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The report finds that while a majority of registered U.S. voters support clean energy transitions and the Paris Climate Agreement, global warming remains a low priority for most when deciding on congressional candidates. There is strong bipartisan support for protecting workers from extreme heat and opposing the elimination of federal climate research and FEMA, though significant political polarization persists regarding fossil fuel use and the priority level of climate action.

In 2025, solar and wind power expanded fast enough to outpace global electricity demand growth for the first time over a sustained period. Solar growth accelerated in Africa and Central Europe, while BRICS nations now generate over half of global solar power. The rise of 'electrotech'—led by China—and falling battery costs are enabling fossil-free baseload power and supporting the energy demands of AI and data centres.

The report argues that maintaining secure maritime food trade is a US national security imperative, as disruptions to key chokepoints—specifically the Suez Canal, Panama Canal, and Strait of Malacca—can trigger cascading global risks. Using a strategic foresight approach, the authors analyze four scenarios based on the uncertainty of international cooperation and port infrastructure resilience. They find that climate stressors, such as a projected global warming increase of over 2°C by 2040, threaten agricultural productivity and port operability. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by hostile actors, such as Al-Shabaab in Somalia, to weaponize food and destabilize regions. The report recommends that the US incorporate maritime food trade resilience into its National Security Strategy, invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, and revitalize flexible development assistance to prevent the erosion of soft power and protect military supply chains.

In 2025, electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for over a quarter of global new car sales, driven by a significant shift in emerging markets. While legacy auto markets in the US and Canada have seen a rollback of incentives, countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America are 'leapfrogging' advanced economies. Viet Nam and Singapore have reached EV sales shares exceeding 40%, surpassing the UK and EU. China continues to dominate as the largest market, with its exports increasingly targeting non-OECD markets such as Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, and Indonesia. The report highlights that EVs significantly reduce fossil fuel demand, with battery electric vehicles in Brazil delivering an estimated 90% reduction compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.

The document analyzes the strategic role of BRICS+ countries in the global critical minerals market, focusing on the potential for African members to move up the value chain and the complex dynamics of their cooperation with the European Union.

As of October 2025, the all-in capex for large, long-duration utility-scale BESS projects outside China and the US is approximately $125/kWh, resulting in a Levelised Cost of Storage (LCOS) of $65/MWh. This cost reduction is driven by cheaper Chinese-manufactured equipment, longer battery lifetimes, and improved efficiencies. Consequently, dispatchable solar—storing 50% of daily generation—is estimated to cost $76/MWh, making it a highly competitive option for meeting global energy demand growth.

Ten years after its 2015 adoption, the Paris Agreement has shifted the projected global warming trajectory from 4.8 degrees C to between 2.3 and 2.9 degrees C, though it remains off track for the 1.5 degrees C goal. While clean technology growth has exceeded expectations—with electric vehicles now comprising a fifth of auto sales and solar and wind electricity generation tripling—current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) would deliver less than 14% of the emissions reductions needed by 2035. The author argues that the next decade requires a total economic transformation, a more aggressive approach to phasing out fossil fuels, and a remodeled multilateral process where COP decisions are not subject to a veto by a few nations. Key priorities include supporting the green transitions of large middle-income countries, which account for 60% of global emissions, and integrating climate commitments into national economic policies.

The document outlines the current state of global deforestation, noting that 8.1 million hectares were lost in 2024 and that the world is off track to meet the COP26 goal of halting and reversing deforestation by 2030. It identifies agriculture as the primary driver, accounting for 86% of global deforestation over the last decade, and highlights the critical role of old-growth forests in carbon storage. The guide also notes that climate-driven risks, particularly wildfires, have become leading causes of forest loss, with fire becoming the principal driver of tropical forest loss for the first time in 2024.

Since 2000, Britain's offshore wind sector has grown to 16,000 MW of capacity, providing 17% of the country's total generation in 2024 and employing approximately 40,000 people. The industry has evolved from the 4 MW Blyth wind farm to massive projects like Hornsea 2 (1.3 GW) and the under-construction Dogger Bank (3.6 GW). While the 'Contracts for Difference' (CfD) model has influenced global policy and provided price stability for consumers, the sector currently faces supply chain bottlenecks and inflation. Future growth depends on standardising turbine components, expanding national manufacturing in areas like blade technology and deep-water foundations, and leveraging new investments from Great British Energy.

The report analyzes the transition of the steel industry toward net-zero emissions, highlighting the role of emerging technologies and startups. It identifies the dominance of coal-based blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) facilities, which contribute approximately 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and examines alternatives such as Hydrogen-Direct Reduced Iron (H2-DRI) and scrap-based electric arc furnaces (EAFs). The document categorizes innovations into three pathways: reducing demand ('Make Less'), improving existing processes ('Make Better'), and developing disruptive technologies ('Make New'). It emphasizes the need for strategic investor-offtakers in high-growth markets like Asia and Africa, the potential of modular furnace technologies, and the strategy of generating early revenue through high-margin, low-volume products to derisk commercial scaling.

The 2025 G20 presidency under South Africa served as a symbolic platform for African priorities, including debt sustainability and just energy transition, but faced significant challenges due to the absence of the US and a general lack of collective ambition on climate change. While the presidency successfully advanced discussions on critical minerals and disaster resilience, the Final Communiqué failed to mention transitioning away from fossil fuels, reflecting a broader trend of G20 paralysis on environmental leadership.

The document argues that a 'window of opportunity' has opened for Africa due to the convergence of China's domestic push for renewable energy leadership and US-China geopolitical tensions. While the US has retreated from climate leadership and scaled back African assistance, China is pivoting toward 'small is beautiful' project financing and green industrialization as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and FOCAC commitments. To maximize these opportunities, the brief recommends that African nations implement rigorous strategic planning, professionalize project pipelines, adopt innovative mixed-financing models to reduce sovereign debt, and pursue regional energy integration through frameworks like the Southern African Power Pool.

Africa holds about 30 percent of global proven critical resource mineral (CRM) supplies but primarily exports them in raw form. The document identifies significant barriers to domestic value addition—including technical capacity, infrastructure, and investment gaps—and posits that regional collaboration is the only viable way to achieve the scale necessary for competitive downstream processing amid rising global demand for the energy and digital transitions.

The document highlights the high carbon intensity of synthetic fertilizer production, which relies heavily on coal and natural gas, and the significant nitrous oxide emissions released during field application. It identifies China as a key global market player that has implemented an integrated governance framework combining policy, market mechanisms, and technology to coordinate the low-carbon transition of its fertilizer industry.

The report identifies Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and China as the fastest adopters of electric vehicles by sales share. It highlights China's dominance in both total volume (11.3 million sales in 2024) and market share (48%), while noting Norway's lead in share (92%). The analysis emphasizes that rapid uptake is driven by government incentives, investment in charging infrastructure, and the availability of affordable models. It also notes a trend of 'leapfrogging' in developing nations like Ethiopia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, fueled by affordable Chinese imports.

This research paper by Steven Haig of the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues that expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) production in Canada will increase domestic and global emissions, hinder the transition to renewable energy, and divert public funds from climate solutions.

The COP30 summit in Belém concluded with the "Mutirão global" agreement, which maintained negotiations but postponed key decisions on fossil fuels and adaptation finance. While the summit saw record indigenous participation and significant funding commitments for tropical forests and energy infrastructure, it failed to establish a clear mechanism to limit warming to 1.5°C and lacked a process for reviewing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The document urges reporters to translate these diplomatic results into human-centric stories focusing on vulnerable communities and territorial rights.

Viet Nam, Indonesia, and the Philippines collectively drive nearly 60% of ASEAN’s power demand and emissions, with a heavy historical reliance on coal. While coal still dominates their energy mixes, all three nations are pivoting toward clean energy, attracting $4.6 billion in investment in 2024. Each country aims for renewables to exceed 50% of their installed capacity mix by 2030–2034. Viet Nam has led the region in new wind and solar generation, the Philippines operates a fully liberalised electricity market to attract FDI, and Indonesia is leveraging its mineral industrialisation to build an electric vehicle ecosystem while planning significant solar expansions.

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions, Russia has pivoted its fossil fuel exports toward Asia. While this has partially offset revenue losses from the European market, the report argues that Russia remains locked in a hydrocarbon-centric model that is increasingly misaligned with the decarbonisation trajectories of its primary Asian customers. China and India have leveraged discounted Russian oil and coal to support economic growth while simultaneously diversifying their energy portfolios and expanding renewable capacity. Vietnam has seen modest growth in Russian coal and nascent LNG trade, balancing energy security with sustainability goals. The report highlights structural bottlenecks, such as limited rail capacity for coal and the risks of a 'shadow fleet' for oil, as significant constraints on Russia's long-term export viability.

The document assesses the ESG landscape of Indonesia's nickel industry, which is critical to the global energy transition. While Indonesia has seen massive economic growth from nickel downstreaming, it faces significant challenges including high carbon intensity, workplace fatalities, and rising agrarian disputes. The brief maps Indonesian regulations against international standards (such as IRMA and ICMM), identifying gaps in human rights due diligence, anti-corruption mandates, and sustainability reporting. It recommends strengthening biodiversity monitoring, mandating free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and establishing climate governance systems to align with global best practices.