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The EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Framework and Energy Security
The report argues that the EU's energy security, particularly regarding natural gas, cannot be solved by a 'magic bullet' but requires a combined approach of supply-side and demand-side measures. While LNG and internal market infrastructure reduce vulnerability to supply disruptions, demand-side actions like energy efficiency and renewables are essential to reduce the overall cost of imports and long-term dependency. The analysis highlights that Central and Eastern European Member States remain particularly vulnerable to Russian supply cuts, but that decarbonization goals in the power sector do not necessarily conflict with gas security due to the sector's fuel-switching capabilities. The report concludes that the EU should set ambitious, quantifiable energy efficiency and renewable targets to reinforce its strategic resilience.
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Document type: Report
Fact Sheet Critical Mineral Deep Dive: Cobalt
The document details cobalt's critical importance for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and electronics, noting that demand for clean energy technologies is expected to rise by 80% between 2025 and 2030. It highlights a highly concentrated supply chain, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) producing about 76% of global cobalt and China refining 50% to 70% of global supplies. The text emphasizes severe externalities in the DRC, including child labor, human rights violations, and the deforestation of 32,100 acres of the Congo Basin forest from 2001 to 2020. It also notes the U.S. has a 76% import reliance for cobalt and discusses recycling and substitutes, such as iron-phosphate and TAQ, to mitigate supply and ethical risks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Playing With Fire
The report identifies 67 planned coal-to-biomass projects in the EU that could increase biomass consumption by 607 PJ per year, potentially tripling the current levels of biomass burnt in coal power plants. This expansion would require approximately 36 million tonnes of wood pellets annually, which is similar to current global production. The authors argue that these projects are expensive, rely on public subsidies, and risk accelerating climate change because the CO2 emitted during combustion is not reabsorbed quickly enough to meet Paris Agreement targets. The report highlights that five countries—Finland, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the Netherlands—are responsible for most of this potential growth, with the Netherlands accounting for 25%.
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Document type: Report
Monthly Wind and Solar Capacity Data Methodology
The document details the technical approach for calculating and harmonising monthly wind and solar capacity data. It defines 'installed capacity' as the maximum potential output and explains the process for converting solar data between AC and DC values, using a default conversion factor of 1.3. The methodology describes how onshore and offshore wind are distinguished, often relying on IRENA data when primary sources lack a breakdown. It also specifies the publication schedule (twice monthly) and the use of proxies and linear interpolation to estimate missing data for global aggregates and specific countries. Detailed country-specific sections list data sources, publication lags, and specific adjustments for 25 territories, including the US, China, and the EU.
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Document type: Guide
A power sector analysis of draft NECPs
The analysis of 15 draft NECPs reveals a significant increase in wind and solar capacity targets since 2019, bringing the EU closer to REPowerEU goals, though still falling short. While renewable electricity is projected to generate 66-67% of EU electricity by 2030, the report highlights a critical lack of quantified targets for electricity storage and clean flexibility. Furthermore, the document criticises the poor quality and transparency of data provided in the draft plans, which hinders accountability and investment signals.
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Document type: Report
ENERGY TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY
The report outlines a framework for energy technology innovation divided into research, engineering, and commercialization. It advocates for the use of innovation hubs, peer review, and 'stage gating' in research; industry-led agendas and shared government testing platforms in engineering; and long-term, liquid market signals and reverse auctions in commercialization to ensure technologies reach market competitiveness efficiently.
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Document type: Report
Muerte por impunidad: Berta Cáceres y Agua Zarca
This case study by Friends of the Earth International examines the assassination of human rights defender Berta Cáceres and the role of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam project in Honduras, arguing that voluntary corporate human rights commitments are insufficient and a legally binding UN treaty is necessary to end corporate impunity.
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Document type: Case study
TRANSFORMING OUR ECONOMY SCALING UP THE SOLUTIONS
The document argues that the current global economic system, driven by neoliberal ideology, has failed by causing environmental destruction and extreme inequality. It proposes five key pillars for transformation: ensuring universal public services through tax justice, scaling up social ownership and cooperatives, supporting local markets and fair trade, adopting wellbeing-based economic indicators instead of GDP, and establishing binding international rules to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses.
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Document type: Report
CÓMO TRANSFORMAR NUESTRA ECONOMÍA
The report critiques neoliberalism for causing environmental destruction and inequality, advocating for a transition to a sustainable economy. It proposes five key pillars: expanding public services through tax justice, scaling up cooperatives and solidarity economies, supporting local markets and fair trade, adopting wellbeing-based economic indicators instead of GDP, and establishing binding international regulations to curb the power of transnational corporations.
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Document type: Report
TRANSFORMER L’ÉCONOMIE EN DÉPLOYANT LES SOLUTIONS À GRANDE ÉCHELLE
The document critiques neoliberalism for causing ecological destruction and deep inequalities, proposing a shift toward an economy that prioritizes people and the planet. It outlines five strategic pillars for transformation: ensuring universal public services through tax justice, expanding cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy, supporting local agroecological markets and fair trade, replacing GDP with wellbeing indicators (such as 'Buen vivir' or 'doughnut economics'), and establishing a binding UN treaty to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses.
