Search Climate Insights Directory

The report analyzes the ECB's corporate asset purchase programs (CSPP and PEPP), finding that they provide significant financial support to companies active in coal, oil, and gas. It criticizes the ECB's lack of transparency regarding asset values and argues that the principle of 'market neutrality' creates an anti-climate bias by favoring carbon-intensive sectors. The author recommends that the ECB exclude fossil fuel companies without phase-out plans and align its monetary policy with the 1.5°C trajectory of the Paris Agreement.

The document analyzes two primary compensation mechanisms for LEAG's lignite-fired units in Lusatia: Direct Closure Payments and a New Security Reserve. It argues that the EUR 1.75 billion in Direct Closure Payments lack a meaningful incentive effect because the plants would close on a similar or earlier schedule under business-as-usual scenarios, resulting in minimal CO2 reductions. Furthermore, it contends that the New Security Reserve is unlawful as it fails to meet the design and transparency requirements of the EU's 2019 Electricity Market Regulation and creates a perverse incentive for operators to increase generation prior to mothballing to maximize remuneration.

The document argues that the rapid government action and public support seen during the COVID-19 crisis provide a momentum that should be used to implement long-term green recovery strategies rather than short-term fixes. It emphasizes the need for a clear EU-wide dimension to investments to lower finance costs and suggests that recovery packages must prioritize social equity and local self-sufficiency to reduce vulnerability. The paper highlights the importance of defining 'green' across different sectors and suggests that cooperation on technology transfers and intellectual property, similar to WHO initiatives during the pandemic, should be applied to climate and clean energy action. It also notes the tension between EU reindustrialization and the needs of the Global South, as well as the geopolitical implications for Border Carbon Adjustment proposals.

The document explores the intersection of COVID-19 recovery and climate action, arguing that state bailout packages and stimulus measures provide a short window to drive decarbonization and align recovery with the Paris Agreement. It examines the shifting role of the state, the potential for universal basic income to support transitioning workers, and the opportunity to leverage increased public trust in science to counter populism. The paper also highlights the risk of "quick hit" high-carbon responses and the need to avoid backsliding into business-as-usual development.

The document exposes lobbying efforts by large polluters and the aviation industry to undermine climate action during the pandemic. It details attempts by groups like BusinessEurope and national trade associations in France, Germany, and the Netherlands to delay legislation and carbon taxes. It specifically critiques the aviation industry's push for unconditional bailouts and efforts to weaken the CORSIA carbon market baseline. The author argues that the pandemic should be used to accelerate a green recovery rather than return to business-as-usual, recommending the phase-out of free pollution permits and the introduction of fuel taxes.

The report examines the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry, comparing conventional farming with hydroponic and aquaponic systems in greenhouse and vertical formats. A life cycle analysis (LCA) reveals that while conventional agriculture currently has the lowest overall environmental impact, CEA excels in land and water efficiency. The document identifies energy and labor as primary cost hurdles but highlights innovations in LED lighting, AI, and renewable energy as potential solutions. It specifically evaluates St. Louis as a viable location for a pilot project due to its market demand, available stranded assets like caves and brownfields, and supportive local policies.

ClientEarth and IISD Europe argue that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) acts as an obstacle to climate action due to its investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, which allows energy companies to challenge environmental regulations. They contend that the European Commission's current modernisation proposal is insufficient because it maintains the ability for investors to bypass national courts and seek high damages awards. The authors propose a specific ISDS carve-out for climate measures, a requirement for investors to exhaust domestic legal remedies first, and a redesign of the treaty to differentiate between low-carbon and carbon-intensive energy investments.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development and ClientEarth argue that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is an outdated obstacle to climate action due to its investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism. They contend that the European Commission's current modernisation proposal is insufficient because it maintains the ability for investors to bypass national courts and seek high damages for climate-related regulations. The authors call for a redesign of the ECT that differentiates between low-carbon and carbon-intensive investments, carves out climate response measures from ISDS, and requires investors to exhaust domestic legal remedies first.

The document advocates for the issuance of common European debt to fund a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. It proposes a 'Green Solidarity Fund' that would exclude fossil fuel activities and prioritize environmental protection and social equity. The author argues that a green recovery is only possible if it includes a rapid phase-out of coal, oil, and gas to meet Paris Agreement goals, suggesting that the debt could be reimbursed through a carbon frontier tax or financial transaction taxes.

The statement argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for governments to focus all resources on public health, specifically the procurement of medical supplies, vaccines, and medicines. It calls for the immediate suspension of trade and investment negotiations at the WTO, bilateral, and regional levels, asserting that such activities divert critical resources and personnel. The authors highlight that intellectual property rules under the WTO's TRIPS agreement and free trade agreements may obstruct the affordability and accessibility of life-saving supplies. The document demands the removal of all trade barriers and unilateral sanctions that hinder medical procurement and urges a fundamental rethink of trade rules that encourage monopolies and limit healthcare access.

