenya, Norway, Colombia, and Mexico, noting that Indigenous communities often respond through litigation, protest, and efforts to secure project ownership. The authors recommend the formal recognition of Indigenous rights, the strict application of FPIC, the implementation of Indigenous-led environmental impact assessments, and the promotion of Indigenous ownership to ensure a just transition.
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Document type: Policy brief
ASSESSMENT OF SHELL’S CLIMATE STRATEGY
Reclaim Finance finds that Shell's investment strategy prioritizes oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over renewable energy, leading to production levels and LNG capacities that significantly exceed NZE requirements by 2030. The report notes that Shell has reduced its carbon intensity targets and relies heavily on unproven carbon capture and offsets, while its renewable energy growth remains marginal compared to its fossil fuel output.
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Document type: Report
Environment, Climate, and Sustainable Development at MC13: A Review of Ministerial Declarations, Decisions, and Statements
The report provides a comprehensive compilation of excerpts from the WTO's Thirteenth Ministerial Conference (MC13), focusing on the intersection of global trade with environmental sustainability, climate change, and the UN 2030 Agenda. It highlights a strong collective push to finalize the second phase of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to combat overcapacity and overfishing, while revealing a significant divide between developed and developing nations regarding unilateral environmental trade measures and the need for special and differential treatment (SDT).
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Document type: Report
Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Options for Inclusive Collective Action at the World Trade Organization
The document analyzes the global landscape of fossil fuel subsidies (FFS), noting that they typically total around $600 billion annually and double during price crises. It argues that FFS drive greenhouse gas emissions and market distortions, and that the WTO is uniquely positioned to facilitate reform through transparency, capacity building, and the development of international disciplines. The author prioritizes the reform of subsidies for transport consumers, residential consumers, and oil and gas producers, while emphasizing the need for just transition principles to protect vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Potential for Superhot Rock Energy in North America
The document explores the potential of superhot rock energy in North America, estimating that 13% of the land area has potential at depths below 12.5 km. It argues that this resource could provide massive amounts of carbon-free electricity, leverage existing oil and gas expertise, and require significantly less land than other energy sources, with mature costs potentially as low as $25-40 per MWh.
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Document type: Case study
Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances
The document discusses the challenges of flood insurance in Canada, where approximately 10% of households live in high-risk areas and are largely uninsurable. It evaluates the federal government's proposal for a low-cost public insurance program, warning that without strict design—such as excluding new builds, using risk-based premiums, and offering resilience discounts—the program could encourage risky development and become a financial burden. The author emphasizes that insurance must be part of a comprehensive strategy including land-use limits, mandatory risk disclosure, and reformed disaster financial assistance to ensure long-term climate resilience.
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Document type: Policy brief
Clean Energy from the Ground Up: Energy Communities in the European Union
The report examines Energy Communities (ECs) in the EU, highlighting their role in democratising energy and achieving climate goals. It distinguishes between Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), noting that as of 2022, over 9,000 ECs were operational in the EU. The document details the climate, economic, and social benefits of these models, such as reduced energy poverty and increased grid resilience. Through case studies of Germany, Denmark, Latvia, and Greece, it illustrates how national legislation and financial incentives—like feed-in tariffs and grants—drive adoption. The report concludes that while the EU is a leader in these models, non-EU nations should consider similar legal recognitions to support a just energy transition.
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Document type: Report
Flood insurance risks in Canada
The document examines the challenges of flood insurance in Canada, where approximately 1.5 million high-risk homes lack affordable coverage. It argues that while a proposed federal low-cost insurance program could provide a necessary safety net, it must be integrated into a broader resilience strategy to avoid 'moral hazard' and financial instability. The author recommends specific design measures—such as excluding new builds, phasing in risk-based premiums, and incentivizing mitigation—alongside government restrictions on floodplain development and improved risk disclosure in real estate.
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Document type: Policy brief
BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) advocates for the passage of Bill C-226, arguing that environmental racism creates 'pollution hotspots' that disproportionately harm the health of Indigenous and racialized communities. CAPE links these exposures to severe health outcomes, including cancer and respiratory illnesses, and calls for a national strategy that integrates planetary health and Traditional Knowledge to address these systemic injustices.
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Document type: Briefing
Connecting the Dots: Local U.S. television coverage of extreme weather and climate change
The report finds that while only 5% of event-related local television segments provided climate change context, these segments reached over 17 million people across the 50 largest U.S. media markets. Audiences surged during extreme events, with local television viewership doubling in Orlando during Hurricane Ian and increasing 78% in Los Angeles during Tropical Storm Hilary. Extreme heat events, specifically the July 2023 heat streak in Phoenix, were most frequently linked to climate change, accounting for 48% of all climate-contextualized segments. Analysis of closed captioning shows that 96% of contextualized segments highlighted major impacts in categories such as health and safety, vulnerable communities, power supply, the economy, and travel disruption.
