Search Climate Insights Directory

In 2025, Türkiye became Europe's fourth-largest market for new battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with sales reaching approximately 190,000 units. This growth saw the BEV share of new car sales rise to 17%, matching the European Union average for the first time. Despite this momentum, BEVs represent only 2.1% of all registered cars in Türkiye, and gasoline consumption increased by 16% in the first 11 months of 2025. The report highlights that while domestic production and tax-compatible models drove growth, high overall tax burdens and exchange rate fluctuations remain challenges to further reducing energy imports.

ASEAN requires an estimated US$281 billion annually by 2035 for its energy transition, necessitating a strategic blend of bilateral financing from China, Japan, and the US. While China provides scale and speed through asset-led infrastructure, Japan focuses on system-level upgrades and concessionality, and the US employs blended finance to mobilise private capital. The report argues that ASEAN countries are transitioning from being mere deployment markets to becoming manufacturing hubs for EVs, solar PV, and critical minerals. It recommends that the 2026 ASEAN Summit be used to align these national industrial strategies into coordinated regional value chains to avoid duplication and attract diverse global capital.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has received a Presidential Memorandum dated 7 January 2026 announcing the withdrawal of the United States from the organization. The IAI acknowledges the foundational role of the National Science Foundation and U.S. partners since 1992 and affirms its ongoing commitment to promoting scientific excellence and international collaboration across the Americas despite this withdrawal.

The report finds that climate targets adopted by 83 global investors are largely insufficient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the real economy, citing a lack of targets, poor quality, and limited scope. It argues that without science-based sectoral targets and regulatory oversight, these goals amount to greenwashing and fail to manage systemic climate risk.

Agriculture contributes roughly one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, with nitrogen fertilizer production, distribution, and use generating an estimated 1.31 gigatons of CO2-equivalent annually. While low-emission solutions like renewable-powered electrolysis exist, high costs and fragmented supply chains prevent scaling, as farmers cannot absorb price premiums and food companies lack direct mechanisms to fund producers. To bridge this gap, RMI and the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) are launching a pilot book-and-claim system. This allows food and beverage companies to purchase Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) to claim verified emissions reductions toward Scope 3 targets, providing producers with the revenue certainty needed to finance capital-intensive green ammonia projects without disrupting conventional farmer procurement.

The document outlines how faith communities can serve as sources for climate stories, noting that while many religious leaders acknowledge man-made climate change, a gap often exists between belief and preaching. It encourages reporters to move beyond 'science-vs-religion tropes' and highlights global examples of faith-based climate action, from 'Green Islam' in Indonesia to solar adoption among Evangelicals in Indiana.

The report finds that a majority of Americans believe global warming is happening and is primarily human-caused, though many underestimate the level of public concern. While most perceive global warming as affecting U.S. weather and extreme events, few discuss the topic frequently with others.

Between May and December 2025, India's system operator curtailed an estimated 2.3 TWh of solar energy, resulting in approximately 2.11 million tonnes of missed CO2 emission reductions. While generators are compensated for this loss, the costs are passed to consumers, and the practice wastes the value of clean energy assets. With solar capacity reaching 135.8 GW in 2025 and growing faster than demand, the report warns that curtailment could become routine unless system flexibility—such as battery storage—is accelerated to keep pace with capacity additions.

In 2025, India's renewable energy curtailment was primarily driven by transmission infrastructure mismatches and system-wide emergency conditions managed via Tertiary Reserve Ancillary Services (TRAS). While non-fossil fuel capacity reached 266.7 GW by December 2025, the gap between rapid project deployment and slower transmission construction led to significant energy loss, particularly for projects under temporary general network access (T-GNA). Emergency TRAS-down events, often triggered by demand forecasting errors, also caused notable curtailment, such as 93.3 GWh of solar output on 12 October 2025.

India needs to build system flexibility to absorb high and variable renewable generation, moving beyond simple capacity additions. The report identifies three primary levers: improving the flexibility of the coal fleet by lowering minimum technical limits, scaling energy storage (BESS and pumped hydro), and accelerating demand-side flexibility through smart meter deployment and attractive time-of-day tariffs.

In 2025, India experienced significant solar curtailment, estimated at 2.3 TWh between late May and December, primarily due to the inability of the coal fleet to ramp down sufficiently during periods of low daytime demand. This was exacerbated by weaker-than-forecast demand growth in 2025, driven by mild temperatures and increased behind-the-meter solar generation. The report highlights that while operational errors in forecasting contributed to the issue, the structural lack of flexibility in coal plants—many of which must operate above a minimum thermal load of 55%—creates a systemic challenge as solar capacity continues to grow faster than demand.

