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The 2020 global coal power landscape was characterized by a sharp increase in capacity in China, which offset declines elsewhere and led to the first global increase in coal capacity since 2015. While the US and EU saw record closures, China's provincial governments accelerated coal projects as economic stimulants. Conversely, several Southeast Asian and South Asian nations began canceling planned projects due to financing difficulties and shifting policies.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's rapid expansion and a general global decline. While many countries in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia are decommissioning plants or canceling new projects due to financial pressures and climate goals, China's surge in new capacity offset global reductions, leading to a net increase in global coal capacity for the first time since 2015.

The report 'YÜKSELIŞ VE ÇÖKÜŞ 2021' analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's continued expansion and a general global decline. While the rest of the world saw record retirements and project cancellations—particularly in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia—China's surge in new capacity led to a net global increase in coal power. The document details the financial challenges facing coal, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on project timelines, and the gap between current national trajectories and the IPCC 1.5°C pathway.

The report 'BÙNG NỔ VÀ THOÁI TRÀO 2021' analyzes global coal power trends in 2020, highlighting a stark contrast between China's surge in new capacity and a general global decline. While many nations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the OECD are canceling projects or accelerating closures, China's rapid development has caused total global coal capacity to increase for the first time since 2015.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Sitra explores how Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) can be used to facilitate the global transition to a circular economy (CE). It identifies specific policy levers—including tariff liberalization, services market access, technical standards, investment protections, subsidy reforms, and public procurement—that can be integrated into trade agreements to promote resource efficiency and discourage linear 'take-make-waste' economic models.

This policy brief provides a stocktaking of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) negotiations on e-commerce as of February 2021. It examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption while widening the digital divide, and analyzes the current state of play in the JSI negotiations, including areas of convergence and persistent divergence among the 86 participating members.

This executive summary from RMI outlines the investment landscape for China's transition to carbon neutrality, identifying seven priority technology areas and estimating the associated market and infrastructure investment needs through 2050.

This report, led by the Coalition for Urban Transitions and 36 partner organizations, argues that urban centers are critical for climate leadership and economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on six emerging economies.

A statement from Manish Bapna of the World Resources Institute analyzing China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), noting that while it confirms key climate pledges and sets specific energy targets, it lacks detailed implementation paths for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that immediate and transparent emission cuts are essential to avoid ecological disaster, as the cumulative nature of CO2 means that delaying action increases peak temperatures even if net-zero targets are eventually met.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute argues that the United States should set a greenhouse gas emissions-reduction target of 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. The document outlines how such a target is achievable through a combination of federal and local action, would stimulate economic growth and job creation, and is necessary to maintain international leadership and meet global warming limits of 1.5 degrees C.

This report introduces Zero-Carbon Targeted Integrated Energy Planning (IEP) as a methodology for new urban development zones in China to support the national goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) provides guidelines for its membership application process, emphasizing a commitment to collaboration and a transition toward a distributive delivery structure with regional and national hubs. The document outlines an interim review process managed by the UK global hub to screen applicants through due diligence and collaboration trials before final approval.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the landscape of green and climate finance in China, highlighting the gap between current investment levels and the funding required to meet climate targets. It analyzes the dominance of the public sector, regional investment patterns, and the barriers preventing private capital from scaling, while offering recommendations for policy improvements and the greening of outbound investments.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) proposes a standardized Cooling Investment Tracking Framework to address significant data gaps in global cooling finance. The authors argue that current datasets focus too narrowly on equipment sales and lack the transaction-level granularity needed for governments and investors to align capital with sustainable cooling needs.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines South Africa's transition from a secret apartheid-era nuclear weapons programme to a state committed to nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It details the country's normative frameworks, governance structures, and the challenges facing its nuclear energy expansion plans, including the legacy of state capture during the Zuma presidency and the current cautious approach under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This report by RMI argues that the United States must rapidly expand its public direct current fast-charging (DCFC) infrastructure to meet decarbonization targets and ensure equitable EV access. It contrasts the current incremental growth in the US with China's aggressive, policy-driven scale-up, which has significantly lowered equipment costs and consumer prices through national priorities, utility tariff reforms, and concentrated charging stations.

A statement by the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) arguing that the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be a 'green recovery' to avoid locking the world into future crises related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality.

A statement by RMI calling for the United States to adopt a robust industrial policy and public-private partnerships to regain global competitiveness in the clean energy transition following the inauguration of the Biden-Harris Administration.

This report consists of a series of expert commentaries analyzing the global geopolitical and domestic implications of the January 6 Capitol Hill attacks. The contributors discuss how the event affected the perception of U.S. democracy and influenced the foreign policies and internal political dynamics of the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and India.