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In 2025, global coal power capacity increased by 3.5% while generation fell by 0.6%, reflecting a trend where coal plants act as 'system insurance' rather than primary power sources. This gap is most prominent in China and India, where record-high completions coexist with falling generation due to rapid wind and solar expansion. While the number of countries proposing new coal projects decreased from 38 in 2024 to 32 in 2025, and Latin America reached a state of no new proposals, some regions like the US and EU delayed planned closures due to energy security and political intervention. South Korea has committed to a 2040 coal phase-out, contrasting with Japan's more gradual approach focused on ammonia co-firing and efficiency improvements.

In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while generation fell by 0.6%, driven largely by record additions in China and India. These countries are building coal plants for system reliability and energy security, even as renewables displace coal's role in meeting demand. The report notes a geographic narrowing of coal expansion, with only 32 countries proposing or building new plants, and highlights the specific challenges facing Ukraine's energy recovery following Russian attacks on its infrastructure.

The document details the global cobalt market, highlighting the extreme concentration of mine production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and refining in China. It examines the shift toward battery-enabled end-uses, the role of Chinese investment in global supply, and the social risks associated with artisanal mining in the DRC.

The report argues that the surge in demand for critical minerals essential for the energy transition and digital economy risks amplifying existing gender inequalities. It identifies three compounding risk factors: specific environmental impacts (such as water scarcity and pollution), the high concentration of mineral reserves on Indigenous and agricultural lands, and the trend toward accelerated permitting processes. To mitigate these, the report recommends that stakeholders apply intersectional gender analysis in impact assessments, ensure inclusive consultation and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and establish gender-equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms, including fair land compensation and inclusive employment practices.

The report examines the potential for the European Union to use local content requirements (LCRs) in public procurement to drive decarbonization and industrial resilience. It analyzes LCR frameworks in China, India, and Canada, noting that while these tools can create predictable demand for low-carbon industries, they risk increasing costs, reducing competition, and triggering trade retaliation. The authors argue that LCRs should only be used in strategic sectors where specific preconditions—such as high market leverage and strong climate gains—are met, and must be tied to ambitious, performance-based environmental criteria rather than origin alone. The report specifically evaluates the steel, cement, and clean technology sectors, concluding that while LCRs can support resilience, they must be carefully designed to avoid protecting high-emission producers or hindering the import of essential green intermediate goods.

The report argues that commercial insect farming in high-income, temperate regions often fails to meet its theoretical sustainability promises. While insects have lower greenhouse gas emissions than beef, they often perform worse than the soymeal and fishmeal they are intended to replace. The authors identify seven key challenges: outdated life cycle assessments, under-utilization of organic waste as feed, limited substitution of meat in human diets, the reinforcement of industrial animal agriculture through use as feed, biodiversity risks from unintentional releases, emerging animal welfare concerns, and the opportunity cost of diverting investment from more promising plant-based or cultivated proteins.

In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while production fell by 0.6%, as coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects dropped to 32, China and India continue massive expansions. In Indonesia, the growth of captive coal plants for nickel and aluminium processing contradicts national climate commitments, with the RUPTL 2025-2034 continuing to plan for on-grid coal investment despite a formal moratorium.

The briefing identifies household energy consumption as a source of nearly 20% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and proposes a transition from fossil fuels to electricity via electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, and efficient appliances. Modeling suggests that by 2050, electricity should cover 73% to 91% of residential heating needs and over 96% of passenger vehicle kilometers. While electrification is generally cost-effective, regional differences exist; for example, natural gas remains cheaper than electric heating in the Prairies under current policies. The document emphasizes that energy efficiency—such as better building insulation—will reduce overall household energy consumption by 26% by 2050 despite population growth. To accelerate this, the author recommends government policies to lower initial costs for low-income households, mandate EV-readiness in multi-unit buildings, and double or triple clean electricity production to meet rising demand.

Satellite observations of methane plumes from coal mines increased by approximately 1,400% between 2019 and 2024, yet a significant gap remains between theoretical detectability and actual monitoring. While 71% of global coal production is located in regions with favourable conditions for detection, only 10% of hard coal production has been observed via satellite. This discrepancy is attributed to factors such as satellite overpass frequency and instrument tasking priorities. High detection rates in Canada and Poland are linked to regional prioritisation by Carbon Mapper and regulatory scrutiny under the EU Methane Regulation, whereas major producers like India, South Africa, and Australia show substantial monitoring gaps despite favourable geography.

