New partnerships to implement healthier buildings policy in India
In April 2026, GBPN launched two new partnerships aimed at cutting building emissions and making homes and neighborhoods healthier and more climate-resilient—one with India’s Haryana Regional Chapter of the Institute of Town Planners, and one with the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat. In Haryana, GBPN will help incorporate India’s residential energy-efficiency code into the state’s building permit system to make compliance easier, adapt the national Healthy Housing Guidelines to local conditions, and co-develop Healthy Urban Planning Guidelines. In Vadodara, GBPN will tailor urban planning guidelines to the city’s context, develop a roadmap for net-zero energy buildings, and support local capacity building to ensure the work has a lasting impact. In addition to protecting millions of residents from extreme heat, full implementation of the residential energy code and healthy housing measures could cut emissions by 8.3 MT of CO₂ per year in Haryana and 1.2 MT per year in Vadodara.
INETTT launches impact study series to ground CBAM in practice
New case studies examining the implications of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for exporters in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia—developed with INETTT members E+, IDEA, and Transforma—find that the overall cost of compliance is relatively small, at 0.02–0.15 percent of GDP. A closer look, however, reveals that certain emission-intensive industries, regions, and companies face considerably higher costs than the nationwide figures suggest.
CBAM is already in effect, but the first carbon payments are not due until September 2027. By identifying which sectors, regions, and businesses face the greatest exposure—and where emissions tracking, workforce support, and clean technology investment are most needed—these case studies give policymakers, industry stakeholders, and international partners actionable insights for reducing compliance costs while decarbonizing and staying competitive.
Across all three countries, a shared challenge emerges: governments and businesses are not yet fully equipped to meet the new reporting and verification requirements. Measures such as streamlining administrative processes and expanding verification capacity would ease the compliance burden—particularly for smaller businesses that currently face the steepest costs. Recommended actions span targeted sector support, domestic policy reform, and international cooperation, including technology transfer, climate finance, and measures to ensure an equitable transition. The next case study will focus on Türkiye, in collaboration with SHURA Energy Transition Center. INETTT will also leverage the upcoming COP31 to engage policymakers on these findings, with CBAM expected to feature as a key topic.
Agora analysis: distribution grids as “first mile” enablers of clean, resilient power systems
A new policy brief by Agora Energiewende underscores that local electricity networks—long treated as passive, “last mile” infrastructure—must now become the frontier of the clean energy transition.
People and businesses are buying solar panels, home batteries, electric vehicles, and heat pumps faster than the grids can handle them. Without action, the result is bottlenecks, delayed connections, and rising costs, all of which slow the very electrification that climate goals depend on.
The brief identifies five reform priorities: smarter planning, faster connection processes, enabling customer-owned clean energy resources to support rather than strain the grid, digitalization, and better coordination between local and national grid operators. The technical solutions already exist. What is missing is governance—the regulatory frameworks that would make deploying them worthwhile.
Drawing on real-world examples from across the globe, the brief helps policymakers identify where to start. Its implications for Southeast Asia—a region with real opportunity to build more flexible systems from the outset—were explored in an April 23 webinar. The brief will also be presented later this year at a high-level dialogue with energy ministry representatives from ASEAN Member States, organized by the ASEAN Centre for Energy.
ICCT analysis supports San Francisco’s move to legalize curbside electric vehicle charging, paving the way for over 1,500 public chargers by 2030
San Francisco has set a goal of 100 percent electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030—but achieving it requires major expansion of public charging infrastructure.
The ICCT has supported San Francisco’s public charging buildout since 2020, when it assessed the city’s charging infrastructure needs. In 2023, ICCT followed up with a cost-effectiveness analysis, which they delivered to the city’s technical working group and presented to key decision-makers. The findings helped make the case for a curbside charging pilot launched in 2024.
Building on that pilot’s success, city leaders introduced legislation to formally legalize curbside charging and establish a citywide permitting program. If enacted, the legislation would help San Francisco reach its goal of 1,500 publicly accessible chargers by 2030—nearly double the 2019 count—while expanding equitable access to charging in neighborhoods historically underserved by clean transportation infrastructure.
Across its geographies, ICCT works with policymakers to find the charging infrastructure solutions that work best locally. For example, in New Delhi, ICCT is helping policymakers address concerns from local housing associations to allow charging outside of residences.
Convening cooling leaders to raise the bar on air conditioner policies
As temperatures rise and global demand for cooling accelerates, how this demand is met will determine emissions, energy costs, and grid stability for decades to come. Last month, CLASP convened a first-of-its-kind roundtable in Beijing, bringing together policymakers from Brazil and China, two countries at the forefront of cooling efficiency, to exchange insights on next-generation air conditioner policies.
