Search Climate Insights Directory

Operation Overload is a high-volume Russian influence campaign that impersonates over 80 organisations, including media outlets and universities, to sow division in democratic nations. In early 2025, it targeted 10 countries—primarily Germany, France, and Ukraine—using AI-cloned voices and forged logos to spread narratives against Ukraine and destabilise domestic politics. While most content had limited organic reach, one video claiming USAID paid celebrities to visit Ukraine garnered over 4.2 million views. The operation relies on bot networks and commercial services to amplify its content and frequently tags research organisations to distract them with debunking requests.

The document argues that mainstream 'optimal tax theory' is flawed due to unrealistic neoclassical assumptions and that progressive wealth taxation can generate significant revenue without hindering economic growth. It examines case studies from Argentina, Belgium, France, Colombia, and other nations to demonstrate the viability of various wealth tax instruments. For South Africa, the paper recommends expanding taxes on wealth income, increasing dividend taxes, implementing a financial transaction tax, and introducing a progressive net wealth tax, provided these are supported by tighter capital controls and improved administrative capacity.

The paper argues that Colombia's previous price-based renewable energy auctions failed to consider socio-economic factors, leading to social conflict and project cancellations, particularly in La Guajira. It recommends two main pathways for the new framework: enhancing community engagement and benefit sharing for large-scale projects through stricter qualification requirements and multicriteria award mechanisms, and scaling up energy communities via a reserved auction quota (adhesion process) and a dedicated support agency to prevent 'community washing'.

In 2024, global coal power capacity increased by 18.8 GW, as 44.1 GW was commissioned and 25.2 GW retired. While the EU27 saw a fourfold increase in retirements and the UK completed its coal phaseout, global progress was offset by significant expansion in China and India. China commissioned 30.5 GW (70% of the global total) and saw 94.5 GW in new construction starts. India recorded its highest-ever level of new coal proposals at 38.4 GW. Conversely, coal proposals in OECD countries dropped from 142 in 2015 to five today, though retirements in these nations must triple to align with the Paris Agreement.

Ember's response to the ERAA 2025 consultation highlights significant discrepancies between ENTSO-E's proposed commodity prices and market futures, noting that fossil fuel prices are underestimated while CO2 prices are overestimated. The document argues that the ERAA underestimates battery storage and demand flexibility potential, fails to account for battery CAPEX reductions, and underestimates wind and solar capacities in several European countries compared to National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and industry forecasts.

Mighty Earth criticizes the US SEC for approving the IPO of JBS, the world's largest meat company, alleging the decision was influenced by a $5 million donation from JBS subsidiary Pilgrim's Pride to President Trump's inaugural committee. The author contends that JBS has a history of corruption, bribery, and misleading climate data, and that the listing will enable the company to scale its deforestation and climate pollution, which is estimated to be equivalent to that of Spain.

Reclaim Finance is calling on ArcelorMittal shareholders to escalate engagement at the 2025 AGM by voting against management-proposed resolutions. The organization argues that the company is backtracking on climate goals, delaying direct reduced iron (DRI) projects, and allocating insufficient capital to decarbonization, with only US$0.3-0.4 billion of planned 2025 capital expenditures dedicated to such projects.

In 2024, global electricity generation reached new record highs for solar, wind, hydro, gas, and coal. Solar was the fastest-growing source, increasing by 474 TWh to reach a 6.9% share of the global mix, with China contributing 53% of this growth. Wind generation also hit a record of 2,494 TWh, though growth slowed due to weather conditions. Hydro rebounded to an all-time high of 4,416 TWh following 2023 droughts, largely driven by China. Nuclear generation grew by 2.5% to 2,768 TWh, but its global market share fell to a 45-year low of 9%. Gas and coal both reached record generation levels in 2024, though their shares of the global electricity mix declined to 22% and 34% respectively, as electricity demand grew faster than their production.

The Mediterranean region's renewable power capacity is projected to double from 315 GW in 2023 to 626 GW by 2030, primarily driven by solar and wind. However, this trajectory falls 374 GW short of the TeraMed Initiative's 1 TW goal. To bridge this gap, the region would need to install an additional 54 GW of wind and solar annually beyond current plans, totaling 98 GW per year, which significantly exceeds the historical maximum annual deployment of 45 GW.

The report argues that while phasing out oil and gas is essential to meet the 1.5C Paris Agreement goals, the threat of investor-state arbitration often creates a 'regulatory chill' that discourages ambitious climate action. It identifies that legal risks increase as a project progresses through its life cycle, with the highest risks associated with targeting the production phase. To mitigate these risks, the authors propose five principles: stopping the issuance of new licenses, managing investor expectations through long-term frameworks and early notice, grounding policies in legislation and scientific evidence, leveraging existing environmental regulations, and ensuring consistent application across all investors. The report specifically suggests that governments should prioritize a managed phase-out with clear end dates and consider an internationally legally binding instrument to harmonize production deadlines and exclude arbitration rights for fossil fuel investors.

The report argues that Repsol's climate strategy is insufficient, as the company continues to prioritize oil and gas expansion and shareholder returns over sustainable energy investments. It finds that Repsol's 2030 production targets exceed NZE requirements by 38%, and its diversification into renewables and green hydrogen remains a small fraction of its overall energy mix. Additionally, the report notes that Repsol has weakened its 2030 emissions targets, specifically regarding scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

The report finds that the EU failed to meet its 2020 deadline to end overfishing, with over half of the assessed TACs for 2019 still exceeding scientific advice. It highlights a particular lack of consistency in following advice for data-limited stocks and identifies several Member States that actively pushed for unsustainable catch limits, while noting that all involved states benefited from TACs exceeding scientific recommendations.

The author uses participant observation in France, Italy, and Spain to show that 'back to nature' movements often value physical endurance and 'hard life' virility over domestic labour. This creates a hierarchy where women are marginalised, particularly during motherhood or when seeking external employment, effectively turning a 'back to the land' movement into a 'back to the house' experience for many women.

ClientEarth supports the Hague's ban on fossil fuel advertising, asserting that EU internal market law allows such restrictions to achieve public interest goals, specifically climate change mitigation and the reduction of high-carbon consumption.

The report argues that the EU's initial hydrogen targets were overly ambitious and calls for a pragmatic shift toward 'hard-to-electrify' sectors. It identifies a significant gap between current production (0.02 Mtpa) and 2030 targets, projecting regulated demand between 2.2 and 2.8 Mtpa. The authors advocate for a 'carrots and sticks' approach—combining subsidies with enforceable RED III mandates and penalties—to drive offtake. Financially, the report estimates that €13.9 billion in public funding is needed to meet mandates, potentially rising to €45.6 billion under an Accelerated Transition Scenario, which could unlock €276 billion in private investment.

The statement argues that large-scale forest biomass energy is not carbon neutral and actively harms the climate, biodiversity, and human rights. It claims that current carbon accounting erroneously labels biomass as zero-emission, which masks the actual greenhouse gas releases and encourages deforestation. The document further asserts that biomass energy extends the lifespan of coal plants and diverts investment from truly low-emission renewables like wind and solar. It calls on governments and financial institutions to stop the expansion of the biomass industry and eliminate related subsidies in favor of forest restoration.

Reclaim Finance criticizes ArcelorMittal for contradictions between its public decarbonization claims and its actual financial and operational actions. The organization highlights delayed hydrogen-based steel projects in Europe, insufficient capital expenditure for decarbonization, and misleading emissions reporting. It calls on investors to pressure the company to publish an updated Climate Action Report (CAR3) with a clear timeline to phase out coal globally.

The report analyzes hydrogen consumption and production in the EU 27, finding that 84% of consumption is concentrated in refining and ammonia production. It argues that decarbonising existing industrial hydrogen production is a more immediate and necessary priority than nascent sectors like mobility. The analysis highlights that while the EU has a production capacity of 10.3 Mt/y, high energy costs and volatile gas prices have led to low utilisation rates and plant closures in the ammonia and steam cracker sectors.

The report finds a systemic lack of methane accountability among top US and European supermarkets, with none of the 20 largest retailers setting specific methane reduction targets despite the significant impact of animal agriculture on global heating.

The document examines the failures of traditional investment treaties and the ISDS system, which it argues prioritize investor protection over public interest and sustainable development. It highlights the high financial costs of ISDS awards, the phenomenon of 'regulatory chill' where states avoid necessary environmental or social reforms to avoid litigation, and the lack of investor obligations. The report advocates for a shift toward treaties focused on investment facilitation and cooperation, the termination of outdated agreements, and a coordinated global effort to modernize investment governance.