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Trend Asia and partner organizations criticize PT PLN's commitment to stop coal-fired power plant (PLTU) projects that have not reached financial closing, citing a lack of transparency and the continued risk of projects like PLTU Indramayu 2 and PLTU Tanjung Jati A. The statement also condemns the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for its role in funding the Cirebon 2 expansion, arguing that JBIC's pledge to exit coal is too late and should include stopping disbursements for ongoing projects to align with the Paris Agreement.

The report finds strong evidence of a 'greenium' (pricing at a lower yield than vanilla equivalents) for 79% of the sampled green bonds in H2 2020. It highlights the success of Germany's twin bond structure and the emergence of the automotive sector as a source of green bonds, while noting that 56% of these bonds were allocated to dedicated green or ESG investors.

The Japanese green bond market grew by a third in 2020, reaching a cumulative issuance of USD 26.15 billion. Issuance is led by financial corporates and government-backed entities, with proceeds primarily allocated to buildings, transport, and energy. The report highlights a strong record of external reviews and post-issuance reporting, while identifying significant opportunities to scale up the market through the refinancing of unlabelled climate-aligned debt, particularly in the transport sector. Additionally, it outlines Japan's policy shift toward net-zero emissions by 2050 and the resulting development of green growth strategies and ESG disclosure frameworks.

The document analyzes the legal framework for shareholder climate proposals in Japan, noting that amendments to articles of incorporation are the only viable legal pathway for such proposals under the Japanese Companies Act. It highlights a landmark proposal at Mizuho Financial Group that received 34% support and argues that such proposals, while requiring a two-thirds majority to pass, can still influence corporate behavior, as seen with Mizuho's pledge to stop financing coal projects by 2050. The briefing compares these Japanese mechanisms to 'special resolutions' used in the UK and encourages boards and investors to support proposals aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The report presents survey data from March 2021 on U.S. registered voters' attitudes toward international climate action. It finds broad support for the U.S. reducing emissions regardless of other countries' actions, participation in the Paris Climate Agreement, and pressuring other nations to reduce carbon pollution. While there is strong consensus that developing and industrialized nations should do more to address global warming, support for providing financial and technical aid to developing countries for mitigation and adaptation is more divided along partisan lines.

The report presents survey data from March 2021 on U.S. registered voters' perspectives on international climate action. It finds broad support for the U.S. reducing emissions regardless of other nations' actions, participation in the Paris Climate Agreement, and pressuring other countries to reduce carbon pollution. While there is strong consensus that developing and industrialized nations should do more to address global warming, support for providing financial aid for mitigation and adaptation to developing countries is more divided along partisan lines.

The report asserts that the Great Barrier Reef's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is deteriorating due to climate change, with the IUCN assessing its outlook as "critical" in 2020. It argues that Australia is fueling this crisis by maintaining inadequate emissions targets, expanding fossil fuel exports, and failing to align its Reef 2050 Plan with a well-below 1.5°C warming pathway. The document concludes that site-level mitigation is insufficient and calls for the World Heritage Committee to require Australia to implement national-level decarbonization and legislative commitments to protect the Reef.

The Green Central Banking Scorecard evaluates G20 monetary and prudential authorities across four categories: Research and Advocacy, Monetary Policy, Financial Policy, and Leading by Example. The findings reveal a significant gap between rhetoric and action, with most institutions scoring high in research but failing to implement high-impact policies that restrict financial flows to fossil fuels. China, Brazil, and France are the top-ranked countries, though no G20 institution has implemented a 'high impact' policy as defined by the report's criteria.

The Union of Concerned Scientists concludes that most non-light-water reactor (NLWR) designs do not offer sufficient improvements over light-water reactors (LWRs) to justify their increased safety and proliferation risks. The report argues that NLWRs, including sodium-cooled fast reactors, high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and molten salt-fueled reactors, are technologically immature and unlikely to be commercialized in time to significantly impact the climate crisis. It recommends that the US Department of Energy suspend the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determines if full-scale prototype testing is required for safety validation.

The report argues that most non-light-water reactors (NLWRs) do not provide significant enough improvements over light-water reactors (LWRs) to justify their associated safety, security, and proliferation risks. It specifically evaluates sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), and molten salt reactors (MSRs), finding that claims regarding 'burning' nuclear waste are oversimplified and that the timelines for commercialization are often unrealistic. The author recommends that the US Department of Energy (DOE) prioritize improving existing LWR technology over pursuing immature NLWR designs.

