INETTT brief shows how climate finance can drive just energy transitions
Addressing climate change requires a swift transition away from fossil fuels and to clean energy. But for energy transitions to be effective and lasting, they must also be socially just. A new brief, informed by members across the International Network of Energy Transition Think Tanks (INETTT), explores justice through three key dimensions: distributional (who bears costs and benefits), procedural (who has a voice), and recognitional/restorative justice (how past harms are addressed).
Drawing on early lessons from Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), the brief highlights the need for country-owned, rights-based frameworks that ensure transparency and accountability in climate finance. It stresses that just transitions require broad societal engagement while placing particular focus on those directly affected—workers, local communities, and informal sectors—to promote fair distribution of costs and benefits, decent jobs, and social protections.
At an April webinar launching the brief, experts from across INETTT emphasized that effective transitions depend on inclusive decision-making and clear communication. Shifting JETPs towards concessional loans, more grants, and blended finance can increase their practical use and is vital for equitable outcomes. JETPs hold powerful potential, but only if the three dimensions of justice guide both design and implementation.
The INETTT Secretariat is hosted by Agora Energiewende.
Agora Industry’s interview-based study reveals unity on climate neutrality, divergence on how to get there
With the industrial sector as the second-largest source of carbon emissions, responsible for over a fifth of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions (153 Mt CO₂e in 2024), achieving broad consensus on the path to climate neutrality is essential. Ongoing regulatory uncertainty has already delayed some long-term investments needed for decarbonization, underscoring the urgency of a shared, credible strategy to guide industrial transformation and achieve a balanced policy mix.
To understand how leading decision-makers from business, politics, and civil society view Germany’s 2045 climate neutrality target, Agora Industry, together with the Bertelsmann Foundation, conducted dozens of in-depth interviews. The resulting study (in German) found that the ambitious target continues to enjoy near-universal support, but opinions differ on the pathways to achieving it. Examples of this include the state’s role in steering the transition.
Based on these insights, the authors outlined key policy priorities for the recently elected centre-right government, ranging from energy and infrastructure to finance, governance, jobs, and resilience. Among the concrete measures suggested to bridge the gap were introducing a system to monitor industrial transformation efforts—identifying what works and what doesn’t—and formalizing structured dialogue between the government, businesses, and civil society on the issue.
Buildings Breakthrough drives Kenya’s climate-safe buildings roadmap
As a supporting initiative of the Buildings Breakthrough Agenda, GBPN continues to work with Kenyan partners to shape the country’s first comprehensive roadmap for decarbonizing buildings and construction. Building on the momentum gained last year with the initial workshop, two workshops were recently convened in Nairobi, bringing together key voices from government, industry, academia, and civil society to continue progress on the roadmap, ensuring it is equitable and reflects the realities of Kenya’s urban and rural landscapes.
Innovative solutions, such as low-carbon building materials and green construction practices, are being explored and tested. Kennedy Matheka, Buildings and Climate Coordinator, State Department for Public Works, highlighted the collaborative nature of the process: “GBPN is engaging partners, local and international, to develop the roadmap in an inclusive way, so that at implementation it has covered everyone. With this roadmap, we can guide our partners, our institutions, and our business community to a sustainable and greener economy.” Matheka also shared Kenya’s roadmap plans at the recent GlobalABC Annual Assembly 2025 in Dresden, Germany.
The project now enters its next phase: refining indicators, testing early actions, and preparing for launch later in 2025. Kenya’s leadership in the Buildings Breakthrough is playing a pivotal role in helping GBPN engage other high-emitting countries on buildings policy.
Black carbon emissions from EU shipping in the Arctic likely higher than assumed, ICCT study reveals
Previous assessments may have significantly underestimated the climate impact of EU shipping in the Arctic by focusing only on vessels flying EU flags, a new report from the ICCT finds. The study, “Black Carbon and CO₂ Emissions from EU-Regulated Shipping in the Arctic,” shows that between 2015 and 2021, black carbon (BC) emissions in the region nearly doubled, with a substantial share coming from ships traveling to and from EU ports.
