Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by Ember analyzes national wind capacity targets for 2030, finding that while current targets aim for a doubling of global capacity, they fall short of the tripling required to maintain the 1.5C climate goal. The report highlights a significant implementation gap outside of China, where most countries are projected to miss their targets, while China is expected to over-deliver.

This report by Ember analyzes the performance of coal-fired power plants in Türkiye, concluding that domestic coal plants fail to provide reliable baseload electricity due to low efficiency, high failure rates, and low capacity factors. The study highlights that coal generation reached a record 118 TWh in 2023, contributing 20% of the country's total emissions, and argues for an accelerated transition to renewable energy to meet climate targets and reduce economic losses.

This report summarizes stakeholder dialogues conducted in 2023 and 2024 across Brazil, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam regarding the design and implementation of Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). It examines BCAs as a tool to prevent carbon leakage—where economic activity shifts to jurisdictions with less ambitious climate policies—and analyzes the perspectives of government, industry, finance, labour, academia, and civil society on the opportunities and challenges these mechanisms present.

This report introduces the Industrial Zero Emissions Calculator (IZEC), an open-source Excel tool designed to help stakeholders model and visualize the resource requirements—including electricity, hydrogen, bioenergy, and carbon capture and storage (CCS)—needed to fully decarbonize the industrial sector across five global regions.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines strategies for a just transition to a fossil-free transport system in Sweden. It identifies the socio-economic and geographic groups most at risk of negative impacts—particularly those in low-population density areas—and proposes a policy framework to ensure equity and political acceptance.

This report analyzes the proposed United Kingdom Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), comparing its design and implementation to the European Union's CBAM and evaluating its potential impacts on industries, trading partners, and developing nations.

This guide by RMI explains the role of ammonia (NH3) in the energy transition, detailing its current fossil-fuel-based production, the transition to low-carbon 'colors' of ammonia, and its potential as a zero-carbon fuel for maritime shipping and a carrier for hydrogen transport.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the causal link between fossil fuel emissions and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. It details the role of 'Carbon Majors' in global emissions, the financial disparity between industry profits and climate damages, and the growing use of litigation to hold these companies accountable. The document argues that a managed phase-out of fossil fuels, through both supply and demand reductions, is essential to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This report analyzes the potential impacts of border carbon adjustment (BCA) schemes, specifically the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), on Brazil. Based on research and stakeholder dialogues, it identifies challenges regarding export competitiveness, compliance costs, and the need for international collaboration to balance climate goals with economic equity.

This research paper analyzes the formation and policy implications of South Africa's new coalition government, termed a 'government of national unity' (GNU), following the 2024 elections. It examines the ideological tensions between the African National Congress (ANC) and its partners, specifically the Democratic Alliance (DA), and how these frictions may impact domestic social and economic priorities as well as foreign policy regarding BRICS, Russia, and Israel.

This report, produced by the Climate Bonds Initiative and Peking University, examines the role of transition finance in decarbonising China's power sector. It emphasizes the necessity of credible, science-based transition plans to attract capital and avoid greenwashing, while analyzing the use of sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) and use-of-proceeds (UoP) instruments. The document provides a framework for electrical utilities to develop transition roadmaps and includes case studies of Vattenfall, Enel, and China Huaneng Group to illustrate varying levels of alignment with global standards.

This input paper for the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group, prepared by the India Initiative on Climate Risks and Sustainable Finance (led by Climate Bonds Initiative), examines the role of policymakers in mobilising private finance for the decarbonisation of the steel and cement sectors. It emphasizes the critical nature of the current decade for transition, particularly in emerging markets, and argues that credible corporate transition plans are essential for unlocking private capital through instruments like sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs). The report also highlights a significant gap in the integration of 'just transition' principles within corporate planning.

This policy design brief by Energy Innovation proposes a Production Tax Credit (PTC) to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions industrial heat. The author argues that because industrial facilities emit approximately a quarter of global greenhouse gases—primarily from burning fossil fuels for processes like melting metals and cooking food—a targeted PTC can drive decarbonization while supporting manufacturing jobs and national security.

This policy design brief by Energy Innovation proposes a technology-neutral emissions standard for industrial heat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conventional pollutants. The author outlines specific design considerations for lawmakers to ensure the standard is simple to administer, incentivizes efficiency, and provides long-term certainty for industrial investment.

This research note by Energy Innovation argues that the U.S. Treasury Department must maintain the "three pillars" (incremental, deliverable, and hourly-matched clean electricity) in the final rules for the Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit. The author contends that weakening these rules would undermine climate goals, increase electricity costs for consumers, and stifle the development of a flexible, domestic electrolyzer industry.

The Western Balkans have seen a 70% increase in prospective utility-scale solar and wind capacity over the past year, reaching 23 GW. This capacity could potentially displace planned gas-fired power plants and avert 103 million tonnes of lifetime CO2 emissions. However, only 6% of this prospective capacity is currently under construction, and the region remains heavily dependent on coal and hydropower.

This report details a series of national dialogues in Brazil regarding Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs), specifically focusing on the impacts of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). While the immediate economic impact of the EU CBAM on Brazil is estimated to be limited, the report highlights significant risks if such mechanisms proliferate to other major trading partners like the United States and Japan. The document synthesizes the concerns of the Brazilian government and industrial sectors, emphasizing the need for standardized emissions reporting, the recognition of non-price-based climate efforts, and the provision of financial support for technological adaptation in developing countries.

This report examines the potential socio-economic and environmental impacts of Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs), specifically the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), on Trinidad and Tobago. As a hydrocarbon-dependent economy and a major global exporter of ammonia and fertilizers, the country is highly vulnerable to import charges based on carbon emissions. The report analyzes sectoral vulnerabilities, stakeholder responses, and the role of the financial sector in supporting decarbonization, while providing policy recommendations to mitigate economic risks and leverage opportunities for green industrial transformation.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes trade frictions arising from national and subnational plastic pollution measures implemented by WTO members. By examining Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) and Trade Policy Review (TPR) questions, the authors identify six primary types of regulatory issues—timing, transparency, stakeholder engagement, proportionality, justification, and discrimination—and provide recommendations to help policy-makers design measures that minimize trade disruptions.

This report examines the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in facilitating the transition to a global circular economy to address the 'triple planetary crisis'. It analyzes current trade measures, identifies a disproportionate focus on end-of-life waste management over upstream resource reduction, and proposes a framework for regulatory alignment and mutual recognition of circular goods and services to prevent market fragmentation and 'circular resource nationalism'.