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In 2023, global coal capacity reached a record 2130 GW, driven largely by China, despite a decline in new construction starts outside China. While 101 countries have committed to avoiding new coal, significant pre-construction pipelines remain in China and India. Central Asia is identified as a region moving against the global trend, with proposed coal capacity reaching 45% of its current operational capacity, led by Kazakhstan.

The report finds that while many countries are reducing coal capacity, global operational capacity grew by 2% in 2023 to 2,130 GW, driven largely by China. While new construction reached a historic low outside China, it hit an eight-year high within China. Only 15% of global operational capacity has a retirement commitment aligned with the 1.5°C goal. In Latin America, capacity is gradually decreasing, though some countries like Colombia and Mexico lack concrete phase-out plans, and Brazil has seen some retirement dates postponed.

Global coal-fired power capacity reached a record 2,130 GW in 2023, driven largely by China, despite a general global trend toward reducing new coal construction. While the EU and UK are accelerating retirements, China's new construction capacity reached an eight-year high. Turkey continues to develop coal capacity, ranking eighth globally in capacity under development, despite significant local opposition and the cancellation of numerous projects.

Global Energy Monitor identifies 74 new oil and gas projects that could emit 2.4 million metric tonnes of methane annually by 2030, potentially undermining the Global Methane Pledge. The analysis reveals significant discrepancies between these potential emissions and the company-wide figures reported by operators to the OGMP 2.0, suggesting widespread underreporting of assets or methane intensity. A small number of fields in Saudi Arabia and Guyana account for a disproportionate share of these emissions, while new EU regulations on imported oil and gas are expected to impact many of these developments.

The global operating coal fleet grew by 48.4 GW (2%) in 2023 to 2,130 GW, primarily driven by China. While many countries have reduced their coal pipelines or committed to 'No New Coal,' China saw an eight-year high in new construction starts. Outside China, new construction hit a record annual low. However, global operating capacity has grown 11% since 2015, and only 15% of current capacity has a retirement commitment aligned with the 1.5°C goal.

The document examines human capital as a component of comprehensive wealth in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago. It finds that while Indonesia and Ethiopia saw significant growth between 1995 and 2020, this progress stalled recently. Trinidad and Tobago experienced a severe decline after 2008, erasing previous gains. The authors argue that diversifying human capital away from dominant sectors—such as agriculture in Ethiopia and services in Indonesia—and investing in health, education, and data capacity are essential for long-term prosperity.

The document examines natural capital trends in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2020, finding a general decline or stagnation in per capita market natural capital following the 2008 financial crisis. It highlights extreme dependencies, such as Ethiopia's reliance on agricultural land and Trinidad and Tobago's vulnerability due to the collapse of fossil fuel asset values. Non-market natural capital, including forest area and land per capita, is declining across all three nations, exacerbated by population growth and climate change. The authors advocate for moving beyond GDP toward comprehensive wealth measures and recommend green development policies, increased financial mobilization for nature-based solutions, and improved environmental statistical capacity.

The report examines produced capital—human-made assets used in production—across Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2020. It finds that while produced capital has grown, levels remain low compared to developed nations and are heavily concentrated in a few sectors, such as petroleum in Trinidad and Tobago and manufacturing and real estate in Ethiopia and Indonesia. This concentration creates economic risks and hinders the transition to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. The authors argue that the lack of regular measurement of produced capital by national statistical offices leaves policy-makers blind to these structural challenges, underscoring the need to move beyond GDP toward comprehensive wealth metrics.

The report analyzes the growing prevalence of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in free trade agreements (FTAs), noting a significant increase in references since 2018. It identifies five common rationales for their inclusion: cooperation, promotion, recognition, guidelines, and support. While VSSs can complement public regulations and drive innovative trade policy—such as using sustainability criteria for preferential tariffs—the report warns of pitfalls, including vague terminology, lack of enforcement, and the risk of VSSs becoming de facto market barriers for small-scale producers in developing countries. The authors argue that the effectiveness of VSSs depends on their credibility and the establishment of clear multilateral guidelines.

The report analyzes Indonesia's Comprehensive Wealth Index (CWI), which grew by an average of 4.3% annually between 1995 and 2020, driven primarily by human and produced capital. However, real per capita GDP grew more slowly at 2.8%, indicating a declining rate of return on wealth from 6.8% in 1995 to 4.8% in 2020. The study highlights inefficiencies in natural resource management and a lack of investment in renewable energy, suggesting that better asset management could have pushed Indonesia into the World Bank's upper-middle-income category by 2020.

The document examines financial capital—defined as the difference between foreign financial assets and liabilities—across three countries. It finds that while Ethiopia and Trinidad and Tobago generally had positive financial capital, both saw a trend toward accumulating more liabilities in later years. Indonesia remained a net debtor throughout the study period. The brief argues that financial capital should complement GDP as a measure of well-being and suggests that well-managed liabilities, such as foreign direct investment, can boost other forms of capital like human and produced capital. It recommends diversifying financing sources, improving governance to optimize returns on capital, and reforming the international financial architecture to reduce public debt burdens in developing nations.

The study finds that while induction stoves are more energy-efficient and generally welcomed by users, they are viewed as supplementary rather than full replacements for LPG due to constraints in kitchen space, power capacity, and the inability to replicate certain cooking styles effectively.

The report finds that BP's investment strategy prioritizes oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over climate solutions, with 2023 investments in oil and gas being 11.6 times higher than those in low-carbon energy. BP has revised its 2030 oil and gas production targets upward and reduced its scope 3 decarbonization targets, leading to a projected 2030 production level 26% above NZE alignment. While BP aims for 10 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, it will still produce 23 times more energy from fossil fuels than from renewables. The report also highlights BP's continued development of gas power and reliance on bioenergy and hydrogen, which may not be sustainable.

Reclaim Finance finds that Shell's investment strategy prioritizes oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over renewable energy, leading to production levels and LNG capacities that significantly exceed NZE requirements by 2030. The report notes that Shell has reduced its carbon intensity targets and relies heavily on unproven carbon capture and offsets, while its renewable energy growth remains marginal compared to its fossil fuel output.

The report alleges that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided a $600 million loan to Indonesia's state-run utility, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), which lacks a 'no-coal' clause and may be used to fund coal expansion, including the Java 9 & 10 project. This contradicts ADB's public climate pledges and its October 2021 Energy Policy. The report highlights the severe health and environmental impacts of coal in Banten Province, where the Suralaya Power Station operates, and criticizes the lack of financial transparency as loan proceeds are mixed into PLN's general account.

The report finds that global coal capacity reached a historic high in 2023, increasing by 48.4 GW to a total of 2,130 GW. While new construction starts reached a nine-year low outside of China, China saw an eight-year high in new starts. Only 15% of global operating coal capacity has commitments to close in line with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal. In Indonesia, the report highlights a surge in 'captive' coal plants supporting nickel smelting, noting that 27.5% of Indonesia's operating coal capacity is captive. Despite the US$20 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), Indonesia's early retirement targets for coal plants shrank from 5.5 GW to 1.7 GW in late 2023.

The report finds that while most countries are reducing coal proposals, global operating capacity grew by 48.4 GW in 2023, primarily driven by China. It highlights a stark divergence between China's construction surge and a record low in new starts elsewhere, while noting that only 15% of global operating coal capacity has a Paris-aligned retirement commitment.

The document examines how collusive corruption—agreements between public officials and private individuals to defraud resources—undermines community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). Using a hypothetical scenario based on timber auction fraud in Nepal, it illustrates how contractors, sawmill owners, local politicians, and forest agents coordinate to bypass regulations. To counter this, the guide proposes behavioral science interventions: addressing 'present bias' by monetizing future losses, increasing the prominence of illegal logging's negative impacts, challenging the perception of informal payments as 'reciprocity', and rewarding integrity among youth and officials. It advocates for a holistic approach that combines individual and institutional prevention and persuasion strategies to foster collective ownership of sustainable forest practices.

The 2023 assessment of 40 banks reveals that while 23% showed improvements in managing E&S risks in the seafood sector, overall performance remains low with an average score of 21%. Asian banks drove most of the year-on-year progress and the issuance of new blue financial products, while European banks maintained the most robust policies. Despite growing awareness of nature-related financial risks, only 30% of assessed banks have seafood-specific policies, and many lack granular expectations for aquaculture and downstream clients.

The document asserts that international development funding for media is critically insufficient, stagnating at approximately 0.3% of annual expenditure. It links this lack of investment to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, citing examples in the UK, Colombia, Kenya, and Indonesia. WACC calls for an urgent increase in media development spending based on principles of transparency, social cohesion, and inclusivity of marginalized voices.