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Smart grid investments in ASEAN could create up to 650,000 jobs and attract global industrial investment by providing reliable, low-carbon energy. To scale from current pilot projects to a regional system, the report suggests a dual-track approach: regional harmonisation of technical standards and national focus on financial cost recovery. The total investment need for the region is estimated at $4-10.7 billion.

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to exceed total electricity demand growth, resulting in renewables overtaking coal in the global electricity mix for the first time. While global power sector CO2 emissions fell marginally by 0.2%, results varied by region, with emissions decreasing in China and India but increasing in the US and EU.

The report 'Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025' by Ember analyzes global electricity generation from January to June 2025. It finds that solar and wind growth exceeded global demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal's share in the global electricity mix for the first time on record and causing power sector CO2 emissions to plateau.

This research paper by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines how the United States can reduce its heavy reliance on critical mineral imports through circular economy strategies, specifically focusing on recycling and secondary recovery from waste streams like acid mine drainage and phosphate fertilizer byproducts.

The IDFC Green Finance Mapping Report 2025 provides an executive summary of green finance commitments made by members of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) in 2024. It details the distribution of climate and biodiversity finance, noting a 13% decrease in total green finance commitments compared to 2023, while highlighting the continued dominance of mitigation finance and the growth of adaptation finance.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute (WRI) presents a financial case for climate adaptation, arguing that such investments are highly profitable and synergistic with general development goals. Based on an analysis of 320 projects, WRI finds that adaptation investments can yield significant returns through a 'triple dividend' of avoided losses, induced economic development, and additional social and environmental benefits.

This research paper analyzes Nigeria's potential to become a key supplier of critical minerals (such as lithium, cobalt, and copper) for the global energy transition. While Nigeria possesses vast reserves valued at over USD 700 billion, the sector is hindered by severe underinvestment in exploration and a lack of functional processing infrastructure. The report emphasizes a shift toward domestic value addition—rejecting raw ore exports in favor of local battery and component manufacturing—and highlights the influence of foreign investments, particularly from China. It recommends a comprehensive national strategy and massive infrastructure investment to move from raw material extraction to high-value downstream production.

This report by Ember analyzes the challenge of solar and wind energy curtailment in Chile, where renewable generation has grown rapidly but is hindered by limited transmission and storage capacity. It proposes a phased package of policy and technical measures—including battery storage, dynamic line rating, and demand response markets—to reduce waste and maximize the potential of Chile's clean energy resources over the next five years.

This policy brief by Ember analyzes the challenge of renewable energy curtailment (vertimientos) in Chile, where solar and wind generation have grown rapidly but are hindered by transmission bottlenecks and a lack of system flexibility. The document proposes a 'Clean Flexibility Kit' of short, medium, and long-term measures—including battery storage, dynamic line rating, and demand response markets—to maximize the use of clean energy and reduce economic losses for investors.

The September 2025 edition of the Carbon Minefields Oil and Gas Exploration Monitor reports on global oil and gas licensing activity, highlighting a trend of continued expansion despite climate targets. The document tracks the awarding of new exploration licences, the associated capital expenditure by major energy companies, and the projected carbon emissions resulting from these activities.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and diversity of the forest-climate nexus across 91 tropical countries. It quantifies forest extent, carbon stocks, and deforestation rates to argue for differentiated, fit-for-purpose policy strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The analysis concludes that there is no inherent trade-off between forest conservation and economic development.

The executive summary of the 2025 Stocktake report by the Net Zero Tracker analyzes the prevalence and integrity of net-zero targets across national, subnational, and corporate entities as of September 2025, noting a rise in total targets despite political headwinds and significant gaps in target robustness.

This report analyzes the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed in July 2025, on the advanced energy manufacturing sector in the United States. While the act provides tax certainty and introduces 'full expensing' for capital investments, it creates significant headwinds for solar, wind, and electric vehicle (EV) sectors through the early termination of clean energy tax credits and stricter foreign entity of concern (FEOC) restrictions regarding Chinese supply chains. The report suggests that future investment should prioritize grid equipment, geothermal, nuclear, and next-generation energy technologies where domestic demand continues to exceed capacity.

The research paper analyzes South Africa's Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy for South Africa (CMMSSA), released on 20 May 2025. The strategy aims to leverage the country's mineral wealth to drive industrialization and economic growth during the global energy transition. While the paper acknowledges the strategy's ambitious vision and integrated approach, it highlights significant risks regarding institutional capacity, regulatory contradictions with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), and a lack of concrete justice frameworks for affected communities.

This fact sheet by the World Resources Institute outlines the current state of the global circular economy, emphasizing the urgent need to reduce resource consumption to combat climate change and biodiversity loss. It highlights the disparity in material footprints between high- and low-income populations, the leadership and challenges of the European Union, and the stagnation of global resource productivity since 2000.

This case study by Ember examines the underreporting of methane emissions at the Hail Creek coal mine in Australia and the resulting supply chain risks for major steel companies, specifically ArcelorMittal, POSCO, and Nippon Steel.

The Trase strategy for 2025–2030 outlines a mission to drive systemic change in commodity markets and supply chains by providing open-access data and intelligence to accelerate supply chain interventions and improve decision-maker responsiveness to risks.

The report 'Priority Actions for Deforestation- and Conversion-Free Finance' provides a strategic framework to align private financial flows with the goal of halting and reversing deforestation and ecosystem conversion by 2030. It outlines specific priority actions for three key groups: policymakers, central banks and financial supervisors, and financial institutions, emphasizing the need for coordinated action to manage nature-related risks and catalyze a transition to nature-positive business models.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines the need for international cooperation on trade-related climate measures (trade-climate measures) within the World Trade Organization (WTO). It identifies a fragmented landscape of national and regional policies that create trade barriers and disadvantage developing countries. The document proposes a framework for cooperation across four levels: general principles of international law, regulatory processes and practices, specific design features, and technical aspects such as carbon accounting interoperability.

This research paper examines the intersection of the evolving international trading system and the urgent need to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development. It argues that while trade has historically contributed to environmental harm, it can be repurposed as a strategic tool for sustainability through new narratives, inclusive international cooperation, and coherent policy frameworks. The author identifies a shift from traditional trade liberalization toward 'multipurpose' approaches that balance security, resilience, and sustainability, and proposes a policy agenda to reorient trade rules, scale up sustainable technologies, and ensure equitable economic transformation for developing countries.