SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Dynamic Briefing Generated 09 October 2020 for Marco Antonio Gonzalez
SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Last review on Tue 03 September 2019
About This dynamic briefing draws on the collective intelligence of the Forum network to explore the key trends, interconnections and interdependencies between industry, regional and global issues. In the briefing, you will find a visual representation of this topic (Transformation Map – interactive version available online via intelligence.weforum.org ), an overview and the key trends affecting it, along with summaries and links to the latest research and analysis on each of the trends. Briefings for countries also include the relevant data from the Forum’s benchmarking indices. The content is continuously updated with the latest thinking of leaders and experts from across the Forum network, and with insights from Forum meetings, projects communities and activities.
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Executive summary This Transformation Map provides a contextual briefing for one of the Sustainable Development Goals the United Nations’ framework for making real progress towards a more sustainable future by the year 2030 - by mapping related strategic issues and interdependencies. The content, including attached key issue headings and texts, is drawn from expert- and machine-curated knowledge on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform; it is not a reproduction of the official text of the SDG. The UN introduces this Goal as follows: 'Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential. Working towards this goal is especially important as it interlinks with other Sustainable Development Goals. Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy through new economic and job opportunities is crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities and resilience to environmental issues like climate change. At the current time, there are approximately 3 billion people who lack access to clean-cooking solutions and are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. Additionally, slightly less than 1 billion people are functioning without electricity and 50% of them are found in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Fortunately, progress has been made in the past decade regarding the use of renewable electricity from water, solar and wind power and the ratio of energy used per unit of GDP is also declining. However, the challenge is far from being solved and there needs to be more access to clean fuel and technology and more progress needs to be made regarding integrating renewable energy into end-use applications in buildings, transport and industry. Public and private investments in energy also need to be increased and there needs to be more focus on regulatory frameworks and innovative business models to transform the world’s energy systems.'
1. Strengthening Energy Policy & Governance
6. Navigating Future Energy Supply and Demand
Policies enabled by changing economics and innovation are supporting decarbonization.
Energy demand is shifting, calling the long-term role of fossil fuels into question.
2. Unlocking Energy Finance
7. A Just Transition
Global energy investment must be aligned with sustainability and security objectives.
An idea spawned by unions has evolved into a global push for responsible environmental protection.
3. Designing the Future of Power Systems
8. Energy and Water
Powerful trends are driving the transformation of global systems.
Better managing water use can result in more efficient and environmentally-beneficial energy use.
4. Accelerating Energy Access
9. Energy-Related Emission Reduction
Ensuring universal access to energy is a moral imperative.
Full decarbonization of electricity is key for achieving a low-carbon economy.
5. Driving Energy Technology Innovation
10. Transitioning to Clean Energy Innovation will be critical to complete the energy transition.
A faster transition to clean energy is the most effective option for combatting climate change.
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Strengthening Energy Policy & Governance Policies enabled by changing economics and innovation are supporting decarbonization The emission reduction pledges governments made as part of the Paris Agreement on climate change will not suffice to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In addition, the decline in energy-related emissions resulting from COVID-19 lockdown measures is only expected to be temporary. However, as governments administer pandemicrelated stimulus, there are opportunities to invest in clean energy infrastructure in ways that could shape the global energy system for years to come. Since the signing of the Paris Agreement, progress on climate and energy policy has primarily taken place at the federal, state, and local level rather than at the international level. For example, the European Union aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, and some member states have set even more ambitious net-zero targets. California, which boasts the world’s 5th-largest economy, has set 100% clean electricity standards together with nine other American states and territories; hundreds of cities and counties have followed suit. This progressive leadership is in part a response to delayed international action, and to increasing pressure from activists and political campaigns around the world.
Related insight areas: Global Governance, International Trade and Investment, Middle East and North Africa, Cybersecurity, Green New Deals, The Great Reset, Geopolitics, Nuclear Security, Sustainable Development, Climate Change, International Security, Systemic Racism, Global Risks, Corporate Governance, Geo-economics
Policies that spur innovation and reconfigure markets are needed to enable the widespread deployment of clean technologies - and to achieve long-term emissions-reduction targets. Policy-makers can build on an increasingly large body of successful efforts around the world, and send the right signals by removing fossil fuel subsidies, introducing carbon emission pricing schemes, and creating efficiency targets that can be reached using existing technologies. One example of policies that can reconfigure markets is support for renewable schemes; falling renewable costs have made these resources competitive with alternative technologies, and as a result, policies to procure renewables have evolved into more competitive, market-based mechanisms like auctions. “Green New Deal” plans that put economic development and distributional equity at the centre of climate policies have gained popularity in the US and Europe - while their ultimate success remains to be seen, it is clear now that any successful climate plan must consider related impacts on inequality and justice. In addition, the corporate world has not ignored the changing policy landscape. Corporate targets for decarbonization are becoming increasingly popular, and several oil and gas supermajors have pledged to reduce emissions in line with a 1.5°C warming target.
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Latest knowledge The Conversation
IMD Business School
We want green energy jobs, say North Sea oil and gas workers – what they need to make the leap
Collaborative financing for renewable energy in emerging markets 30 September 2020
08 October 2020 How can we channel more private capital investment into renewable energy projects in emerging markets? Professor Vanina Farber, elea Chair of Social Innovation and Paul Needham, Founder of Positive Capital Partners, explore solutions in this IMD elea webinar.
For the first time in history, the price of US oil turned negative in April 2020. While the oil and gas sector has faced downturns before, the collapse of demand during lockdowns in the pandemic may prove to be its biggest challenge yet. The ensuing glut of cheap oil has mired operations in the North Sea too, where as many as 30,000 jobs could be lost. Signalling his ambition for a sea change in the region’s energy sector, Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently pledged to power every home in the UK with electricity generated by offshore wind farms by 2030. If the north sea skyline shifts from rigs to turbines, where does that leave oil and gas workers?.
World Economic Forum
How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises 30 September 2020 The health crisis is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of overlooking biophysical risks on human wellbeing, businesses and economies.
World Resources Institute South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Structuring an Endowment to Align with Paris Agreement Goals: Insights from WRI's Climate Change Investment Efforts
Partnership for a green transition and energy access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe
07 October 2020
29 September 2020
Instead of incorporating climate change into our standing Investment Policy Statement (IPS), WRI developed a Climate Change Investment Statement to elaborate on how we integrate climate-related factors into our endowment portfolio.
This briefing presents key insights from a wider set of briefings produced through the project Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe, implemented by the South African Institute of International Affairs and funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s Regional Programme on Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project sought primarily to amplify African perspectives on the green transition and energy access ahead of the upcoming EU-AU Summit. The briefing considers the impact of the COVID pandemic for the developing AU-EU partnership and highlights key policy messages emerging from the briefing series.
