Welcome to our latest newsletter.

In this issue, we zoom out to explore the intersection of energy with other key societal systems, including water, food, health and beyond, often referred to as the energy nexus. 

The energy-water-land nexus has recently regained momentum in energy policy debates, highlighting how energy systems are deeply embedded within broader socio-economic and environmental systems, making their transformation inseparable from wider sustainable development challenges. 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) themselves embody this integrated approach, recognising that progress on SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) depends on and contributes to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation),
SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and other goals. This interdependency requires holistic policy and investment frameworks that look beyond sectoral silos. 

Nexus thinking provides that lens. In an era of cascading crises, from energy shocks to water stress and food insecurity, amplified by climate change and geopolitical tensions, it helps identify trade-offs, manage competing demands on resources and ensures that energy transitions align with development objectives.    

Think tanks are at the forefront of unravelling these interdependencies to drive transformative policy. Whether addressing water scarcity, commodity price volatility, or health impacts, these challenges require a cross-sectoral analysis and evidence-based solutions.  

This edition features selected research and insights on how nexus-aware approaches can turn decarbonisation into a catalyst for inclusive prosperity.

Starting with the guest think piece by Vasudha Foundation, we explore India’s land-energy nexus across the country's agricultural sector and industry. 

You will also find a special guest piece by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the role of think tanks in addressing these systemic challenges and the Global Future Council (GFC) on the Energy Nexus, plus updates from across the International Network of Energy Transition Think Tanks (INETTT) and the latest research by INETTT members at the intersection of energy with other key societal systems.  

Kind thoughts,

Energy nexus is the web of interdependencies through which energy shapes and is shaped by agriculture, land, water, jobs, industry and resilience. India’s energy transition is best understood through this lens, not as a technology upgrade, but as a systems transformation. 

India’s climate story is becoming a global reference point because it is showing that delivery can outrun ambition. Its original 2015 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commits to a 33-35% reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP and to 40% of installed capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030. Both targets were met ahead of schedule, by 2021 and 2024, respectively^. The country’s updated NDC now targets a 47% reduction in emissions intensity and 60% non-fossil capacity by 2035.^[1] These milestones demonstrate that the true value of the transition lies not only in gigawatts added, but in how energy improvements ripple across livelihoods, industries and communities. 

From fields to the grid 

Nowhere is the energy nexus more tangible than in India’s agriculture sector. Indian farmers have long met the country’s food demand while carrying a disproportionate share of its energy burden: unreliable electricity, expensive diesel and a climate that grows more hostile each season. Launched in 2019, PM-KUSUM is India’s flagship effort to solarise farm power through standalone pumps, feeder solarisation and small solar plants on agricultural land. It has already installed more than 1 million standalone solar pumps and solarised over 1.3 million grid-connected pumps.^[2] The government is now preparing PM-KUSUM 2.0 with a dedicated 10 GW agri-PV component, allowing crops and solar panels to share the same land.2 In a country where land is scarce and farm incomes remain fragile, that is a potent nexus response. Panels above crops ease land pressure, reduce heat stress and moisture loss and can lift farm productivity in hot regions. Solar assets could additionally power local food processing and cold storage, addressing post-harvest losses while improving asset utilisation. They also create local jobs in installation and maintenance, while feeding clean electricity into the grid closer to demand. One plot of land can become a farm, a power asset and a livelihood engine. 

Rooftops as nexus nodes 

PM Surya Ghar, launched in February 2024, is the world’s largest residential rooftop solar programme and is backed by ₹75,021 crore ($7.85 billion)^[3]* in central support. By March 2026, more than 3.1 million households had benefited from rooftop solar under the scheme.^[4] Beyond electricity generation, PM Surya Ghar reflects the energy nexus in practice by linking clean energy with livelihoods, household resilience and social change. The scheme has created a growing ecosystem of over 30,000 rooftop solar vendors, generating skilled jobs across installation, maintenance and local supply chains. Lower electricity bills improve household disposable incomes, while the growing visibility of rooftop solar is making clean energy part of everyday life and shaping a new generation more connected to sustainability and climate action. 

The industrial opportunity 

Hereon, the nexus logic must extend equally to India’s industries. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute 35.4% of manufacturing output while consuming over 25% of industrial energy. Yet, high energy and steam costs, fuel price volatility and a fossil fuel-dominant supply chain make them structurally fragile and vulnerable. For low- to medium-temperature needs, renewable energy-backed electrification is the immediate option. For higher temperatures, green hydrogen and emerging thermal batteries can close the gap. India has already shown how to scale clean power. The next frontier on its radar is to mainstream clean heat. This builds industrial resilience, but also reduces fossil fuel dependence, secures jobs and improves cost competitiveness.  

Design for the nexus 

India’s experience shows that when climate action is designed through the nexus lens, it can deliver far more than emissions reduction. It can strengthen food and water security, improve rural livelihoods, generate jobs and build industrial resilience. Cleaner energy must ultimately translate into better lives. In India, it is beginning to. 

*As on May 28, 2026; 1 USD = INR 95.6   
**The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the INETTT Secretariat or the wider INETTT membership. 

The nexus of energy, food and water systems – and the transitions across them – is complex, complicated and compounding. The need for coordinated, systems-level approaches to manage the growing complexity is key. Both cross-sector dialogue and practitioner research play a critical role in demonstrating the urgency to policymakers, business leaders, investors and the research community.  

The Global Future Council (GFC) on the Energy Nexus is part of the World Economic Forum’s  Network of Global Future Councils that convenes over 700 experts from academia, business, government, civil society and international organisations. It operates as a time-bound think tank, grouped in expertise-based thematic councils, to identify and disseminate transformative ideas with the potential for positive global impact. 

The GFC on Energy Nexus is composed of 22 senior executives from business, government, civil society and academia. Through research, analysis and insight sharing, the GFC intends to foster a better understanding of how energy sectors are deeply interconnected with economies, natural ecosystems and industries ranging from agriculture to AI. It examines the question: what is needed to support greater regional and global coordination and action to address complex energy nexus challenges? 

Energy nexus insights 

As part of this quest, the GFC has launched “Energy Nexus Insights”, a series of blogs that compiles geographic and sector-specific examples of nexus issues and opportunities to deliver coordinated action. The blogs cover case studies and examples that demonstrate integrated planning between water and energy agencies, opportunities for cross-functional governance, systems leadership and better metrics that capture interdependencies rather than isolated performance indicators.  

By examining the challenges within sectors such as water, ports, insurance, AI, fertilisers, farming, data centres and renewables, the analyses illustrate how they are all interconnected systems. Solving one problem in one of these sectors in isolation can create new risks elsewhere. This, for example, includes a green hydrogen production unit that exacerbates water scarcity in the region; or a large-scale industrial site which displaces smallholder farmers. What we have learned across these examples is that energy transition strategies must move from sector-specific plans to integrated, nexus governance. 

This shift, from single-sector planning to integrated nexus governance, begins by anticipating trade-offs before they become crises and designing solutions that work across systems, not just within them.

At the heart of these transitions are the people. Inclusive community governance and a just transition are critical in determining whether proposed solutions succeed or exacerbate the problem over the long term. Where local communities are engaged as partners rather than consulted as afterthoughts, projects tend to be more durable and more trusted.  

Increasingly, resilience is becoming a competitive advantage. Diversified infrastructure, water-smart siting, connected reporting standards, insurance-backed adaptation, clean-energy procurement and circular mineral use are critical to ensure efficient use of resources and minimise trade-offs. Organisations that integrate these practices across their projects are finding themselves better equipped to navigate regulatory shifts, supply chain disruptions and climate risk.  

