2026 mid-year impact: Meaningful progress in a complex world

At the halfway point of 2026, one thing is clear: progress on climate is not inevitable. It requires persistence, evidence-based advocacy, and a willingness to engage where the stakes are highest.

Over the past six months, Clean Air Task Force has worked across continents to defend critical climate protections, advance next-generation clean energy technologies, and strengthen the policies and institutions needed to deliver lasting impact.

From protecting the EU Methane Regulation against coordinated attacks, to defending foundational climate safeguards in the United States, to accelerating the commercialization of geothermal, nuclear, and fusion energy, CATF continues to focus on the solutions capable of delivering meaningful emissions reductions at scale.

This update highlights how we turn analysis into action – shaping policy, building coalitions, convening decision-makers, and advancing technologies that can provide affordable, reliable, and low emissions energy for a growing world.

At a time of increasing political and economic uncertainty, our work remains grounded in a simple principle: climate progress depends on practical solutions that reduce pollution, strengthen energy systems, and improve people’s lives.

Driving down pollution

Defending the EU Methane Regulation
CATF is helping protect one of the world’s strongest climate regulations from coordinated industry and political attacks while supporting its implementation across global oil and gas supply chains.

Why it matters: Methane is one of the fastest ways to slow global warming. Strong enforcement of the EU Methane Regulation holds major polluters accountable, boosts European energy security, and cuts pollution worldwide.

Proof points:

• Raised the concern over the threat to the EU Methane Regulation with the U.S. Senate, and worked with our partners in Washington, D.C., and state capitals to recruit Members to step out in favor of the EUMR. Twenty-four U.S. lawmakers delivered a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the regulation’s robust, continued, and rapid implementation.
• Published analysis that explains how the EU Methane Regulation can turn avoidable gas losses into an energy security solution and an evidenced-based look into the impact of penalties.
• Developed a public awareness and education campaign in defense of strong implementation of the regulation.
• Continued to track methane emissions from the oil and gas sector in the field documenting the impact as the law is implemented.

Standing up for science in the U.S.

From testimony to legal action, CATF continued to challenge and defend the scientific and legal foundations of climate and public health regulations. 

Why it matters: Removing these protections ignores overwhelming scientific evidence and threatens decades of progress on public health and climate safeguards. 

Proof points:  

• Joined legal action challenging EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding, the scientific and legal foundation for regulating climate pollution. 
• Successfully defended EPA’s national health-based soot air quality standard, which was strengthened in 2024 and estimated to save thousands of lives every year. 
• Joined legal action challenging EPA’s repeal of standards that limit mercury, lead, and other hazardous air pollution from coal-fired power plants. 
• Worked with coalition partners on litigation against EPA’s finalized standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides from stationary combustion turbines, which would allow significant and unnecessary increases in air pollution. 

Advancing clean power

Building momentum for next-generation geothermal
From convening global leaders and investors to advancing new federal legislation, CATF is helping create the ecosystem needed to commercialize superhot rock geothermal.

Why it matters: Next-generation geothermal, including superhot rock geothermal, can provide reliable, around-the-clock clean energy, strengthen energy security, and lower electricity costs for decades to come.

Proof points:

• Built the collaborative global ecosystem for geothermal innovation at the 2^nd Superhot Rock Geothermal Summit in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund – cementing the partnerships, demonstrations, and trusted networks necessary to accelerate commercialization of superhot rock geothermal.
• Led the charge on how to make next-generation geothermal investable with the GeoTech Summit, a high-level convening of ~100 geothermal developers, technology leaders, and investors, alongside MIT Energy Initiative.
• Advocated for two pieces of companion legislation in the U.S. Senate and House to bolster federal funding for next-generation geothermal research, development, and commercialization.
• Played a leading role in elevating the potential of superhot rock geothermal globally, leading to a flagship International Energy Agency (IEA) report that features superhot rock geothermal – signaling a growing global consensus around the technology’s potential to shape how the world accesses clean, firm power.
• Led and endorsed the Dubrovnik Geothermal Declaration, joining public, financial, industry, and geothermal stakeholders in setting out a forward-looking framework to translate shared political, technical, and financial priorities into concrete regional action in the Three Seas Region of Central and Eastern Europe.
• Escalated state level policy efforts on superhot rock geothermal with new modelling that shows California could cut 2045 electricity costs by up to $44 billion a year by investing in next-generation geothermal.

Scaling nuclear power for the clean energy transition
CATF’s advocacy helped shape the EU’s new SMR Strategy and is advancing innovative approaches to deploy nuclear energy more quickly and affordably.

Why it matters: Clean firm power sources like nuclear energy are essential for maintaining reliability while meeting growing electricity demand and climate goals.

Proof points:

• Informed the EU SMR Strategy, which establishes a unified approach for the EU Commission, Member States, and industry to accelerate commercialization and avoid fragmentation of small modular reactors. The strategy includes several provisions CATF has long advocated for the Commission to ensure successful deployment of SMRs by the early 2030s.
• Secured funding from the Bezos Earth Fund of the Nuclear Scaling Initiative to support the creation of an orderbook for new nuclear reactor builds in the U.S. – moving from one-off projects to a repeatable model to scale nuclear energy efficiently and affordably.
• Commissioned research from MIT that offers important insight into the economic and system-wide implications of keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant online beyond 2030. The study finds that keeping the plant online through 2045 not only reduces system costs but also makes the state’s SB100 clean electricity targets less difficult to achieve by lowering the infrastructure needs.

Preparing fusion energy for commercial reality
CATF is developing cost models, regulatory frameworks, and international collaborations to accelerate fusion energy’s path from the laboratory to the grid.

Why it matters: Fusion could eventually provide abundant, clean, and secure energy – but only if policy, regulation, and investment frameworks keep pace with technological progress.

Proof points:

• Developed the Fusion Cost Model, informed by more than a decade of collaboration with fusion developers, industry leaders, and international institutions – including foundational work with DOE’s ARPA-E and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The model gives users a clear and as complete as possible view of the cost categories present in a fusion power plant and help to identify key cost drivers shaping different fusion power plant designs and enables consistent, apples-to-apples economic analysis across approaches.
• Formed the Steering Committee for the International Working Group on Materials Database for Fusion (IWG MatDB4Fusion), a global initiative designed to accelerate fusion energy development through improved access to high-quality, standardized materials data.
• Convened key stakeholders from the emerging commercial fusion industry at the second Fusion Safety and Regulation Course, providing a unique opportunity to learn from international leaders with hands-on experience at the most advanced fusion facilities around the world, exchange experiences, and keep up to date with the latest global developments.
• Published recommendations for the forthcoming EU fusion strategy, calling for policy clarity at a moment when global momentum in fusion energy is accelerating.

Making clean energy more affordable and reliable
CATF research shows how clean firm generating technologies, smarter electricity market design, and innovative financing can reduce costs while accelerating decarbonization.

Why it matters: Achieving a reliable, affordable clean energy system requires more than adding renewables – it requires a diverse portfolio of technologies and better policy tools.

Proof points:

• Found a major opportunity to reduce electricity costs in New England by changing how transmission infrastructure is financed. CATF’s analysis shows that current financing models are significantly increasing costs for customers. Public financing offers a practical alternative – cutting costs by up to 43% and delivering $9 billion in savings over 40 years while supporting a reliable and clean electricity system.
• Examined a critical category of clean electricity solutions that remain underutilized: clean firm generation technologies. By delivering clean electricity whenever it is needed, clean firm generating resources – like geothermal, nuclear energy, and fossil generation with high levels of carbon capture – can reduce the scale of infrastructure needs, lower system costs, and expand viable decarbonization pathways.
• Took a data-driven look at what’s actually driving rate increases across the U.S. The result? There are real solutions, but no single fix is sufficient. Addressing affordability requires tailored, data-driven policy reforms at multiple levels of government.
• Analyzed how capacity mechanisms – policy tools that pay power generators to remain available during peak demand – can be better designed to provide reliability and investment in clean firm power in Europe.

Transforming complex systems

Raising the bar for carbon removal
CATF is improving standards for biomass carbon removal.

Why it matters: High-integrity carbon management solutions are critical for reaching net-zero emissions while maintaining public trust and market credibility.

Proof points:

• Assessed 25 biomass carbon removal crediting protocols – underscoring the opportunity for improvement and need for greater consistency across standards.
• Developed a roadmap for governments, carbon credit registries, investors, and buyers to strengthen protocols and ensure that biomass carbon removal systems both scale sustainably and deliver the intended climate benefits.

Holding polluters accountable
CATF is tracking progress toward Europe’s carbon storage targets through the Article 23 Watch – a joint initiative of Clean Air Task Force, Carbon Balance Initiative, and Bellona Europa.

Why it matters: Under Article 23 of the Net Zero Industry Act, 44 EU oil and gas producers are obligated to deliver 50 million tonnes of annual CO₂ injection capacity by 2030 – significantly contributing to driving down emissions.

Proof points:

• Published an evidence-based snapshot of how Article 23 is being implemented across industry, Member States, and EU institutions – with recommendations on effective implementation.
• Developed recommendations on how non-compliance penalties can be designed to be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.
• Published an informal Amicus Curiae addressing the main legal arguments raised before the European Court of Justice by a number of oil and gas obligated entities.

Driving global progress

Building clean energy capacity around the world
From utility leaders in Africa to emerging climate professionals in Central and Eastern Europe, CATF is helping strengthen the networks and expertise needed for long-term clean energy deployment.

Why it matters: Climate progress depends on local leadership, strong institutions, and practical solutions that work across diverse regional contexts.

Proof points:

• Convened African utilities on the African continent at our annual utilities roundtable to strengthen central grids, energy access, and clean energy integration. The event provides a crucial forum for policymakers, regulators, and utility executives from across the continent to discuss their shared challenges and explore opportunities to rapidly scale grid-scale improvements.
• Invested in the next generation of clean energy leaders in Central and Eastern Europe with the launch of the second year of the CEE Fellowship. The fellowship equips early-career professionals with practical knowledge, mentorship, and cross-border networks to help shape a sustainable and resilient energy future.

Tracking what’s at stake
CATF continues to track clean energy investments in the U.S., analyze federal policy developments, and identify opportunities to advance clean firm energy across the country despite continued policy and market uncertainty.

Why it matters: Understanding where investments are flowing – and the policies that support them – is essential to maintaining momentum toward a cleaner, more secure energy future.

Proof points:

• Showed how local communities across the U.S. are benefiting from innovative energy technologies.
• Analyzed U.S. climate and energy policies to understand opportunities for climate progress in an era of federal policy uncertainty.
• Developed recommendations to help federal agencies efficiently deploy energy incentives to maximize impact with existing resources at their disposal, based on interviews with energy and environmental groups, former agency staff, industry representatives, and philanthropy.