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The document analyzes the competitive landscape of green investment in Southeast Asia, highlighting China as the leading public investor in clean energy between 2013 and 2023. It details the specific technological strengths of investor nations—such as Japan's lead in geothermal and solar and China's dominance in wind and hydropower—while examining the strategic frameworks used, including China's Belt and Road Initiative and Japan's Asia Zero Emissions Community. The report also notes significant financing gaps in the region, where annual renewable investments of USD 8 billion fell far short of the USD 27 billion required to meet 2025 targets.

The IMO's new Net-Zero Framework is criticized as a 'defeat for the climate' because it replaces a universal carbon levy with a hybrid fuel standard and weak carbon pricing. The author contends that the scheme will only reduce emissions by about 10% by 2030—half of the IMO's own base target—and will generate insufficient revenue ($11-12 billion annually) to support the transition to zero-emission fuels, which requires $12-24 billion per year.

The report argues that the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) can unlock significant renewable energy potential and enhance energy security by connecting resource-rich countries with high-demand markets. It highlights specific planned solar and wind projects, the role of the ASEAN Interconnection Master Plan Study (AIMS), and the potential for 30 GW of additional renewable capacity to generate 109 TWh of electricity and create 182,000 jobs.

ASEAN electricity demand grew by approximately 50% between 2013 and 2023 and is projected to rise by up to 41% by 2030. While the IEA's Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) targets 100,000 km of transmission line expansion for Southeast Asia between 2021 and 2030, the combined plans of Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, and the Philippines total 45,078 km, covering only about 45% of that target. The document argues that grid planning must shift from merely meeting peak demand to managing the intermittency of wind and solar power, which saw cost reductions of 55% and 85% respectively in the decade to 2020.

The report argues that ASEAN's transmission grid expansion must roughly double to align with IEA pathways, as current national plans for Indonesia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, and Thailand cover only about 45% of the required expansion. It highlights that 30 GW of solar and wind potential is located along planned interconnection routes in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei. To support this transition, the report proposes a six-pillar framework for future-ready grid planning—including smart modernisation, strategic expansion, and market reforms—and suggests learning from the integrated power systems of Europe and Southern Africa to move from bilateral to multilateral power trade.

The report outlines the necessity for ASEAN countries to shift from reactive grid expansion to proactive system transformation to support variable renewable energy. It proposes a six-pillar framework for future-ready grid planning—covering smart modernisation, strategic expansion, flexibility, regional integration, regulatory reform, and sustainable finance—and draws comparative lessons from the integrated power systems of Europe and Southern Africa to advocate for a more connected and resilient regional market.

The report examines the need for grid modernisation and policy alignment in ASEAN to support the transition to renewables. It highlights the current dominance of fossil fuels, the risk of curtailment seen in Vietnam, and the potential of clean flexibility options such as pumped hydro, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and demand-side management (DSM) to ensure grid stability and enable cross-border energy sharing.

The CEO of Mighty Earth reports on rewilding successes, including the planned restoration of grizzly bears to Washington state and a feasibility study for their return to California. The note also celebrates the creation of the 729,000-acre Patagonia Azul Provincial Park in Argentina and calls for Indonesia to shift its 'food and energy estates' project from intact forests to degraded lands to protect biodiversity and climate goals.

The report establishes a methodology for mapping superhot rock (SHR) geothermal resources globally, defining SHR as heat from subsurface formations exceeding 374°C. Using the LithoRef18 global reference model and a 'hydrothermal proxy' to account for non-steady-state heat flow, the study estimates the un-risked global resource. For depths of 4-8 km ('today's resource'), the estimated potential is 3,272 GWe (13,895 GWth). For depths of 8-12.5 km ('tomorrow's resource'), the potential increases to 59,930 GWe (245,581 GWth). The analysis identifies 125 countries with SHR potential, with significant resources in the US, China, Indonesia, and others. The report also analyzes flow rate uncertainties using a database of 33 petrothermal projects, determining a P50 flow rate of 55 l/s for its calculations.

The report finds that while carbon markets have the potential to generate social and economic benefits for LMIC communities, current impacts are often suboptimal or negative due to poor project design and governance. Agricultural and energy efficiency projects generally show higher potential for positive community impact than pure forest conservation projects, which often restrict access to vital resources. Key barriers include low carbon prices in voluntary markets, delayed payments, and the exclusion of women due to land tenure structures. Positive outcomes are linked to pro-poor design, inclusive governance, higher carbon prices for co-benefits, and adherence to stringent standards like the CCB Standard.

