Search Climate Insights Directory
1,618 results
Unnatural Disasters: The Connection Between Extreme Weather and Fossil Fuels
The briefing establishes that fossil fuels are responsible for approximately 70% of carbon dioxide emissions since the industrial revolution, with a small number of companies contributing a disproportionate share. It highlights the role of attribution science in linking specific extreme weather events to climate change and details the growing trend of using the 'polluter pays' principle in litigation and legislation to hold these companies financially accountable. The document further argues that to meet the 1.5C target, global fossil fuel production must decrease significantly by 2030, supported by a transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles.
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Document type: Briefing
Red lines for climate-related advertising
The letter, sent by ClientEarth, Fossielvrij NL, and Reclame Fossielvrij to airlines at Amsterdam Schiphol, details the legal boundaries for climate-related advertising following a court ruling that KLM's claims about 'sustainable' flying and CO2 compensation were misleading. It argues that aviation growth is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and warns that the industry's 'licence to grow' communication strategy likely violates the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).
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Document type: Statement
The infrastructure revolution: a climate risk
An analysis of five leading private infrastructure firms—Macquarie Asset Management, Global Infrastructure Partners, Stonepeak, IFM Investors, and I Squared Capital—reveals a total lack of sectoral policies to prevent investment in fossil fuel expansion. Despite the sector's growth, with global assets under management surpassing US$1 trillion in 2023, these firms continue to invest heavily in midstream infrastructure and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, posing a risk to the global carbon budget.
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Document type: Research paper
The New Merchants of Doubt
The document argues that the FAO has been captured by the 'Big Livestock' sector, leading to the systematic downplaying of the environmental impacts of animal farming. It traces this shift from the 2006 'Livestock's Long Shadow' report, which highlighted livestock as a major climate driver, to more recent publications like 'Pathways towards Lower Emissions' and the 'Global Roadmap'. The author claims these later documents use flawed methodologies to lower emission estimates and prioritise industry-friendly technological fixes over necessary reductions in livestock numbers and meat consumption. The report details how industry lobbyists influence the FAO through national delegations and partnerships, resulting in a narrative that preserves the status quo of intensive livestock production.
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Document type: Case study
The Kenyan Flower Subsector
The document examines the synergy between the Kenya Flower Council's (KFC) voluntary Flower and Ornamental Sustainability Standard (FOSS) and the government's mandatory Kenya Standard 1758 (KS 1758). It highlights how this public-private collaboration reduces compliance costs for producers, improves market access to the EU and other global markets, and enhances worker welfare and environmental management. The authors argue that this model of benchmarking standards can be replicated in other Kenyan agricultural value chains, such as grains, to address safety and quality issues.
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Document type: Case study
Methods for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from sanitation and wastewater management systems
The report analyzes seven categories of enclosure-based and open measurement methods for greenhouse gas emissions in sanitation systems. It finds that while enclosure-based methods like flux chambers are widely used, they are limited by scale. Emerging optical and remote sensing methods offer broader coverage but are constrained by high costs. The document highlights a critical lack of empirical data for non-sewered sanitation in low- and middle-income countries and advocates for standardized, affordable methodologies and increased collaboration to improve national greenhouse gas inventories.
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Document type: Report
Is the EU’s green industrial policy doomed to fail?
The EU is attempting to increase domestic production of net-zero technologies through the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and other strategies to reduce dependencies on China and the US. However, the author contends that the EU lacks the necessary funding to meet its 2030 targets, such as producing 40 per cent of its installation needs domestically. The document highlights a conflict between 'frugal' member states and those seeking a European Sovereignty Fund, leading to a reliance on the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF). This framework allows national 'matching aid', which the author argues creates unfair competition between wealthy nations like Germany and France and smaller states like Belgium. The text further critiques the use of non-price criteria in procurement and trade defense instruments, such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), noting they can increase costs for taxpayers and slow decarbonization. The author concludes that targeted, conditional European-level subsidies are the only viable way to ensure a just and cohesive green transition.
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Document type: Research paper
Land to the River: Planned Relocation in the Netherlands
The document analyzes the 'Room for the River' project in the Noordwaard region of the Netherlands, where agricultural land was converted into a floodplain to reduce flood risk for over 60,000 people. It evaluates the project through the lenses of distributive, procedural, and ecological justice, noting that while biodiversity improved and flood risk decreased, the relocation process relied heavily on market-value financial compensation and lacked psychological support for displaced residents. The author argues that planned relocation, or 'managed retreat', is a necessary adaptation to sea-level rise and climate change, but requires a justice-oriented approach to avoid exacerbating social inequalities, particularly for tenants and vulnerable populations in the Global South.
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Document type: Case study
Climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies adoption
The study examines the drivers and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) across five European production systems, incorporating perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders beyond just farmers. The primary drivers for adoption are economic, institutional/policy, and personal/psychological factors, while the main barriers are economic, technology-related, and institutional/policy factors. Stakeholders suggest that overcoming these hurdles requires financial support, policy reform, capacity-building, and improved coordination and communication strategies to make CSA practices more attractive to farmers.
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Document type: Research paper
Focus on full implementation of the landing obligation
The document is a formal request from a coalition of NGOs for the European Commission to provide a detailed inventory of infringement proceedings against Member States failing to enforce the landing obligation, citing a Commission assessment that illegal discarding remains prolific and undermines the Common Fisheries Policy.
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Document type: Statement
PVC PROBLEM VERY CLEAR
The report contends that PVC poses unmanaged risks to human health and the environment throughout its life cycle, from toxic manufacturing emissions and accident risks to the release of microplastics and hazardous additives. It argues that the ECHA's 2023 investigation provides a sufficient technical basis for a broad ban, as alternatives are available for all assessed uses. The authors criticize the ECHA report for having a narrow scope—analyzing only 13% of PVC additives—and for underestimating the true costs of PVC by ignoring end-of-life disposal and health remediation expenses. It concludes that targeting only a few additives would lead to 'regrettable substitution' and that a full material restriction is the only effective way to prevent the steady increase of PVC and its toxins in the environment.
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Document type: Report
Comment les politiques d’aujourd’hui stimuleront ou retarderont la transition des bâtiments vers un chauffage propre et fiable
The report argues that achieving cost-optimal carbon neutrality in Canada's building sector requires a massive shift toward electrification, primarily through heat pumps, and a significant reduction in gas network reliance. It warns that current regulatory inertia and the continued expansion of gas infrastructure create risks of 'stranded assets' and higher costs for taxpayers. The authors recommend that provincial governments provide clear long-term strategic guidance, mandate net-zero targets, and empower regulators to prioritize electrification over gas expansion to protect long-term affordability and reliability.
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Document type: Report
HEAT EXCHANGE
The report finds that a cost-optimal path to net zero in Canada requires a massive shift toward electrification of building heat, with electricity powering 78% to 91% of annual space heating demand by 2050. It argues that continued expansion of gas networks is inconsistent with these goals and risks creating stranded assets. The analysis highlights a critical gap in provincial policy leadership, noting that current utility regulation—which incentivizes infrastructure growth—is ill-suited for the energy transition. To mitigate risks, the report recommends that provincial governments legislate net zero targets, mandate electrification for new buildings, and equip regulators to manage the gradual contraction of gas networks while investing in electricity capacity and peak demand management.
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Document type: Report
Transition Indicators to broaden perspectives beyond adaptation and mitigation
The report argues that transition indicators can bridge the 'ambition gap' and 'implementation gap' by articulating the tangible socio-economic benefits of climate neutrality and resilience. Through case studies in Germany, South Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Netherlands, the authors propose specific metrics for the power, industry, transport, building, and agricultural sectors. These indicators are designed to facilitate inclusive social dialogue, improve governance by clarifying sectoral responsibilities, and encourage international mutual learning, particularly within the Global South.
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Document type: Report
POLICYMAKERS' TOOLKIT FOR A JUST TRANSITION FROM FOSSIL FUELS
The document argues that a just transition requires wealthy, high-emitting nations to phase out fossil fuels first and fastest while providing financial and technological support to less wealthy countries. It outlines a broad menu of policy tools across resource management, financial markets, fiscal and monetary policy, economic diversification, and global governance to manage the decline of fossil fuel production and consumption equitably.
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Document type: Guide
Hot Issues: Battle for the climate at the ballot box
The author warns that a rightward political shift in the EU and UK could lead to the rollback of climate regulations and the weakening of the European Green Deal. While EU citizens express high levels of concern for climate change, competing priorities like security and healthcare may lead them to vote for parties hostile to green policies. The text urges activists to combat political apathy and maintain climate action on the political agenda even if climate-skeptical forces gain power.
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Document type: Statement
Draft national targets put EU just short of REPowerEU
Analysis of draft NECPs indicates that while EU member states have significantly increased wind and solar targets since 2019, the current trajectory falls short of REPowerEU goals. Renewables are projected to generate 66% of EU electricity by 2030, missing the 72% target. The report highlights a lack of data transparency in the drafts, particularly regarding power system flexibility and post-2030 decarbonisation pathways.
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Document type: Research paper
Refinery of the Future Decarbonisation Options
The report assesses decarbonisation strategies for refineries across four major regions, focusing on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. It evaluates technologies such as carbon capture, blue and green hydrogen, and the transition to biorefineries (specifically the HEFA process) or clean fuels facilities. Regional analysis shows that while the US and GCC benefit from cheap natural gas for blue hydrogen, Europe is trending toward green hydrogen imports and biorefinery revamps. Singapore's strategy is heavily influenced by its status as a global trading hub and its lack of domestic natural gas or carbon storage resources. The report concludes that energy efficiency projects are generally the most immediate and viable, while large-scale carbon capture and hydrogen transitions require significant policy support and infrastructure development to be economically feasible.
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Document type: Report
Major Countries and Regions
In 2023, the world's top six electricity sector emitters—China, the US, India, the EU, Russia, and Japan—accounted for approximately 72% of global emissions from this sector. China remains the largest emitter, though it leads the world in wind and solar growth. The US and EU have seen long-term emissions declines driven by the replacement of coal with gas and renewables. India's emissions continue to rise as demand growth outpaces clean energy additions. Russia's electricity mix remains largely unchanged over two decades, while Japan is seeing a recovery in nuclear generation and a significant increase in solar share, despite very low wind deployment.
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Document type: Report
The Big Picture
The report identifies 2023 as the likely peak for global power sector emissions, forecasting a decline in 2024 driven by record solar and wind additions. While electricity demand is expected to rise due to electrification, data centres, and air conditioning, the growth of clean energy is projected to outpace this demand. The document highlights that tripling renewable capacity by 2030 could halve power sector emissions. It also provides case studies of China, Brazil, and the Netherlands to demonstrate how high-level ambition, incentive mechanisms, and the removal of technical barriers can accelerate the transition regardless of geographic or economic starting points.
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Document type: Report