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The NewClimate Institute's 2025 update evaluates the progress of 25 major emitters, representing over 80% of global emissions, toward their climate mitigation targets. The report finds that while total emissions under current policies may peak by 2026, the projected reductions are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal, which requires a 43% reduction by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

This issue note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is paralyzed by its reliance on consensus-based decision-making. The report contends that this model allows a small minority of states to block ambitious climate action and proposes transitioning to a qualified majority voting system to accelerate progress and fulfill legal obligations to cooperate on climate change.

This report, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in collaboration with the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), provides a comprehensive compilation of decisions, mandates, and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge up to 2025.

This briefing by RMI argues for the adoption of two complementary methane intensity metrics—gas loss rate and volumetric methane intensity—to accurately track and reduce methane waste across the diverse global oil and gas supply chain. It highlights the variability of emissions across different asset types and countries and suggests that demand-side policies in major markets could accelerate the transition to low-leakage production.

The report 'Shockproof: how electrification can strengthen EU energy security' by Ember argues that accelerating the electrification of the EU economy, powered by homegrown renewables, is the primary mechanism to reduce the bloc's high dependency on imported fossil fuels. It suggests that fossil import dependency could be halved by 2040 through the adoption of mature technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps.

The report examines how the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is incentivising exporting countries to establish domestic carbon pricing systems to retain revenues and reduce trade costs.

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 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 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.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the concentration of global plastic polymer production among a small number of countries and companies, highlighting the tension between a majority of nations seeking production reductions and a minority of oil and gas-producing states opposing such measures.

A policy brief by Dr Basani Baloyi analyzing the impact of Donald Trump's second administration's tariff regime on Africa and proposing a strategic response focused on regional integration, industrialization, and collective bargaining.

This report by Ember analyzes national 2030 renewable capacity targets across 96 countries and the EU. It finds that despite the COP28 pledge to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, national targets have remained largely stagnant, collectively amounting to a doubling rather than a tripling of 2022 capacity levels.

A research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzing the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025 and the subsequent diplomatic response from BRICS members.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice argues that G20 countries must establish a coordinated, finance-backed roadmap to phase out oil and gas. While G20 nations have expanded renewable capacity, they continue to provide massive subsidies to fossil fuels, creating economic and political barriers to transition. The document highlights the specific role of South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency in leading equitable discussions on subsidy reform and financing for the Global South.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive overview of the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution. It details the scientific evidence of plastic's impact on human health and the environment, the history of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, the contested elements of the proposed treaty, and the diverse interests of national governments and non-state stakeholders.

This policy brief summarizes a high-level roundtable hosted by Ember and the Clean Air Task Force during the 20th anniversary GLOBSEC Forum in Prague. The document argues that Europe must redefine energy security by transitioning from fossil fuel dependencies to clean firm power and electrification, while addressing new vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure and critical raw material supply chains.

The 2024 Global Electricity Source Trends report by Ember analyzes global electricity generation across solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, gas, and coal, highlighting record growth in solar and wind alongside fluctuating trends in fossil fuels and nuclear power.

The report 'Grandeur et Décadence 2025' by Global Energy Monitor and its partners analyzes the state of global coal-fired power plants in 2024. It highlights a paradoxical year where the world saw the lowest number of new coal capacity commissions in twenty years, yet record-breaking construction activity in China and India. While the European Union is accelerating coal retirements, other regions like Russia, Central Asia, and Mongolia continue to expand coal capacity, and some OECD nations like Japan and South Korea are extending coal use through ammonia co-firing.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and its partners analyzes global coal power trends in 2024, highlighting a contradiction between record-low new capacity additions globally and record-high construction starts in China and high proposal volumes in India. It specifically examines the strategies of South Korea and Japan to extend the life of coal plants through ammonia co-firing, arguing that these technologies are costly and inconsistent with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal.