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The World Resources Institute (WRI) updated the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to version 3.0 in August 2019. The update introduces a new hydrological model (PCR-GLOBWB 2.0) that incorporates groundwater resources and provides 144 times higher spatial resolution than the previous GLDAS-2 model. The Water Risk Framework was revised by removing four indicators, updating eight, and adding five new ones. Additionally, the tool transitioned from the Global Drainage Basin Database to HydroBASINS level 6 sub-basins to improve alignment with other water risk tools and provide more homogeneous sub-basin sizes. These changes affect the calculation of key metrics, including overall water risk and baseline water stress, which now account for both surface and groundwater supplies and use daily historical data from January 1960 to December 2014.

A drivetrain delivers power from a vehicle's engine or motor to its wheels, influencing fuel consumption, mechanical efficiency, and cost. Hybrid vehicles employ three primary drivetrain types: series, where only the electric motor powers the wheels; parallel, where the engine and motor work in tandem; and series/parallel, which combines both methods to optimize efficiency across different speeds. While series/parallel systems offer the best fuel performance, they are more expensive due to the need for larger batteries, generators, and advanced computing.

The document details three primary cooling methods for thermoelectric power plants in the US: once-through, wet-recirculating, and dry-cooling. It highlights that while once-through systems have high water withdrawals and wet-recirculating systems have higher consumption, dry-cooling can reduce water consumption by over 90% despite higher costs and lower efficiencies. As of 2008, recirculating systems were the most common in terms of both generator count (56%) and electricity generation (45%).

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that the MIT "Future of Coal" study relies on outdated data and ignores the commercial availability of carbon capture for IGCC plants. CATF contends that IGCC is a superior alternative to pulverized coal (PC) due to lower emissions of criteria pollutants and a significant cost advantage when 90% carbon capture is implemented. The document highlights that while PC carbon capture remains speculative, IGCC carbon capture is a "commercially proven process." CATF warns that following MIT's recommendation to build efficient PC plants today could lock in high global emissions, particularly in China, and instead advocates for banning new coal combustion plants in favor of rapidly commercializing advanced gasification and geologic storage.

The document examines the role of hydrogen fuel cells in decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking, noting their efficiency advantage over internal combustion engines and suitability for long-haul operations compared to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). It identifies California as the primary region for adoption due to supportive policies, but highlights critical barriers including high hydrogen costs, infrastructure gaps, and the financial instability of FCEV startups like Nikola and Hyzon.