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Hi,

Here’s some good news to start the day:

• Japan says it’ll work to reduce emissions 60% by 2035, from 2013 levels.

• Global electric vehicle sales were up 18% in January from a year before, led by strong growth in Europe and the US, according to Rho Motion.

• The US added 48GW of large-scale solar, wind, and battery storage capacity in 2024 – a 47% increase from 2023, according to Cleanview. Developers plan to commission 60GW of new clean energy capacity this year.

• Across all OECD countries, renewables and nuclear accounted for 52% of power generation in November 2024, per the IEA.

• A consortium in China has started using old wind turbine blades in asphalt mixtures for road construction, China Daily reported.

• In the third quarter of 2024, the EU’s emissions were down 0.6% from a year before while economic output was up 1.3%, Eurostat says.

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Thanks for reading.

Nick Hedley

Editor, The Progress Playbook

Why China is leading the global switch to electricity

China is leading the way in the electrification of its economy thanks to deliberate policy choices and relatively low power prices, recent analyses show.

In 2024, electricity made up 28% of China’s total final energy consumption — a metric that includes things like fuel burned by cars and heating appliances — up from 27% the prior year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That’s comfortably ahead of the US (22%) and the EU (21%), who are both falling behind in this critical area of climate action.

- Read the full story here.

A future without gas: How German cities are managing the transition to climate-neutral energy

Cities like Mannheim and Hamburg are leading the shift away from gas heating networks. Jan Rosenow and Claudia Kemfert explain how.

- Read the full story here.

These car brands have the cleanest supply chains

Among the world’s biggest car manufacturers, Tesla, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz are leading the way in eliminating emissions, environmental harms, and human rights violations from their supply chains, a new report finds.

• By sharing best practices, the industry can move much faster.

- Read the full story here.

How these Tanzanian communities are tapping carbon markets for conservation, developmental funding

A nature-based carbon credits programme in Tanzania is helping rural communities raise funding for conservation and developmental projects, and says it’s generated substantial benefits to date.

- Read the full story here.

How small hydro plants are transforming rural communities in Kenya

Kenya is fostering the growth of small hydropower plants as part of a broader push to electrify far-flung communities and meet its clean energy goals.

- Read the full story here.

Other articles you might find interesting:

• Germany aims to improve health and climate outcomes with first pedestrian transport strategy

• Free from Russia’s grid, Lithuania advances towards 100% renewable power by 2030

• In Oslo, construction projects are now clean and quiet

• These countries are leading the way to 100% renewable electricity

• Decarbonising manufacturing: Most processes are no longer ‘hard to abate’

• How Finland won the war on homelessness (mostly)

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