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The report analyzes the potential for California to meet its 2045 CDR target of 75 MMT CO2e by diversifying its portfolio with Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) systems. Using seven scenarios based on cost and social acceptance, the study finds that BiCRS can remove between 13 and 75 MMT CO2e annually. Scenarios utilizing high biomass availability estimates show that BiCRS alone could meet the state's target, potentially reducing costs and increasing bioenergy and job production by up to 10 times compared to the DAC-heavy 2022 Scoping Plan. However, scenarios with limited forest biomass availability fail to meet the target. The report highlights a trade-off between optimizing biomass for CDR versus sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and recommends expanding the state's CDR portfolio beyond hydrogen-based BECCS.

The report explores the potential of Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) to help California meet its 2045 CDR target of 75 MMT CO2e. By modeling seven scenarios based on cost and social acceptance, the analysis finds that BiCRS could potentially meet the entire target under high biomass availability estimates without competing with food production. The report highlights that while lower-cost pathways rely on established technologies like combustion with CCS, higher social acceptance pathways require advanced technologies such as pyrolysis and gasification. BiCRS is projected to generate significantly more bioenergy and jobs than the current direct air capture (DAC)-focused Scoping Plan.

The report examines the social dimensions of deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Poland, emphasizing that technical feasibility alone is insufficient without a 'social license to operate.' It highlights the risks of public opposition—citing failures in the Netherlands and Australia—and contrasts them with successful engagement in Japan and Norway. The authors identify low public awareness and safety concerns as primary barriers in Poland and recommend a shift from top-down communication to partnership-based engagement, including early stakeholder involvement, transparent data sharing, and tangible local economic benefits.

The submission argues that voluntary measures are insufficient for industrial decarbonisation and proposes a phased transition to mandatory embodied emissions reporting by 2029. It recommends a life-cycle assessment (LCA) based methodology, the integration of green procurement into Government Buying Standards, and a 'twin-track' expansion strategy prioritising construction-related sectors for immediate action while developing frameworks for complex sectors like chemicals.

The policy brief highlights the reliance of the nascent next-generation geothermal industry on a global supply chain and urges the U.S. government to ensure FEOC tax credit rules do not obstruct development.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that for FEOC restrictions to achieve their goal of promoting U.S. competitiveness, the U.S. Department of Treasury must provide clear definitions and reporting frameworks. CATF recommends a narrow definition of "effective control" to protect licensing agreements, a clear reporting framework for supplier certifications, the adoption of a "substantial transformation rule" to prevent subcomponents from disqualifying a final product, and limited lookback periods for credit recapture to reduce risk for developers.

The document examines the failure of uniform utility reform models in Africa, emphasizing that success depends on local context rather than ideological blueprints like privatization or cost-reflective tariffs. It contrasts the struggles of Nigeria and Ghana with the more successful, context-specific approaches in Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire, while highlighting the tension between commercial viability and poverty-driven affordability in countries like Zambia and Ethiopia.

The document highlights the critical role of waste characterization in reducing methane emissions, which account for nearly 20% of global totals. It details available global tools for emissions estimation, examines the varied regulatory approaches to waste data in several Latin American countries, and advocates for the integration of field-based assessments with satellite monitoring to identify methane super-emitters.

The analysis compares four scenarios for Africa's emissions: Business-as-usual (BAU), Net-zero by 2050 (NZ50), Net-zero by 2070 (NZ70), and Net-zero by 2100 (NZ100). While all net-zero pathways see renewables become the dominant energy source and a sharp fall in fossil fuel reliance, the timing of the transition creates significant trade-offs. The NZ50 scenario achieves the fastest emissions decline, reaching -0.33 GtCO₂/yr by 2050, but incurs the highest marginal abatement cost (averaging $78 per ton of CO₂) and causes the most disruption to food systems, including a 31% contraction in cropland and a near doubling of staple food prices. All net-zero scenarios rely on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which shifts water demand from agriculture to the energy sector. Regional challenges vary, with Western Africa facing steep decarbonization due to oil and gas reliance, and Southern Africa managing a coal-dependent system.

The policy brief outlines five strategic recommendations for Western U.S. governors to address rising energy demand driven by electrification, industrial reshoring, and AI data centers. It advocates for the deployment of clean firm energy technologies, the acceleration of interstate transmission, the fostering of private investment through policy innovation, the implementation of multi-use public land planning, and the modernization of regulatory frameworks and federal coordination.

