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In the first half of 2020, renewable electricity generation exceeded fossil fuel generation for the first time in the EU-27, driven by new installations, favorable weather, and a COVID-19-related drop in electricity demand.

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute provides a comparative analysis of net-zero targets adopted by 19 countries and the European Union as of July 2020, evaluating their design robustness, target years, sectoral coverage, and legal status.

Xior Student Housing issued a EUR100m (USD109m) green bond on 13-04-2020 to finance green buildings, renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, clean transport, and water management projects across Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. The issuer is the second Belgian financial corporate to issue a green bond and has committed to annual allocation and impact reporting.

A fact sheet detailing a EUR 55 million (USD 60 million) green loan issued by Sonae SGPS on April 8, 2020, for its subsidiary Sonae MC to improve the environmental sustainability of its food retail operations in Portugal.

The 2020 Global Electricity Review by Ember analyzes global electricity generation changes in 2019, highlighting a record 3% fall in global coal-fired generation and a corresponding 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions. While the EU and US saw significant coal collapses, China's coal generation rose, making it responsible for over half of global coal generation for the first time. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, though the report notes that this growth rate is slowing and may be insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals without concerted global effort.

This report by Sandbag analyzes how the disparity in carbon pricing between the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and its non-EU neighbors leads to 'carbon leakage,' where high-carbon electricity, primarily from coal, is imported into the EU. The authors argue that this undermines EU climate goals and incentivizes the continued use of coal in neighboring states. To combat this, the report proposes the implementation of a border carbon adjustment (BCA) specifically for electricity imports.

This feasibility study evaluates the potential for implementing EuroPACE, an on-tax financing instrument for residential energy efficiency retrofits, across Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The report analyzes market barriers, existing national loan schemes, and case studies of successful programs in France (Oktave), Germany (KfW), and the Netherlands/UK (Energiesprong) to identify scalable models for deep retrofits.

This fact sheet details a EUR 335 million green loan issued by Endesa, S.A. on December 21, 2019, to finance wind and solar energy projects in Spain.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines recommendations for UNFCCC Parties at COP-25 to integrate human rights, gender equality, and participatory processes into climate action. It emphasizes the need for rights-based safeguards in Article 6 market mechanisms, the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, and the protection of indigenous peoples and local communities in adaptation and loss and damage frameworks.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for the integration of procedural rights—specifically access to information, public participation, and access to justice—into climate governance and the implementation of the Paris Agreement. It highlights the roles of the Aarhus Convention and the Escazú Agreement in promoting environmental democracy and provides specific recommendations for the COP-25 agenda to ensure climate policies are inclusive, rights-based, and gender-responsive.

This fact sheet details a EUR 60 million green bond issued by Grupo Pestana on September 23, 2019, to refinance energy-efficient building projects in Portugal.

This report by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe and Sandbag analyzes the draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) of 21 EU Member States that use coal for electricity. It finds that the EU is on track to miss the goal of stopping coal use by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C, with 60 GW of capacity projected to remain in 2030.

This document is a draft of the Strategic Plan for the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), presented as a notification to member Parties on November 27, 2018. The plan outlines a long-term vision for 2019–2044, aiming to bridge the gap between science and policy to foster a sustainable American continent through interdisciplinary research, capacity building, and open data.

This fact sheet details a EUR 600 million green bond issued by Energias de Portugal Group (EDP) on October 12, 2018, marking the first green bond issuance in Portugal.

This notification from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents a draft outline for a new IAI Strategic Plan. The plan is designed as a 25-year roadmap to coordinate research and policy actions addressing global change in the Americas, organized around three primary themes: meeting the needs of member Parties, advancing a science agenda for regional sustainability, and ensuring the organizational sustainability of the IAI.

This research paper compares how the European Union, Hungary, Portugal, and Scotland incorporate high-end climate change (HECC) scenarios—those exceeding 4°C—into adaptation decision-making, finding that such scenarios are not routinely used because decision-makers perceive them as low-probability or distant events.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that Guinea-Bissau requires a new constitution to resolve chronic political instability and institutional deadlocks. It identifies critical ambiguities in the current semi-presidential regime—specifically regarding the powers of the President and Prime Minister—and proposes reforms based on models from Portugal and Cape Verde to strengthen the rule of law and democratic stability.

This report summarizes progress toward Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on strengthening forest governance, transparency, and the rule of law, while empowering indigenous peoples and local communities. It details developments in producer and consumer countries regarding illegal timber trade, the rising violence against environmental defenders, and the status of financial resources and data collection for land tenure security.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyses concessional international public climate finance flows to seven Indian Ocean and African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) between 2010 and 2015. Using OECD data, the study examines commitments, disbursements, and sectoral distribution, finding that finance is heavily concentrated in a few countries and sectors, with significant gaps in disbursement and alignment with national priorities.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides an overview of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It details the environmental and economic benefits of PEVs, the current state of the U.S. and global markets, charging infrastructure, battery technology trends, and government incentives.