Keeping Everyone’s Lights On

The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for a fundamental shift in how electric transmission systems are planned and invested in to address the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The report emphasizes that current grid planning is unprepared for climate reality and risks perpetuating inequities in marginalized communities. It recommends that utilities, states, and regional transmission operators adopt forward-looking climate risk assessments projecting at least 30 years into the future and integrate energy justice principles—such as shared governance and community advisory boards—to ensure that resilience investments protect the most vulnerable populations.

• The current electric grid is inadequately prepared for the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards, which are driven by fossil fuel-based climate change.
• Robust regional and interregional transmission is essential for resilience because it provides redundancy and allows access to diverse power plants located away from areas affected by extreme weather.
• To mitigate risk, transmission planning must evolve to include science-informed climate risk assessments that project impacts at least 30 years into the future across multiple emissions pathways.
• Existing resilience frameworks often ignore disparities in resources and infrastructure, necessitating the integration of energy justice principles and community-focused metrics to prevent the perpetuation of inequities.
• The document recommends establishing shared governance structures, including community advisory boards with explicit decisionmaking power and the use of equity impact statements to ensure accountability.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2025). Keeping Everyone’s Lights On. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Keeping-Everyones-Lights-On-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Keeping Everyone’s Lights On. 2025. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Keeping-Everyones-Lights-On-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Keeping Everyone’s Lights On |date=June 2025 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Keeping-Everyones-Lights-On-Summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2025keeping, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Keeping Everyone’s Lights On}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Keeping-Everyones-Lights-On-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }