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The report analyzes national efforts to transition from carbon-intensive energy sources to sustainable alternatives by reforming fossil fuel subsidies and implementing innovative policy instruments.

The report examines the relationship between policy design and investor behavior in the European renewable energy sector. It argues that a diverse range of investors—from small households to large utilities—can lower the overall cost of capital, but that policy choices (such as the shift from feed-in tariffs to auctions) can either encourage or exclude specific investor groups. The document provides comparative analysis of the UK, Germany, Iberia, and the Nordic region, highlighting how different regulatory environments have led to varying levels of deployment and cost-effectiveness across solar PV, onshore wind, and offshore wind technologies.

Between 2008 and 2015, heavy industry in 20 European countries generated over €25 billion in windfall profits from the EU ETS. These profits were primarily driven by the free allocation of emission allowances intended to prevent "carbon leakage," a phenomenon the report argues is unsubstantiated by evidence. The most significant gains came from cost-pass through to customers (€16.8 billion), followed by the sale of surplus allowances (€7.5 billion) and the use of cheaper international offsets (€0.8 billion). The iron and steel, cement, refineries, and petrochemicals sectors were the primary beneficiaries. The report concludes that these subsidies reduce the incentive for industrial decarbonisation and deprive governments of an estimated €143 billion in potential auctioning revenues, recommending a phase-out of free allocations and the establishment of a Just Transition Fund.

The text examines the role of immigration in the population growth of Nordic countries, contrasting the desire for skilled labor with the restrictive policies applied to humanitarian migrants. It highlights specific restrictive measures in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and advocates for a shift toward integration, reasonable family reunification, and long-term planning to ensure the successful inclusion of new residents.

The document criticizes the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) for supporting the Kachung Forest Project (CDM project #4653) in Uganda through a 20-year purchase agreement with Green Resources. The authors argue the project is flawed, causing environmental degradation through non-native eucalyptus and pine plantations and violating local community rights through evictions and livestock confiscation. They further challenge the project's carbon sequestration claims, suggesting it may be a net source of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite criticism, the SEA announced in March 2016 that it would remain engaged to improve community conditions, a move the authors claim supports a system of exploitation by the global North.

Skanska utilizes its proprietary 'Skanska Color Palette™' to set environmental targets, aiming for its Commercial Development units to produce only Green and Deep Green projects by 2020. The company implements 'Deep Green' standards to achieve near-zero environmental impact, resulting in energy-positive buildings and net-zero energy facilities. These initiatives have led to commercially-exploitable innovations, such as Deep Green Cooling (DGC) and road surface reuse, while attracting increased interest from banks and pension funds seeking green funding opportunities. Additionally, Skanska focuses on climate resilience, as demonstrated by the flood-resilient design of a medical center in New Orleans.

The text advocates for policy instruments that reward sustainable, resource-efficient production based on renewable inputs to enable a future bioeconomy and job creation. It emphasizes that the forest industry is vital for reducing climate impact and contributes 9-12 percent of Swedish industry's employment, export, turnover, and value added, significantly supporting the national trade balance.

The 2030 Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) is a central EU tool covering approximately 60% of total greenhouse gas emissions, specifically targeting the transport, buildings, agriculture, and waste sectors. While the proposal aims for a 30% reduction in non-ETS emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, Carbon Market Watch argues that this target is insufficient and threatened by various 'loopholes'. These include the use of ETS allowances and LULUCF forestry credits to offset emissions, as well as an inflated starting point based on 2016-2018 average emissions rather than 2020 targets. The brief recommends increasing the 2030 non-ETS target to 45%, implementing five-yearly ratchet mechanisms, and prohibiting the use of forestry and ETS credits to ensure environmental integrity.

The author argues that pro-Kremlin media systematically misrepresent the European Union as a weak entity failing to manage 'multiculturalism' and the migrant crisis. This narrative is often amplified by EU-based media and xenophobic political rhetoric within EU Member States, such as in Poland and the Czech Republic. The document suggests that relying on government-run communication agencies like East StratCom is insufficient and instead recommends investing in independent Russian-language media and promoting nuanced, fact-based reporting within the EU to counter these narratives.

The text examines the synergy between Russian state-sponsored disinformation and rising xenophobic rhetoric within EU member states. It highlights how pro-Kremlin outlets frame the EU as weak and 'multiculturalism' as a disease to fuel anti-EU sentiment. The author argues that relying solely on official strategic communication agencies is insufficient and instead advocates for supporting independent Russian-language journalism and promoting nuanced, fact-based discourse within the EU to counter these narratives.

