Search Climate Insights Directory
259 results
Strategies for governing fair low-carbon transport transitions in Sweden and beyond
The document identifies that up to 40% of Sweden's population is at high risk of being adversely affected by low-carbon transport transitions, particularly those in low-density areas and those at risk of poverty. It argues that transition policies must be tailored to socioeconomic and geographic factors to avoid exacerbating inequalities and political resistance. The authors propose a framework of four key strategies—structural transport design, group-tailored assistance, mitigation of external vulnerabilities, and continuous evaluation—to ensure a socially equitable and politically viable transition to net-zero emissions by 2045.
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Document type: Briefing
Plugging into Mobility Needs at Lower-Income Multifamily Housing
The document argues that current EV charging infrastructure is concentrated in high-income areas, creating a barrier to adoption for lower-income multifamily housing residents. Based on engagement in Portland, Atlanta, and Phoenix, it recommends that stakeholders prioritize community engagement, affordability, multimodal solutions, and inclusive local partnerships to ensure an equitable transition to transportation electrification.
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Document type: Report
How Utilities Can Mitigate Risks through Robust Community Benefits Plans
The briefing explains how Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) serve as a tool for utilities to secure federal funding via the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program while reducing project risks. It details how meaningful community engagement can prevent costly project delays and cancellations, how workforce training and unionization improve operational efficiency, and how addressing energy poverty and diversity goals enhances a utility's social license to operate and ESG performance.
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Document type: Briefing
Bringing EVs to Latine Communities Thru Direct Engagement and Education
A pilot project by GreenLatinos and partners provided bilingual EV education to 600 households in Maryland, finding that while 76% of surveyed participants are interested in EVs, significant gaps remain in the understanding of tax incentives and literacy-accessible outreach.
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Document type: Case study
Reducing the Risk of Investing in Electric Vehicles for Low-Income Consumers
The document examines the barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption for low-income consumers, specifically highlighting that while subsidies like the Inflation Reduction Act address upfront costs, high repair and maintenance costs remain a significant risk. It notes that for low-income households, the loss of a vehicle due to repair costs can lead to job loss and reduced access to healthcare. To mitigate these risks, the author suggests strategic investments in EV government fleets and public transportation, such as the EPA's Clean School Bus Rebates, which provide immediate air quality benefits to environmental justice communities without placing financial risk on vulnerable individuals.
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Document type: Briefing
ACT Now: How the Advanced Clean Trucks Rule Will Impact the Electric Grid and Fleets
The document identifies the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles as critical for meeting US climate targets, given that trucks contribute 23 percent of the US transportation sector's carbon footprint. It argues that inadequate charging infrastructure is the primary bottleneck, as high-powered chargers (50 to 750+ kW) often necessitate costly and slow grid upgrades. Using Geotab ITS telematics data from 15 states adopting the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, the report aims to provide stakeholders with data on energy demand, grid impact, investment needs, and equitable prioritization of infrastructure.
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Document type: Report
Appendix: State Electric Vehicle Benefits Methodology, Assumptions, and References
The document outlines the technical framework for assessing electric vehicle (EV) benefits, utilizing EPA eGRID data for power plant emissions and the GREET model for upstream feedstock emissions. It specifies the use of a sales-weighted EV efficiency of 0.314 kWh/mile and an average annual mileage of 11,599 miles. Public health benefits are derived from the American Lung Association's use of the EPA COBRA model, while economic data includes announced manufacturing jobs from the EV Jobs Hub and charging infrastructure growth from the Alternative Fuels Data Center. Fuel cost comparisons rely on NREL utility rates and GasBuddy gasoline prices.
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Document type: Research paper
State of the US Clean Energy Transition: Recent Progress, and What Comes Next
The U.S. clean energy sector saw record growth in 2023, particularly in solar installations and EV sales, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. However, the transition faces significant headwinds from rising interest rates, supply chain shortages for transformers, and a lagging transmission system. To meet 2035 carbon-free electricity goals, annual renewable installation rates must nearly double, and transmission capacity may need to double or triple.
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Document type: Report
Spearheading Efficiency and Sustainability in Global Supply Chains
The logistics sector is projected to grow from US$8.9 trillion to US$18.2 trillion by 2030, yet it currently accounts for 10 percent of global emissions. RMI proposes that G20 nations, which represent 80 percent of global CO2 emissions, lead the transition to sustainable logistics by implementing eco-driving and efficient packaging, establishing multi-level government regulatory frameworks, developing zero-emissions trucking corridors, and utilizing public-private partnerships and multilateral development organization financing to manage high capital risks.
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Document type: Briefing
Produce Deliveries, Electrified
OK Produce has transitioned from diesel-powered transport to a fleet that currently includes 10 electric trucks, three electric terminal tractors, and 12 electric cars, with seven more electric trucks planned. To ensure these vehicles are fully zero emissions, the company expanded its solar capacity from an initial 231 kW system in 2001 to 3.8 MW, which now powers 90 percent of its facilities. After two decades of incremental pollution reduction via biodiesel and efficiency upgrades, the company began experimenting with electric trucks in 2020. OK Produce also participated in the late 2023 Run on Less – Electric Depot event to share data on charging infrastructure, truck performance, and total cost of ownership to accelerate industry-wide electrification.