Rocky Mountain Institute
Three Key Takeaways from California’s First Workshop on Health Impacts of Gas Stoves 02 October 2020 This week saw a breakthrough for regulation of indoor air quality in the United States. On September 30, the California Energy Commission (CEC) held a workshop on the health effects of gas appliances. This historic workshop highlighted the ways in which the CEC can help reduce the health impacts of gas appliances through improved ventilation requirements under its Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Skills transfer and women in Africa’s green transition 27 September 2020 Women remain under-represented in energy value chains, and this is true also for the Africa region.
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Unlocking Energy Finance Global energy investment must be aligned with sustainability and security objectives Meeting the global increase in energy demand while also reducing emissions from existing infrastructure will require more than $50 trillion in investment by 2035. However, there is a multi-hundred-billion-dollar gap between existing investment and the level needed in order to effectively reduce emissions and enable sustainable development. In addition, the International Energy Agency expects the COVID-19 pandemic to cause the largest decline in global energy investment in history - with a 20% drop expected in 2020 compared with the prior year that will further expand the already-significant investment gap. Innovation in terms of both finance and public policy is required to bridge this gap. In the financial industry, new mechanisms are driving investment in cleaner energy infrastructure. For example, “blended capital” vehicles that bring together investors with varying social and financial return expectations are unlocking new opportunities, from early-stage innovation to the deployment of more mature, commercial technologies. In addition, “green bonds” provide ways for investors to help deploy clean, efficient infrastructure, while financial mechanisms such as tax equity deals, where investors in sustainable energy infrastructure receive tax credits, are now considered commonplace.
Related insight areas: Digital Economy and New Value Creation, COVID-19, Electricity, Internet of Things, Future of Computing, Institutional Investors, Infrastructure, Private Investors, Development Finance, Digital Communications, Climate Change, Financial and Monetary Systems
In addition to new finance mechanisms, investors are increasingly seeking the disclosure of environmental and social governance (ESG) risks - and taking steps to quantify whether their investments align with their ESG goals. This is fostering corporate investment in clean energy infrastructure, and industry-wide collaboration on reducing emissions. Public policy plays a critical role in guiding private capital allocations; policy and market uncertainty can increase the cost of capital, and the cost of capital is, in turn, a major determinant of the cost of clean energy deployment. Facilitating access to capital and the de-risking of such projects is an important way to encourage their development, and policy-makers are increasingly demonstrating an awareness of this by creating related longterm roadmaps and supportive regulatory frameworks. Policy-makers are also leveraging market mechanisms like auctions to increase competition, while driving innovation and realizing cost reductions. Public-private partnerships are a particularly attractive means to potentially reduce risk for private capital providers - these partnerships can play a key role in enabling the “first few” deployments of nascent but potentially valuable clean energy infrastructure.
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Latest knowledge Project Syndicate
Asian Development Bank
Africa’s Fateful Choice
Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model
08 October 2020 With Africa reeling from multiple crises this year, the region's governments will have to direct their policy responses not just toward short-term recovery, but also toward long-term sustainability and resilience. Africa simply cannot afford any more investments in the dirty, inefficient, fragile economy of the past.
30 September 2020 ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE UNITED STATES– PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TRADE DISPUTE USING A MULTIREGIONAL COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM MODEL Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham 620 September 2020 ADB ECONOMICS WORKING PAPER SERIES ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ADB Economics Working Paper Series Assessing the Impact of the United States– People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model Elisabetta Gentile, Gen Li, and Mahinthan Joseph Mariasingham No. 620 | September 2020 Elisabetta Gentile (egentile@adb.org) is an economist in the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), Asian Development Bank (ADB). Gen Li (li.gen@nies.go.jp) is a research assistant at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan.
World Resources Institute
Meeting the Climate Challenge Through a New Climate Federalism 06 October 2020 The task of decarbonizing the U.S. economy is too big for any one level of government to tackle alone. The “new climate federalism” model proposes a framework for the federal, state and local governments to work together to address climate change. Observer Research Foundation
Decentralising Climate Action and Finance in India 01 October 2020
GreenBiz
The climate crisis needs climate leadership from businesses now
Green finance and climate action have been concentrated at the central level in India, with the consequence that a lot of the implementation, which is undertaken by state and city governments, falls short. The COVID pandemic has highlighted the importance of subnational governments in responding to crises, and these governments will increasingly be responsible for policies to combat climate change. They however lack the resources to finance these policies. This discussion focuses on various institutional and market mechanisms that can be used to raise finances at the sub-national level in India. Financial journalist Mitali Mukherjee speaks to Suranjali Tandon, Assistant Professor, NIPFP, and Annapurna Mitra, Fellow and Head of Green Transition Initiative, ORF.
29 September 2020 As the world grapples with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality and more, the impacts of climate change cannot be ignored. Most weeks bring fresh headlines of wildfires, droughts and rapidly melting ice caps. They’re a reminder that climate action cannot wait for calmer times. . South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Innovative green financing for energy access: Insights from Kenya 27 September 2020
Rocky Mountain Institute
With Africa’s continued economic growth, rapid urbanisation and fast population growth, energy demands are expected to increase exponentially.
Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants 30 September 2020 While COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of the economy and daily life in 2020, the trend toward clean electricity is still going strong. Renewable energy and storage technology costs continue to fall, with expanding adoption by utilities and other investors,... Read More The post Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
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Designing the Future of Power Systems Powerful trends are driving the transformation of global systems Technology advances resulting from decades of investment in research and development, as well as supportive policies that encourage deployment and learning-by-doing, have led to dramatic cost declines for renewable resources - and increased power generation from renewables (the European Commission’s climate neutrality goals are an example of such a policy). Wind and solar power have started to outperform newly built, fossil fuel-based electricity generation in terms of cost - a trend that will continue. In addition, innovative financing approaches such as corporate power purchase agreements are helping organizations meet their 100% renewable commitments. Replacing existing fossil-fuel plants with cleaner alternatives while meeting growing demand will be a perennial challenge, however, particularly in markets with relatively new fossil-fuel-based plants - as is the case in many Asian markets. Green technologies can provide developing markets with innovative options to connect the unserved; in Africa, leveraging grid extensions, mini-grids, and stand-alone systems in a coordinated manner will be key to solving the energy access problem by 2030 with cleaner, smarter systems. Meanwhile in developed markets, electricity companies are trying to solve the challenge of integrating greater amounts of variable renewable power into their grids.
