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Enhanced rock weathering is identified as a scientifically sound carbon removal method that accelerates the natural breakdown of rocks like basalt and olivine to capture CO2. While it offers potential for large-scale deployment and soil improvement, it is currently deemed not ready for large-scale use due to high costs, unpredictable effectiveness, and complex monitoring requirements.

Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are factory-built reactors with capacities under 300 MW that offer potential for flexible, low-carbon power and industrial heat. While the Nuclear Energy Agency projects a global market of 375 GW by 2050 that could avoid 15 Gt of cumulative CO2 emissions, SMRs remain in the demonstration phase. Significant barriers include high costs—estimated by Wood Mackenzie at US$6,000 to US$8,000 per kilowatt—which far exceed those of solar and wind power, as well as regulatory hurdles, waste disposal issues, and long deployment timelines that may limit their near-term impact on the energy transition.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development warns that a weakened proposal in the FfD4 Outcome Document regarding the oversight of tax expenditures risks undermining domestic resource mobilization. The author advocates for the reinstatement of commitments to minimum reporting standards—defined by regularity, transparency, and specificity—to help governments identify and reform ineffective or harmful tax incentives. To support this, the document proposes the creation of a Coalition on Tax Expenditures comprising think tanks and academic institutions to provide technical support and research to low- and middle-income countries.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project argues against the University of California (UC) potentially reversing its 2020 decision to divest from fossil fuels. The letter asserts that fossil fuel investments are financially risky, citing the underperformance of fossil-fuel-heavy portfolios and the volatility of the LNG market. It further highlights the material threats of climate change to California, including astronomical wildfire costs, and warns that demand forecasts for data center power may be overstated, potentially misleading investors.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has voted to replace mandatory requirements for reducing client emissions with 'best practice' advice and has removed the obligation for banks to align with the 1.5°C warming limit and 2050 carbon neutrality goal. The new guidelines allow banks to align with a 'warming well below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C' and let them choose their own target year for carbon neutrality. Reclaim Finance argues this shift ignores current climate science and suggests banks are now following existing economic emission trends rather than actively modifying them to accelerate the transition.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has voted to convert mandatory requirements for reducing client emissions into "best practice" guidance, removing the requirement for banks to set targets aligned with the 1.5°C warming limit and the 2050 net zero goal.

The Caisse des Dépôts rejects Reclaim Finance's criticisms, asserting that its investment approach balances ecological transformation with national sovereignty. It highlights a commitment to mobilize 100 billion euros for ecological and energy transformation between 2024 and 2028, while defending its decision to keep specific holdings confidential to maintain constructive shareholder dialogue. The institution disputes Reclaim Finance's estimate of its fossil fuel exposure, stating its actual exposure is below 5 billion euros and that it applies strict exclusion criteria for unconventional fossils and coal.

A systematic review of 187 articles finds that biomass cookstoves, used by approximately one-quarter of the global population, emit fine, organic carbon-rich particles that pose significant risks. The study reveals that real-world emission factors are consistently higher than laboratory measurements and that most improved or advanced stoves still fall into WHO polluting or transitional categories. The authors argue that current global policies fail to adequately reflect scientific evidence on particle properties.

The NewClimate Institute assesses the draft SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard (CNZS) v2.0, noting improvements in target boundaries and scope 2 emissions requirements while calling for stricter rules on indirect mitigation, more frequent validation renewals, and the inclusion of activity-level alignment targets.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) supports Colorado Senate Bill 25-198 to increase transparency and oversight of healthcare and dental care transactions. PESP argues that private equity firms use strategies like leveraged buyouts and 'roll-ups' to consolidate markets, which often leads to higher prices and lower quality of care. In Colorado, PESP identifies at least 59 such deals since 2020, with significant activity in dental care and outpatient specialties. The testimony highlights the risks of high debt loads, including the closure of Johnstown Heights Behavioral Health and the anticompetitive behavior of U.S. Anesthesia Partners. PESP recommends lowering the monetary threshold for transaction notices to the Attorney General and implementing regulations on debt and investor liability.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BPCE for its continued financial support of major oil and gas developers and LNG infrastructure, noting that the bank lacks the ambitious exclusion policies and exposure-reduction targets adopted by other major French banks.

The report addresses the barrier of investor-state arbitration that prevents governments from implementing ambitious oil and gas phase-out policies. It argues that earlier action reduces both legal risks and the threat to 1.5°C goals, and proposes five guiding principles for policy design to minimize litigation risks.

ACT Climate Labs partnered with Climate Catalyst and Walnut Unlimited to conduct research on communication strategies for aviation's climate impact. The project aimed to identify specific narratives and frames that would resonate with the general public and 'hard-to-reach audiences' to build support for climate action policies targeting the aviation sector.

Carbon Market Watch warns that the European Commission is considering "loopholes" to weaken the EU's 2040 climate target, including the use of international carbon credits and carbon removals. The organization argues that such measures would undermine domestic emissions reductions, repeat past failures of the EU Emissions Trading System, and contradict the recommendations of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, which suggests a 90-95% emissions cut through domestic action alone.

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 report highlights solar power as the primary engine of the global energy transition, noting it surpassed 2,000 TWh of generation in 2024 and doubles every three years. While emerging drivers such as data centres, EVs, and heat pumps have structurally increased electricity demand, clean generation is projected to grow fast enough to meet this demand and drive a structural decline in fossil fuels by 2030. Central to this shift is the progress in China and India, where clean power deployment is breaking the historical link between economic growth and fossil fuel expansion, potentially tipping the global balance toward a decline in fossil generation.

The report examines the 2024 power sectors of China, the US, EU, India, Russia, Japan, and Brazil. Key trends include China's massive solar growth despite record coal generation, the US's first-time transition to wind and solar overtaking coal, the EU's record decline in coal, and Brazil's high renewable share. While India and China continue to see demand growth met partly by coal, the EU and US show a stronger shift toward clean energy, though the US remains reliant on gas.

In 2024, clean power reached a milestone of 40.9% of global electricity generation, driven by a record surge in solar and a rebound in hydropower. Despite this growth, global power sector emissions reached a record high of 14.6 billion tonnes of CO2 because extreme heatwaves drove a 4.0% increase in electricity demand, forcing a 1.4% rise in fossil fuel generation to meet the additional cooling needs.

In 2024, global electricity demand rose by 4% to 30,856 TWh, driven largely by China and extreme heatwaves. Low-carbon sources reached a historic high of 40.9% of global generation, with solar and wind combined surpassing hydropower. Despite this, global power sector emissions hit a record high, increasing by 1.6% due to a rise in fossil generation linked to cooling demand during heatwaves.

In 2024, clean power surpassed 40% of global electricity generation for the first time since the 1940s, driven by record solar growth. Despite this, global power sector emissions reached an all-time high of 14.6 billion tonnes of CO2 because heatwaves drove a 1.4% increase in fossil generation to meet cooling demand. Solar generation doubled over the last three years, reaching 2,131 TWh, while emerging drivers like AI data centres, EVs, and heat pumps structurally increased demand growth. China and India are increasingly decoupling their electricity demand growth from fossil fuel expansion, with China's clean generation meeting 81% of its demand increase in 2024.