Search Climate Insights Directory
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DENY, DECEIVE, DELAY
The report identifies a shift from outright climate denial to 'discourses of delay'—narratives that accept climate change but justify inaction. During COP26, four primary delayist narratives trended: 'Hypocrisy and Elitism', 'Absolutionism', 'Unreliability of Renewables', and 'Ineffective Electric Vehicles'. The authors argue that a small group of 'repeat offender' influencers and right-wing media outlets drive the majority of this content, often leveraging algorithmic amplification on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The report concludes with seven policy recommendations, including the adoption of a unified definition of climate disinformation and stricter enforcement against repeat offenders.
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Document type: Report
The Coronavirus Climate Profiteers
The report identifies 'coronavirus profiteers' across the meat, auto, airline, logging, and fossil fuel industries who lobbied for deregulation and subsidies during the pandemic. It contrasts these with 'climate heroes'—including certain European automakers, EU leadership, and specific palm oil companies—who continued to pursue emissions reductions and forest protection. The text emphasizes that weakening environmental protections, such as allowing deforestation and air pollution, increases public health vulnerability to respiratory diseases and future pandemics.
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Document type: Report
gm-wants-everybody-in-on-greenwashing-1-a87c38e2b15604ed.pdf
The provided text is a comprehensive list of citations and references used in a report by Mighty Earth. These references document General Motors' (GM) corporate activities, including its electric vehicle (EV) sales, sustainability reports, and supply chain links to lithium mining in Nevada, aluminum and steel production in China and the US, and associated human rights and environmental concerns.
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Document type: Report
Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview
The document outlines the technical framework for RMI's State Clean Energy Eco graphics, which project the scale of energy transformation required for the US to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It details the use of the Princeton Net Zero America (NZA) project as the primary data source, supplemented by the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), NREL Cambium scenarios, and population projections. The methodology covers specific metrics across electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and human impact, including a detailed approach for downscaling potential federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the state level. To account for uncertainty in 2050 projections, metrics are generally rounded to one significant figure.
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Document type: Guide
Demand Growth Solutions Methodology Solution Source Notes
The document details the data sources and specific capacity estimates used by RMI for energy efficiency, virtual power plants, grid enhancing technologies, and clean repowering. It highlights a projected 53GW reduction from energy efficiency and 60GW of dispatchable capacity from flexible loads and storage by 2030, while adopting a conservative 20GW estimate for grid enhancing technologies and 14GW for clean repowering via generator replacement.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Why State Land Use Reform Should Be a Priority Climate Lever for America
The document outlines a methodology for estimating GHG emissions reductions achievable through land use reform in the US. It projects that over 13 million new housing units will be needed by 2033 to address population growth and existing shortages. By comparing a 'business as usual' scenario with a 'low VMT' scenario—where 90% of new housing is placed in the 90th percentile lowest VMT areas of each state—the analysis calculates potential savings in direct tailpipe emissions, vehicle lifecycle emissions, and indirect emissions from building energy, embodied carbon, and the loss of natural land carbon sinks.
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Document type: Report
Benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act by State
The document describes a methodology for downscaling national Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding and co-benefits to the US state level. For tax credits, RMI uses 'Climate-Aligned Targets' based on the Net Zero America study and RMI State Scorecards to estimate potential investment in electric vehicles, renewable energy, heat pumps, and carbon sequestration. For non-tax credit funding (rebates, grants, loans), the analysis downscales Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates using state-specific metrics such as methane emissions, fuel consumption, or population. Public health and jobs benefits are downscaled from Energy Innovation's national modeling based on state population relative to the United States.
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Document type: Report
Minnesotans would save up to $91 billion from climate-smart transportation
The document details the analytical approach used to estimate up to $91 billion in savings for Minnesota by comparing 'business-as-usual' transportation scenarios against targets for VMT reduction and net-zero emissions. It describes the monetization of avoided crash fatalities, air quality improvements, fuel and operating costs, and the social cost of carbon.
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Document type: Report
Reinventing Fire Transportation Sector Methodology
The Reinventing Fire transportation analysis evaluates efficiency pathways for U.S. autos, heavy trucks, and airplanes through 2050. It distinguishes between 'Improved Design' (technological upgrades) and 'Improved Use' (reducing vehicle-miles traveled), while incorporating a consumer adoption model for high-efficiency vehicles and a supply-cost model for inedible biofuels. The methodology integrates these findings into an economy-wide model to calculate net present value savings, estimating a total net saving of $3,757 billion in 2009 dollars.
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Document type: Report
Oil-Free Transportation
The paper proposes a 'lightweighting first' strategy to drastically reduce tractive load in automobiles, trucks, and aircraft, making electric and hydrogen powertrains more affordable and efficient. It argues that integrating advanced materials like carbon-fiber composites with smarter logistics and urban planning can lead to an oil-free U.S. transportation sector by 2050, providing significant economic savings and carbon emission reductions.
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Document type: Research paper
Reinventing Fire Electricity Sector Methodology
The document describes the use of NREL's Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and RMI's internal dispatch model to evaluate the technical feasibility and cost of four electricity scenarios: Maintain, Migrate, Renew, and Transform. It outlines spatial and temporal resolutions, generation cost assumptions based on learning curve theory, and specific modifications made to approximate distributed energy resources in the Transform case.
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Document type: Report
Top Federal Energy Policy Goals
The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes a comprehensive federal strategy to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and oil use by approximately 50% by 2020. The framework prioritizes reducing energy demand through efficiency in buildings, transport, and industry before substituting supply with renewables and biofuels. Key recommendations include implementing 'feebates' for vehicles, establishing a 'Smart Grid', and creating a national 'energy corps' for workforce training. RMI argues that climate protection is profitable and that the U.S. should move toward a system where all energy production and saving methods compete fairly without distorting subsidies.
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Document type: Briefing
DELIVER ELECTRIC DELHI PILOT ON ELECTRIFICATION OF FINAL-MILE DELIVERY VEHICLES IN DELHI
The 'Deliver Electric Delhi' pilot is a collaboration between RMI, the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC), and 36 private sector partners to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) for final-mile delivery. The initiative addresses the high pollution and carbon emissions caused by urban freight, which accounts for 45% of vehicular NOx pollution in Delhi. The pilot follows a three-phase approach—design, execution, and documentation—to gather data on total cost of ownership (TCO), vehicle productivity, and charging patterns. This data is intended to reduce risks for EV owners and financiers and inform public policy and infrastructure planning.
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Document type: Report
VIRTUAL POWER PLANT FLIPBOOK
The VPP Flipbook outlines how utilities can aggregate distributed energy resources (DERs)—such as batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats—to provide grid services like capacity, energy, and resilience. It details a six-step development process and provides specific examples from utilities including PG&E, National Grid, and Green Mountain Power. The document emphasizes the importance of open-access structures, third-party partnerships, and the integration of VPPs into long-term resource planning to address load growth and decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Guide
THE YEAR OF THE ELECTRIC CAR SCENARIOS FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA
The document outlines predictable trends and critical unknowns for the Southern African region, noting a decline in solar energy costs and increasing climate vulnerability, while questioning the pace of EV adoption, infrastructure availability, and the role of South Africa's auto-manufacturing protections.
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Document type: Fact sheet
South Africa’s Post-COVID Climate Response and the Path to its NDC Goals
South Africa has increased its climate ambition by lowering its 2030 emission target upper limit from 614 Mt CO2-eq to 420 Mt CO2-eq. While the country leads Africa in green finance and has established a carbon tax, implementation of climate strategies remains slow. The COVID-19 pandemic initially diverted focus toward immediate socioeconomic needs, but later spurred the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. Conversely, the Ukraine war has increased global demand for South African coal, potentially incentivizing a rollback of decarbonization. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) provides critical financial support, but the transition is hindered by ongoing power shortages, reliance on new coal plants like Medupi and Kusile, and political sensitivity regarding job losses in the coal sector.
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Document type: Research paper
BARBADOS ENERGY TRANSITION & INVESTMENT PLAN
The Barbados Energy Transition and Investment Plan (ETIP) identifies a net-zero emissions (NZE) target by 2035 as the most feasible pathway for the nation. Achieving this goal requires a total capital investment of BBD 19 billion by 2040, with the transport sector accounting for approximately BBD 17.3 billion of this total. The transition is expected to be driven by the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), onshore wind, solar PV, and blue hydrogen, while utilizing bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) in the industry sector to offset residual emissions. The plan projects that NZE 2035 will result in fuel cost savings of BBD 15.6 billion and create approximately 1,500 new jobs above business-as-usual levels by 2035. Key policy recommendations include implementing mandatory building energy codes, establishing a national electric mobility roadmap, and developing a governance structure featuring an Energy Transition Office to coordinate cross-ministerial implementation.
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Document type: Report
Promoting Energy Efficient Lifestyles and Decision-Making
The report argues that technical and rational arguments for energy efficiency are insufficient on their own and should be paired with emotion-based narratives to drive systemic change. It highlights the 'Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) movement launched by India and provides a series of case studies from G20 nations—including India, the USA, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and Japan—across the sectors of buildings, industry, and transport. These examples illustrate how leveraging feelings of pride, empowerment, and community responsibility can accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and behaviours.
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Document type: Report
Sierra Leone Energy Transition and Green Growth Plan
The Sierra Leone Energy Transition and Green Growth Plan outlines a pathway to 100% electrification and clean cooking by 2040. The plan emphasizes a shift from biomass and oil toward hydropower and solar PV, requiring an estimated USD 6.5 billion in capital investment by 2040 and a cumulative USD 15 billion by 2050. Key targets include deploying 745 MW of large hydropower and 932 MW of solar PV by 2040, while integrating electric mobility and green hydrogen by 2050. The transition is expected to double energy-sector jobs to 29,117 by 2050 and support national goals such as the Feed Salone strategy and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
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Document type: Executive summary
FOSTERING INDUSTRIAL HUBS FOR ENERGY TRANSITION TECHNOLOGIES IN AFRICA
The report argues that Africa has a significant opportunity to transition from a 'pit-to-port' resource extraction model to a green industrialization strategy focused on solar PV, batteries, and electric vehicles. It highlights that while Africa holds approximately 30% of the world's essential transition mineral reserves, it lacks investment in manufacturing, with most clean-tech imports originating from G20 countries, particularly China. The document proposes a G20 Action Plan involving a financing roadmap, a dedicated partnerships platform, and reforms to international trade and technology access norms to enable African countries to build competitive local value chains and create millions of green jobs.
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Document type: Report