Role of think tanks 

Think tanks have a unique opportunity to address the energy nexus. For example, analysing cross-sector trade-offs, highlighting tensions and providing policy recommendations on how these sectors interconnect. The think tanks in INETTT provide critical solutions to address the nexus, from water-siting to geospatial and resource analyses that illustrate interdependencies of energy with water, land, and food development. Members in INETTT emphasise how the nexus goes beyond energy-water-food, and affects justice, local services, affordability, public health and industrial policy.   

As many institutions still manage these sectors in siloes, think tanks can improve decision-making by developing nexus decision-infrastructure. This can include tools, such as water-energy risks maps, nexus metrics and stress tests, trade-off briefs and benefits calculators. Supporting a structured problem-solving process that brings together the input of different participants and translates them into tools for decision-makers can help shape pilots, policy templates and investment criteria. 

Think tanks have the ability to anticipate questions, analyse trends and warn in advance of challenges to support the deliberative process of public policy. They hold a huge power to help inform understanding of nexus challenges.

As the Co-Chair of the GFC on Energy Nexus, Aurnabha Ghosh shares,  

"Institutions are like trees. They need vision and nurturing, but the best ones stand on their own—resilient, independent and always reaching higher than the day before."

*The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the INETTT Secretariat or the wider INETTT membership.

INETTT’s latest country-level case studies on the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) provide insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders and international partners navigating the implementation phase:    

Key takeaways include:   

• Limited macroeconomic impact: The immediate impact of CBAM on both Colombia and Mexico will be modest. In 2023, CBAM-covered goods made up 0.91% of Mexican exports to the EU. For Colombia, the EU accounted for 3.4% of its total CBAM-affected exports.  
• Concentrated risks and local impacts: CBAM exposure is concentrated at the departmental and municipal levels, with the iron and steel sector being the most exposed in both Colombia and Mexico. The department of Córdoba, home to the largest iron ore reserves in Colombia and reliant on iron and steel exports, will face the most impacts on its local economy and value chain. In Mexico, the state of Nuevo León, with its strong presence in steel production, will similarly be most impacted.   

• Gaps in readiness: Product-level monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and traceability, as well as institutional and private-sector readiness, are limited in both countries. In particular, SMEs lack resources and infrastructure to comply with stringent CBAM reporting requirements.     

• The moment for green industrialisation: With international cooperation on technology and climate finance, the CBAM can offer an opportunity for accelerating decarbonisation efforts. The EU could, for instance, recycle a share of CBAM revenue to contribute to partner countries’ green industrial projects.    

Next in our CBAM series is a case study on Türkiye, developed with local INETTT member SHURA Energy Transition Center. The brief explores the potential consequences of CBAM implementation on Türkiye, highlighting nuances at the national and subnational levels, the country’s preparedness and possible responses. Stay tuned for the launch announcement on social media! 

After a competitive selection process, we are happy to announce the winners of the 2026 INETTT Grants Programme.  

INETTT’s Grants Programme strengthens the institutional capacities of member think tanks, fosters knowledge production and amplifies collective policy impact. By doing so, it directly contributes to INETTT’s mission of advancing ambitious, evidence-based energy transition policies worldwide.   

The projects are being implemented from May to October 2026 by INETTT members across East Asia, South Asia Europe and Latin America and address critical challenges in advancing industrial decarbonisation for just and fair transitions as well as institutional development.  

Three impactful projects were selected for small grants in 2026: 

• Nigeria Climate and Energy Transition Virtual Platform: Strengthening Climate and Energy Transition Governance and Coordination by Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI)

• Building Policy and Civil Society Capacity on Green Industrial Materials and Transition Minerals in Morocco by Imal Initiative for Climate and Development (IMAL)

• Strengthening Strategic Communication for Energy Transition Policy by POLEN Transiciones Justas  

The INETTT Large Grants Programme is organised jointly with Agora Industry.  