Friends of the Earth International and a broad coalition of global endorsers call for an immediate cessation of trade and investment treaty negotiations. They argue that governments, particularly in developing and least developed countries, lack the resources to engage in these negotiations while managing the COVID-19 health crisis. The statement demands that trade negotiators focus exclusively on removing obstacles, such as intellectual property rules and unilateral sanctions, that hinder access to affordable vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics.

The report finds that 2019 EU ETS emissions fell by 7.8% to 1612 million tonnes of CO2. While coal power emissions have dropped 43% since 2013, the power sector still accounts for 52% of total ETS emissions. Notably, coal-fired blast furnaces in the steel sector have become the largest emitters in seven countries, including the UK, France, and Spain.

The document calls for financial institutions to stop supporting new metallurgical coal mines and to require steel companies to adopt decarbonization targets. It highlights that steel plants in several European countries were among the highest CO2 emitters in 2019 and suggests that hydrogen and electric arc furnaces powered by renewables are viable paths toward decarbonization.

The report examines the potential of semi-industrialized, prefabricated retrofit packages to reduce the complexity, risk, and cost of zero-energy building upgrades. It specifically analyzes the Dutch model pioneered by Energiesprong, which has applied net-zero retrofit packages to approximately 5,000 multifamily units, and evaluates the availability of similar facade panel and mechanical system innovations in the US market to catalyze large-scale industrialized retrofits.

The author examines the EU's transition to renewable energy as a geopolitical shift that offers benefits like reduced import dependence and increased 'soft power', but introduces risks such as industrial rivalry with China and the US, and internal disparities between Western and Eastern Europe. The text argues that the EU currently lacks a clear technical vision for its future integrated energy system, which could lead to inefficient investments and vulnerability to external 'divide and conquer' tactics. It suggests that the EU must combine energy goals with industrial policy and infrastructure standards to maintain global competitiveness, while utilizing mechanisms like the Just Transition Fund to mitigate internal socio-economic frictions.

The briefing critiques the European Commission's draft proposal to modernise the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), asserting that it fails to adequately protect the EU's regulatory autonomy or shield climate policies from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) challenges. It argues that the proposal maintains an outdated focus on investment protection and lacks binding sustainability mechanisms, a requirement to exhaust local remedies, and a specific carve-out for climate response measures. The author concludes that without fundamental shifts—such as differentiating between low-carbon and carbon-intensive investments and establishing a supremacy clause for environmental obligations—the ECT will continue to create a 'chilling effect' on essential environmental and social regulations.

The BONUS RETURN decision-support toolbox offers 16 tools to help decision-makers transition to a circular economy by adopting eco-technologies for nutrient and carbon recovery. It covers the entire innovation lifecycle, from identifying criteria through social innovation and multi-criteria analysis to promoting existing technologies via sustainable and circular public procurement. The guide also details methods for supporting pre-commercial innovation, such as innovation competitions, market surveys, independent comparative analyses, and testbed trials. It concludes by framing these tools within a Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) approach to create long-term strategic incentives and co-benefits for the Baltic Sea Region.

A group of European investors warns Fortum that its support for the Datteln 4 coal plant in Germany and Uniper's legal threats against the Dutch government are misaligned with the Paris Agreement and expose the company to significant market and litigation risks. The investors highlight that 79% of EU coal capacity is already loss-making and urge Fortum to commit to a net-zero emissions trajectory by 2050.

ClientEarth challenges the planned Belgian capacity mechanism (Planned CM), asserting that it lacks a complete design and fails to demonstrate a genuine resource adequacy concern. The organisation argues that the scheme would unfairly favour gas capacity, contradicting EU objectives to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies and hindering decarbonisation. It further contends that the Belgian electricity market's resilience and the availability of less distortive alternatives, such as strategic reserves and market reforms, render a market-wide capacity mechanism unnecessary. ClientEarth also warns that the Planned CM could strengthen the market dominance of existing oligopolistic players and lacks sufficient preference mechanisms for low-carbon resources.

The author advocates for a 'legal revolution' to address the climate and environmental crisis by granting legal personhood to species and ecosystems. This approach aims to replace the current system, where nature is treated as an object for exploitation, with a framework that recognizes planetary boundaries and holds corporate executives accountable through the criminalization of ecocide. The text highlights the work of the non-profit Notre Affaire à Tous in mobilizing citizens and pursuing legal action, such as the Affaire du Siècle, to force state accountability.