The briefing contends that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) uses technical assistance (TA) to enable fossil gas infrastructure and planning, despite pledges to align with the Paris Agreement. It highlights how vague terms like 'low-carbon' and 'transition infrastructure' allow the ADB to support gas-related projects in countries such as Pakistan and Indonesia. The document notes that TA for energy projects in 2024 lacked fuel specifications in 45.9% of cases, hindering transparency. It further argues that these projects often ignore gender impacts and risk creating stranded assets. The author recommends that the ADB explicitly exclude fossil gas from its 'clean energy' definitions and phase out all direct and indirect support for midstream and downstream gas infrastructure.

Trend Asia criticizes the new PP KEN for extending the use of fossil fuels until 2060, lowering renewable energy targets for 2030, and promoting high-risk or non-renewable 'new energy' sources like nuclear, hydrogen, and ammonia. The report highlights the environmental and social risks of bioenergy, specifically co-firing and Energy Plantation Forests (HTE), which it links to deforestation and land grabbing. It further argues that the policy lacks transparency, excludes community-scale renewable energy, and prioritizes industrial interests over human rights and ecological sustainability.

In 2024, global coal power capacity increased by 18.8 GW, as 44.1 GW was commissioned and 25.2 GW retired. While the EU27 saw a fourfold increase in retirements and the UK completed its coal phaseout, global progress was offset by significant expansion in China and India. China commissioned 30.5 GW (70% of the global total) and saw 94.5 GW in new construction starts. India recorded its highest-ever level of new coal proposals at 38.4 GW. Conversely, coal proposals in OECD countries dropped from 142 in 2015 to five today, though retirements in these nations must triple to align with the Paris Agreement.

In 2024, fossil-powered capacity fell below half of the total electricity mix for the BRICS group, driven by renewable growth in China, India, and Brazil. However, new BRICS members—including Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Nigeria—show a stark gap between net-zero pledges and action, currently constructing ten times more fossil fuel capacity (25 GW) than wind and utility-scale solar (2.3 GW). Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are central to this expansion, backing 62% of all power capacity under construction in new member geographies, with particularly high involvement in hydropower (93%) and coal (88%).

The project transformed Terminal Binjai from an inefficient, inaccessible transit hub into a safe, inclusive node for green mobility through a participatory process. Key interventions included a design competition involving university students and residents, 'transect walks' to identify pain points, and the implementation of low-cost 'tactical urbanism' upgrades. These changes resulted in improved lighting, accessible pathways, and weather-protected shelters, complemented by the addition of 30 new buses to the bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The project's methodology has been codified into a Digital Mapping Toolkit to support equitable urban transport planning in other cities globally.

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.

The document examines the gap between legal frameworks and the actual implementation of environmental procedural rights in Southeast Asia. It identifies challenges such as ambiguous disclosure requirements, lack of enforcement in public participation during Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), and barriers to judicial remedies. The brief highlights community-driven alternatives like counter-EIAs and the role of legal networks in strengthening the judiciary to protect vulnerable groups and environmental defenders.

The report examines over 100 trade and investment agreements and MOUs to determine if they support sustainable critical mineral supply chains. It highlights a shift toward incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) provisions in new treaties and suggests that exporting countries can use critical minerals as leverage in negotiations to secure concessions and align policies with sustainable governance goals. The analysis specifically focuses on case studies from Indonesia, Chile, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The document analyzes the EUDR's legality requirement, arguing that it encompasses all laws affecting the legal status of production areas, including human rights and customary laws. It highlights systemic risks such as land grabbing, corruption, and weak enforcement in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia, and recommends that EU companies move beyond official records to consult local experts and stakeholders to verify compliance.

The document examines the application of the EU Deforestation Regulation's (EUDR) legality requirement to the Indonesian palm oil sector. It highlights a complex, decentralized legal framework where national laws are often poorly enforced at sub-national levels. Key systemic risks include widespread failure to obtain mandatory Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification, pervasive corruption in permitting, illegal plantation establishment in forest zones, and significant violations of Indigenous land rights and labour standards. The report concludes that EU companies cannot rely solely on official documentation or third-party certificates for due diligence due to these systemic irregularities.