Search Climate Insights Directory

This report outlines the critical role of China's iron and steel industry in meeting global climate goals and provides a framework for companies to set aligned targets and implement decarbonization mechanisms.

In May 2024, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) updated minimum energy standards for new construction, requiring new covered buildings under four stories to comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (2021 IECC) and taller buildings to meet ASHRAE/ANSI Standard 90.1-2019. These updates, combined with 45L tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), make high-performance multifamily housing financially viable, particularly for all-electric constructions and those in specific climate zones.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the impact of consumption-based emissions (CBEs) on the EU's carbon footprint, noting that the EU has been a net importer of CO2 emissions since 2015 and recommending binding EU-level targets and standardized accounting to mitigate these emissions.

This policy brief examines the opportunities and barriers for the European Union to reduce consumption-based emissions (CBEs), which include emissions from the entire supply chain of goods and services consumed within the EU regardless of where production occurs. Based on policy analysis and case studies from France, Denmark, and Sweden, the brief argues that while territorial emissions have decreased, the EU's carbon footprint remains significant due to imports, necessitating coordinated EU-level targets and a shift from simple efficiency gains to systematic changes in consumption patterns.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the systemic underestimation of methane emissions in the oil and gas industry. It argues that the industry's reliance on 'component-by-component' estimation methods, often based on industry-led guidance like the API Compendium, fails to account for 'super-emitter' events and significantly diverges from independent measurements obtained via satellites and remote sensors.

This research paper, commissioned by the Estonian Ministry of Climate, examines the feasibility of recycling capabilities for textile waste in Estonia in response to the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive.

This report by RMI outlines a strategic roadmap for scaling utility-enabled distributed energy resources (DERs) in Nigeria to improve power reliability and increase distribution company (DisCo) revenues.

This research paper uses Sweden as a case study to investigate if financing acts as a significant barrier to radical emission reductions in energy-intensive industrial sectors.

This research paper presents insights from the Future Resilience for African CiTies And Lands (FRACTAL) project regarding the co-production of climate services in urban sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income settings, advocating for a shift from product-focused outputs to transdisciplinary knowledge co-production processes centered on collaborative learning.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) on the U.S. auto manufacturing workforce. It identifies high-risk job categories, emerging skill requirements, the influence of AI and vertical integration, and the challenges regarding job quality and unionization in the 'Battery Belt' and Southern states.

This report, published by the Africa Policy Research Institute in 2023, examines the diverse narratives surrounding China's engagement in Africa. It challenges binary Western interpretations—which often frame China as either a benevolent partner or a predatory actor—by highlighting the agency of African states and the pragmatic ways they leverage Chinese finance and infrastructure for domestic goals. The document analyzes specific narrative contests, such as the 'debt-trap' discourse and the 'Indo-Pacific' strategic concept, arguing that African perspectives are often marginalized in global policy discussions.

This report analyzes the inclusion of fossil fuel production in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the world's top 20 producing countries and provides a framework for incorporating the COP 28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels into third-generation NDCs and long-term low-emissions development strategies (LT-LEDS).

The Virtual Power Plant Flipbook is a guide by RMI designed to help utilities and stakeholders implement virtual power plants (VPPs) by providing a collection of case studies and a comparison matrix. It defines VPPs as aggregations of distributed energy resources used to enhance grid reliability, resilience, and decarbonization.

This research paper examines the energy infrastructure challenges faced by island states and the potential for decentralized renewable energy systems to improve resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change and geographic isolation.

The report 'Seeking Synergy Solutions' is designed to assist senior government officials in integrating climate change and sustainable development into domestic policies through a synergistic approach, utilizing country examples and decision-making tools.

This research paper, produced as part of the Behavioural Change Towards Climate-Smart Agriculture (BEATLES) project, examines stakeholder perceptions of drivers and barriers regarding the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) across five specific European food production systems.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that maintaining climate policy continuity in the EU can enhance energy security, reduce costs for citizens, increase global competitiveness, and create employment opportunities, provided it is paired with robust social policies.

This briefing from the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) outlines the requirements for national governments submitting new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2035 by early 2025. It argues that current 2030 targets and policies are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C and calls for an 'emergency mode' approach to align targets with a global net CO2 zero emissions pathway by 2050.

This working paper, based on a 2023 study by the Stockholm Environment Institute and others, evaluates four decarbonization scenarios for the gas sectors of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland. The analysis focuses on transitioning from fossil gas to renewable methane and hydrogen to enhance energy security and meet 2050 EU sustainability goals, projecting a regional gas demand reduction from 63 TWh in 2021 to 38 TWh by 2050.

This executive summary, based on a report by Aeby et al. (2023), analyzes four decarbonization pathways for the gas sectors of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland to achieve full decarbonization by 2050. The study evaluates scenarios including Business-as-Usual (BAU), Renewable Methane (REN-Methane), Renewable Hydrogen (REN-Hydrogen), and a Cost-Minimizing (CM) scenario, emphasizing the need for regional coordination to reduce dependence on Russian gas and meet EU sustainability goals.