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The author contends that current EU climate policies, including the European Green Deal, lack a sufficient social dimension and risk becoming regressive by disproportionately impacting low-income households. The proposed solution is 'universal basic services' (USB)—a needs-based approach that provides essential services like public transport, housing, and childcare as public goods. This strategy aims to decouple social security from the labor market and reduce carbon intensity by shifting from individual consumption to collective provision. The document calls for the EU to abandon restrictive fiscal rules, increase public investment, and implement wealth taxes to fund this transition, arguing that public support for climate action depends on the perceived fairness of the transition.

The Council on Strategic Risks outlines a strategic roadmap for the US government to bolster biodefense, focusing on a 'deterrence by denial' framework. The recommendations are divided into immediate actions for the first month, the first 100 days, and the first year, emphasizing the need for expert leadership, increased budgetary investment, and the integration of AI safety. Key priorities include updating the National Biodefense Strategy, enhancing pathogen early warning systems, and strengthening international partnerships to counter biological weapons programs in countries such as North Korea and Russia.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) will fail if the National Treasury continues a "dogma of austerity" focused on debt reduction and primary budget surpluses. The IEJ proposes a fiscal framework based on six pillars: prioritizing unemployment and poverty reduction over debt rules, taxing the wealthy to raise resources, centering the state in infrastructure investment, directing spending toward labor-intensive sectors, maintaining social wage expenditure, and conducting evidence-based spending reviews. The document highlights that current disinvestment in health and education, combined with an overreliance on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), undermines human capital and economic growth.

Thermal batteries store renewable electricity as high-temperature heat in abundant materials like graphite or bricks, providing a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels for industrial processes requiring temperatures over 1,000°C. The technology supports grid stability by reducing renewable curtailment and offers a lower-risk alternative to hydrogen for industrial decarbonization. While facing challenges in wholesale electricity market access and infrastructure integration, the sector saw investment spike to over $350 million in 2024.

The report outlines the necessity of a Europe-wide CO2 transport network, estimating a need for 15,000 to 19,000 km of infrastructure by 2050 to move 250 million tonnes of CO2 annually. It argues that because CO2 networks often function as 'natural monopolies', EU-level regulation is required to prevent monopoly pricing and ensure non-discriminatory third-party access. The document recommends inter-temporal cost allocation mechanisms—similar to those used for hydrogen—to avoid 'first mover disadvantage' where early users bear disproportionate costs for oversized infrastructure. It also addresses 'cross-chain' financial risks and the need for harmonised CO2 purity standards to ensure network interoperability and safety.

The report argues that achieving net-zero emissions requires a broad portfolio of zero-carbon technologies beyond wind and solar, including nuclear fission, fusion, and carbon capture. It introduces an Innovation Technology Framework based on the 'S curve' of innovation, which identifies critical development stages—R&D, early output, and commercialization—leading to 'market take-off.' The framework emphasizes four 'levers of success': lowering costs, speeding project deployment, easing access to financing, and removing ecosystem barriers. The authors advocate for a coordinated industrial policy that provides sustained public financial support until technologies reach the take-off point, typically defined as 1%-2.5% of global energy demand.

The report argues that Arla Foods employs 'smokescreens' to hide its significant methane footprint and derail climate legislation. It highlights a gap between Arla's net-zero pledges and its actual practices, noting that the company prioritizes intensity-based targets for Scope 3 emissions rather than absolute reductions. The document details Arla's reliance on biogas as a 'silver bullet' solution, which the authors claim incentivizes industrialization and larger herd sizes over sustainable grazing. Furthermore, it documents Arla's direct and indirect lobbying in the EU to exclude agriculture from the Methane Strategy and block plant-based alternatives in school programs. The report also examines legal challenges in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands regarding Arla's 'carbon neutral' marketing claims, which courts found to be misleading.

ClientEarth urges the European Commission to use the European Oceans Pact to move beyond 'paper parks' and policy silos. The organization calls for a systemic approach to enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy and Habitats Directive, the creation of an EU Ocean Fund to replace the EMFAF, and the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies in the maritime sector. It advocates for legally binding targets to protect 30% of EU seas by 2030 and a ban on destructive activities like bottom trawling in all Marine Protected Areas.

ClientEarth argues that the 'recklessness standard' in English law already protects companies from liability for honest but incorrect forward-looking statements in transition plans. It contends that detailed transition planning reduces risks related to greenwashing, breach of duty, and human rights harms, and opposes the introduction of 'safe-harbours' which would undermine market integrity.