The report outlines a structured path to commercialize superhot rock (SHR) geothermal energy—defined as rock hotter than 400°C—which could produce five to ten times more energy per well than conventional geothermal. It proposes a six-phase road map: establishing governance and a Steering Committee, identifying existing resources, filling technical gaps, iterative testing (modeling, lab, and field), deployment of pilot and commercial projects, and creating a continual improvement life cycle. The report identifies critical technology gaps in well construction, drilling, and heat extraction, noting that addressing these gaps independently would cost approximately $1.4 billion (USD), a figure that could be reduced through shared infrastructure and joint investment. It emphasizes the need for a global information-sharing platform and standardized protocols to avoid duplicating failures and accelerate the learning curve.

The document examines geologic hydrogen—molecular hydrogen formed naturally underground—as a potential low-cost, low-emissions energy source. It details three extraction pathways: natural accumulation, stimulated accumulation, and stimulated generation. While offering theoretical costs as low as $0.50 to $1.00 per kilogram and vast global reserves estimated at 5-6.2 trillion tons, the resource faces significant hurdles, including extreme resource uncertainty, a lack of commercial-scale extraction methods, and potential methane leakage during production.

The Clean Air Task Force urges the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to remove its funding ban on nuclear energy to help Asia-Pacific economies meet rising energy demands with clean, firm power. The document highlights that while countries like China and South Korea have successfully used nuclear energy for industrialization, other emerging economies in the region have failed to implement programs due to financing and expertise gaps. It specifically identifies the Ninh Thuận projects in Vietnam and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines as immediate opportunities for ADB intervention. The author recommends that ADB lift its ban, build internal expertise, create dedicated funds for large and small modular reactors, and prioritize risk-sharing with private and government investors.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) warns that the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of the Interior (DOI), and Department of Agriculture (USDA) have issued nonbinding procedural guidance that replaces binding NEPA regulations. CATF asserts that these changes create project uncertainty for developers and communities by making requirements readily changeable without public input. Key concerns include the removal of requirements for draft environmental reviews, the weakening of safeguards for categorical exclusions, and the elimination of mandates to analyze environmental justice and cumulative effects. CATF argues that these rollbacks will increase the risk of litigation and community backlash, thereby slowing the deployment of clean energy infrastructure rather than accelerating it.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the Washington Department of Ecology's draft forest offset rule, which introduces more rigorous standards for carbon credit calculation and verification. Key proposed changes include recalculating baselines every 10 years, increasing the default market leakage rate from 20% to 40%, and using spatially explicit risk data for buffer pool contributions. While CATF praises these steps toward transparency and conservatism, it recommends further improvements, such as adopting empirical dynamic baselines, removing buffer pool contribution caps for fire and biotic risks, and moving away from real estate appraisals for avoided conversion projects to ensure credits represent actual CO2 reductions.

The brief contends that the Wind Directive lacks a reasoned basis and ignores the public health, climate, and economic benefits of wind power. It argues that existing permitting frameworks already sufficiently protect wildlife and that the sudden ban on wind permits contradicts the administration's own goals of increasing domestic energy production and its simultaneous efforts to expedite fossil-fuel projects.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recommends that Poland update its nuclear strategy to include a transparent financing model, a clear role for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and a detailed roadmap for its second nuclear power plant (EJ2). The report argues that nuclear power is essential for Poland's decarbonisation, noting that in some modelled scenarios, nuclear capacity could reach 21 GW by 2050. CATF specifically advises against the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel due to proliferation risks and suggests that Poland leverage SMRs to decarbonise industrial sites and district heating. Additionally, the report calls for stronger regional collaboration within Central and Eastern Europe to build a resilient nuclear supply chain and workforce.

The report examines 50 years of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) development, synthesizing data from 103 projects to identify trends in drilling speed, cost, and production. It highlights a shift toward commercial viability driven by oil and gas techniques, such as horizontal drilling and multi-well pads, and notes a surge in power purchase agreements (PPAs) totaling over 610 MWe. The analysis emphasizes that while incremental and step-change innovations have improved performance, further research into superhot rock and better data transparency are needed for global scaling.

The report outlines strategies for clean energy developers to mitigate local resistance by prioritizing early, transparent, and inclusive community engagement. Using five case studies across various technologies, it emphasizes the importance of flexible siting, aligning projects with local economic goals, and establishing equitable community benefit programs. It also recommends policy reforms at the state level to streamline permitting and integrate clean energy into broader land-use planning.

The study finds that unreliable power supply in Benin forces businesses to invest in defensive measures, with extra costs accounting for 44% of total electricity expenditures. These costs, primarily driven by power generator operations, push an additional 5% of businesses into a state of 'electricity burden' (spending >10% of revenue on power). The burden is most prevalent among informal businesses, home-based enterprises, and those in the production sector.