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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) submitted recommendations to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding the renegotiation of older-generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The IISD advocates for terminating outdated treaties and replacing them with a new generation of frameworks that prioritize sustainable development, climate action, and national regulatory autonomy over blanket investor protections.

The report 'Crossed wires: Grid capacity could block EU energy security' by Ember analyzes how limited grid capacity in Europe threatens energy security and economic competitiveness. It identifies significant shortfalls in grid hosting capacity for both new renewable energy projects and industrial demand, while noting that distribution grids are generally better prepared for household electrification, with notable exceptions in Spain and Poland.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) submitted recommendations to the Australian government regarding the renegotiation of older-generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs). The IISD argues that these treaties prioritize investor protection and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) over public policy and urges a shift toward treaties that facilitate sustainable investment and climate action.

This report analyzes the emerging role of grid-scale batteries in the European Union as of 2025, highlighting their ability to compete with expensive gas-fired power during peak demand hours and reduce the curtailment of renewable energy. Using Italy as a primary example and California as a comparative case study, the document details how falling battery costs and widening price spreads are driving a record project pipeline aimed at lowering wholesale electricity prices and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

This guide provides a structured framework for governments to develop and implement national or subnational fossil fuel subsidy (FFS) phase-out plans. It advocates for a whole-of-government approach to coordinate across ministries and proposes a three-category classification system to prioritize subsidies based on their risk to energy security, social stability, and political feasibility. The framework aims to move governments from general commitments to actionable, time-bound implementation roadmaps.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the 2024 reform of the European Union's public procurement framework. It argues that while green public procurement (GPP) is a powerful lever for the green transition—given that public procurement accounts for approximately 14% of EU GDP—its implementation is hindered by legal uncertainties, administrative burdens, and capacity gaps. The document advocates for the use of robust, third-party verified tools such as ecolabels and life-cycle costing to simplify GPP and recommends specific legal and structural reforms to the EU directives to foster their uptake.

This policy brief presents insights from informal bilateral discussions conducted by Ember and the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA) with transmission system operators (TSOs) from six Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The document examines CEE TSO perspectives on the European Commission's upcoming European Grids Package, highlighting a tension between the shared ambition to modernise grids and concerns regarding EU-level governance, funding complexity, and the perceived dominance of Western European interests in policy shaping.

The report 'Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security' by Ember argues that accelerating the electrification of the EU economy, powered by homegrown renewables, is the primary mechanism to reduce the bloc's high dependency on imported fossil fuels. It suggests that fossil import dependency could be halved by 2040 through the adoption of mature technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps.

A research paper by Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA) examines the economic and health costs of red and processed meat consumption in high-income countries. The analysis finds that wealthy nations in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania face a substantial disease burden from meat consumption, with some countries spending heavily to treat preventable conditions rather than investing in primary prevention. The report argues that shifting toward dietary interventions could significantly reduce healthcare spending and improve public health outcomes.

This report by Ember examines the critical role of electricity interconnectors in maintaining European energy security, preventing blackouts, and mitigating the impact of geopolitical conflicts and sabotage. It argues that expanding and securing cross-border grid capacity is a vital element of protecting European society against hybrid warfare and technical failures.

This document provides the sources and methodology for Ember's Europe Electricity Interconnection Data Tool. It details how the tool maps Bidding Zones to countries, calculates interconnection capacity (NTC), estimates import potential, and analyzes electricity flows and variable renewable energy (RES) penetration for 2024 and projected scenarios for 2030 and 2040.

This briefing by Ember analyzes the energy security landscape of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) ahead of its 10th annual summit in Warsaw. It argues that while 3SI countries have the infrastructure to fully eliminate Russian gas, there is a significant risk of creating 'stranded assets' through the overexpansion of LNG and pipeline capacity. The document advocates for a shift in focus toward a 2027 Russian gas phase-out, renewable energy deployment, and the creation of a 'Transmission Highway' to move clean power from coastlines to Central Europe.

This briefing summarizes a high-level roundtable discussion hosted by Ember and partners during the PCI Energy Days in Brussels on November 4-5, 2024. The discussion focused on the necessity of an integrated power grid in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to manage the rise of intermittent renewables, ensure energy security, and facilitate the transit of clean energy from coastal regions to landlocked countries.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes the 2023 activities of UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding states' human rights obligations in the context of climate change. It tracks the increasing frequency of climate-related references in state reporting procedures and examines specific themes such as fossil fuel extraction, the right to a healthy environment, loss and damage, and intergenerational equity.

In the first half of 2024, wind and solar power generated 30% of the European Union's electricity, surpassing fossil fuels (27%) for the first time. This shift occurred despite a 0.7% rebound in electricity demand, driven by structural capacity growth and favorable weather conditions, leading to a 17% decline in fossil fuel generation and a 31% drop in power sector emissions compared to the first half of 2022.

This research paper, produced as part of the Behavioural Change Towards Climate-Smart Agriculture (BEATLES) project, examines stakeholder perceptions of drivers and barriers regarding the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) across five specific European food production systems.

This working paper, based on a 2023 study by the Stockholm Environment Institute and others, evaluates four decarbonization scenarios for the gas sectors of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. The analysis focuses on transitioning from fossil gas to renewable methane and hydrogen to enhance energy security and meet 2050 EU sustainability goals, projecting a regional gas demand reduction from 63 TWh in 2021 to 38 TWh by 2050.

This executive summary, based on a report by Aeby et al. (2023), analyzes four decarbonization pathways for the gas sectors of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland to achieve full decarbonization by 2050. The study evaluates scenarios including Business-as-Usual (BAU), Renewable Methane (REN-Methane), Renewable Hydrogen (REN-Hydrogen), and a Cost-Minimizing (CM) scenario, emphasizing the need for regional coordination to reduce dependence on Russian gas and meet EU sustainability goals.

A research paper evaluating four decarbonization scenarios for the gas sectors of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. It finds that full decarbonization by 2050 is feasible, with a 'Cost minimal' scenario offering the best economic outcome through a mix of biomethane and renewable hydrogen, reducing total system costs by 44% compared to business-as-usual.

This report, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2024, examines pathways for the complete decarbonisation of the gas markets in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland by 2050. Based on a study conducted between 2022 and 2023, it evaluates four scenarios—Business as Usual (BAU), Renewable Methane, Renewable Hydrogen, and Cost-Minimising (CM)—to determine the most sustainable and economically viable transition from fossil fuels to renewable gases like biomethane and hydrogen.