The report evaluates the health integration of NDCs from several countries, finding that while many recognize the health benefits of climate mitigation, most lack measurable health targets, dedicated funding for health adaptation, and alignment with 1.5°C pathways. It provides specific analyses for countries including Brazil, the UK, and the UAE, and offers recommendations for 'Healthy NDCs 3.0' that prioritize health as a central pillar of climate action.

The Canadian Climate Institute warns that current land-use policies could lead to over 540,000 new homes being built in flood-risk zones and 220,000 in high-wildfire-risk areas by 2030. This trajectory could increase annual flood damages by up to $2 billion and wildfire damages by $1.1 billion. The report identifies critical gaps in provincial regulations, a lack of up-to-date risk mapping, and 'moral hazard' created by disaster assistance programs that encourage risky construction. It recommends strengthening land-use regulations, integrating risk data into housing and infrastructure funding, and mandating risk disclosure during real estate transactions.

The report examines the technical and institutional challenges of maintaining grid reliability in the United States as fossil fuel plants retire and demand grows from data centers and electrification. It argues that reliability does not require traditional baseload power but can be achieved through a combination of wind, solar, battery storage, and demand-side flexibility. The authors highlight that while 80-90% clean electricity is achievable with current technology, reaching 100% may require 'clean firm' resources like enhanced geothermal or advanced nuclear. Key recommendations include reforming interconnection queues, expanding interregional transmission, and implementing performance-based incentives for utilities to prioritize demand-side solutions.

The document examines how South Africa's current growth model and monetary governance reinforce a capital-intensive economy and inequality. It identifies significant unexploited liquidity in the banking and retirement sectors and proposes reforms to the South African Green Finance Taxonomy (SAGFT), the adoption of corporate transition plans, and the use of direct and indirect credit allocation tools to fund a just transition for workers.

The document contains technical appendices for a report on reforming environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). It introduces a 'Fiscal Pressure' indicator to identify countries where high debt and deficits create strong incentives for subsidy reform, and provides a stakeholder analysis mapping the influence and attitudes of businesses, governments, consumers, and civil society toward EHS reform.

The report examines the implementation of the EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs) and the preliminary findings of Australia's Carbon Leakage Review. It highlights the shift from free allocation of emissions permits to border adjustments to prevent carbon leakage, where emissions reductions in one country are offset by increases elsewhere. The EU CBAM is set for full implementation by 2026, and the UK CBAM by 2027. Australia is considering a BCA as a 'robust underpinning' to its Safeguard Mechanism. The document also analyzes WTO discussions from 2020 to 2024, noting a transition from general concerns about protectionism and WTO compliance toward specific discussions on cooperation and interoperability.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs) in the EU, UK, and Australia. It examines the transition from free allocations to border adjustments in the EU, the UK's planned 2027 launch, and Australia's ongoing carbon leakage review. Additionally, it tracks the evolution of multilateral discussions at the WTO, noting a shift from general concerns about protectionism toward specific technical cooperation and interoperability.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) as tools to prevent carbon leakage. It details the operational timelines and design features of the EU and UK mechanisms, analyzes a proposed Australian framework, and tracks legislative efforts in the US, Canada, and Taiwan. Additionally, it examines the evolving nature of CBAM discussions at the WTO, noting a shift from general concern toward specific design cooperation and interoperability.

The document argues that while the energy transition is accelerating, current efforts are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C, and the shift in energy demand will fundamentally reshape global trade and geopolitics. It highlights a significant investment gap, noting that emerging markets and developing economies outside China account for only about 15% of global clean energy spending. The report identifies several trade-related barriers, including protectionist tariffs on electric vehicles, divergent technical standards, and the persistence of fossil fuel subsidies, which reached $7 trillion globally in 2023. It specifically warns that Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanisms (BCAs) and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions in investment treaties may disproportionately burden developing nations. To achieve an equitable transition, the authors recommend reforming WTO subsidy rules, increasing financial support for local value addition in critical minerals, and coordinating the phase-out of fossil fuel production.

The document examines the uncertainty surrounding the second Trump administration's approach to foreign aid and global security. It highlights a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign assistance and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. The text notes a divide in perception, where populations in BRICS nations are more positive about Trump's presidency for global peace compared to those in the EU and UK, despite an overall increase in global conflicts and expansionist rhetoric regarding territories like Greenland and Panama.

The South Korean government has announced a reduction in subsidies for biomass energy, which involves burning forests for electricity. This decision followed an Associated Press investigation and a citizen campaign led by Solutions For Our Climate and other allies. The author argues that biomass is not a climate solution, stating it emits more carbon than coal and drives deforestation in Indonesia, Canada, and the United States. The document calls for Japan and the UK to implement similar reductions in biomass subsidies to protect forests in Southeast Asia and North America.