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The report argues that while Europe possesses world-class R&D infrastructure and talent, its fusion energy sector is hindered by fragmented governance and an outdated sequential roadmap. It recommends shifting to a Key Enabling Technologies (KET)-based strategy, centralising governance under Fusion for Energy (F4E), and establishing a robust public-private partnership (PPP) framework to support startups and prevent 'brain drain' to the U.S. and China.

The report argues for a 'hybrid market model' in Europe that combines proactive procurement for the market with competition in the market to ensure a reliable, 24/7 decarbonised power system. It identifies significant gaps in current National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), noting that many Member States are not on track to meet 2030 EU targets. To address this, the authors recommend expanding system needs assessments to include flexibility and resilience (including climate and cyber risks) and extending their time horizon to 2050. On the contracting side, the report suggests enhancing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) through standardisation and public demand, and improving Contracts for Difference (CfDs) by embedding dispatch incentives to avoid distorting market signals. It also proposes a tripartite contracting framework involving a central public entity to hedge risks for both the state and industrial consumers, thereby fostering industrial electrification and competitiveness.

ClientEarth advocates for a shift from 'paper commitments' to legal action to address the ocean crisis. The briefing prioritises the enforcement of existing frameworks, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), to protect marine biodiversity and combat climate change. It specifically calls for the elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies, the banning of bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs), and the ratification of the BBNJ Agreement to protect the high seas. The document also highlights the need for a 'Protection Principle' that makes ocean conservation the default norm and outlines specific legal priorities for the EU, Mediterranean, China, and the UK.

The document analyzes the legal requirements of Article 9 of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), which mandates the restoration of at least 25,000km of free-flowing rivers in the EU by 2030. It details the process for creating barrier inventories, prioritizing the removal of obsolete structures, and ensuring these actions align with other EU frameworks like the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Habitats Directive. The briefing emphasizes the need for longitudinal, lateral, and vertical connectivity and warns against using the Renewable Energy Directive to justify the retention of obsolete barriers.

The document argues that the EU ETS1 is fit for purpose until 2035, after which a supply-demand mismatch for allowances may emerge. It strongly warns that integrating international carbon credits (Article 6) or carbon removals into the ETS would undermine the carbon price incentive, risk emissions mitigation avoidance, and divert investment away from domestic decarbonisation. For the upcoming ETS2, the brief recommends allowing the market to function for several years before making adjustments due to high price uncertainty. It also cautions against merging ETS1 and ETS2 due to differences in market actor price sensitivity and suggests maintaining national targets beyond 2030 to support the ETS.

The report examines the international demand for eco-certified seafood, noting a growing preference for sustainable products among youth in the US and a strong market in Northwestern Europe. It highlights that while consumers may pay a premium, this rarely reaches producers. To support Manitoba fishers, the report recommends improving information distribution through community liaisons and accessible formats like infographics, while urging federal and provincial officials to engage in more direct listening sessions with fishing communities.

The report calls for the EU to adopt a 2035 NDC target of at least 72.5% emissions reduction, aligning with a straight-line path toward a 90% reduction by 2040 and net zero by 2050. It emphasizes that a robust, investible target, supported by the Clean Industrial Deal and sectoral policies in energy, transport, and industry, will reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports—which cost the EU EUR 376 billion in 2024—and enhance global competitiveness. The authors advocate for a 'competitive sustainability' approach and strengthened public-private collaboration, citing models from Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands to accelerate the transition.

The paper addresses a gap in literature regarding the practical capacities needed to facilitate transdisciplinary knowledge co-production. Drawing on lessons from the DIRECTED project's real-world labs in Europe, the authors propose a framework of four key capacities—collaborative, systems thinking, creative, and reflexive—and detail the corresponding skills necessary for both academic researchers and practitioner hosts to effectively manage local sustainability and disaster resilience challenges.

Operation Overload is a high-volume Russian influence campaign that impersonates over 80 organisations, including media outlets and universities, to sow division in democratic nations. In early 2025, it targeted 10 countries—primarily Germany, France, and Ukraine—using AI-cloned voices and forged logos to spread narratives against Ukraine and destabilise domestic politics. While most content had limited organic reach, one video claiming USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine garnered over 4.2 million views. The operation relies on bot networks and commercial services to amplify its content and frequently tags research organisations to distract them with debunking requests.

The document examines the opacity of EU trilogue negotiations, where 89% of legislative files reached agreement in the first reading during the 2014-2019 term. It argues that the current lack of transparency allows privileged industry lobbyists access while excluding civil society and enables Member States to later contradict agreed-upon positions, as seen with the Nature Restoration Law and the Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive. The briefing rejects arguments that transparency would entrench negotiator positions, citing CJEU rulings, and asserts that reactive access requests under Regulation 1049/2001 are insufficient due to systemic delays. It recommends the proactive publication of 'four-column documents', agendas, and calendars, and suggests specific regulatory amendments for the European Parliament, Council, and Commission to formalise this openness.

The paper argues that Colombia's previous price-based renewable energy auctions failed to consider socio-economic factors, leading to social conflict and project cancellations, particularly in La Guajira. It recommends two main pathways for the new framework: enhancing community engagement and benefit sharing for large-scale projects through stricter qualification requirements and multicriteria award mechanisms, and scaling up energy communities via a reserved auction quota (adhesion process) and a dedicated support agency to prevent 'community washing'.

The document details regulatory actions, litigation, and legislative updates across several countries focusing on AI, data privacy, and online safety. It also reviews four reports on algorithmic recommender systems, highlighting risks such as the amplification of harmful content and the prioritisation of short-term engagement over long-term user value.

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 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.

The report analyzes the emergence of 'hydrogen readiness'—the declared ability of infrastructure to use hydrogen in the future—within EU law, private finance, and national policies. It argues that the concept is often used as a 'Trojan horse' to justify the continued construction and subsidization of fossil gas assets. The author identifies significant risks, including carbon lock-in, price volatility, and external energy dependencies, and concludes that the term should be abandoned unless assets can use 100% hydrogen from the outset.

The report argues that while phasing out oil and gas is essential to meet the 1.5C Paris Agreement goals, the threat of investor-state arbitration often creates a 'regulatory chill' that discourages ambitious climate action. It identifies that legal risks increase as a project progresses through its life cycle, with the highest risks associated with targeting the production phase. To mitigate these risks, the authors propose five principles: stopping the issuance of new licenses, managing investor expectations through long-term frameworks and early notice, grounding policies in legislation and scientific evidence, leveraging existing environmental regulations, and ensuring consistent application across all investors. The report specifically suggests that governments should prioritize a managed phase-out with clear end dates and consider an internationally legally binding instrument to harmonize production deadlines and exclude arbitration rights for fossil fuel investors.

The report finds that Eni's strategy prioritizes oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over renewable energy investments. Eni's projected 2030 production levels and LNG capacity expansions significantly overshoot NZE requirements, while its diversification into renewables remains marginal, representing only 5.8% of its projected 2030 energy mix.

The report argues that Repsol's climate strategy is insufficient, as the company continues to prioritize oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over sustainable energy investments. It finds that Repsol's 2030 production targets exceed NZE requirements by 38%, and its diversification into renewables and green hydrogen remains a small fraction of its overall energy mix. Additionally, the report notes that Repsol has weakened its 2030 emissions targets, specifically regarding scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

The report finds that ExxonMobil's strategy prioritizes oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over sustainable energy, with 2030 production targets significantly exceeding NZE levels and a lack of investment in renewable power.

The report finds that EU imports of Russian gas increased by 18% in 2024, despite a goal to phase them out by 2027. It highlights a significant misalignment between gas infrastructure expansion and stagnating demand, predicting that supply capacity will exceed demand by 131 bcm by 2030. The document argues that the EU is replacing one fossil fuel dependency with another via LNG, which exposes the region to price volatility and high emissions. It recommends legally binding phase-out targets, reduced gas demand across all sectors, and more efficient use of existing infrastructure to ensure energy security and climate alignment.