Indonesia is experiencing an explosive surge in captive coal power, with total operational and prospective capacity reaching nearly 31 GW. This growth is heavily concentrated in nickel hubs like Central Sulawesi and North Maluku, dwarfing the expansion of the national power grid. The report highlights significant data discrepancies in official JETP mapping and warns that regulatory loopholes in PERPRES 112/2022 allow 'national strategic projects' to bypass coal moratoriums. This trajectory is projected to cause 27,000 additional air pollution-related deaths and USD 20 billion in economic burden, while creating 'sacrifice zones' that risk Indonesia's position in global green supply chains.

Indonesia is experiencing a surge in 'captive' coal-fired power plants—industrial plants not connected to the national grid—which are growing significantly faster than on-grid capacity. Driven largely by nickel smelting in Sulawesi and North Maluku, total operational and prospective captive capacity is projected to reach 31 GW, nearly tripling 2023 levels. The report highlights critical transparency gaps in government and JETP data, regulatory loopholes for National Strategic Projects (PSN), and severe long-term economic and health costs, including an estimated 27,000 additional deaths and USD 20 billion in cumulative economic burdens if these plants are not phased out.

Bulgaria is experiencing a period of intense political instability and civic awakening, highlighted by mass protests in December 2025 that forced the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The author argues that while the country has seen economic growth and integration into the EU, Schengen area, and Eurozone, it remains plagued by systemic corruption and 'institutional capture' by oligarchs like Delyan Peevski and Boyko Borissov. The document identifies a shift from passive citizenship to a 'post-populist' wave of mobilisation, driven largely by Generation Z and social media, though it notes that these movements currently lack the structure needed to provide a stable political alternative.

Laos has updated its Investment Promotion Law to reform the design and administration of tax incentives, moving away from overly generous and broad benefits that led to revenue leakage. With support from the IISD, the government introduced narrower eligibility criteria, capped incentive durations, and strengthened monitoring and screening processes to ensure investments align with sustainable development priorities and fiscal stability.

A review of fifteen large private equity evergreen funds reveals they significantly underperformed the S&P 500 and MSCI ACWI indexes in 2025 and over a three-year period, despite charging median expense ratios of 3.76% compared to 0.03% for the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The report notes that the private equity industry is seeking a regulatory safe harbor from the US Department of Labor to limit lawsuits as it targets 401K retirement savings, a shift occurring as global fundraising fell 11.0% in 2025 and several US state pension funds—including those in Alaska, Texas, and Ohio—reduced their private equity allocations due to dwindling returns and liquidity risks.

The research paper examines 'Africa+1' summits—high-level meetings between African nations and a single external power—as a strategic arena for geopolitical influence. It traces the evolution from early French-led summits to a 'second generation' involving Asian powers like Japan, China, India, and Turkey, and more recent engagement from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Italy. The author argues that Africa's demographic growth and critical mineral wealth have increased its strategic value, allowing African states to exercise greater agency by leveraging rivalries between global powers. However, the document critiques the summit format as often being performative and asymmetric, noting a gap between multi-billion-dollar pledges and tangible results. It highlights proposals for reform, such as unified AU representation, to move toward more equitable partnerships.

The document defines a climate change adaptation investment plan (CCAIP) as a set of investment-ready priority activities linked to specific financial sources. It outlines a structured approach to bridging the adaptation financing gap by diversifying funding across domestic, international, public, and private sources using instruments such as grants, bonds, and blended finance. The text emphasizes the necessity of political leadership, particularly from ministries of finance, and the integration of gender-responsive and socially inclusive (GESI) considerations to ensure equitable outcomes. It further distinguishes CCAIPs from broader NAP financing strategies, noting that while the latter identifies overall needs and gaps, the CCAIP focuses on narrow, time-bound, and actionable investment packages ready for immediate implementation.

The document argues that integrating decarbonization into core capital investment decision-making allows real estate investors to move from reactive compliance to proactive value creation. It highlights that sustainable building features are increasingly demanded by occupiers, with LEED-certified buildings in the US seeing rent premiums of 3%–4% and energy-efficient properties outperforming less efficient ones in total returns by 5% since 2021. The paper proposes six key principles for strategic planning: managing energy demand, life-cycle-based expense planning, aligning upgrades with trigger events, phasing in quick wins, using integrated design, and considering risk overlays.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment – Nova Scotia (CAPE NS) urges the Halifax Regional Council to maintain full funding for HalifACT, asserting that cutting the estimated $6 million Climate Action Tax will shift financial burdens to the healthcare system. The letter highlights that climate change in Nova Scotia is driving increases in extreme heat mortality, respiratory issues from wildfire smoke, and the spread of Lyme disease. It argues that proactive investment in climate resilience is fiscally responsible, noting that every $1 spent today avoids $13 to $15 in future costs. Furthermore, the authors state that funding cuts disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, such as seniors and low-income residents in urban heat islands, who rely on programs like the Solar City initiative and home retrofits.