The World Resources Institute recommends that the US target a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. This target is presented as achievable through an "All-in" strategy combining federal and local action, with the power sector providing over 60% of the necessary reductions. The briefing asserts that this transition would create millions of jobs, with renewable energy investments generating more than twice the jobs of fossil fuel spending. Furthermore, it argues that such a target is essential for the US to regain international credibility and inspire other major emitters ahead of COP26.

The report examines the intersection of climate change, energy policy, and security in Southeast Asia. It identifies key vulnerabilities, including sea level rise threatening megacities and the Mekong Delta, and extreme heat reducing economic productivity. These stressors are analyzed as 'threat multipliers' that exacerbate existing geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, fuel violent extremism through livelihood degradation, and complicate transboundary water management of the Mekong River. The document also highlights the 'energy-climate security nexus,' arguing that the region's continued reliance on coal and the pursuit of civilian nuclear power—often involving long-term partnerships with China and Russia—create new strategic risks. It concludes with a call for 'Climate Security Watch Centers,' carbon drawdown plans for ASEAN states, and a systemic shift toward renewable energy to ensure regional stability.

The document examines Canada's approach to the hydrogen economy, specifically the tension between supporting 'blue hydrogen' (fossil fuel-based with carbon capture) and 'green hydrogen' (renewable-based). It argues that blue hydrogen is less environmentally effective due to methane leaks and high costs of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and is likely to be out-competed by green hydrogen by 2030. The author contends that subsidies for blue hydrogen constitute fossil fuel subsidies that undermine Canada's climate goals and net-zero 2050 target, recommending strict environmental and cost criteria for any public funding.

The document argues that while climate and energy scenarios are essential for target setting, they often rely on legacy modeling that can constrain imagination and overlook non-linear transformations. It distinguishes between scenarios (future snapshots), pathways (adaptive courses), and roadmaps (deterministic methods), and advises decision-makers to use a combination of top-down models and bottom-up assessments to identify a broader 'opportunity space'. The author highlights critical gaps in current scenarios, including a lack of stakeholder diversity, neglect of equity and non-emissions benefits, and a failure to account for learning curves in technological innovation and demand-side efficiency.

The report details South Africa's transition from a secret nuclear weapons programme to a global advocate for nuclear disarmament and peaceful nuclear use. It analyzes the current nuclear governance framework, the state of aging facilities like the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant, and the political and financial turmoil surrounding nuclear expansion plans, particularly during the Zuma presidency. The document highlights systemic challenges including state capture, dwindling expertise, and fragmented governance, while outlining the Ramaphosa administration's more cautious approach to adding 2,500MW of nuclear capacity.

The document advocates for a strategic US industrial policy to transition the energy economy from fossil fuels to low-carbon solutions. It suggests leveraging a green stimulus package and public-private partnerships, citing historical successes like Sematech and ARPA-E, to compete with China, Europe, and Japan in sectors such as solar, batteries, and offshore wind.

The study uses an online survey experiment in Japan to examine citizen responses to government surveillance. It finds that while respondents did not engage in preference falsification or self-censorship, they were significantly more likely to opt-out of the survey entirely when reminded of the government's capacity for monitoring, even at a monetary cost.

The document argues that while climate obstruction is well-studied in the Global North, it remains largely unexplored in the Global South. It proposes ten research themes to analyze how developmentalism, political leadership, transnational links, and domestic energy policies contribute to the delay of climate action. The authors highlight the role of 'organized hypocrisy' where sovereignty claims are used to shield unsustainable practices, and note the influence of external donors and the potential for green technology to create new socio-ecological injustices.

The annex evaluates the gap between the economic mitigation potential of forests and the quantitative targets set in NDCs for 32 high-potential countries. It identifies a global annual finance need for forest protection and restoration ranging from USD 45 billion to USD 460 billion, while noting that current 'green finance' flows are significantly lower than 'grey finance' flows directed toward sectors like agriculture.

The South African EV ecosystem is currently nascent and dominated by private sector activity, with limited local commercial production of battery cells and a reliance on imported components. While the country possesses significant reserves of battery minerals like manganese, it lacks extensive beneficiation capacity. The automotive sector, a major GDP contributor, is pivoting toward EVs to maintain competitiveness in export markets that are phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Key barriers to adoption include high upfront costs, inadequate charging infrastructure, and a chronic shortage of technical skills. The report recommends that the City of Cape Town intervene through targeted incentives, procurement of EV fleets, and the development of charging infrastructure and skills training to stimulate a viable local value chain.