Coal mine methane (CMM) emissions remained steady at approximately 34.7 million tonnes in 2023 despite rising coal production, indicating a failure to align with the Global Methane Pledge. The report highlights a critical data gap, estimating that 89% of emissions were unreported to the UNFCCC in 2023 and that 87% of global production relies on generic emission factors rather than direct measurement. While satellite monitoring is increasing, it currently captures only 10% of hard coal production. Technically, 54-63% of CMM emissions could be mitigated by 2030 using proven technologies, with drainage station capture offering significant potential at negative net cost and ventilation air methane (VAM) oxidation capable of cutting nearly a quarter of emissions.

Ember recommends that governments mandate direct measurement and reporting for all coal mines, integrating satellite and independent data to identify super-emitters. The report advocates for banning venting from drainage systems, implementing binding reduction requirements for large emitters, and creating incentive mechanisms for ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigation. It further emphasizes the necessity of phasing down coal use and requiring comprehensive mine-closure plans to prevent ongoing emissions from decommissioned sites.

The report analyzes greenwashing regulations in 12 countries, finding that while core principles of truthfulness and transparency are common, there is significant uncertainty regarding what constitutes adequate evidence for substantiation. It highlights that current frameworks often place a disproportionate burden on SMEs and smallholders and suggests that the credibility of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) needs clearer recognition criteria.

The report argues that electrifying household energy use—specifically through electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, and electric appliances—is the most cost-effective path for Canada to reach net zero emissions. While electricity prices have remained more stable than volatile fossil fuel prices, the transition requires government intervention to overcome upfront costs and infrastructure gaps. Modelling suggests that by 2050, electricity could meet 73% to 91% of residential heating loads and over 96% of total vehicle kilometers travelled. To support this, the report recommends policies to increase consumer uptake and a massive build-out of clean electricity generation, which may need to double or triple by 2050.

The European Union has legally bound itself to a 90 per cent emissions reduction by 2040, allowing a 5 per cent flexibility through international carbon credits starting in 2031. The author argues that Canada should follow this lead by operationalizing its use of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs). By adopting a model similar to Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism, Canada could combine climate finance with the export of domestic clean technologies to generate verified credits and open new trade channels. The document suggests shifting Canada's international climate finance from a model based on dollars disbursed to one based on measurable outcomes and technology deployment, citing methane reduction efforts in Chile as a positive early example.

The Canadian Climate Institute urges Canada to move beyond conceptual leadership and operationalize its use of international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the European Union's decision to allow international carbon credits for up to 5% of its 2040 emissions reduction target and Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism as successful frameworks. The author suggests Canada shift its international climate finance from a spending-based model to a results-based model that generates Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), thereby attracting private capital and creating new export markets for Canadian clean energy technologies.

The report asserts that metallurgical coal demand is plateauing as the steel industry shifts toward low-carbon technologies like electric arc furnaces (EAFs) and green hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI). While some governments and financial institutions remain bullish on long-term growth, particularly in Asia, the document predicts a 4.8% drop in met coal consumption between 2025 and 2030. It highlights the risk of stranded assets, noting that 145 companies are planning expansions that could increase global capacity by 580 million tonnes per year. The report recommends scrapping subsidies for traditional steel, lowering industrial electricity prices, and using public procurement to prioritise green steel to accelerate the transition.

The First Conference for the Transition beyond Fossil Fuels, held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24 to 29, aims to establish practical solutions for phasing out coal, oil, and gas. Co-sponsored by Colombia and the Netherlands, the event brings together at least 45 countries, including major exporters like Canada and Australia, though the largest producers—the US, China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia—are absent. The conference seeks to bypass the consensus-based delays of UN COPs to produce a report for COP30 and COP31, focusing on eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, planning production decline, and increasing renewable energy demand within a just transition framework.

The report argues that Zambia can leverage its position as a top copper producer to drive economic transformation through value addition in processing and manufacturing. It identifies reliable electricity, expanded smelting and refining, and improved trade corridors as critical priorities to mitigate the risks of mining dependency and capitalize on projected global supply shortfalls through the mid-2030s.

The document analyzes a 68 percent increase in antisemitic social media content following military strikes on Iran in February 2026. It identifies a shift toward narratives of Jewish political control and backlash against Israel, noting that this online escalation coincided with at least eight offline antisemitic attacks in March 2026 across five countries.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the power sectors of seven major countries and regions in 2025, which collectively represent 72% of global electricity demand. Key trends include China's unprecedented solar growth and first absolute decline in power sector emissions since 2015, the US seeing wind and solar overtake nuclear power for the first time, and the EU's wind and solar generation exceeding fossil generation. India saw renewable growth double its demand increase, while Brazil maintained one of the cleanest systems globally with 87% renewable generation. Conversely, Russia and Japan continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels, with Russia's wind and solar remaining marginal at less than 1% of its mix.