China is developing a new AC efficiency policy that is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by over 700 MT by 2050. This policy would set a global benchmark, including potentially stricter requirements for refrigerants, which drive emissions alongside the energy use of ACs. Brazil, home to the largest cooling market in Latin America and the Caribbean and a major regional manufacturer, is nearing a full transition to highly efficient inverter ACs and is now looking ahead to the next phase of policy ambition.
This direct exchange helped Brazilian policymakers identify concrete opportunities to strengthen upcoming standards and opened the door to ongoing collaboration. By connecting two of the world’s most influential cooling markets, CLASP is helping lay the groundwork for stronger policies—ones that deliver sustainable and affordable cooling to protect both people and planet.
ITDP Brazil supports national mobility proposals ahead of 2026 elections
ITDP Brazil recently contributed to a key platform for the Climate Observatory—the largest network of Brazilian civil society organizations advocating for climate action—ahead of the October national elections. As part of this process, ITDP informed the inclusion of several priorities for the next government, including a proposal for a ‘National Urban Mobility System’ to better integrate policies across federal, state, and municipal levels, thereby reducing costs and improving public transport investment. The mobility system would also include new funding models for public transport to reduce over-reliance on fare revenue and strategies to discourage private vehicle trips.
In tandem, the platform advocates for more stable, continuous funding for cycling and walking infrastructure, as well as broader requirements for resilience and risk-reduction plans to protect mobility networks in the face of severe weather events. It also recommends directing additional resources to Brazil’s Green Resilient Cities Program for nature-based solutions and transport electrification across cities. The Observatory coalition will use this platform to elevate sustainable urban transport as a political priority.
Crux Alliance members are driving heat pump policy in Europe
The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) has been advising the European Commission on its public consultation for the upcoming Electrification Action Plan and the Heating and Cooling Strategy. Both initiatives are expected to shape Europe’s shift to heat pumps over the coming years. The documents are yet to be published, but are expected to be widely influential, especially given the recent crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. RAP’s longstanding work on heat pumps and electricity pricing has provided them with the evidence and stature needed to assist the Commission during this volatile period. Agora Energiewende’s policy innovation work has also created space for new policy solutions.
In advance of the publications on electrification and heating, the Commission recently published the ‘AccelerateEU’ communication, an emergency response to the events in the Middle East. The communication outlines plans to reduce the relative cost of electricity across Europe to drive heat pump adoption. The idea of introducing a ‘market-based instrument for heat pumps’ is also discussed in the communication. RAP and Agora have provided extensive input to these critical Commission policies.
China launches national hydrogen pilot program providing up to $230 million to scale up green hydrogen across sectors
In 2020, China launched a pilot city program to promote the adoption of fuel cell vehicles and the use of hydrogen fuel. However, the program’s financial incentives were primarily for vehicle manufacturing rather than for renewable hydrogen production, and the program design could encourage high-emission hydrogen pathways.
In collaboration with China EV100, ICCT published a 2022 study that identified these shortcomings and has continued to educate key stakeholders on the recommendations. On March 16, 2026, China launched a redesigned program (2026–2030) that restricts most applications to renewable hydrogen and offers up to $230 million per city cluster, contingent on measurable use of renewable hydrogen. It also expands the scope to green ammonia and methanol production, which will increase the availability of low-carbon fuels for hard-to-abate sectors like marine and aviation. ICCT is now supporting city clusters in developing strong hydrogen deployment plans.
Recording available: Türkiye’s net-zero future: opportunities and obstacles ahead of COP31
On May 11, the Crux Alliance and the International Network of Energy Transition Think Tanks were pleased to host SHURA Energy Transition Center—Türkiye’s leading independent clean energy think tank known for its rigorous, data-driven analysis of the country’s energy transition—for a candid discussion on how the energy transition is progressing in Türkiye and opportunities to accelerate it.
If you were unable to join live, you can now view the recording to discover what opportunities COP31 offers to accelerate bold policy action in the country.
Thank you to our featured speaker, Alkım Bağ, Director of SHURA Energy Transition Center, for sharing your expertise and experience with us, and to Philipp Godron, Programme Lead Power at Agora Energiewende, for serving as our discussant. Thank you also to INETTT for co-hosting!
Conference | Energize EU. 2026 Energy Security Outlook
Join Forum Energii in Warsaw on June 24 for a conference focused on how Europe can enhance energy security, build resilience, strengthen integration, and minimize the cost of the energy transformation. The conference will bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and experts for a high-level exchange on the strategic direction of European energy and climate policy.