The document examines the debate over global value chains (GVCs) and their impact on developing countries, focusing on the tension between liberalising 'facilitative' approaches and state-led 'coercive' industrial strategies. It identifies three primary constraints to SME participation in GVCs: transaction costs (tariffs, logistics, trade finance), network infrastructure (ICT, energy, transport), and capacity (firm standards and institutional quality). The authors argue that while market access policies remain controversial, there is a broad consensus on the need for horizontal support measures. The paper recommends that South Africa and other African nations prioritise these horizontal enablers and focus on medium-sized companies with realistic growth potential rather than the smallest informal enterprises.

The analysis examines the institutional regime of transmission grid development in Sweden to identify obstacles to achieving a decarbonized Nordic power system by 2050. While the current regime is generally capable of implementing necessary investments, specific barriers exist that require governance interventions to ensure the grid can support decarbonization goals.

The report develops the Transnational Climate Impacts (TCI) Index to measure how countries are exposed to climate risks originating outside their borders. Using a framework of four risk pathways—biophysical, finance, people, and trade—alongside a global context indicator, the authors identify nine indicators of exposure. The resulting index reveals that many high-income, small European nations are highly exposed to transnational risks, contrasting with traditional vulnerability indices that primarily highlight low-income nations. The authors present this as a tool to raise awareness for national adaptation planning, though they note it is a preliminary instrument not yet intended for direct decision-making.

The author critiques proposals by the European Central Bank and European Commission to reduce or eliminate cash transactions. The text argues that while proponents cite the fight against crime and terrorism, the actual motivations are the banking sector's desire to recapture savings held outside the banking circuit and the state's desire for total financial surveillance. The author concludes that political corruption is the primary remaining safeguard for the continued existence of cash.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) argues that a CMU study underestimated the environmental benefits of low-meat diets because it failed to account for land-use change, grouped beef with more efficient meats like pork, and modeled 'healthy' scenarios that actually increased total animal-based food intake. WRI asserts that shifting to realistic vegetarian diets can reduce per capita land use and greenhouse gas emissions by approximately half.

The EU-Turkey deal, implemented in March 2016, aimed to reduce irregular arrivals by establishing a 'one in, one out' resettlement formula for Syrian refugees. While the author notes the deal and accompanying border closures in Eastern and South Eastern Europe have successfully deterred arrivals, this has come at a high humanitarian cost. Refugees are now stranded in squalid conditions in Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia, or are forced onto more dangerous smuggling routes, including the Libya-Italy crossing. The author argues that the deal may undermine the international principle of 'non-refoulement' and that the EU's focus on deterrence has created a 'homemade humanitarian crisis'.

The briefing argues that deep decarbonisation in Europe's energy-intensive industries is technically possible through process, product, and business-model transformations, though it requires strong public policy and funding. It details specific pathways for the chemical sector (bio-based feedstocks and circularity), steel (HIsarna, hydrogen-based DRI, and scrap-EAF production), and cement (calcium looping CCS and clinker substitution). It specifically recommends strengthening the EU ETS Innovation Fund to support the commercialisation of these capital-intensive technologies by 2030.

The report outlines various in-lake remediation strategies to combat eutrophication in Manitoba's prairie lakes, emphasizing that these treatments should complement efforts to control external nutrient sources. It details three biological methods (biomanipulation, floating treatment wetlands, and macrophyte removal), five physical/engineering methods (hypolimnetic withdrawal, dilution/flushing, hypolimnetic aeration, artificial circulation, and dredging), and three chemical methods (phosphorus inactivation, sediment oxidation, and algicides), providing their benefits, shortfalls, suitable lake conditions, and associated costs.

The author calls for national governments to translate Paris Agreement pledges into actionable plans immediately, suggesting that NDCs should be expanded to include more economic sectors, short-lived climate pollutants, and a long-term vision aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework. The text highlights the potential for the treaty to enter into force before 2020 due to the leadership of the U.S. and China in the ratification process.

The report argues that carbon pricing is a critical tool for meeting the Paris Agreement's goal of keeping global temperatures well below 2°C. It introduces 'Carbon Pricing Bands' to categorize price levels by their economic impact—ranging from 'Introductory' (up to $20) to 'Targeted' (above $80)—and presents four potential future trajectories: a 'Success Trajectory' leading to a low-carbon world, and three failure scenarios ('Sailing into the Cliff', 'Stormy Waters', and 'Running Aground') where temperatures rise by 3°C to 4°C due to inadequate or chaotic pricing policies. The update highlights post-COP21 developments, including the commitment of 90 nations to use market mechanisms and specific national actions in China, India, and Canada.