Related insight areas: Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Development Finance, Private Investors, Batteries, Future of Mobility, Digital Economy and New Value Creation, Sustainable Development, Electricity, Environment and Natural Resource Security
Grid reinforcements, increased interconnection, and new builds will be a priority for developed power markets in the coming years - amid growing public resistance to new infrastructure. A greater emphasis must therefore be placed on increasing grid flexibility, and on planning new infrastructure that can win public acceptance. Evolving power markets are creating new ways for utilities to buy and sell capacity or flexibility, and fostering business models centred on demand side management and digital offerings. A further restructuring of power markets will be necessary to facilitate more renewable power generation, and to encourage more efficient investment and operations. An increase in renewables could further enable the clean electrification of buildings, mobility, and industry. Systemic efficiency at the intersection of sectors (like ultra-efficient buildings integrated with smart energy infrastructure) will be necessary to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and to deliver on the Paris Agreement on climate change and the New Urban Agenda. Meanwhile grid resiliency is more important than ever, due to pandemics, increasingly severe natural disasters, and cyberattacks (managing major outage risks for utilities used to mean dealing with component failure or inclement weather, but must now mean carefully designing a cyber resilience strategy).
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Latest knowledge Wired
Rocky Mountain Institute
Could Biden Rebuild the Economy by Funding Green Energy?
Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity
08 October 2020
29 September 2020
Let’s suppose Americans choose Joe Biden to replace Donald Trump as president. (And also that the world doesn’t end sometime in the next month.) What might that mean for the fight against climate change? In August, Biden announced a $2 trillion, four-year climate plan designed to steer energy policy away from coddling Big Oil and toward bolstering green energy.
Over the last 30 years, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has been on the political agenda, with increasing emphasis. The post Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute . Project Syndicate
Climate Crunch Time
VoxEU
29 September 2020
COVID-19 and the new age of copper In the 50 years since the first Earth Day, the environmental movement has matured and developed highly sophisticated methods for driving change. But, given the unprecedented scale of the climate crisis, the question is not whether activism is effective, but whether we still have time to save ourselves.
07 October 2020 Driven by the two themes of digitalisation and green technologies, the COVID-19 economic recovery packages are expected to accelerate the arrival of the new age of copper. Stemming from green infrastructure development, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the long-anticipated roll out of 5G, a future copper boom offers producing countries a window of opportunity to harness greater benefits from their resources. This column examines current and future trends in copper supply and demand, and discusses the mechanisms for producers to increase their value capture within the sector.
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Accelerating green energy transition in Africa through regional integration 27 September 2020 This brief examines the challenges towards green energy transition in Africa and the prospect of regional integration in fast-tracking this process.
Brookings
The challenge of decarbonizing heavy transport 01 October 2020 Many jurisdictions are focused on achieving very low or net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by mid-century, bringing a spotlight to the biggest challenges in decarbonization. . World Resources Institute
4 Questions About China's New Climate Commitments 30 September 2020 President Xi Jinping's announcement at the UN that China intends to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060 is one of the most significant signs of progress on tackling climate change since the 2015 Paris Agreement. Here are answers to four key questions about it.
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Accelerating Energy Access Ensuring universal access to energy is a moral imperative The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, established in 2015, helped make energy access a global priority. While efforts to expand access have historically been via centralized systems, this is changing as the use of decentralized solar home systems, solar irrigation systems, and microgrids expands. It is now clear that access can be provided using a combination of such systems with grid extensions and minigrids. All of these methods are being incorporated into national policies and strategies; related progress has been made in countries including India, Bangladesh, and Kenya, resulting in a decrease in the global population without access to electricity from 1.2 billion in 2017 to 860 million in 2018 (this marked the first time in history that access spread faster than population growth). However, roughly three billion people still lack access to clean, safe cooking fuels. Dirty cooking fuels contributed to more than four million premature deaths in 2017 alone, and there is a significant urban-rural divide in terms of access to energy for cooking and electricity; nearly 87% of the people in the world without electricity live in rural areas, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. Mini- and micro-grid companies have raised large amounts of private funding, and companies with business models that rely in part on expanding power access - like Facebook and Microsoft - are investing in related initiatives. In total, foreign direct investment aimed at supporting clean energy in emerging markets rose to a record $24.4 billion in 2018, from $22.4 billion the previous year, according to Bloomberg NEF’s report Climatescope 2019. Enabling access to clean energy is imperative; global carbon emissions must peak before 2030, despite a dramatic increase in energy demand in the developing world. Some progress has been made wind and solar accounted for more than half of all capacity additions in emerging markets for the first time ever in 2018. The expansion of access needs to be accompanied by institutional reform, however, and by more productive use of energy. Reforming utility governance is critical for enabling the long-term financial stability of the industry, and drawing larger capital flows to industrial and other productive uses that can create a positive feedback loop of development and investment. Related insight areas: Human Rights, Inclusive Design, Private Investors, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Global Risks, Electricity, The Great Reset, Supply Chain and Transport, Values, Infrastructure, Cities and Urbanization, Sustainable Development
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Latest knowledge Rocky Mountain Institute
World Resources Institute
Could Power Sector Demand Scale US Hydrogen 100X?
China and Big Business Give Climate Diplomacy a Kick-Start at UNGA and Climate Week
07 October 2020
29 September 2020 In late September, US power giant Entergy announced plans to begin exploring the use of hydrogen (H2) in its generation portfolio, as part of a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This includes producing hydrogen using electrolysis powered... Read More The post Could Power Sector Demand Scale US Hydrogen 100X? appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
The UN's 75th General Assembly last week offered a crucial moment for leaders to demonstrate global solidarity for a fairer, safer, stronger world amid the sweeping impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing climate. Project Syndicate
Rocky Mountain Institute
How to Recover Green
Colorado Won’t Meet Climate Goals without Swift Action on Buildings
28 September 2020 Now that governments have intervened in the market on an unprecedented scale, citizens have every right to demand that newly dependent sectors align themselves with long-term climate-policy goals. Policymakers already have the tools to make this happen, and doing so would accelerate economic recovery.
06 October 2020 Colorado officials recently released their long-awaited draft Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap, laying out a path toward achieving the state’s goals of a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050. The roadmap takes stock... Read More The post Colorado Won’t Meet Climate Goals without Swift Action on Buildings appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Building resilience in Africa: Enabling an inclusive digital economy and energy access for all
Yale Climate Connections
How green banks can drive investment in renewable energy
27 September 2020
01 October 2020 Unrestricted access to the digital economy is a critical value-added energy service and will help build resilience to the multiple crises the world is experiencing today.
When a new clean energy project is tough to finance, a green bank sometimes steps in to help. Using public capital, these institutions can provide loans and encourage private investment. Alex Kragie is director of the American Green Bank Consortium. “We’re not in the business of competing directly with private capital,” he says. “For example, we are not interested in financing a solar farm that’s being built in the Nevada desert. Project Syndicate
A Cool New Energy-Efficiency Policy 30 September 2020 A single change in our approach to energy efficiency can enable more people around the world to stay cool, benefit consumers, and flatten the curve on cooling-related energy demand and emissions. If we want climate-friendly AC, we need to leap toward the technology ceiling, rather than hover just above the technology floor.
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Driving Energy Technology Innovation Innovation will be critical to complete the energy transition The cost of solar and wind power technologies has been significantly reduced, and a similar trajectory is expected for lithium-ion battery technology. However, as these become more prominent, additional innovation supporting their integration into energy systems (including smart grids and storage) needs to advance. Continued innovation in clean technologies will be crucial for achieving a cost-effective transition to net-zero carbon emissions; many are far from being on track in terms of broad market deployment. In terms of buildings, for example, efficiency improvements and policy reforms are required, as energy demand from cooling, heating, and powered devices grows. Systemic efficiency and digitalization will be necessary to transition both buildings and the cities where they are built to a net-zero future. Faster progress is also required for applications in the manufacturing and transportation sectors, which have significant barriers to electrification - including hightemperature industrial processes, and the fuels still necessary for maritime shipping, aviation, and heavy-duty transportation. Hydrogen and advanced biofuels have shown promise for many of these applications, but related costs remain high. And, the search for hydrogen-based technical solutions means it will be necessary to deploy large-scale, clean hydrogen production and generation infrastructure in parallel.
Related insight areas: Future of Consumption, Innovation, Batteries, Workforce and Employment, Artificial Intelligence, The Great Reset, Education and Skills, Future of Computing, Electricity, Circular Economy, Infrastructure
Another technology recognized for its role in addressing the climate challenge is carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). All credible energy decarbonization scenarios foresee a role for CCUS, due to the significant carbon lock-in associated with current infrastructure and the difficulty in decarbonizing some industrial sectors. However, CCUS has so far failed to progress beyond the demonstration stage. Its deployment will depend on sufficient carbon price signals and other support mechanisms to facilitate viable business models by bringing capital costs down. The idea of net-zero carbon industry clusters has gained some traction; these would co-locate energy- and emissions-intensive industries, and put CCUS in place with shared infrastructure. In terms of the subsequent use of captured carbon dioxide, more research is needed to find viable use cases that go beyond niche applications. Early-stage research and deployment is also occurring with direct air capture technologies (which would be able to extract CO2 from ambient air), and biomass-based solutions for negative emissions (also known as bioenergy CCS). Taking a more holistic approach to the carbon cycle and developing a “circular carbon economy� that treats carbon as a valuable resource - and not just waste - may be required.
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Latest knowledge GreenBiz
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
This new cooling technology also prevents viral spread
Building Africa’s renewable energy future: Recommendations for a just transition
08 October 2020 In the face of dangerous heat waves this summer, Americans have taken shelter in air-conditioned cooling centers . Normally, that would be a wise choice, but during a pandemic, indoor shelters present new risks. The same air conditioning systems that keep us cool recirculate air around us, potentially spreading the coronavirus. .
30 September 2020 To shed light on the course of African energy transition processes, this policy brief provides evidence from a comparative analysis of 34 African countries. We present a clear picture of promising policy frameworks and fruitful attempts to realise a higher level of energy justice. South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia and Egypt may serve as good practice examples for other states currently aiming at a systemic energy transition. Our recommendations for AU-EU cooperation on renewables and a green economy bring in suggestions for further fostering this green paradigm shift through means of consultancy, capacity building and strategies for technology transfer.
IMD Business School
Collaborative financing for renewable energy in emerging markets 05 October 2020 IMD Professor Vanina Farber invites Paul Needham, CoFounder of Positive. Capital Partners to explore how blended finance and innovative instruments can drive private capital investment into renewable energy projects in emerging markets.
Niskanen Center
America Needs a Modern Electric Grid 29 September 2020
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
A proposal for a public infrastructure leasing entity for Europe
Building electric transmission infrastructure will bring good jobs to every state it connects. It will also produce new economic opportunities, by linking areas rich in resources with the cities and factories that need them most. By joining together different regions, a nationally-connected power grid (a “ Macro Grid ,” ) is better able to handle local disruptions or periods of intense electricity demand — like we just witnessed during California’s recent heatwaves. And, at a time when businesses and consumers want to reduce carbon emissions and have access to clean alternatives, an expanded transmission system can help achieve those goals. .
01 October 2020 Is it possible to accelerate public investment without increasing national taxes or public debt? The authors of this piece believe so, and present a mechanism to relieve member states’ public finances, which are already burdened by ballooning deficits and galloping deficit ratios. The novelty of the mechanism stems from bringing a widely used private sector financing technique – namely that of leasing – to the sphere of public finance, and organising it at the pan-European level. Imagine a Public Infrastructure Leasing entity for Europe (PILE, for short). This vehicle would issue bonds in international markets against the finest financial conditions, guaranteed by the member states. The proceeds would be used to finance adequate built-to-order public infrastructure.
RAND Corporation
Federal Civilian Workforce Hiring, Recruitment, and Related Compensation Practices for the Twenty-First Century 28 September 2020 The federal government is working to enable simple and strategic hiring practices. Toward this end, the authors identified best practices for recruiting, hiring, and compensation in federal demonstration projects and alternative personnel systems.
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Navigating Future Energy Supply and Demand Energy demand is shifting, calling the long-term role of fossil fuels into question The COVID-19 pandemic has led to large declines in fuel and electricity demand, and an unprecedented, 20% decline in energy investment in 2020 equal to roughly $400 billion. While the long-term impacts of the pandemic remain uncertain, near-term responses can have lasting impacts. Renewables have shown resilience in the face of COVID-19, with a market share expected to increase by 2% in 2020 compared with the prior year - while demand for coal has plummeted. An ongoing regional shift in energy demand means the locus of demand growth - and investment to meet this demand - is moving to non-OECD countries. While primary energy demand within the OECD has been flat or declining, non-OECD energy demand grew by nearly 4% per year from 2007 to 2017, and accounted for nearly 60% of total primary energy demand in 2018. Meeting this demand will require a reorientation of investment and supply chains towards markets like China, India, and African nations, and the degree to which this demand is met with carbon intensive resources will have a major impact on sustainability goals. Globally, the share of energy demand met by electricity is expected to further increase as the electrification of transportation, heating, and cooling takes hold. Electricity will increasingly be supplied by renewables like wind and solar - which will continue to decline in cost, increasingly displace thermal generation, and increasingly be complemented by flexible resources like energy storage. New supply sources are now needed to reduce the emissions generated by shipping, aviation, steelmaking, and chemicals industries. If it can be scaled up significantly, clean hydrogen produced from renewables or fossil fuels (with carbon capture) could be one of these new supply vectors. Ultimately, efficiency is one of the lowest-cost ways to address energy supply issues, and it can help reduce emissions. Only 33% of the global primary energy consumed is converted into useful energy, with the remainder lost in processes like electricity generation, building operations, the operation of supply chains, industrial processes, and transportation - all of which can be addressed by applying more systemic efficiency. This includes sector optimization, as well as cross-sector optimization. Related insight areas: Air Pollution, Oil and Gas, Advanced Manufacturing and Production, Environment and Natural Resource Security, The Great Reset, Climate Change, Cities and Urbanization, Electricity, Future of Economic Progress, Emerging Multinationals, COVID-19, Batteries
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Latest knowledge Project Syndicate
Project Syndicate
Europe’s “Green China” Challenge
The Internal Combustion Bust
07 October 2020
29 September 2020
If, as seems likely, China commits fully to President Xi Jinping's recent pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the implications will be far-reaching. This is particularly true for the European Union, which will have its own plans and policies both facilitated and challenged in unanticipated ways.
With or without a catastrophic pandemic and global recession, the trend in motorized transportation has long been shifting toward zero-carbon technologies. But the strategies that governments and industries adopt in the next few years will be decisive for humanity's longterm success in managing climate change.
World Resources Institute
War on the Rocks
New Climate Federalism: Defining Federal, State, and Local Roles in a U.S. Policy Framework to Achieve Decarbonization
How Curbing Reliance on Fossil Fuels Will Change the World 28 September 2020 The world’s reliance on fossil fuels for energy has had geopolitical implications of one sort or another ever since humans first started burning coal several thousand years ago. Today, scholars and practitioners argue that the changes to the climate that result from this energy use are accelerating rising sea levels and the frequency and severity of droughts, fires, and mega storms — trends they predict could undermine governments, generate destabilizing refugee flows, and ultimately lead to tensions or even resource conflicts among states. It is undeniable that a failure to address the planet’s warming would have dramatic political and geopolitical consequences. Less attention has been paid, however, to the potential geopolitical consequences of the opposite scenario — a decrease in reliance on fossil fuels.
05 October 2020 Recognizing that addressing climate change in the U.S. will require action at all levels of government, WRI convened thought leaders among current and former U.S. federal, state, and local government officials in a dialogue to explore these topics. This paper sets out the context and findings of the dialogue discussions, and proposes a working federalism framework to delineate roles within a future federal climate policy. ETH Zurich
Data exchange via virtual assistants is key to unlocking the full potential of the future energy system 01 October 2020
World Economic Forum
Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19
Connecting buildings to a cross-sectoral, decentralized energy system is a proven means of integrating more renewable energy sources and further increasing energy efficiency. However, the operation of such highly interconnected energy systems is becoming painstaking. Data and algorithms will be the key to overcome these pains and to unlock the innovative systems’ full potential.
25 September 2020 The pandemic has opened up an opportunity for international investors and companies to invest in infrastructure in emerging markets.
Project Syndicate
Whither Oil? 30 September 2020 Oil remains the lifeblood of the global economy, and will not easily be phased out just because the industry is undergoing a crisis. Until policymakers and climate activists grapple seriously with the political economy of oil, the quest for net-zero emissions will be more aspirational than realistic.
15 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
A Just Transition An idea spawned by unions has evolved into a global push for responsible environmental protection The concept of a “just transition” was originally developed by labour unions in the 1990s, to describe providing support for workers who had lost their jobs due to environmental protection policies. It has since morphed into a widely promoted means to secure shared prosperity, while also protecting the environment. In the lead-up to the Paris Agreement on climate change negotiated in 2015, unions and their allies successfully lobbied to get prominent text on a just transition into the agreement, according to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2017. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals also reflect the agenda of just transition, according to the report, which noted positive, related developments including renewable energy being on track to account for half of the European Union’s energy supply by 2030, and the renewable energy industry’s employment of more than 8 million people worldwide as of 2015. In general, a just transition will shift employment out of carbon-intensive sectors, and create good, new alternative jobs - particularly in low-income areas (it also involves limiting increases for energy costs, in the interest of low-income families). Perceptions of the legitimacy of dramatically shifting to hightechnology, low-carbon, and environmentally-sustainable economic models will be influenced by the extent to which this is done in an inclusive way. This should be a key consideration not just for policy-makers, but also for business leaders, technology developers, and environmental experts. There is some evidence that policy-makers in different countries have started taking this factor into account as they make efforts to transition economies. For example, China spent the equivalent of about $3.4 billion in 2017 on resettling nearly 400,000 workers who had been laid off due to government efforts to reduce the country’s steel and coal production capacity, as part of broader efforts to deal with supply gluts in each sector. In addition, in 2016, the Canadian government announced that as part of its accelerated phasing out of traditional coal power it would work with provinces and labour organizations to ensure that affected workers are successfully included in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Related insight areas: Future of Economic Progress, Values, Sustainable Development, China, Global Governance, Mining and Metals, Workforce and Employment, Canada, Education and Skills
16 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge World Resources Institute
Center for International Forestry Research
Undermining Rights: Indigenous Lands and Mining in the Amazon
From planting to natural regeneration: best approaches to tree growing
07 October 2020
05 October 2020
This new WRI report estimates that legal and illegal mining in the Amazon now cover more than 20% of Indigenous lands – over 450,000 square kilometers. It also finds that Indigenous lands with mining experienced higher incidences of tree cover loss than on those without – at least three times greater in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Yet national laws continue to favor companies over Indigenous communities, the study’s legal analysis reveals. It sheds light on this uneven playing field and offers recommendations for Amazonian governments and mining companies.
Tree planting techniques and technology, from species selection to considering natural regeneration, can help reduce costs, improve survival rates while connecting communities. During the second session we will consider what trees make the most sense under different climate scenarios, the role of biodiversity, where do we plant which tree species – or let nature do the work through natural regeneration. New technologies, their applications to the future of tree planting and restoration will also be discussed. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Academic article proposes method to quantify the stress placed on people and environment for the extraction of transition minerals
Land Portal
COVID-19, reverse migration, and the impact on land systems 07 October 2020
05 October 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world abruptly, affecting nearly all of humanity with breath-taking speed. At the time of writing in mid-September 2020, almost 20 million people have contracted the disease and more than 900,000 have died. [1] Besides its tragic direct toll on human lives, the pandemic is triggering a cascade of unexpected and dramatic effects that will deeply impact the global economy, social inequalities, and human– nature relationships in the coming years. Here, we wish to draw attention to an ongoing process that could have important consequences for land systems: that of reverse migration , or the return of migrant workers from cities to their rural areas of origin, especially in low- and middleincome countries.
