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Ember argues that the viability of BECCS as a negative emissions mechanism is undermined by the fact that burning biomass may be net carbon emitting rather than carbon neutral. The document highlights the lack of UK policy measures to ensure carbon-saving biomass production and warns that the land requirements for energy crops could lead to significant food, water, and biodiversity impacts. Furthermore, Ember contends that public subsidies for BECCS are expensive and potentially less effective than investing in rapid decarbonisation or natural forest restoration.

The author contends that because a link between the EU carbon market and the UK is now impossible after Brexit, the UK should adopt a carbon tax on January 1st. This is presented as a superior alternative to a 'risky and highly complex' UK-only Emissions Trading System, providing necessary certainty for businesses and investors.

The report evaluates electricity data transparency in Asia and Oceania, scoring countries based on criteria such as time granularity, fuel-type breakdowns, and ease of access. It finds significant disparities in data quality, with some countries like Australia and India providing high-granularity data, while others like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore suffer from poor timeliness or limited disaggregation.

In October 2020, zero-carbon electricity sources in Europe, particularly wind and nuclear, outperformed fossil fuels, leading to a reduction in fossil fuel generation despite recovering electricity demand.

The report finds that while renewable electricity generation in the EU is projected to nearly double by 2030, the current National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) are insufficient to meet the EU Commission's recommended 55% emissions reduction target. Seven countries—Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania—are identified as the primary barriers, collectively projected to be responsible for 80% of the EU's power sector emissions by 2030 due to continued reliance on coal and fossil gas.

The report finds that Poland was responsible for 70% of methane leaks from Europe's operational coal mines in 2018. These emissions, totaling 659 kilotonnes, have a 20-year climate impact equivalent to 56.7 million tonnes of CO2, which exceeds the 2018 CO2 emissions of the Belchatów power plant. The analysis identifies two companies, JSW and PGG, as responsible for 90% of leaks from operational hard coal mines, with the Budryk deep mine identified as the largest emitter in Europe. The report recommends accelerating methane reduction plans, prioritizing the closure of methane-intensive mines, banning the release of captured methane, and integrating coal mine methane into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme by 2030.

The report highlights that Poland accounted for 70% of methane leaks from active coal mines in Europe in 2018. It argues that these emissions have a greater climate impact than the CO2 emissions from the Bełchatów Power Plant when using a 20-year warming horizon. The analysis identifies JSW and PGG as the dominant emitters, with the Budryk mine being the largest single source in Europe. The document recommends accelerating emission reduction plans, closing high-emitting mines, banning the release of captured methane, and integrating methane into the EU ETS by 2030.

The report argues that a coal-free Czechia by 2030 is feasible through a least-cost pathway focused on rapid expansion of wind and solar power, supplemented by flexible gas generation and large-scale heat pumps. It estimates that this transition would reduce power sector emissions by 85% and create approximately 45,000 direct jobs, while requiring €11bn in power sector capital investment.

The report finds that while renewable electricity generation in the EU is projected to nearly double by 2030, the region is not on track to meet the European Commission's recommended 55% emissions reduction. Seven countries—Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Romania—are identified as the primary barriers to the transition, collectively accounting for 80% of projected 2030 power sector emissions.

Ember argues that National Grid ESO's FES 2020 scenarios for achieving net-zero by 2050 are undermined by an over-reliance on BECCS to offset residual emissions. The briefing highlights that the required scale of BECCS would necessitate converting 1Mha of UK agricultural land to energy crops and potentially 200Mha globally, posing significant risks to biodiversity and food security. Ember contends that the assumption of 'instant' negative emissions is flawed and that relying on BECCS creates a moral hazard, potentially discouraging more ambitious decarbonisation efforts in difficult sectors like aviation and agriculture.

The report finds that EU electricity demand nearly returned to 2019 levels by August 2020, leading to a surge in coal generation. This trend was exacerbated by record low nuclear output in France, which created a supply gap that wind and solar growth could not fully fill, resulting in coal generation reaching its highest level since March 2020.

A statement by Ember outlining seven demands for the European Union's Just Transition Mechanism to ensure that funding supports a genuine shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy and climate neutrality.

The report finds that 11 of 18 EU coal-using countries lack Paris-compatible phase-out plans, with seven not planning to exit coal by 2030 and four replacing coal with increased fossil gas. It argues that the Just Transition Fund's current allocation methodology risks funding 'climate laggards,' as nearly two-thirds of the fund would go to countries without 2030 phase-out plans. The authors recommend making fund access conditional on ambitious coal phase-out dates and strictly excluding all fossil fuels, including gas, from the fund's scope.

In the first half of 2020, renewable electricity generation in the EU-27 reached 40%, surpassing fossil fuel generation at 34%. This shift was driven by record wind and solar penetration and a 7% drop in electricity demand caused by COVID-19. Coal generation fell by 32%, contributing to a 23% reduction in power sector CO2 emissions. While grids remained stable, the increase in renewables led to more frequent negative wholesale electricity prices, indicating a need for greater system flexibility. Poland emerged as the most coal-dependent EU country, generating as much coal-fired electricity as the other 25 EU members combined.

In 2019, wind and solar generated 8.2% of global electricity, with the EU leading at 18%. The report highlights that wind and solar are now the cheapest new generation sources for two-thirds of the global population and that electricity grids remained stable during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns even as renewable shares reached record highs in countries like Denmark (65%), Germany (45%), and Greece (41%). To limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees, the report notes that coal's market share must drop from 35% to 8% by 2030, requiring wind and solar's share to increase to approximately 29%.

Ember argues that the 4th Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list should be the last to include fossil gas projects, as current infrastructure is sufficient and demand is projected to decrease by 2030. The organization advocates for prioritizing renewable energy sources (RES), energy storage, and smart grid technologies to meet EU emission targets, while suggesting that the responsibility for writing the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) be expanded beyond the two ENTSOs to reduce conflicts of interest.

The report examines the financial and environmental impact of the UK's carbon tax exemption for biomass power plants, specifically focusing on Drax, Lynemouth, and MGT Teesside. It argues that biomass is not inherently carbon neutral and that the current tax break diverts funds from other low-carbon renewables. The author estimates that the government could forgo up to £6.4 billion in carbon taxes by 2027 based on high-end emission scenarios. The report recommends removing the tax break, tightening sustainability criteria, and requiring full life cycle assessments for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) projects.

The report finds that 2019 EU ETS emissions fell by 7.8% to 1612 million tonnes of CO2. While coal power emissions have dropped 43% since 2013, the power sector still accounts for 52% of total ETS emissions. Notably, coal-fired blast furnaces in the steel sector have become the largest emitters in seven countries, including the UK, France, and Spain.

In 2019, global coal-fired electricity generation fell by 3%, contributing to a 2% decrease in power sector CO2 emissions, the largest declines since 1990. While coal collapsed in the EU and US, generation rose in China, which now accounts for half of global coal generation. Wind and solar generation grew by 15% in 2019, reaching 8% of the world's electricity, meeting the annual growth rate required by the Paris climate agreement. However, the document notes that the US transition is partly a switch to gas, whereas the EU is moving directly from coal to renewables.

The 2020 Global Electricity Review reports a record 3% fall in global coal-fired electricity generation and a 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions in 2019. While coal collapsed in the EU and US, generation rose in China, which now accounts for over 50% of global coal generation. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, providing 8% of the world's electricity. However, the report argues that these declines are largely due to one-off factors and that current progress is insufficient to meet the IPCC's 1.5°C scenario, which would require coal generation to collapse by 11% annually until 2030.