Climate Making Sense and Making Money

The report posits that climate change is an artifact of resource inefficiency and that mitigating it can be done at a profit. It highlights that energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon fuels, and improving forestry and farming practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while lowering costs for businesses and governments. The text argues against the necessity of nuclear power, citing its high cost and market failure, and instead promotes wind, solar, and combined-cycle gas turbines. It suggests that market-oriented policies, such as those established by the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Treaty, can incentivize carbon reductions through trading mechanisms. The document concludes that the transition to a low-carbon economy can be managed without net job losses, provided there is transitional support for displaced workers in the fossil fuel sector.

• Human activity has altered the atmosphere's composition more rapidly than at any time in at least 10,000 years, increasing CO2 concentrations to 0.036 percent, the highest level in 420,000 years.
• Climate protection can be achieved at a profit rather than a cost, as existing technologies could potentially save the United States $300 billion annually in energy bills.
• Energy efficiency often shows no correlation between price and performance; for example, a 100-hp American motor with 95.8 percent efficiency can be cheaper than a 91.7 percent-efficient model.
• Nuclear power is described as the costliest way to replace fossil fuels and is failing due to market forces, with some reports stating that no plant anywhere in the world makes commercial sense.
• Renewable energy technologies are growing rapidly, with wind power increasing by approximately 26 percent annually and photovoltaics exceeding 70 percent annual growth.
• The adoption of 'trigeneration' (combined cooling, heating, and power) could reduce total US CO2 emissions by approximately 23 percent.
• A study in the Indian state of Karnataka demonstrated that efficiency improvements and renewables could achieve development goals with 95 percent less fossil-fuel CO2 and two-fifths less electricity than a fossil-fueled plan.
• The transition to a low-carbon economy does not necessitate a net loss of jobs, as the US economy creates 1.5 to 2 million net new jobs per year, far exceeding the rate of decline in the coal sector.
• The Kyoto Protocol creates a market framework where reduced emissions of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases can be traded, rewarding the least expensive abatement methods first.

APA

RMI (n.d.). Climate Making Sense and Making Money. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter12.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Climate Making Sense and Making Money. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Climate Making Sense and Making Money |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter12.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindclimate, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Climate Making Sense and Making Money}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }