China will see off challengers in EV batteries

Significance The battery is the most expensive and performance-critical element of an electric vehicle (EV). China's dominance in the sector therefore has strategic implications, because the global transition towards EVs is key to achieving international targets to mitigate climate change, and to individual nations’ wealth generation prospects. Impacts The car industry worldwide will increasingly depend on access to cost-effective batteries, which in the short term means Chinese suppliers. China’s dominance of the battery supply chain and fast-growing EV market ties foreign automotive leaders to Chinese partners and markets. Extensive government support would be needed to compete with Chinese firms’ dominance in the battery and critical mineral supply chains.

The Transition of the World‘s Largest Economies to Carbon Neutrality: Areas of Potential Cooperation with Russia

In 2020, despite the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that decarbonization and energy transition had become strategic goals rather than market trends. Moreover, they have become part of the broader and more ambitious plans of the world’s largest economies to move toward carbon neutrality by the middle of the 21st century. These economies include the European Union, the U.S., China, Japan and Korea. In Russia, these trends are typically viewed through the prism of risk: carbon neutrality implies a dramatic decrease in demand for fossil fuels, the production and export of which still play a key role in the Russian economy. However, apart from the risk to traditional sources of income, the global transition to carbon neutrality creates new opportunities for the development and diversification of the Russian economy, as well as for international cooperation in new areas. This article is devoted to the general identification of such opportunities. The authors perform a content analysis of the official plans of the largest economies related to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050–60. The main areas in which actions will be taken are identified. The current state of the corresponding industries in Russia and the possibilities for improvement are investigated. On the basis of this analysis, promising directions for the development of the Russian economy are proposed in which the implementation of large-scale international economic cooperation is possible in the coming decades.

COP26 Futures We Want - Brazil Country Profile

This country profile for Brazil has been developed with the input from in-country academic experts, including Dr. Roberto Luís de Melo Monte-Mór (Federal University of Minas Gerais), Dr. Jakob Sparn, Dr. Olinda Canhoto (Centro de Biotecnologia Amazônia) and Dr. Carlos Lamarão (Federal University of Amazonas), in the context of the BEIS COP26 Futures We Want project. It provides a review of the available evidence on the risks, solutions and opportunities for Brazil and Brazilian society to contribute towards a global transition to a net zero future that is inclusive, resilient and desirable by all.

COP26 Futures We Want - Kenya Country Profile

This country profile for Kenya has been developed with the input from in-country academic experts, including Prof John M. Wesonga (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology) and Dr Linda Nkatha Gichuyia (University of Nairobi), in the context of the BEIS COP26 Futures We Want project. It provides a review of the available evidence on the risks, solutions and opportunities for Kenya and Kenyan society to contribute towards a global transition to a net zero future that is inclusive, resilient and desirable by all.

COP26 Futures We Want - Jamaica Country Profile

This regional profile for Jamaica was developed in the context of the BEIS COP26 Futures We Want project. It has been developed with input from in-country academic experts Professor Michael Taylor (University of the West Indies, Jamaica), Dr David Smith (University of the West Indies, Jamaica) and Mr Rajne Reynolds (University of the West Indies). It sets out a synthesis of the available evidence base on regional challenges and opportunities for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience measures for Jamaica associated with climate change and a global transition to an inclusive, desirable, and resilient net-zero future.