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The report outlines the commercial and climate imperatives for heavy industries to adopt carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. It identifies synergies where industrial waste, infrastructure, and expertise can accelerate the scale-up of biogenic, geochemical, and synthetic CDR. The document provides a framework for monetization through carbon credits, green premiums, and government incentives, while warning against 'mitigation deterrence'—the risk that CDR replaces essential decarbonization efforts.

The author contends that the French government has pivoted away from the climate and social ambitions expressed by President Emmanuel Macron a year prior. The primary point of contention is the 'Omnibus' legislative proposal, which the author claims undermines the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The text asserts that this proposal would exclude 80% of companies from environmental information obligations and facilitate greenwashing by removing non-financial transparency indicators. Furthermore, the author criticizes the lack of public consultation and transparency regarding France's official position on these EU texts, describing the process as a democratic retreat that favors economic and financial lobbies over civil society.

The Clean Air Task Force outlines the EU's current reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, particularly for VVER reactors, and proposes strategies to enhance supply chain resilience through alternative suppliers, domestic production, and strategic international cooperation.

Ember's response to the ERAA 2025 consultation highlights significant discrepancies between ENTSO-E's proposed commodity prices and market futures, noting that fossil fuel prices are underestimated while CO2 prices are overestimated. The document argues that the ERAA underestimates battery storage and demand flexibility potential, fails to account for battery CAPEX reductions, and underestimates wind and solar capacities in several European countries compared to National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and industry forecasts.

Reclaim Finance is calling on ArcelorMittal shareholders to escalate engagement at the 2025 AGM by voting against management-proposed resolutions. The organization argues that the company is backtracking on climate goals, delaying direct reduced iron (DRI) projects, and allocating insufficient capital to decarbonization, with only US$0.3-0.4 billion of planned 2025 capital expenditures dedicated to such projects.

Reclaim Finance criticizes ENGIE's 2025 climate plan for its lack of a fossil gas phase-out date and continued investment in gas infrastructure. While the company increased its 2030 renewable energy target to 95 GW, the analysis finds that ENGIE's decarbonization target of 2045 is incompatible with IEA Net Zero scenarios. The report highlights that CAPEX for fossil fuel technologies remains nearly unchanged and recommends that shareholders vote against the 'Say on Climate' presentation and the reelection of CEO Catherine MacGregor.

The analysis finds that Engie's 2025 climate plan lacks a phase-out date for fossil gas and continues gas expansion through new plants and LNG contracts. While renewable targets increased to 95 GW by 2030, the company remains on a 'well below 2°C' trajectory rather than 1.5°C, with a decarbonization goal of 2045 that contradicts IEA Net Zero scenarios. CAPEX for fossil technologies remains nearly stable, and the company's reliance on hydrogen and biomethane is viewed as a risk for perpetuating fossil systems.

Reclaim Finance disputes the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations' (CDC) justifications for its lack of transparency and argues that the CDC's shareholder engagement strategy is insufficient to stop investment in fossil fuel expansion. The document highlights a conflict between the CDC's secrecy and recommendations from the Cour des Comptes, while clarifying discrepancies in the reporting of fossil fuel exposure figures.

The Caisse des Dépôts rejects Reclaim Finance's criticisms, asserting that its investment approach balances ecological transformation with national sovereignty. It highlights a commitment to mobilize 100 billion euros for ecological and energy transformation between 2024 and 2028, while defending its decision to keep specific holdings confidential to maintain constructive shareholder dialogue. The institution disputes Reclaim Finance's estimate of its fossil fuel exposure, stating its actual exposure is below 5 billion euros and that it applies strict exclusion criteria for unconventional fossils and coal.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BPCE for its failure to implement ambitious exclusion policies for the oil and gas sector, noting that it continues to provide bond financing to major hydrocarbon developers and supports LNG expansion. The report highlights that BPCE is the only major French bank without decarbonization targets to reduce oil and gas exposure and maintains direct financing for gas fields, contrary to emerging European standards.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BPCE for its continued financial support of major oil and gas developers and LNG infrastructure, noting that the bank lacks the ambitious exclusion policies and exposure-reduction targets adopted by other major French banks.

