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The report finds that 11 of 18 EU coal-using countries lack Paris-compatible phase-out plans, with seven not planning to exit coal by 2030 and four replacing coal with increased fossil gas. It argues that the Just Transition Fund's current allocation methodology risks funding 'climate laggards,' as nearly two-thirds of the fund would go to countries without 2030 phase-out plans. The authors recommend making fund access conditional on ambitious coal phase-out dates and strictly excluding all fossil fuels, including gas, from the fund's scope.

The document details how climate indicators from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) are integrated into the SAVi tool to improve the analysis of infrastructure resilience. It covers a literature review of climate impacts on energy, irrigation, wastewater, buildings, roads, and nature-based infrastructure, providing specific equations to link climate variables to asset performance. The report includes simulation results for Johannesburg, South Africa, demonstrating how climate variables like temperature and precipitation affect load factors, thermal efficiency, and maintenance costs, ultimately impacting the economic viability and societal costs of these assets.

The document details how climate data from the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS) is integrated into the SAVi Roads model to improve the analysis of climate-related risks. It focuses on three primary impacts: precipitation effects on road lifetime, weather effects on injury accidents, and precipitation-based road runoff. Simulation results for a 1,000 km road network between 2020 and 2100 show that CDS integration reveals higher cumulative road disruption, an increase in injury accidents, and significantly higher stormwater runoff compared to a 'no climate' baseline. The economic analysis indicates that the most substantial cost increase stems from stormwater management, totaling an additional USD 2.06 billion over 80 years.

The 'Mission Blue' workshop, organized by the BONUS RETURN project, engaged 49 stakeholders from seven countries to develop five prototype interventions to combat eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Using a three-step 'Cook, Incubation, and Evaluation' methodology, participants combined 21 pre-defined measures across coordination, data, ecotechnologies, and policy categories. The resulting interventions focused on nutrient circularity, ranging from improving knowledge transfer between farmers and authorities to integrating sea-based mussel farming with land-based nutrient management. The report discusses the challenges of operationalizing mission-oriented policies, emphasizing the need to move beyond 'silo' organizational structures, align local capacities with strategic visions, and utilize public procurement to drive circular business models.

The report identifies the COVID-19 pandemic as a 'dress rehearsal' for climate change impacts on the global food system, highlighting the vulnerability of producers and the informal food sector. While essential services and large retailers maintained operations, the crisis exposed systemic inequalities and the brittleness of efficient supply chains, leading to increased food waste. The document emphasizes the need for a post-pandemic 'new norm' characterized by pre-competitive collaboration, integrated sustainability, and a shift toward e-commerce to ensure food security and resilience.

The global green bond market saw a 26% year-on-year decline in issuance volume during H1 2020, totaling USD 91.6 billion, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While green issuance slowed, there was a surge in 'pandemic' labeled debt (approximately USD 75 billion) and social/sustainability bonds (USD 94.4 billion). Developed markets dominated the landscape, contributing 82% of issuance, with the US and France leading. Government-backed entities and non-financial corporates were the most prominent issuer types, and energy remained the most popular use of proceeds category at 34%.

In the first half of 2020, renewable electricity generation in the EU-27 reached 40%, surpassing fossil fuel generation at 34%. This shift was driven by record wind and solar penetration and a 7% drop in electricity demand caused by COVID-19. Coal generation fell by 32%, contributing to a 23% reduction in power sector CO2 emissions. While grids remained stable, the increase in renewables led to more frequent negative wholesale electricity prices, indicating a need for greater system flexibility. Poland emerged as the most coal-dependent EU country, generating as much coal-fired electricity as the other 25 EU members combined.

In 2019, the global green bond market reached a record USD258.9 billion in issuance, a 51% increase over 2018. The market saw significant growth in non-financial corporate issuance and the entry of eight new countries. Europe led in cumulative volume, while the USA, China, and France remained the top individual countries by amount issued. Energy, buildings, and transport dominated the use of proceeds, accounting for 82% of the total. The report also notes a rise in green sukuk and the increasing importance of external reviews and Climate Bonds Standard certification.

The report argues that current utility regulation is incompatible with an all-electric future and proposes ten strategies to decarbonize US buildings. It emphasizes electrification via heat pumps as the primary solution, warning that alternative fuels like biomethane are costly and limited in scale. Key recommendations include reforming electricity rate designs, updating energy efficiency standards to account for total emissions, and proactively managing the retirement of gas infrastructure to avoid stranded asset risks and inequitable cost burdens on low-income customers.

Reclaim Finance responds to the ACPR's consultation on climate stress tests in France, warning that the current framework may underestimate risks. The organization advocates for a precautionary approach regarding fossil fuel exposure, more precise international risk accounting, and a critical review of the 'dynamic balance sheet' assumption. It also suggests that the 'orderly transition' reference scenario is unlikely and that the exercise fails to account for systemic shocks like the coronavirus pandemic.