Black carbon, typically produced by incomplete combustion in marine engines, contributes to global warming and is associated with adverse health impacts, including an increased risk of lung cancer, respiratory illnesses, and cardiopulmonary diseases. It is considered a key driver of the rapid loss of Arctic Sea ice, a region experiencing significant environmental stress due to rapid warming, with temperatures rising three to four times faster than the global average.
“Our findings show that ships connected to EU trade, regardless of their flag, are major drivers of black carbon pollution in the Arctic,” says Liudmila Osipova, ICCT Senior Researcher and lead author of the study. “Recognizing these emissions in future policies could help the EU better align its climate goals with its real footprint in the Arctic.”
The EU generally accounts for Arctic shipping emissions only from ships flying EU flags (“EU-flagged ships”) in the region. This study had an expanded scope, assessing emissions from ships traveling to and from EU ports (“EU-regulated ships”). The study compares the fleet composition, fuel use, and BC and CO₂ emissions of these ships across both the broadly-defined Geographic Arctic (north of 59°N) and the Arctic as defined by the International Maritime Organization Polar Code.
Between 2015 and 2021, the study finds, BC emissions in the IMO Arctic nearly doubled. EU-regulated ships contributed significantly: among vessels of at least 5,000 GT, EU-regulated ships emitted 52 tonnes of BC, accounting for 23 percent of total emissions. This is nearly twice the 27 tonnes emitted by EU-flagged ships, which made up 12 percent of emissions. In the broader Geographic Arctic, EU-regulated ships emitted 317 tonnes of BC and 1.9 million tonnes of CO₂, representing 44 percent and 60 percent of emissions from vessels of the same size. By comparison, EU-flagged ships contributed just 145 tonnes of BC and 726,000 tonnes of CO₂ or 20 percent and 23 percent of the emissions, respectively.
Building momentum for clean, equitable mobility in Jakarta and beyond
ITDP Indonesia recently organized a series of high-profile events as part of the Jakarta Urban Mobility Festival. The events celebrated the achievements of the “Clean Mobility for Metropolitan Jakarta” program, which was launched in 2022 to provide support to Metropolitan Jakarta in improving the share of low-carbon transport modes and scaling solutions for traffic management, active mobility, and public transit.
Notable outcomes from the program have included the redesign of major thoroughfares like the Transit Plaza Dukuh Atas and Kendal Tunnel, which have helped increase pedestrian and cyclist flow by 30 percent. Another major initiative was the adoption of more inclusive and accessible Transjakarta bus station prototypes. Overall, the program’s improvements to Jakarta’s mobility networks are expected to reduce transport-related emissions by nearly 2.3 million tons through 2030. ITDP’s recommendations are now being adopted by other local governments and will serve as a reference for at least 20 urban areas outside of Jakarta.
Unlocking impact on the road to COP30: Driving appliance efficiency in Brazil
As Brazil prepares to host COP30 in November, CLASP is helping to accelerate appliance energy efficiency across the country. A recent CLASP-facilitated workshop laid the groundwork for a major win: a leading Chinese manufacturer has expressed intent to produce highly efficient air conditioner compressors in Brazil. This would be an important step forward in improving targeted aspects of the country’s domestic manufacturing capacity, which has been limiting policy ambition.
In parallel, CLASP is working to build public awareness of appliance efficiency as a critical climate solution. Together with a local partner, CLASP launched a journalist training program focused on the role of efficient appliances in Brazil’s climate strategy. The response was strong, drawing significant interest from media professionals across the country. A select group of journalists from regional and national outlets—spanning TV, print, and digital—joined the program. By equipping them with information, CLASP aims to spark broader public engagement. Together, these efforts are helping to elevate appliance efficiency as a key climate solution—just in time for the global spotlight at COP30.