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Document type: Report
Global Plastics Treaty must be shored up against oil and gas ambitions
The document criticizes the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists and petrostates on the UN's Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, specifically at INC-5. It highlights how oil-producing nations have blocked agreements to curtail plastic production as the industry seeks new markets for petroleum products. The text details the environmental and health impacts of plastic, including greenhouse gas emissions, flooding in Mumbai and Indonesia, and toxic pollution in Alberta, Canada. It calls for the 2025 INC-5.2 session to establish specific global reduction targets and ensure the inclusion of Indigenous and civil society voices.
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Document type: Statement
According to US President Donald Trump, the fewer trees, the less possibility of a forest fire
The document argues that President Donald Trump's 2018 executive order to increase logging by 31 percent to prevent forest fires is misleading and dangerous. It asserts that large-scale industrial timber harvesting is associated with worse fires in some regions and that the primary drivers of worsening fires are climate change, excessive drought, high winds, and heat. The text claims the policy serves to expand the logging industry rather than address the environmental causes of wildfires.
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Document type: Statement
Sanctions gap lets Russian-mined nickel flow to Western markets
Global Witness reports that while the US and UK have banned Russian-origin nickel, the EU has not, creating a loophole where Russian nickel is refined in Finland and then legally exported to the US. The report highlights the environmental degradation and human rights abuses linked to Norilsk Nickel's operations in the Arctic, the company's ties to the Russian military-industrial complex, and the challenges of conducting corporate due diligence in a repressive political environment. It recommends that the EU implement targeted sanctions on Russian nickel, maintain strict thresholds for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and prioritize circular economy strategies to reduce dependency on Russian minerals.
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Document type: Report
LIGHTENING LABOUR’S LOAD AN ATLAS OF GREEN TAX ALTERNATIVES
The report presents a series of expert contributions from Green movements in 16 European countries, arguing that labour taxes are often the primary source of government revenue and should be shifted toward taxes on pollution, capital, and resource use. Proposed alternatives include carbon taxes, wealth taxes, and taxes on automated work, while improvements to labour taxation focus on increasing progressivity, introducing negative income taxes for low earners, and simplifying tax codes.
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Document type: Report
Síntesis institucional regional de la evaluación sobre cambio climático y biodiversidad
The report identifies a significant gap between climate change and biodiversity policies in the Tropical Andes, noting that while legal frameworks exist, scientific research and institutional coordination remain fragmented. It highlights that high-altitude zones are the most vulnerable to climate change, affecting ecosystem services for lowland areas. The document details national strategies and projects in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, emphasizing the need for integrated monitoring networks, better flow of scientific data to decision-makers, and the development of multidisciplinary research to study the interaction between climate variability and species distribution.
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Document type: Report
Transdisciplinary Coordination: Building Bridges for the Future of Knowledge Co-production
The report argues that transdisciplinary (TD) research—which integrates diverse scientific disciplines and non-academic societal actors to solve real-world problems—is often hindered by a lack of formal coordination. Based on a 2024 workshop, the authors propose a framework for improving TD coordination centered on three goals: shifting scientific culture toward societal impact, transforming funding mechanisms to be more inclusive and flexible, and building specialized capacities in facilitation and communication. The document emphasizes the need to elevate Southern perspectives to correct power imbalances between the Global North and South in scientific collaboration.
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Document type: Report
Coordinación transdisciplinaria: tender puentes para el futuro de la coproducción de conocimientos
The report argues that transdisciplinary research—which integrates academic and non-academic knowledge to solve real-world problems—often fails due to a lack of dedicated coordination. It proposes a three-pillar framework to improve this: changing scientific culture to value social impact over academic metrics, transforming funding mechanisms to be more flexible and inclusive of non-academic partners, and developing specialized capacities in facilitation, communication, and conflict resolution. The document emphasizes the need for these changes to support the Global South and ensure equitable partnerships in addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
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Document type: Report
Exploiter le pouvoir de la finance et de la technologie pour assurer un développement durable
The document argues that while global financial assets are sufficient to fund sustainable development, a significant funding gap and digital divide persist. It traces the history of international environmental cooperation from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Key challenges identified include the failure of developed nations to meet the $100 billion annual climate finance goal, fragmented funding architectures, and barriers to technology transfer such as intellectual property rights. The text emphasizes that digital technologies (AI, blockchain, cloud computing) offer immense potential for zero-carbon energy and circular economies, provided that access is equitable and risks like data privacy and job loss are managed.
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Document type: Research paper
Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform Communiqué
The communiqué calls for the elimination of fossil-fuel subsidies to help limit global temperature increases to below 2°C, noting that such subsidies encourage wasteful consumption and hinder renewable energy investment. It emphasizes that reform should be transparent, ambitious, and accompanied by targeted support for the poor, while referencing existing commitments from the G20 and APEC.
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Document type: Statement
Increasing Taxes on Fossil Fuel Consumption
The document analyzes how Saudi Arabia, China, and South Africa have implemented various taxes on fossil fuel consumption to address budget deficits and fund renewable energy. It highlights China's Renewable Electricity Surcharge, which raised USD 16 billion in 2016, and South Africa's multi-layered approach including fuel and electricity levies. Saudi Arabia's 2018 introduction of a 5% VAT is noted as a move to diversify revenue away from oil dependency.
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Document type: Case study