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This report, published in April 2024 by Global Energy Monitor and several partner organizations, tracks the global development of coal-fired power plants. It highlights a divergence in trends: while new construction is reaching record lows outside of China, China is seeing an eight-year high in new construction. The report specifically examines the risks of expanding coal capacity in Central Asia, where proposed projects contradict climate goals and add to an aging, worn-out energy infrastructure.

The report 'Auge y caída del carbón 2024' analyzes global coal-fired power generation trends in 2023, highlighting a contradiction where global operational capacity reached an all-time high despite a decline in new construction outside of China.

This report, published by Global Energy Monitor and a coalition of partners, tracks global coal-fired power plant capacity as of April 2024. It highlights a paradoxical trend where global coal capacity reached record highs in 2023, driven primarily by China, despite a general decline in new coal construction in the rest of the world and increasing phase-out commitments.

The Global Subnational Agricultural Production (GSAP) database, developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute, is the first standardized global database providing subnational agricultural production data for key crops. It aims to fill a critical information gap by collecting high-resolution data from national statistical offices to improve food security, climate adaptation, and agricultural research.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides a comprehensive overview of the institutional entry points and governance processes within the World Trade Organization (WTO) where trade and environmental policies intersect. It details the roles of various WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), the dispute settlement mechanism, and the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while highlighting recent member-led initiatives on plastic pollution, fossil fuel subsidies, and environmental sustainability.

This report, published by Trend Asia and several international partners, analyzes global coal power trends in 2023. It highlights a contradiction where global coal capacity reached a historic high in 2023 despite a general decline in new construction outside of China. The document provides detailed analysis of China's continued expansion and Indonesia's struggle with 'captive' coal plants supporting the nickel industry, which complicates its energy transition goals.

This briefing discusses the barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption for low-income consumers, specifically highlighting the risk of high repair costs. It argues for strategic investments in EV government fleets and public transportation to benefit environmental justice communities while cautioning that subsidies for individual purchase must be paired with considerations for full lifecycle costs to prevent vulnerable households from losing vehicle access.

The 'Status of the transition to green & fair economies 2024' executive summary identifies a global 'polycrisis' of conflict, economic instability, and climate change, while noting systemic shifts toward social justice and green macroeconomic governance. It highlights the rise of the clean energy economy, led by solar PV and electric vehicles, alongside significant risks such as the 'gold rush' for critical minerals, insufficient private sector investment in nature, and the use of climate policy as a political 'wedge' issue.

This executive summary outlines the findings of a survey comparing foreign policy perspectives between Germany and the IBSA countries (India, Brazil, and South Africa). It highlights divergent views on the war in Ukraine, the dominance of the US dollar, and the role of BRICS+, while identifying shared hopes for the G20 and a mutual desire for UN Security Council reform.

This policy brief summarizes a UNEP foresight workshop held in Bangkok in December 2023, where 42 academics and practitioners from 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific discussed plausible future scenarios for the region leading up to 2050. The discussions focused on the interplay between human activities and the environment, specifically examining the roles of technology, cultural values, and power relations in shaping planetary health and human well-being.

This research paper analyzes the tension in German foreign policy between corporate profit interests and value-based rhetoric, specifically regarding trade and investment in Africa. The author argues that Germany is shifting from a broad 'exportist' geoeconomic approach toward a more selective strategy focused on risk mitigation and the securing of critical resources, such as LNG and minerals, while urging a transition toward supporting African economic self-determination and regional industrialization.

This research paper evaluates the outcomes of the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) regarding the intersection of climate and trade policy. The authors argue that while the conference was largely disappointing due to a lack of binding multilateral agreements and opposition from key members like India, there is still value in utilizing the WTO as a diplomatic forum to coordinate non-binding instruments and revitalize deliberative functions such as the Committee on Trade and Environment.

This research paper analyzes the European Union's strategic partnerships with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to diversify critical raw material (CRM) supply chains and reduce dependence on China. It examines the geopolitical tensions between Western security agendas and the industrialization goals of the producing nations, while highlighting significant governance risks and the lack of comprehensive national CRM policies in the DRC and Zambia.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the sustainability-linked bond (SLB) market up to November 2023, identifying a high prevalence of low-quality deals characterized by a lack of ambition, poor disclosure, and weak underlying transition plans. The report provides a quantitative profile of the market, assesses KPI performance and transition plan quality among top issuers, and offers a best-practice checklist to improve market credibility and scale.

This briefing examines the current state and potential of carbon capture and storage (CCS), noting that the vast majority of operational projects are linked to the oil and gas industry, specifically for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). While CCS is presented as a tool for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel, the document highlights significant challenges including high costs, inconsistent capture rates, and the risk that the technology is used to prolong fossil fuel extraction.

This RMI fact sheet outlines the climate impact of the aluminum industry and the necessary steps to decarbonize the sector to meet a 1.5°C pathway, focusing on the transition to renewable energy and the improvement of recycling practices.

The Lobito Corridor is a 1,300 km railway project in Angola designed to transport critical raw materials (CRMs) and electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain products from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to the EU and US. While supported by various MoUs and a consortium including Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis, the project faces significant competition from established Chinese supply chains and alternative transport routes to the Indian Ocean.

This research paper by Facundo Calvo analyzes the agriculture negotiations for the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), arguing that success depends on moving beyond non-binding declarations toward binding commitments. The author focuses on the potential for an exemption from export restrictions for least developed countries (LDCs) and the deep divisions among WTO members regarding domestic support and public stockholding.

This research paper by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), evaluating its potential to combat commodity-driven deforestation and providing recommendations to strengthen its implementation and scope.

This report by the African Future Policies Hub, APRI, and LSE assesses the economic impacts of a proposed global shipping carbon tax on African states. Using a CGE model and a case study of Ghana, the authors find that while GDP impacts are limited, a shipping levy would increase commodity prices, reduce household incomes, and exacerbate existing freight cost imbalances for African nations. The report recommends that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopt measures that allow for the redistribution of revenues as direct grants to climate-vulnerable countries for out-of-sector mitigation and resilience projects.