Library | ESG issues

Carbon Intensive Industries

Carbon-intensive industries, such as fossil fuels, agriculture, and transport, are major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Investing in these industries can pose risks due to regulatory changes, reputational concerns, and shifting consumer preferences. Opportunities exist in technologies and practices that reduce carbon emissions.

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Futureproofing industry: Investor priorities for a reformed Safeguard Mechanism

Investor Group on Climate Change
This report outlines investor priorities for reforming Australia's Safeguard Mechanism during the 2026-27 review. It recommends a seven per cent annual decline rate to align with 2035 climate targets, expanding scheme coverage, and implementing financial supports to incentivise on-site abatement over carbon offsets to ensure long-term industrial competitiveness.
Research
12 August 2026

Putting climate coalitions into practice: A common framework for balancing competitiveness and equity

Global Climate Policy Project at Harvard and MIT
This technical report proposes a framework for international climate coalitions, focusing on emissions-intensive industries such as steel and aluminium. Modelling indicates that coordinated carbon price floors could reduce annual emissions by up to 584 million metric tons. It introduces an 'effective carbon cost' metric to balance global competitiveness and equity.
Research
10 September 2026

Government announced increases in carbon pricing and their implications for corporate valuations

EcoMap
This report explores global corporate environmental costs, finding that unpriced carbon emissions represent a material risk to valuations. Analysing approximately 20,000 companies, it illustrates how projected carbon price increases in jurisdictions like Norway and Canada could significantly erode enterprise values, especially within the aviation and maritime sectors.
Research
13 May 2026

Beyond commitments: Assessing real capital deployment for net zero across 26 high-emitting companies, against the IGCC Capital Allocation Alignment Framework

This research assesses capital allocation alignment with net-zero commitments across 26 high-emitting companies using the IGCC Framework. It finds that while climate strategies are strong, capital sourcing and fossil fuel phase-down plans lag. European companies lead in performance, while the Americas and oil and gas sectors trail significantly.
Research
21 May 2026

Global MDB Investments in Petrochemicals Tracker

Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA)
An interactive database and map developed by IEEFA and IAP that tracks over USD 10 billion in petrochemical investments from 16 multilateral development banks, highlighting institutional exposure to fossil-fuel-intensive projects.
Online tool/database
18 August 2026

Oil market report series

International Energy Agency (IEA)
This monthly series provides a comprehensive analysis of global oil market fundamentals, including supply, demand, refinery throughputs, and price developments. Produced by the International Energy Agency, it offers detailed data and forecasts to support evidence-based decision-making. This document is part of a benchmark series.
Benchmark/series
13 May 2026

Smarter, leaner, cleaner: Direct reduced iron and the future of American steel

Ceres
Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) is the most cost-effective new-build investment for the American steel sector. This analysis confirms that natural-gas-based DRI meets investment hurdles across all regions, offering a 15% real return and significant emissions reductions while providing flexibility for future hydrogen integration.
Research
7 August 2026

Clean economic corridors in Africa: Integrating energy, industry, and transport for low carbon growth

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
This report examines the development of integrated energy-industry-transport corridors in Africa to foster low-carbon growth. It details strategies for decarbonising logistics and manufacturing, particularly in steel and cement. By linking industrial hubs with renewable energy, African nations can enhance regional trade, competitiveness, and sustainable economic development.
Research
8 April 2026

Carbon tariffs, emissions leakage, and production relocation

Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)
This paper examines whether carbon tariffs prevent emissions leakage from firm relocation in a North-South duopoly model. It finds that carbon tariffs combined with export rebates form the optimal carbon tax regime, preventing leakage when the northern firm's emissions intensity exceeds fifty percent of the southern firm's, and can benefit both countries.
Research
30 June 2026

Global Project Tracker

Mission Possible Partnership (MPP)
MPP's Global Project Tracker maps the global pipeline of commercial-scale, net-zero-aligned clean industrial plants across materials, chemicals and fuels sectors.
Online tool/database

Driving Australian climate innovation: Unlocking capital to support a clean industrial revolution

Investor Group on Climate Change
Commissioned by IGCC and authored by Pollination, this report reviews climate innovation policy in California, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Korea and Germany to identify gaps in Australia's policy landscape and recommend measures to drive transition industry investment, including strengthening the Safeguard Mechanism and establishing a national industrial strategy.
Research
6 April 2023

Boom and bust coal series

Global Energy Monitor
The Boom and Bust series is an annual research series that tracks the global coal plant pipeline using data from the Global Coal Plant Tracker. It examines trends in coal power development, construction, commissioning, retirements and policy developments across countries and regions, providing an overview of changes in the global coal sector.
Benchmark/series
1 May 2026

Forging a global clean steel economy: Leveraging trade to reduce the green premium

Rhodium Group
This report examines how decarbonising the global steel industry requires separating ironmaking from steelmaking. By leveraging international trade, countries can co-locate energy-intensive processes in resource-rich regions like Brazil, Australia, and India. This strategic approach reduces production costs and helps lower the green premium for clean steel.
Research
5 May 2026

Establishing risk-based resilience indicators for hard-to-abate industries

Value Balancing Alliance
This report develops a Resilience Indicator for hard-to-abate sectors, evaluating transition and physical climate risks. It offers a transparent, risk-based tool for investment decisions, focusing on cash-flow stability and adaptive capacity, to provide more actionable insights than generic ESG scores.
Research
25 March 2026

Climate litigation as a financial risk: Evidence from a global survey of equity investors

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
This report surveys 811 global equity investors to assess perceptions of climate litigation as a financial risk. It finds that investors view climate lawsuits as financially material, with effects often manifesting early, such as upon media coverage or filing, and affecting both carbon majors and other sectors.
Research
20 April 2026

Systematic stewardship on the waterbed

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
Tröger argues corporate governance tools, including stewardship, say-on-climate votes and ESG-linked pay, cannot replace broad climate regulation. Firm-level interventions may trigger “waterbed effects”, shifting emissions rather than reducing them. Carbon pricing or comprehensive emissions caps are presented as more effective.
Research
30 March 2026
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