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Document type: Executive summary
A solutions-based approach to the UK’s net-zero transition
The report argues that the UK is currently off track to meet its 2030 NDC and sixth carbon budget, necessitating a shift toward 'accountability and implementation'. It advocates for a systems-based approach that complements electrification with carbon capture and storage (CCS), low-carbon hydrogen, nuclear energy, and aggressive methane mitigation. Key recommendations include establishing a Methane Action Plan, creating a 'producer responsibility' policy for CO2 storage, and prioritising low-carbon hydrogen for 'no-regrets' industrial sectors like refining and ammonia production. The document also emphasises the need for international collaboration, particularly with the EU and emerging economies, to scale these technologies and maintain the UK's global climate leadership.
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Document type: Report
Seasonal Attribution Report
Between December 2023 and February 2024, carbon pollution drove abnormal warmth for approximately 80% of the global population. Roughly 4.8 billion people experienced at least one day of temperatures that would be 'virtually impossible' without climate change. The report highlights extreme temperature anomalies in the U.S. upper Midwest and Canada, as well as high Climate Shift Index (CSI) levels in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. It also documents associated extreme weather events, including record-breaking heat in Australia and deadly floods in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Document type: Report
Navigating Critical Mineral Supply Chains: The EU's Partnerships with the DRC and Zambia
The European Union has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to secure critical raw materials (CRM) essential for green and digital transitions. These agreements aim to reduce the EU's heavy reliance on imports from quasi-monopolistic suppliers, particularly China. However, the paper identifies significant obstacles, including the DRC and Zambia's lack of comprehensive national CRM policies, high levels of corruption and political instability, and the continued dominance of Chinese mining interests in both countries. The author argues that for these partnerships to succeed, the EU must prioritize industrial and economic alignment over geopolitical security agendas and find ways to de-risk investments for the European private sector, potentially by strengthening state-owned mining companies in the partner countries.
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Document type: Research paper
Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Next-Generation Geothermal Power
The report argues that next-generation geothermal technologies, specifically Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and closed-loop systems, can expand U.S. geothermal resource potential from 40 GW to over 5,000 GW by engineering reservoirs in ubiquitous hot rock. It outlines a two-phase pathway: reaching 'liftoff' by 2030 through 2-5 GW of deployment across 5-10 geologic settings, followed by scaling to 90-132 GW by 2050. Key barriers identified include high up-front capital costs, long federal permitting timelines (7-10 years), and the need for power purchase agreements (PPAs) that value clean firm and flexible power. The report highlights that the industry can leverage the existing oil and gas workforce and supply chain to accelerate deployment.
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Document type: Report
Contextualizing Electric Transmission Permitting: Data from 2010 to 2020
The report analyzes transmission development between 2010 and 2020, finding that while projects requiring an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) represent only 3.5% of new lines, they account for 26% of new line miles. These projects are typically longer, more likely to be driven by renewable generation interconnection, and more likely to cross state or international borders. The average EIS review timeline is 4.3 years, with a moderate correlation between line length and review duration. The authors argue that these long and unpredictable timelines pose a challenge to future grid reliability and decarbonization goals, especially as federal funding and authority increase the likelihood of projects triggering federal reviews.
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Document type: Report
Obstructionist Tactics in Decision-Making: Key Elements for Consideration in the Context of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution
The document examines how the insistence on consensus-based decision-making in the INC process for a plastic pollution treaty acts as a tool for obstruction, allowing a minority of least ambitious countries to block substantive progress. It contrasts this with other multilateral environmental agreements that include voting provisions to incentivize compromise and avoid deadlock. The brief also details specific procedural tactics used to stall negotiations, such as repeated quorum calls and credential verifications, and warns that without the ability to vote, the final treaty will likely reflect only the lowest common denominator of ambition.
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Document type: Briefing
2023 Report on the WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate and Health
The 2023 report details the collaboration between the WHO and health civil society, specifically focusing on the impact of COP28. Key achievements include the first-ever Health Day, the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health endorsed by 148 countries, and the announcement of $1 billion in climate and health funding. The Working Group also contributed to a WHO Communications Guide for Health Professionals and a BBC short film series. Despite these gains, the report notes a severe funding deficit for health-based adaptation in low- and middle-income countries and insufficient progress in transitioning away from fossil fuels.
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Document type: Report