• Strategic Positioning of Brazil in the EV Battery Value Chain under Low-Carbon Constraints by E+ Energy Transition Institute   

• Rethinking South Korea’s Industrial Structure: From Carbon Lock-In to Decarbonisation and Competitiveness by Green Energy Strategy Institute (GESI) 

• National Roadmap for Green Industrialisation in Pakistan by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)  

• Industrial Policy: Enabling the Twin Goals of Decarbonisation and Sustainable Development by SHURA Energy Transition Center

• Forging a Low-Carbon Future: Decarbonising Colombia’s Steel Industry by Transforma 

• Advancing Industrial Decarbonisation toward Net-Zero 2050 in Thailand through a Just Transition Framework by Energy Research Institute (ERI)

We thank all INETTT members who submitted project proposals showcasing the breadth of expertise and innovation within our membership.   

From 22-24 April 2026, a diverse group of 15 professionals from across INETTT and 12 countries gathered for the third INETTT Training on energy system analytics. The programme was designed to enhance data analysis and visualisation skills, thereby equipping trainees to translate technical insights into evidence-based policy recommendations advancing the energy transition.  

Hosted by our local member, the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development in Marrakesh, Morocco, the training was delivered by Agora Energiewende’s Energy and Data Modelling Team and organised by the INETTT Secretariat in the frame of our Data Working Group. 

• Day 1: Excel fundamentals (pivot tables and VLOOKUP finally clicked!)  

• Day 2: The group moved from charts to narratives, practising how to build compelling, fact-based messages for policymakers, with a real-world case on COVID-19’s energy impact 

• Day 3: The final day introduced various modelling methodologies and the essential steps for designing robust, model-based analysis 

Alongside the content-focused sessions, there was also plenty of time to get to know one another, exchange ideas and foster connections – whether over a shared lunch, the Moroccan welcome dinner, or the numerous interactive energisers.   

In March, this INETTT-exclusive webinar brought together experts from INETTT member think tanks to explore different energy affordability measurement methods as well as their advantages and limitations, with a particular focus on social equity dimensions of the energy transition.  

The Public Affairs Research Institute (South Africa) set the scene with a presentation on methodologies for empirically assessing affordability. 

In May, the Crux Alliance and the INETTT Secretariat hosted a virtual briefing featuring the SHURA Energy Transition Center. Following a brief presentation of INETTT activities, the session explored how Türkiye’s energy transition is unfolding, the opportunities and obstacles ahead and the critical steps needed to accelerate domestic and international policy progress ahead of COP31 in Antalya. 

We extend our gratitude to Alkım Bağ, Director of SHURA Energy Transition Center and Member of the INETTT Executive Board, for her insightful presentation and responses. Philipp Godron, Programme Lead Power at Agora Energiewende, served as a discussant, enriching the conversation with his expertise. 

Key Insights from the discussion:  

Alkım Bağ kicked off the webinar with a deep dive into Türkiye’s net-zero future, also focusing on the structural constraints and implementation challenges shaping the country’s energy transition. She highlighted Türkiye’s decarbonisation efforts driven not only by climate policy but also economic necessity, macroeconomic stability and competitiveness pressures as well as energy security concerns. 

The discussion between Alkım Bağ and Philipp Godron covered a wide range of topics, from the impact of the 2026 energy crisis on Türkiye’s energy system to SHURA’s strategic plans leading up to COP31. Continuing with questions from the audience, Alkım shared insights on advancing electrification in Türkiye, the development of battery supply chains, and other key issues shaping the energy transition. She highlighted Türkiye’s high electrification potential, particularly in industry and power-to-X for hard-to-abate sectors like cement as well as COP31 as a potential catalyst for accelerating action-oriented measures in renewables, electrification and grid flexibility. 

The open debate and critical questions underscore the importance of open, collaborative dialogue in energy transition discussions. We thank to all participants for their engaging questions. 

Global energy transitions depend on secure and sustainable supplies for critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper and rare earth elements, needed for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and grid infrastructure. Under a net-zero scenario, demand is projected to increase by fourfold by 2040, with supply chains facing mounting pressures from geographic concentration, environmental degradation, governance gaps, and geopolitical tensions. 

Simultaneously, the energy transition represents an opportunity for producer countries to build higher-value industries, create jobs and drive sustainable development, moving beyond extraction to responsible, value-added production. Meanwhile, consumer countries are prioritising risk mitigation, supply chain resilience, diversification and seeking to align supply chains with ESG standards, climate goals and economic security. 

Against this background, the INETTT Secretariat and Agora Energiewende organised an internal online workshop on critical minerals in June, convening member think tanks from both resource-rich countries: IMAL (Morocco), Pakistan (SDPI) and Green Cape (South Africa) and import-dependent countries: NEXT Group (South Korea) and Agora Energiewende (G7 countries' perspectives), to explore diverse perspectives and identify joint priorities on sustainable critical mineral value chains. 

Our thanks to all speakers from INETTT member think tanks for their contributions.

This workshop was organised in the frame of INETTT’s Industry and Socio-Econ Working Groups.  

The INETTT Secretariat is pleased to announce elections for new Executive Board representatives from Latin America and Africa.  

The INETTT Executive Board (IEB) comprises five representatives from INETTT member think tanks, who provide strategic guidance to the network.

Following the elections in June, handover of responsibilities will take place during the INETTT Annual Forum in November in Türkiye. 

A huge thank you to the outgoing Board members, Jack-Vincent Radmore, Energy Programme Manager and Climate Finance Lead at GreenCape and Rosana Santos, Executive Director at E+ Energy Transition Institute, for their leadership and dedication to driving our mission forward! 

Mark your calendars for the INETTT Annual Forum (IAF) 2026 (formerly INETTT Annual Meeting) taking place from 4-7 November in Antalya, Türkiye. The new name more accurately encompasses the breadth and depth of the exchanges that happen during the event.  

Building on the momentum of last year, the IAF programme will reflect the thematic areas of INETTT’s Working Groups: Power systems, industry decarbonisation, socio-economic transformation, finance, communication as well as data and modelling.  

• PyPSA-SPICE Training | Q3 2026  

• Webinar: Measuring What Matters: Index-Building for Just Energy Transition Policymaking | 17 June 2026 (online) 

• Webinar: Financing Fair Futures: Rethinking Capital for a Just Transition | 1 July 2026 (online) 

The “AIRPOLIM” tool estimates the health impacts associated with air pollution generated from the combustion of fossil fuels.  

The tool exists in two versions: One focusing on electricity generation (coal and gas) and the other on the transport sector. NewClimate Institute also applied the methodology to other sectors, such as the cooking sector. It can be applied to a wide range of countries and sub-national geographies.

A new report in the frame of the Clean Affordable Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia project challenges GDP-driven electricity planning in Southeast Asia. 

Climate change increasingly threatens progress toward the SDGs. Yet well-designed transitions to low-emission development pathways can unlock significant social and economic benefits when rooted in equity and justice. 

This technical paper for the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group presents an integrated approach to climate mitigation and socioeconomic development, identifying key enablers, such as policy alignment, finance, technical capacity and international cooperation, to maximise synergies and manage trade-offs.

Through case studies of Brazil, India, the European Union and South Africa, the paper demonstrates how these enablers can be implemented at national and regional levels, offering lessons for G20 collaboration.

To accelerate progress, the paper proposes three priorities for the G20: Sharing integrated approaches, strengthening international coordination and fostering demand-driven partnerships to support implementation both within and beyond member countries. 

PARI's guide diversifies the narrative and framing of the climate response beyond renewable energy to include the strategic importance of land and local government in shaping the global climate response. 

This report examines the energy-water-food-climate nexus by highlighting how coal power generation creates cascading impacts across multiple systems.  

By measuring carbon emissions, health impacts and transport emissions, the study calculates external cost per MWh of electricity generated from coal.

Policy instruments such as carbon pricing or Pigouvian taxes could internalise the hidden externalities associated with coal-based electricity in Pakistan. The study further offers policy recommendations and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility as an avenue to introduce carbon pricing while unlocking concessional finance.