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The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 executive summary indicates that all Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets are off track for 2030. While global electricity access has reached nearly 92%, progress is decelerating, and the remaining deficit is heavily concentrated in Africa. Clean cooking access remains a critical gap with 2 billion people lacking access, and global energy efficiency and renewable energy shares are not improving fast enough to meet 2030 targets.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes the role of cobalt as a critical mineral for the clean energy transition, detailing its applications in lithium-ion batteries, global distribution of reserves and production, and the significant human rights and environmental impacts associated with its extraction, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This briefing from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) outlines the public health risks and economic costs associated with natural gas and diesel power generation, specifically targeting the government of New Brunswick to discourage the construction of new gas infrastructure, such as the proposed RIGS gas plant.

This report by Ember analyzes the declining role of gas in the global electricity mix as of 2025, noting that gas share has fallen for five consecutive years. The analysis highlights that while global gas generation has not yet peaked in absolute terms, its growth has slowed significantly as renewables increasingly meet new electricity demand, particularly in the G7 and large emerging economies.

The Climate Bonds Initiative's Q1 2026 report details the state of the global aligned GSS+ (Green, Social, Sustainability, and Sustainability-linked) debt market. As of March 2026, the cumulative aligned volume reached USD 6,986.0 billion, with green-labelled debt remaining the dominant theme. While the overall market saw a 9% decline in supply compared to Q1 2025 on a like-for-like basis, specific regions like France and Germany showed strong activity in social and green bonds, respectively.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the funding landscape of the global ocean economy, noting that while public investment has increased over the last decade, it remains significantly below the estimated USD 550 billion needed annually by 2030. The report highlights a heavy reliance on official development assistance (ODA), which is currently facing cuts from major donors, and emphasizes the economic and climate benefits of closing the sustainable ocean funding gap.

This report examines the potential for 'Made in Europe' requirements (local content rules) within European Union public procurement to drive climate action, circularity, and industrial resilience, while weighing these benefits against risks to costs and trade relationships.

This policy brief by RMI identifies three emerging trends to scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) demand beyond voluntary corporate credits: credit purchasing through government and private sector mechanisms, demand for differentiated low-carbon products, and 'flipping the script' by funding services where CDR is a co-product or by-product.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the socioenvironmental governance of nickel mining in Indonesia, specifically focusing on the impacts of laterite ore processing via high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) and the associated policy measures.

The report 'Boom and Bust 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power landscape in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence where coal capacity continues to increase while actual generation declines. This trend is most prominent in China and India, where renewables are meeting most new demand despite record coal plant commissioning. The document details regional trends, noting that coal development is geographically narrowing to a few countries, while others, such as the EU and Latin America, are moving toward coal phase-out or 'no new coal' goals.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while actual production fell by 0.6%, as coal plants are increasingly used as backup capacity rather than primary energy sources. While China and India continue aggressive expansions, the number of countries pursuing new coal developments is declining, and the European Union is seeing a terminal decline in coal usage.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' analyzes the global state of coal-fired power plants in 2025, highlighting a paradox where global capacity is increasing while actual electricity production from coal is declining. It focuses heavily on the roles of China and India as the primary drivers of new capacity, the shift of coal to a 'system insurance' role, and a detailed critique of Indonesia's regulatory contradictions and the rise of captive coal plants for mineral processing.

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence between increasing installed capacity and decreasing actual generation. While coal expansion remains concentrated in China and India, the total number of countries proposing or constructing new coal plants has declined. The document specifically contrasts the coal policies of South Korea, which has committed to a 2040 phase-out, and Japan, which continues to emphasize technical abatement and gradual adjustments without a binding national phase-out date.

The report 'Boom and Bust Coal 2026' analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing divergence between increasing installed capacity and decreasing actual generation. While China and India continue to expand capacity for energy security, global coal development is concentrating in fewer countries, and several nations, including South Korea, have committed to phase-outs.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and various partners analyzes the state of global coal-fired power generation in 2025 and early 2026. It highlights a growing divergence where global coal capacity continues to increase—driven primarily by China and India—while actual generation decreases as renewables displace coal. The document details regional trends, noting that while Latin America has reached a 'No New Coal' status, several countries in the region are experiencing delays in planned plant retirements due to political pressure or energy security concerns.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal power portfolio in 2025, highlighting a divergence where coal capacity continued to grow despite a decrease in actual coal-fired electricity generation. The document details regional trends, noting that new coal development is increasingly concentrated in China and India, while other regions like Latin America have ceased new coal projects. It also examines the specific challenges facing Ukraine's energy infrastructure due to Russian attacks and the debate over whether to restore old coal plants or transition to decentralized renewable energy.

The report 'Boom & Bust Coal 2026' bySS analyzes global coal power trends in 2025, highlighting a growing gap where coal capacity is increasing while actual electricity production isS is declining. This trend is most prominent in China and India, where coal plants are increasingly used as 'system insurance' to support the integration of renewables. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects is decreasing, Indonesia remains a significant outlier, expanding coal capacity primarily through 'captive' power plants for mineral processing (nickel and aluminum) and facing regulatory contradictions between its climate commitments and energy planning documents.

This report by Ember examines the effectiveness of satellite monitoring in detecting methane emissions from global hard coal mines, noting a significant gap between theoretical detectability and actual observations.

The Global Coal Mine Methane Review 2026 reports that coal mine methane (CMM) emissions have remained steady at approximately 35 million tonnes despite rising coal production since the 2021 Global Methane Pledge. The report highlights a critical lack of transparency, estimating that 89% of emissions were unreported to the UNFCCC in 2023, and that 87% of global coal production relies on generic emission factors rather than direct measurements. While satellite monitoring is increasing, it currently captures emissions from only 10% of global hard coal production. The report concludes that existing technologies could reduce CMM emissions by 54-63% by 2030, with some measures available at no net cost, and that such reductions are affordable relative to industry profits.

The report argues that betting on long-term growth for metallurgical coal (met coal) is a losing strategy as demand plateaus due to China's economic shift and the rise of low-carbon steel production. It highlights the risk of stranded assets given the volume of planned mine expansions and recommends that governments accelerate the transition to green steel through subsidy reform and public procurement.