Search Climate Insights Directory

The analysis identifies a significant gap between announced CO2 capture ambitions and the development of geological storage capacity in Europe, particularly in the short term. While Europe possesses a theoretical storage potential of approximately 507 Gt, the time required to develop storage sites (5 to 15 years) lags behind the faster implementation of capture projects. By 2025, a shortage of around 15 Mt/year is expected, and by 2030, the gap widens to approximately 40 Mt/year, with available capacity meeting only half of the 82 Mt/year demand. The report notes that many capture projects are concentrated in industrial clusters, but several countries—including Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, and Sweden—have no announced storage projects despite capture ambitions, necessitating cross-border storage solutions.

The report argues that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as lower latitudes, with black carbon and methane having a disproportionate impact. It proposes that the U.S., during its 2015-2017 Arctic Council Chairmanship, should champion best practices in the oil and gas sector, advocate for a heavy fuel oil ban in shipping, promote clean energy for residential heating, and implement strategies to curb open burning.

The document details the geological composition and tectonic setting of the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, highlighting its location at a divergent plate boundary. It provides statistics on superhot rock (SHR) drilling, specifically the IDDP-2 well, and describes the operations of the existing Reykjanes geothermal power station.

The document presents superhot rock (SHR) energy as a high-energy-density, zero-carbon alternative to conventional geothermal systems, which are currently limited to 16 GW globally. SHR targets conditions of 400°C or hotter to produce up to ten times the energy of current geothermal wells. The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) identifies key technical hurdles in deep drilling and reservoir development and seeks $12.5 million over three years to drive awareness, map commercial opportunities, and support regulatory frameworks for seismicity and groundwater protection.

The document argues that CCS is essential for decarbonising hard-to-abate industrial sectors like cement and steel and for achieving net-negative emissions after 2050. It details the technical process of capturing CO2 using amines or membranes and storing it in saline aquifers or depleted reservoirs at depths exceeding 800 metres. The text asserts that geological storage is permanent and safe, with projected annual leak rates as low as 0.0002% in regulated industries. While costs vary by source—ranging from under 90 euro per tonne for fertilisers to 700 euro for direct air capture—the document suggests that government support for shared infrastructure can drive down costs, similar to the trajectory of offshore wind. It highlights approximately 100 proposed projects in Europe, particularly around the North Sea, and notes that the EU may need to capture 300 to 600 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2050.

The document highlights that just 1% of Iceland's superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 411 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 19,612 GWh. It argues that this technology offers a low land-use footprint and can provide 24/7 firm power, potentially replacing all coal imports used for electricity. Iceland is positioned as a leader in this field through projects like the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in Reykjanes, the Krafla Magma Testbed, and a planned third IDDP well in Hengill.

The document argues that the availability of CO2 storage sites is the primary bottleneck for industrial decarbonisation in Europe. While it supports the NZIA's proposed target of 50 million tonnes of annual injection capacity by 2030, it suggests this is a 'bare minimum' and recommends five key improvements: setting more ambitious long-term storage targets, creating an EU-level aggregation platform to match CO2 sources with sinks, requiring Member States to map storage potential and plan cross-border transport networks, ensuring oil and gas producers' storage obligations align with industrial needs, and accelerating permitting and exploration licences for storage projects.

The paper identifies critical gaps in materials, drilling, and geomechanical modeling required to extract heat from rocks above 375 °C. It argues that while current EGS technology is limited to lower temperatures, leveraging oil and gas techniques and multidisciplinary collaboration can unlock high-enthalpy SHR resources.

The report provides a comprehensive survey of subsurface characterization technologies for superhot rock (SHR) geothermal systems, defined by temperatures above 374°C. It categorizes methods by spatial scale: exploration (100s-10s km), reservoir (10s-1 km), and monitoring (1 km-1 m). Key findings highlight that while many geophysical tools are mature, they lack validation in SHR-specific environments. The authors emphasize the need for integrated data analysis, such as joint inversion and machine learning, to reduce exploration risk and improve the accuracy of temperature and stress models. The report concludes that advancing SHR energy requires standardized data sharing, increased investment in high-temperature sensors, and the development of SHR-specific play fairway analyses.

The document advocates for the deployment of next-generation geothermal systems in Central and Eastern Europe to provide baseload carbon-free electricity and heat. It highlights superhot rock (SHR) geothermal as a high-temperature resource that can deliver 5-10x more power per well than traditional methods. The author calls for a comprehensive EU Geothermal Action Plan by Q1 2026 and increased R&D funding to reduce project costs, which are projected to fall by 80% over the next decade. It specifically identifies Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, and Hungary as countries well-positioned to benefit from combined high-temperature heat and power projects.

The document identifies critical engineering gaps for superhot rock (SHR) geothermal wells, emphasizing that temperatures above 400°C cause severe cyclic thermal strains, material microstructural degradation, and cement failure. It proposes a hybrid design approach combining Working Stress Design (WSD), Reliability-Based Design (RBD), and Low-Cycle Fatigue (LCF) to manage these loads. Key findings highlight the risk of 'cold collapse' during quenching, the potential for high temperature hydrogen attack (HTHA) in low-carbon steels, and the lack of downhole tools and thermohydraulic simulators capable of handling supercritical water flows.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) issued climate-related recommendations or questions to 35 out of 43 States considered in 2023. The Committee primarily focused on the differentiated impact of climate change on women, emphasizing the need for gender-responsive strategies in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the increased vulnerability of rural, Indigenous, migrant, and refugee women. While less frequent than adaptation, the Committee also addressed mitigation policies, fossil fuel extraction—specifically criticizing Norway's expansion of oil and gas permits in the Arctic—and the necessity of women's participation in the UNFCCC loss and damage fund.

The document synthesizes the work of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) in addressing climate change, specifically focusing on Concluding Observations issued to States. It highlights that while climate change is not explicitly in key human rights treaties, HRTBs increasingly use their monitoring roles to argue that protecting human rights requires specific climate action. The report details recommendations across several themes, including the disproportionate impacts on women, children, and indigenous peoples, the need for gender-sensitive and child-sensitive climate strategies, and the obligation of some States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel extraction to meet human rights standards. It provides detailed analysis of the three most active bodies: CEDAW, CESCR, and CRC.

The report outlines how the CEDAW Committee interprets States' obligations to ensure gender-responsive climate action, emphasizing the particular vulnerabilities of rural and older women and the necessity of women's participation in decision-making.

The briefing examines the impact of aviation emissions and the failure of international measures, specifically CORSIA, to align with the Paris Agreement. It details the 'stop-the-clock' derogation that paused EU ETS enforcement for flights entering and leaving Europe and warns that continuing this exemption risks the EU's 2030 climate targets and increases the oversupply of emission allowances.

The document outlines the goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDf), noting that the target to halve deforestation by 2020 was not met. It identifies key drivers of forest loss, including large-scale infrastructure, extractive industries, and specific agricultural commodities, while highlighting the gap between conservation commitments and financial investments. Despite these challenges, it notes progress in Paris Agreement updates and the adoption of anti-deforestation measures by major consumer markets.

The document outlines the objectives of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDf), noting that the 2020 goal to halve deforestation was not met. It identifies key drivers of forest loss, including agricultural commodities and extractive industries, while highlighting the role of financial institutions and the importance of indigenous peoples in forest conservation. Despite challenges, it notes progress through the Paris Agreement and demand-side measures in major consumer markets.

The document reports that the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) failed to meet its 2020 target of halving deforestation, with 10 million hectares of forest lost annually. It identifies drivers of loss including commodity agriculture, extractive industries, and a lack of deforestation policies in nearly two-thirds of the top 150 financial institutions. While noting progress through the Paris Agreement and demand-side measures in markets like the EU, US, UK, and China, it emphasizes the need for alternative development pathways and the inclusion of Indigenous peoples as forest stewards.

The document outlines the objectives of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDf), noting that the 2020 target to halve deforestation was not met. It identifies drivers of forest loss, such as global commodity demand and extractive industries, while highlighting the role of financial institutions and the necessity of empowering Indigenous peoples and local communities to achieve climate solutions.

The document outlines the objectives of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), noting that the goal to halve deforestation by 2020 was not met. It identifies key drivers of forest loss, such as large-scale infrastructure, extractive industries, and specific agricultural commodities, while highlighting the role of indigenous peoples as forest guardians. The text calls for urgent systemic change, increased financial transparency, and the implementation of alternative development models to protect forests as a climate solution.