As low-carbon energy technologies advance, markets are driving demand for energy transition metals. Nature Communications has released a new, academic paper on the environmental, social and governance concerns around the extraction of energy transition minerals. To quantify the pressures on this system, the authors developed a set of global composite environmental, social and governance indicators, and examined mining projects across 20 metal commodities. In Depth News
In Quest of Data-Based Solutions for A Sustainable Future 01 October 2020
United Nations Environment
Sudan launches first-ever State of the Environment and Outlook report to help guide peace and sustainable development
More than 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will discuss in the first-ever fully virtual UN World Data Forum, from October 19-21, some of the greatest data challenges in our fast-changing world. They will identify innovative solutions to intensify cooperation on data for sustainable development. Renew the urgent call for more and better funding for data. “In a world wracked by COVID-19, we need data-based solutions to guide our way to a sustainable future,” said Francesca Perucci, Assistant Director of UN DESA’s Statistics Division.
07 October 2020 Khartoum, 7 October 2020 – The Government of Sudan and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today jointly launched the first-ever State of the Environment and Outlook Report for the Republic of Sudan under the theme of Environment for Peace and Sustainable Development. This report’s launch comes as Sudan works to improve its political and economic systems to further economic and social progress following the country’s….
17 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Energy and Water Better managing water use can result in more efficient and environmentally-beneficial energy use Traditional energy production based on fossil fuels and nuclear power requires large volumes of water. On the other hand, the heating, transport, purification, and use of water consume vast amounts of energy. Policies that successfully account for both energy and water use can therefore potentially produce multiple benefits. An urban water conservation mandate implemented during a period of drought in California, for example, which mandated a 25% reduction in water use, resulted in electricity savings that were 11% greater than what was achieved by dedicated electric utility efficiency programs during the same period while resulting greenhouse gas emission reductions that were equivalent to removing 111,000 cars from the road for a full year. The fossil fuel economy is particularly waterintensive and polluting. The waste products generated by burning coal send toxic heavy metals into groundwater and rivers. Recently, water demand for fracking in the US has soared, increasing by as much as 770% per well between 2011 and 2016 in the Permian Basin; that level of demand can severely limit local freshwater availability.
Related insight areas: Sustainable Development, Automotive Industry, Future of Economic Progress, Future of Energy, Climate Change, Electricity, Middle East and North Africa, Future of Food, Mining and Metals
Thermal power plants account for more water withdrawals (used for cooling) than any other sector in the US, though much of that water is eventually returned - at a warmer temperature - to rivers and lakes. These energy systems rely on consistency in terms of river flow and temperature, and severe drought in France and in the southern US have resulted in power plant deratings or shutdowns as water temperatures have become too high. Some alternative energy options also have drawbacks; ethanol-based biofuels require land and water to grow corn, switchgrass, and other feedstocks, for example. The reservoirs associated with hydropower dams in arid regions are losing substantial amounts of water to evaporation, while dams in tropical regions are generating methane emissions. In terms of water treatment and purification energy use, Saudi Arabia, by some estimates, dedicates 10% of domestic oil consumption to desalinating water - while in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, desalination accounts for roughly 30% of electricity use. By way of contrast, wind turbines and solar panels require little to no water to produce electricity. Energy choices and solutions can have serious consequences for water availability - and need to be tailored to specific challenges that vary by region. Even those policies designed to mitigate climate change can potentially exacerbate water scarcity.
18 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge United Nations Environment
Frontiers
Climate change: Proof in numbers
Soil Salinity and Food Security in India
08 October 2020
06 October 2020
UNEP’s novel ‘World Environment Situation Room’ provides real-time data on PM2.5 levels across the planet, informing scientists, policy-makers and citizens alike. Last month, as wildfires continued to rage across the American West, Pascal Peduzzi, a climate scientist with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva, followed the situation with air quality in Mammoth Lakes, a town high in California’s….
India would require around 311 million tons of food grains (cereals and pulses) during 2030 to feed around 1.43 billion people, and the requirement expectedly would further increase to 350 million tons by 2050 when India's population would be around 1.8 billion. To achieve food security in the country, the attempts need to focus on both area expansion under agriculture as well as rise in crop productivity. Massive urbanization is putting pressure on agricultural lands, resulting in shrinking of land holdings. The possibility of area expansion under agriculture, therefore, exists in restoring the degraded lands.
McGill Reporter
Disastrous duo: heatwaves and droughts 07 October 2020
Policy Center For The New South
A Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach for conducting trade-off analysis: Morocco's phosphate industry in the Khouribga region
Climate change at the heart of more frequent and intense dry and hot extremes in recent decades The post Disastrous duo: heatwaves and droughts appeared first on McGill Reporter .
05 October 2020
Carbon Brief
Nitrogen fertiliser use could ‘threaten global climate goals’
The study objective was to develop and use the WaterEnergy-Food Nexus Phosphate (WEF-P) Tool to evaluate the impact of Morocco’s phosphate industry on water, energy, and food sectors of Khouribga, which is the representative phosphate mining region of Morocco. The developed WEF-P Tool enabled a trade-off analysis based on integrating supply-chain processes, transportation, and water– energy footprints of the region.
07 October 2020 The world’s use of nitrogen fertilisers for food production could threaten efforts to keep global warming below 2C above pre-industrial levels. . Inside Climate News
Droughts That Start Over the Ocean? They’re Often Worse Than Those That Form Over Land 07 October 2020 Droughts usually evoke visions of cracked earth, withered crops, dried-up rivers and dust storms. Droughts can also form over oceans, and when they then move ashore they are often more intense and longer-lasting than purely land-born dry spells. A Sept. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Climate Smart Agriculture: Loss of Biodiversity and the Uncertainties associated with Climate Change 07 October 2020
19 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Energy-Related Emission Reduction Full decarbonization of electricity is key for achieving a low-carbon economy The energy consumption required to support human activity is responsible for about three quarters of the world’s greenhouse emissions, which are in turn causing climate change. Energy demand grows alongside population growth, and alongside increasing standards of living; improvements in energy efficiency meanwhile act as a counterbalance. The portion of global energy demand served by electricity is already substantial, and expanding further. There is therefore a clear need to decarbonize the electric power sector itself, in order to help guarantee the sustainability of human development. How and when this is achieved will have important implications for the broader process of decarbonizing the global economy. There are good reasons to prioritize the decarbonization of electricity over other energy carriers, such as hydrogen; electricity can be more easily decarbonized, for example, and it can be produced in many different ways with low associated emissions of greenhouse gases. It is technically viable, and economically affordable, to produce electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. Nuclear generation of electricity is another proven and powerful alternative - though it is often associated with problems like nuclear proliferation, nuclear waste, and accidents.
Related insight areas: Climate Change, India, Future of Mobility, China, Future of Energy, Sustainable Development, Green New Deals, Batteries, Environment and Natural Resource Security, Corporate Governance, United States, Air Pollution
Electricity is wonderfully versatile, and can replace the utilization of fossil fuels in numerous areas. Mobility is one promising example - in the form of electric vehicles including light road vehicles, and railways. Cooling or heating buildings, with the use of heat pumps, is another. Other trends, such as decentralization and digitalization, may have a significant influence on decarbonization. Disruptive advances in storage technologies such as batteries may be a key factor in full electricity decarbonization, for example, as they can mitigate the intermittency effects of some renewable energy production resources. However, the extent to which storage technologies will be required in decarbonized power systems is an area of active research. The decarbonization of economies is a global endeavour. Countries must collaborate, particularly the three that make the largest collective contribution to greenhouse gas emissions: the US, China, and India. Far-sighted policy measures, developed with adequate regulatory approaches, will be essential to guide market forces and private investment towards decarbonization, while innovative business models can contribute to this transformation process.
20 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge Bruegel
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
The European climate law needs a strong just transition fund
So. Africa: Report calls for end to export credits to coal operations
06 October 2020
01 October 2020
To deliver on the goals of the European climate law, the European Union needs finally to get coal out of its energy mix: the EU should quicken the pace of decarbonisation whilst delivering on its goal of social inclusion.
‘Up in Smoke: Human rights and environmental impacts of export credits to coal. The case of South Africa, 23 September 2020 The coal industry is well-known for its serious climate implications and effects on local communities. Still, European export credits have contributed to expand the coal industry in countries already dependent on coal, including South Africa, a new Swedwatch report finds. Coal is the most polluting source of energy and emissions from coal-fired power plants the single largest contributor to climate change.
Asian Development Bank
Energy Insecurity in Asia: Challenges, Solutions, and Renewable Energy 02 October 2020 ENERGY INSECURITY IN ASIA Challenges, Solutions, and Renewable Energy Edited by Naoyuki Yoshino, Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, Youngho Chang, and Thai-Ha Le ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK INSTITUTE Energy Insecurity in Asia Challenges, Solutions, and Renewable Energy Naoyuki Yoshino, Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, Youngho Chang, and Thai-Ha Le ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK INSTITUTE © 2020 Asian Development Bank Institute All rights reserved. ISBN 978-4-89974-111-4 (Print) ISBN 9784-89974-112-1 (PDF) The views in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), its Advisory Council, ADB’s Board or Governors, or the governments of ADB members. ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use.
RAND Corporation
Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico's Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan 30 September 2020 This report summarizes the strategic planning process in support of the government of Puerto Rico in its development of a congressionally mandated recovery plan. International Crisis Group
Watch List 2020 – Autumn Update 30 September 2020 Every year Crisis Group publishes two additional Watch List updates that complement its annual Watch List for the EU, most recently published in January and May 2020. These publications identify major crises and conflict situations where the European Union and its member states can generate stronger prospects for peace. The Autumn Update of the Watch List 2020 includes entries on Afghanistan, Colombia, Kosovo-Serbia, Lebanon and Somalia.
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Chemical innovation stabilizes bestperforming perovskite formulation 01 October 2020 01.10.20 - Publishing in Science, researchers at EPFL have successfully overcome a limiting problem with stabilizing the best-performing formulation of metal-halide perovskite films, a key player in a range of applications, including solar cells. Perovskites are a class of materials made up of organic materials bound to a metal. Their fascinating structure and properties have propelled perovskites into the forefront of materials’ research, where they are studied for use in a wide range of applications. Metal-halide perovskites are especially popular, and are being considered for use in solar cells, LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors.
Observer Research Foundation
Africa and COVID19: Impact, Response, and Challenges to Recovery 28 September 2020 Abstract The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years.
21 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Transitioning to Clean Energy A faster transition to clean energy is the most effective option for combatting climate change Renewable energy accounted for about 9.5% of all global energy in 2017, a slight increase compared with the prior year, according to the 2018 World Energy Outlook published by the International Energy Agency. The renewables counted in this mix included solar, wind, geothermal, and modern biomass energy, along with traditional hydroelectric power. More importantly, however, are projections for renewables to increase electrical power as a way to decarbonize the world’s energy supply. Thanks to economies of scale, and technologies like efficient solar cells and larger wind turbines, these energy sources now compete with fossil fuels. An analysis by the investment bank Lazard shows that during the past decade the “levelized” cost of electricity from wind farms (its average cost over the farm's lifetime) has decreased by two-thirds, and from utility-scale solar farms by nearly 90%. In many places, wind and solar are now cheaper than coal and natural gas. The emergence of new renewable energy markets has meanwhile reduced operating costs. In developing countries, renewable energy mini-grids are electrifying communities, while in developed countries solar power is reducing reliance on the grid, bolstered by renewable energy credits and tax incentives.
Related insight areas: Automotive Industry, Infrastructure, Future of Energy, Green New Deals, Air Pollution, Future of Mobility, Oil and Gas, Electricity, Batteries, Cities and Urbanization, Fourth Industrial Revolution
Decarbonizing transportation poses the biggest challenge. The United Kingdom, France and China are among the countries that have announced their intention to curb fossilfuel cars or entirely phase out internal combustion engines, and the number of electric vehicles on the road is projected to increase by more than 7,000% between 2017 and 2030. Still, this will be less than 15% of the nearly 2 billion vehicles expected to be in operation by then. Aviation and shipping are on track to account for nearly 40% of carbon-dioxide emissions by 2050. A report published by the Energy Transitions Commission outlined a plan to cut emissions with smarter logistics that improve efficiency by tempering demand for carbon-intensive transport. The high cost of energy storage in batteries is the main barrier preventing widespread adoption of intermittent renewable energy; a massive improvement in energy density is needed for lithiumion batteries to compete with liquid fuels. Just as important as scaling-up battery technology will be the cleaning up of entire product chains, from working conditions in the mines that supply raw materials for batteries, to the pollution associated with the improper disposal of batteries. The World Economic Forum’s Global Battery Alliance was created in 2017 to address these challenges.
22 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
Latest knowledge World Economic Forum
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
What are the biggest risks to business? New data shows climate concerns are rising
Tokio Marine announces coal policy; climate group unimpressed 06 October 2020
08 October 2020 Tokio Marine Holdings has announced its climate strategy, which includes its position on covering coal power projects, a few days after fellow Japanese insurance giant Sompo ’s announcement that it will no longer insure or invest in coal-fired power plants in Japan... However, environmental advocacy group Insure Our Future denounced Tokio Marine’s policy as “weak”, citing the policy’s exceptions and allegedly vague wording in some parts. Insure Our Future also criticised Tokio Marine’s position, saying the insurer is relying on “unproven technologies” to mitigate climate risks... Furthermore, Insure Our Future also highlighted the statement’s lack of position on the following points: Insuring coal mines and other elements of the coal value chain. Several non-government organisations from the No Coal Japan campaign will publish a response welcoming Tokio Marine‘s coal position, but will also urge the company to establish a policy to withdraw from all coal underwriting and investments, and not to insure the controversial Vung ang 2 coal power plant in Vietnam, in particular..
This new interactive map shows that businesses around the world rank environmental risks among the top 10 rising global concerns for their industries. World Economic Forum
How debt for climate swaps could spur a green recovery 07 October 2020 Countries can use financial systems to encourage investments in green activities, thereby tackling both the debt and climate crisis all at once. Project Syndicate
Greening the Transatlantic Relationship 07 October 2020 Far from derailing Europe's plans to achieve net-zero emissions, the COVID-19 pandemic has put climate action at the very center of EU policymaking. The only question now is whether Europe's oldest friend and ally will stop dragging its feet and come back to the table to help lead on this globally defining issue.
Rocky Mountain Institute
JPMorgan Chase Commits to ClimateAligned Finance
Asian Development Bank
06 October 2020
Green Finance Strategies for Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery in Southeast Asia: Greening Recoveries for Planet and People
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) commends JPMorgan Chase for announcing today that it will shape its core business to align with the Paris Agreement on climate change. The post JPMorgan Chase Commits to ClimateAligned Finance appeared first on Rocky Mountain Institute .
07 October 2020 This publication examines innovative finance mechanisms for government recovery strategies that can incentivize green infrastructure investment in developing Asia and support the fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic.
Pew Research Center
How important is climate change to voters in the 2020 election? 06 October 2020 A majority of U.S. registered voters say climate change will be a very or somewhat important issue when casting their vote for president.
23 SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
References 1. Strengthening Energy Policy & Governance
5. Driving Energy Technology Innovation
We want green energy jobs, say North Sea oil and gas workers – what they need to make the leap, The Conversation, theconversation.com Structuring an Endowment to Align with Paris Agreement Goals: Insights from WRI's Climate Change Investment Efforts, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org Three Key Takeaways from California’s First Workshop on Health Impacts of Gas Stoves, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org Collaborative financing for renewable energy in emerging markets, IMD Business School, www.imd.org How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org Partnership for a green transition and energy access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za Skills transfer and women in Africa’s green transition, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za
This new cooling technology also prevents viral spread, GreenBiz, www.greenbiz.com Collaborative financing for renewable energy in emerging markets, IMD Business School , www.youtube.com A proposal for a public infrastructure leasing entity for Europe, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), www.ceps.eu Building Africa’s renewable energy future: Recommendations for a just transition, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za America Needs a Modern Electric Grid, Niskanen Center, www.niskanencenter.org Federal Civilian Workforce Hiring, Recruitment, and Related Compensation Practices for the Twenty-First Century, RAND Corporation, www.rand.org
6. Navigating Future Energy Supply and Demand Europe’s “Green China” Challenge, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org New Climate Federalism: Defining Federal, State, and Local Roles in a U.S. Policy Framework to Achieve Decarbonization, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org Data exchange via virtual assistants is key to unlocking the full potential of the future energy system, ETH Zurich , blogs.ethz.ch Whither Oil?, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org
2. Unlocking Energy Finance Africa’s Fateful Choice, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org Meeting the Climate Challenge Through a New Climate Federalism, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org Decentralising Climate Action and Finance in India , Observer Research Foundation, www.youtube.com Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org
The Internal Combustion Bust, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org How Curbing Reliance on Fossil Fuels Will Change the World , War on the Rocks, warontherocks.com Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID-19, World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org
Assessing the Impact of the United States–People’s Republic of China Trade Dispute Using a Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Model, Asian Development Bank, www.adb.org The climate crisis needs climate leadership from businesses now, GreenBiz, www.greenbiz.com Innovative green financing for energy access: Insights from Kenya, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za
7. A Just Transition Undermining Rights: Indigenous Lands and Mining in the Amazon, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org COVID-19, reverse migration, and the impact on land systems, Land Portal, landportal.org Sudan launches first-ever State of the Environment and Outlook report to help guide peace and sustainable development, United Nations Environment, www.unep.org From planting to natural regeneration: best approaches to tree growing, Center for International Forestry Research, www.youtube.com Academic article proposes method to quantify the stress placed on people and environment for the extraction of transition minerals, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, www.business-humanrights.org In Quest of Data-Based Solutions for A Sustainable Future, In Depth News, www.indepthnews.net
3. Designing the Future of Power Systems Could Biden Rebuild the Economy by Funding Green Energy?, Wired, www.wired.com COVID-19 and the new age of copper, VoxEU, voxeu.org The challenge of decarbonizing heavy transport, Brookings, www.brookings.edu 4 Questions About China's New Climate Commitments, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org Green Steel: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org Climate Crunch Time, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org Accelerating green energy transition in Africa through regional integration, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), saiia.org.za
Acknowledgements
4. Accelerating Energy Access
Cover and selected images throughout supplied by Reuters. Some URLs have been shortened for readability. Please follow the URL given to visit the source of the article. A full URL can be provided on request.
Could Power Sector Demand Scale US Hydrogen 100X?, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org Colorado Won’t Meet Climate Goals without Swift Action on Buildings, Rocky Mountain Institute, rmi.org How green banks can drive investment in renewable energy, Yale Climate Connections, yaleclimateconnections.org A Cool New Energy-Efficiency Policy, Project Syndicate, www.projectsyndicate.org China and Big Business Give Climate Diplomacy a Kick-Start at UNGA and Climate Week, World Resources Institute, www.wri.org How to Recover Green, Project Syndicate, www.project-syndicate.org Building resilience in Africa: Enabling an inclusive digital economy and energy access for all, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA),
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SDG 07: Affordable and Clean Energy Briefing, October 2020
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