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This report by Ember analyzes global electricity trends in 2021, tracking progress against the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 pathway. While wind and solar reached a historic milestone of over 10% of global electricity, an unprecedented surge in electricity demand led to record-breaking coal generation and the largest absolute rise in power sector CO2 emissions ever recorded.

The Ember 2022 Global Electricity Review analyzes global power trends for 2021, highlighting a record-breaking year where wind and solar power reached a historic share of global electricity, yet were offset by record-high coal generation and carbon emissions driven by a surge in global electricity demand.

This report analyzes the global development of green taxonomies, highlighting three main approaches: whitelist-based, technical screening criteria (TSC), and principle-based. It focuses on the alignment between the EU and China taxonomies, noting that while the EU emphasizes six environmental objectives and strict 'do no significant harm' (DNSH) criteria, China focuses on three broader objectives aligned with its national pollution and climate goals. The report emphasizes the Common Ground Taxonomy (CGT) as a tool to reduce market fragmentation and facilitate cross-border investment. It also discusses implementation, noting mandatory disclosure requirements in the EU and mandatory labeling for onshore green bonds in China.

This fact sheet evaluates progress toward Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), which focuses on strengthening forest governance, transparency, and the rule of law while empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). The document reports that while some legal frameworks and demand-side regulations have improved, overall progress is too slow to measurably reduce deforestation, with illegal deforestation increasing from 49% to 69% over a seven-year period.

This report section analyzes the middle-income population at risk due to a lack of access to sustainable cooling in 2022, focusing on high-impact countries. It details a global decline in this demographic, driven largely by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides regional and country-specific breakdowns of population shifts.

The 2022 Voluntary Local Report (VLR) for Pereira, Colombia, details the city's efforts to localize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Developed by the Mayor's Office in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the report evaluates the alignment of the Municipal Development Plan (PDM) 2020-2023 with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing specifically on quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), life on land (SDG 15), and partnerships (SDG 17).

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the impact of China's pledge to stop building new coal-fired power projects abroad on the Asian energy pipeline. It argues that Chinese withdrawal, combined with similar pledges from Japan and South Korea, could reduce the pre-construction coal pipeline in Asia (excluding China and India) to 22 GW, most of which is unlikely to be completed due to financing obstacles.

This report by Ember, E3G, and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) analyzes the global pipeline of proposed coal power plants as of July 2021. It identifies economies that have already committed to no new coal, those that could readily do so because they have no active pipeline, and those that still have projects proposed, with a particular focus on the role of Chinese financing and the impact of the Paris Agreement.

This report explores how insurance can be integrated into urban climate resilience strategies to mitigate financial and physical risks. It argues that while insurance is underutilized, cities can act as consumers of risk-transfer products, stewards of risk-reducing policy, and conveners of stakeholders. Key barriers include a lack of technical capacity, data gaps, and the short-term nature of insurance products. The report recommends increased investment in risk assessment, the development of collaborative resilience plans with the insurance industry, and the use of concessional finance from DFIs to make insurance affordable for vulnerable urban populations.

The September 2021 Global Update from Climate Action Tracker reports that global climate action continues to lag behind the requirements for limiting warming to 1.5°C. While some countries have updated their NDCs, the 2030 emissions gap remains significant (20-23 GtCO2e). The report introduces a new rating system where only The Gambia is rated as overall 1.5°C compatible, while most developed nations are rated as 'Insufficient' or worse due to inadequate climate finance and policy implementation. It further critiques the lack of transparency and robustness in most national net zero targets and highlights the continued reliance on coal and gas in several major economies.

This research paper examines how trade policy instruments, such as import tariffs and local content requirements, can be used to maximize local economic benefits from renewable energy investments without increasing project costs or delaying the energy transition.

This document is a Twitter toolkit produced by the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) to support a social media campaign surrounding the release of the 'HealthyNDCs Scorecard' on July 8, 2021. The toolkit provides instructions and sample posts to encourage users to challenge governments to integrate health into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP 26.

This briefing introduces an analysis of the potential impacts of the European Commission's proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on least developed countries and climate-vulnerable nations, including small island developing states.

Ember's message to the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit emphasizes that achieving 100% clean power is a prerequisite for global carbon neutrality by 2050, citing the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Net Zero by 2050 report.

This May 2021 briefing from the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) analyzes the impact of recent Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) updates and net-zero pledges on global warming projections. It finds that while recent commitments have lowered the estimated end-of-century warming to 2.4°C, this remains significantly above the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal, and current policies are still on track for 2.9°C of warming.

The 100 Days Report details the activities of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) from February 5 to May 15, 2021. The organization focused on advocacy for Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), supporting the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and the COP26 Energy Transition Council, and providing technical assistance for energy access in several developing nations.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines four critical objectives for the Leaders Summit on Climate (April 22-23, 2021), hosted by the United States. The document argues that the summit is a vital milestone for major economies to align their 2030 emissions targets with net-zero trajectories, increase climate finance for developing nations, end public funding for coal, and ensure COVID-19 economic recovery plans prioritize green infrastructure over fossil fuels to keep the 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit within reach.

The report 'Boom and Bust 2021' analyzes the global coal plant pipeline, highlighting a divergence where a surge in coal development in China offset a general global retreat. While many countries in South and Southeast Asia, the US, and the EU are retiring plants or cancelling projects, China's commissioning of new capacity led to the first increase in global coal capacity since 2015.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and partners analyzes global coal power plant trends in 2020, highlighting a stark divergence between China's rapid expansion and a general global decline. While many countries in the US, EU, and Southeast Asia are decommissioning plants or canceling new projects due to financial pressures and climate goals, China's surge in new capacity offset global reductions, leading to a net increase in global coal capacity for the first time since 2015.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Sitra explores how Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) can be used to facilitate the global transition to a circular economy (CE). It identifies specific policy levers—including tariff liberalization, services market access, technical standards, investment protections, subsidy reforms, and public procurement—that can be integrated into trade agreements to promote resource efficiency and discourage linear 'take-make-waste' economic models.