Search Climate Insights Directory

Reclaim Finance argues that increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal capacity will not solve Europe's energy crisis, asserting that the crisis stems from fossil fuel dependence. The organization criticizes BlackRock CEO Larry Fink for promoting short-term profits over sustainable solutions and calls on European institutional investors to pressure BlackRock to end its unrestricted investments in coal and adopt stronger decarbonization targets.

Reclaim Finance argues that increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and coal use will not solve Europe's energy crisis, asserting that the crisis stems from fossil fuel dependence. The organization criticizes BlackRock for investing in new coal projects and for setting insufficient decarbonization targets, calling on European institutional investors to pressure the asset manager to align with climate goals.

Climate Central's global analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) found that 96% of the world's population—7.6 billion people—experienced daily temperatures made warmer by human-caused climate change between October 2021 and September 2022. The study identifies the strongest influences in regions near the equator and on small islands, with Lagos, Mexico City, and Singapore emerging as the highest hotspots of human exposure when accounting for urban population. The analysis also pinpointed peak continental CSI days, noting that these do not always coincide with major heat waves.

The document opposes the promotion of natural gas as a 'transition fuel' in Africa, arguing that such projects primarily benefit European energy security and corporate profits while exacerbating climate vulnerability and poverty on the continent. It highlights the environmental damage in the Niger Delta and Cabo Delgado, criticizes 'Net Zero' as greenwashing, and proposes a 100% renewable energy target for Africa by 2050. The authors call for an end to fossil fuel financing and demand an annual climate debt payment of $2 trillion from industrialized nations to fund loss, damage, and a just transition.

The document analyzes the global pipeline of coal-to-gas conversions, identifying approximately 89.6 GW of such projects in development. It argues that these projects risk locking in fossil fuel use for decades and creating stranded assets, especially as the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for renewables with storage becomes more competitive than gas. The report highlights East Asia, Europe, and North America as the regions with the most significant coal-to-gas activity and warns that methane leakage from gas infrastructure can make gas-fired power more damaging to the climate than coal if leakage exceeds 3%.

The report identifies over 300 LNG projects in pre-construction and construction phases globally, with an estimated cost of US$797 billion. It highlights that the United States has become the world's leading LNG exporter in the first half of 2022 and hosts nearly half of all global export capacity under development. The document argues that this build-out contradicts international climate goals, risks creating stranded assets, and undermines U.S. national interests by increasing domestic energy prices and harming disadvantaged communities on the Gulf Coast. It further contends that 'clean' LNG proposals, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) or hydrogen repurposing, are insufficient to address the full life cycle emissions of the fuel.

The document asserts that Canada's reliance on oil, gas, and coal exposes it to global market volatility and geopolitical risks, as evidenced by record-high fuel prices in 2022. It argues that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are now more cost-effective than fossil fuels and provide long-term price stability because they do not require input fuels. The brief highlights Canada's existing hydroelectric capacity and transmission infrastructure as key assets for integrating variable renewables. It recommends accelerating the electrification of transportation and heating, improving interprovincial grid connectivity, and investing in energy storage to achieve a non-emitting electricity grid by 2035.

The UNCHAIN project utilizes an impact chain method to improve climate change risk assessments and adaptation actions. In a case study in Halmstad, Sweden, researchers adapted this model to explore how multiple hydrometeorological hazards interact with pre-existing vulnerabilities to create cascading disruptions across critical infrastructures and vital societal functions, potentially generating new vulnerable social groups. The process emphasized the co-production of knowledge, integrating stakeholder expertise from sectors such as water services, urban planning, and risk management through a participatory, iterative approach based on five selected modules of the impact chain framework.

The document warns against a surge of new LNG terminal projects in Europe triggered by the energy crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It argues these projects will not solve short-term energy shortages due to construction delays and market constraints, while risking long-term 'carbon lock-in' and increased methane emissions. The author specifically criticizes the opacity of the Le Havre floating terminal project and calls on private financial institutions, including GFANZ members, to implement exclusions for LNG infrastructure to align with 1.5°C warming targets.

The document warns against the proliferation of LNG import terminals in Europe, arguing they will not solve the immediate energy crisis and will create long-term fossil fuel dependency. It calls on private financial institutions to deny funding for these projects to prevent carbon lock-in and mitigate methane emissions.

The study compares the Integrated MultisatellitE Retrievals for- Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) and Climate Forecast and System Reanalysis (CFSR) products against approximately 50,000 in-situ surface stations globally. The results indicate that IMERG generally outperforms CFSR in simulating monthly rainfall across most regions, continents, and countries. Specifically, IMERG showed significantly better mean Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) in 64 countries. While CFSR provided satisfactory simulations for Europe, North America, and Australia, it was unsatisfactory for other continents. To facilitate the use of high-quality data for hydrologic modelling, the authors introduced the Worldwide Weather Service (W3S) for the preprocessing and dissemination of IMERG precipitation data.

The document identifies a trend of disinformation in the UK where the current energy crisis—driven by high gas prices and Russia's invasion of Ukraine—is being falsely blamed on renewable energy and climate solutions to alienate 'Persuadables' from climate action.

The report examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of beef production, highlighting that emissions vary drastically by region and production system, ranging from 16 to 360 kg CO2e/kg edible meat. It identifies enteric fermentation, feed production, and land-use change as the primary emission drivers, while noting that well-managed grazing lands can act as carbon sinks. The document outlines mitigation strategies including improved feed digestibility, rotational grazing, and feed additives, estimating a total global mitigation potential between 0.67 and 2.55 GtCO2e/yr.

The document analyzes the GHG footprint of salmon, noting that emissions are dominated by feed, with total retail emissions typically between 7 and 10 kgCO2e/kg edible weight. It highlights significant variability based on production methods, feed composition, and transport modes, while identifying land-use change in feed and air freight as primary targets for mitigation.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment has issued a formal letter to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) protesting the acceptance of sponsorships from fossil fuel entities. The physicians argue that such partnerships create a conflict of interest and undermine municipal climate action, particularly given the severe health and economic impacts of climate-induced disasters in British Columbia and globally.

The We Mean Business Coalition and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development argue that the current draft of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) risks flooding the market with incomplete information. They advocate for alignment with the International Sustainable Standards Board (ISSB) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to ensure global comparability and reduce the reporting burden. The authors specifically criticize the 'rebuttable presumptions' concept and the lack of maturity in certain KPIs, such as biodiversity offsets, suggesting a phased-in approach for less mature metrics to prevent greenwashing and maintain investor trust.

The statement calls on reinsurers Munich Re and SCOR to follow the lead of Swiss Re and Hannover Re by ending the underwriting of risks linked to oil and gas production expansion, citing the increase in extreme climatic events in 2022.

The statement highlights the financial impact of climate-driven natural disasters on European reinsurers and urges SCOR and Munich Re to align with Swiss Re and Hannover Re by ending reinsurance for new oil and gas production projects.

An open letter from Reclaim Finance and other signatories calling on the European Central Bank (ECB) to specify and strengthen the criteria for 'tilting' its corporate bond holdings toward better climate performance. The authors propose four key requirements: excluding coal and new fossil fuel projects, prioritising climate neutrality over market neutrality, requiring science-based emission targets aligned with the EU Climate Law, and making climate-related disclosures mandatory for eligibility.

The Life after Coal Campaign (LAC) and Fair Finance Southern Africa (FFSA) call for greater transparency and civil society inclusion in South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). They demand clarity on financial offers from the International Partners Group, the composition of JETP working groups, and the accessibility of the JETP Investment Plan. The coalitions argue that climate finance must prioritize 'justice elements'—including gender-responsive interventions and community-led projects—while strictly excluding funding for new coal, gas, or nuclear energy. They further emphasize the need for robust governance to track finance flows and ensure that the transition does not impose austerity on low-income users.