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Document type: Case study
Electric Vehicles
The report identifies four primary investment opportunities for electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa: electric micro-mobility for last-mile delivery, electrification of public transportation, electrification of freight and logistics, and local manufacturing of private passenger vehicles. While high capital expenditure (CAPEX) and energy security concerns related to loadshedding remain significant barriers, rising fuel prices are improving the operational business case for fleet electrification. The South African government is supporting the transition through the December 2023 Electric Vehicle White Paper and a planned investment allowance starting March 1, 2026, to encourage local production, with the first battery EVs expected by 2026.
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Document type: Report
Enabling the electrification of the minibus taxi industry in South Africa to unlock the potential for local manufacturing
The document assesses the viability of transitioning South Africa's minibus taxi (MBT) fleet to electric vehicles (E-MBTs), highlighting significant operational cost savings and the alignment of vehicle range with current driver patterns. It identifies key barriers, including high upfront costs, inadequate charging infrastructure, and restrictive tax structures. To unlock local manufacturing, the brief proposes a three-step transition: moving from imports to local assembly and finally to scaled-up local production. It emphasizes the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) as a strategic hub for this industry, supported by existing automotive skills and government incentives like the Automotive Investment Scheme.
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Document type: Briefing
WRI’s U.S. ENERGY OUTCOMES 2024
In 2024, WRI supported over 150 U.S. cities and counties in accelerating clean energy deployment and helped over 60 cities claim more than $12 million in tax credits via the Inflation Reduction Act's elective pay mechanism. The organization advanced next-generation geothermal technologies, launched a database of 50 community benefits frameworks for transmission projects, and supported the deployment of electric school buses (ESBs) through initiatives like the RVXDS project in California. WRI also focused on reforming power markets and grids, providing technical assistance to the PJM Cities and Communities Coalition and researching interregional transmission procurement.
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Document type: Report
Modeling Climate, Health, and Economic Benefits of Faster New Energy Vehicle Deployment in China
The report models an 'Added Policy' (AP) scenario where China reaches 100% NEV sales for passenger cars, SUVs, and buses by 2035, and for freight trucks by 2040. This transition is projected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths—primarily through the electrification of trucks—and create millions of jobs. The analysis also highlights a substantial reduction in China's dependence on imported petroleum, with fuel demand for the modeled vehicle categories falling by 97% by 2060 compared to business-as-usual. The authors recommend that China establish ambitious long-term NEV sales targets for freight trucks and implement a 'Dual Credit'-type policy for commercial vehicles.
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Document type: Report
Understanding California's Low Carbon Fuel Standards Regulation
The California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is a market-based regulation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by capping the carbon intensity of fuels. The program uses a credit and deficit system where fuels with lower carbon intensity than a gasoline/diesel benchmark generate credits, while higher-intensity fuels generate deficits. These credits can be generated through fuel supply, carbon capture and storage projects, or zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure capacity. While the program has spurred innovation in low-carbon fuels, critics like the NRDC argue that it over-incentivizes biomass-based fuels—which account for nearly three-quarters of credits—potentially diverting resources from the transition to electricity and zero-emissions vehicles.
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Document type: Guide
DRAFT CORPORATE CLIMATE STOCKTAKE: ROAD TRANSPORT
The report analyzes the global transition of road transport to electric vehicles, noting that while passenger EV adoption is on an exponential growth trajectory, freight and emerging markets face significant hurdles. Key barriers include insufficient charging infrastructure, power grid limitations, and high total cost of ownership (TCO) for heavy-duty trucks. The document emphasizes the need for a shift from demand-side subsidies to supply-side policies, such as prioritized permitting for battery production and direct funding for charging networks, to sustain the transition toward net-zero emissions.
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Document type: Report
Many US Communities Face EV ‘Charging Deserts.’ 5 Strategies Can Help
The document argues that the U.S. transition to electric vehicles risks leaving behind low-income, rural, and minority communities due to 'charging deserts' and financial barriers. It outlines five strategies for local governments to ensure equitable access: utilizing community input for siting, prioritizing multifamily housing and charging deserts, expanding urban curbside charging, increasing pricing transparency, and supporting diverse e-mobility modes. The guide emphasizes that overcoming disparities in homeownership and energy burdens is essential for a just energy transition.
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Document type: Guide
Pennsylvania Clean Trucks Program
The report analyzes two policy scenarios for Pennsylvania's medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) vehicle fleet: the adoption of California's Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule and a more aggressive '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid' scenario. Both scenarios project significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions, leading to substantial public health benefits and net societal gains. While initial costs for fleets are higher, the report finds that ZEVs will reach lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles as purchase prices fall and fuel/maintenance savings accumulate. The transition is projected to generate positive macroeconomic effects, including net national job gains and increased GDP by 2035, and could potentially lower electricity rates for residential and commercial customers due to increased utility net revenue from EV charging.
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Document type: Report
AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is leading an initiative to replace the U.S. diesel school bus fleet with electric alternatives to improve student health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative focuses on supporting low-income communities and communities of color, collaborating with manufacturers and utilities, and engaging policymakers to remove barriers to electrification. Full fleet electrification by 2030 could reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 9 million metric tons.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Electric trucks are a gamechanger if strong policy leads the way
The report highlights the critical role of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) trucks in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diesel-related health hazards, such as respiratory disease and premature death. While ZEV truck sales doubled in 2022 and model availability has increased, current trajectories are insufficient to meet climate targets. The authors advocate for a global ZEV truck sales target of at least 45% by 2030, citing California's Advanced Clean Fleet policy as a leading example of state-of-the-art regulation. The document emphasizes that sales standards must be paired with a comprehensive policy portfolio including charging infrastructure, consumer incentives, and equity considerations to ensure a successful transition.
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Document type: Report