In 2024, global electricity generation reached new record highs for solar, wind, hydro, gas, and coal. Solar was the fastest-growing source, increasing by 474 TWh to reach a 6.9% share of the global mix, with China contributing 53% of this growth. Wind generation also hit a record of 2,494 TWh, though growth slowed due to weather conditions. Hydro rebounded to an all-time high of 4,416 TWh following 2023 droughts, largely driven by China. Nuclear generation grew by 2.5% to 2,768 TWh, but its global market share fell to a 45-year low of 9%. Gas and coal both reached record generation levels in 2024, though their shares of the global electricity mix declined to 22% and 34% respectively, as electricity demand grew faster than their production.

The report examines the 2024 power sectors of China, the US, EU, India, Russia, Japan, and Brazil. Key trends include China's massive solar growth despite record coal generation, the US's first-time transition to wind and solar overtaking coal, the EU's record decline in coal, and Brazil's high renewable share. While India and China continue to see demand growth met partly by coal, the EU and US show a stronger shift toward clean energy, though the US remains reliant on gas.

In 2024, clean power reached a milestone of 40.9% of global electricity generation, driven by a record surge in solar and a rebound in hydropower. Despite this growth, global power sector emissions reached a record high of 14.6 billion tonnes of CO2 because extreme heatwaves drove a 4.0% increase in electricity demand, forcing a 1.4% rise in fossil fuel generation to meet the additional cooling needs.

In 2024, global electricity demand rose by 4% to 30,856 TWh, driven largely by China and extreme heatwaves. Low-carbon sources reached a historic high of 40.9% of global generation, with solar and wind combined surpassing hydropower. Despite this, global power sector emissions hit a record high, increasing by 1.6% due to a rise in fossil generation linked to cooling demand during heatwaves.

G7 countries are on track to miss their 2025 deadline to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, with total subsidies reaching a record USD 282 billion in 2023. The surge was primarily driven by consumer subsidies for natural gas and petroleum to mitigate energy price volatility following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While some members have implemented domestic reforms or joined coalitions like COFFIS and CETP, the author argues that the G7 must now drop the 'inefficient' qualifier, establish national action plans, and prohibit all subsidies to coal and fossil fuel production to align with 1.5°C climate pathways.

The document introduces a workbook designed to help businesses and policy-makers navigate the compliance landscape of due diligence laws. It maps 12 specific mandatory regulations—including the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the U.S. Lacey Act—against six common themes: risk management, transparency, traceability, accountability, stakeholder engagement, and legality. The analysis is based on the OECD's definition of due diligence, which focuses on identifying and mitigating adverse environmental and social risks in supply chains.

Civil society organisations have called on the Agence des participations de l'Etat (APE), the primary shareholder of ENGIE, to force the company to stop expanding its gas infrastructure. The signatories argue that ENGIE's current climate strategy is incompatible with a 1.5°C warming limit and highlight risks associated with long-term LNG import contracts and new gas plant projects. They specifically demand a public commitment to exit gas for electricity production by 2035 in Europe and OECD countries, and by 2040 globally, while halting new gas infrastructure and long-term LNG contracts.

Reclaim Finance and other climate organizations are urging the French Government Shareholding Agency, as ENGIE's main shareholder, to demand a commitment from the company to end gas expansion prior to a 'Say on Climate' vote on April 24th.

The Mediterranean region's renewable power capacity is projected to double from 315 GW in 2023 to 626 GW by 2030, primarily driven by solar and wind. However, this trajectory falls 374 GW short of the TeraMed Initiative's 1 TW goal. To bridge this gap, the region would need to install an additional 54 GW of wind and solar annually beyond current plans, totaling 98 GW per year, which significantly exceeds the historical maximum annual deployment of 45 GW.