The authors contend that the EU suffers from diffuse accountability and a 'double deadlock' caused by a reliance on closed-door Franco-German agreements. They argue that Germany's role as a 'benevolent hegemon' is problematic because Berlin seeks to minimize costs and maximize control over debtor states while remaining reluctant to fully embrace its power. The text suggests that the only way to break this impasse is through 'transnational politics'—the creation of shifting alliances across national borders and the engagement of civil society—to replace the current 'constructive ambiguity' of European diplomacy.

The report details how private equity firms continue to acquire coal assets in the US, India, the Philippines, and Europe, often facing financial failure or environmental criticism. While US coal consumption dropped 44% since 2010 and utilities plan to retire dozens of plants by 2025, firms like KKR, Blackstone, and Macquarie have pursued coal investments that have resulted in bankruptcies or increased emissions. The document highlights a disconnect between the global need to reduce coal for the Paris Agreement and the investment strategies of private equity, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic further reduces energy demand.

The document criticizes the May 30, 2020, opening of the Datteln 4 coal power plant in Germany, alleging that Uniper and its parent company Fortum received significant financial support from BNP Paribas and the European Central Bank (ECB). It claims BNP Paribas provided USD 215 million to Uniper and USD 2.9 billion to Fortum between 2017 and 2019, and that the ECB continues to support Fortum through quantitative easing without considering climate impact.

India faces significant climate vulnerability, with nearly 3% of its GDP at risk annually. To meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals, India requires $2.5 trillion in investments between 2016 and 2030, yet it is currently mobilizing less than 25% of this requirement. A primary barrier to scaling these investments is the lack of an agreed-upon definition of 'green finance,' leading to confusion and inconsistent reporting across the financial sector. The document proposes a combination of international practices, a principles-based approach (aligning with national goals and net carbon reduction), and a sectoral taxonomy to create a formal definition. Such a framework would enable better tracking of capital flows, mitigate greenwashing, and allow financial institutions to better assess climate-related physical and transition risks. The authors recommend forming a stakeholder task force to develop a comprehensive green finance roadmap that includes a common taxonomy, mandatory climate risk disclosures, and regulatory incentives to divert capital from carbon-intensive sectors.

The policy brief examines the gap between the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), noting that the IED's exclusion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits its effectiveness. It argues that the IED and ETS are complementary rather than duplicative, and recommends that the European Commission remove the exclusion of GHGs from the IED and introduce binding energy efficiency standards to drive industrial decarbonisation.

The report demonstrates that the S’Ena Arrubia and Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni wetlands provide substantial economic value through ecosystem services and the support of local aquaculture, tourism, and agriculture. It finds that a 'continued degradation' scenario would lead to significant losses in labour income and ecosystem service value, while a circular business model for reusing livestock manure could generate net benefits of EUR 81.3 million for S’Ena Arrubia and EUR 124.2 million for Corru S’Ittiri-Marceddì-San Giovanni. The analysis argues that the cost of maintaining these wetlands is far lower than the cost of replacing their functions with built infrastructure.

The document argues that Africa is experiencing a growing economic divergence from the rest of the world, with GDP per capita projected to be less than one quarter of the global average by 2040. While human well-being indicators like life expectancy have improved, the continent's growth is constrained by an unproductive economic structure dominated by low-end informal services and a slow demographic transition. To ignite a 'growth revolution', the author advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach focusing on basic infrastructure, reducing fertility rates, and transitioning toward manufacturing and productive agriculture. The brief emphasizes that leveraging the fourth industrial revolution, renewable energy, and the African Continental Free Trade Area, alongside accountable leadership, is essential to reversing commodity dependence and achieving sustainable prosperity.

The report details how private equity firms like Blackstone, KKR, and Macquarie Infrastructure have acquired coal assets in the US, India, the Philippines, and Europe, often facing financial losses or environmental criticism. It contrasts these investments with a broader trend of coal decline, noting that US coal consumption dropped 44% since 2010 and renewable energy is expected to eclipse coal in the US by 2021.

The document highlights significant gaps in development finance, noting that general environment protection receives only 2% of total disbursements. It examines how the European refugee crisis impacted donor budgets, the difficulty of tracking finance for specific agendas like sustainable oceans, and the lack of data disaggregation by some donors. Additionally, it identifies a notably lower disbursement ratio for climate finance compared to general development aid, suggesting systemic implementation challenges.

The document examines the climate impact of the European Central Bank's (ECB) asset purchase programs, specifically the Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP) and the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP). It highlights a significant lack of transparency regarding the value of held assets and argues that the ECB's 'market neutrality' principle results in a portfolio heavily weighted toward carbon-intensive sectors. The report identifies 38 fossil fuel companies in the ECB's portfolio, including 10 linked to coal and several majors like Shell, Total, and Eni. It concludes with recommendations for the ECB to exclude companies without 1.5°C-aligned exit plans and to adopt a 'brown taxonomy' to better target asset purchases.