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Shifting Currents: Opportunities For Low-Carbon Electric Cities In The Global South
The analysis identifies 105 cities with populations over one million across 34 Global South countries where electrification is currently a viable low-carbon strategy. Suitability is determined by a minimum 90 percent urban electricity access rate and a carbon intensity of electricity supply below 600 tCO2e/GWh. While all South American cities meet these criteria, suitability is significantly lower in sub-Saharan Africa (3 out of 40 cities) and South and East Asia (26 out of 202 cities).
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Document type: Research paper
Putting a Price on Carbon: Evaluating A Carbon Price and Complementary Policies for a 1.5° World
The text asserts that a carbon price alone is insufficient for full decarbonization by 2050. It emphasizes the need for complementary policies to address market barriers, externalities, and long-lead-time mitigation options, specifically to transform the U.S. energy system through increased efficiency, electricity decarbonization, and electrification of buildings, transport, and industry.
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Document type: Research paper
Clean Hydrogen: Outlook for Freight Transport in the United States
The document examines clean hydrogen as a complementary solution to electrification for decarbonizing US freight transport. While facing hurdles in cost, infrastructure, and storage, hydrogen is positioned as a leading solution for long-haul and heavy-duty transport by mid-century. The paper details specific applications across road, maritime, air, and rail sectors, while emphasizing that climate benefits depend on the use of low- and zero-carbon production feedstocks.
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Document type: Research paper
Biomass and Land Use in a Decarbonizing US Economy
The analysis concludes that biomass is a limited resource that should play a minor role in energy production, with priority given to carbon removal, chemicals production, and next-generation fuels over crop-based biofuels. It warns that demand for biomass could exceed sustainable supply, potentially leading to land use changes that increase greenhouse gas emissions, and recommends accelerating electrification and energy efficiency to reduce biomass demand.
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Document type: Research paper
Technical Note for a Dataset of U.S. School Bus Fleets
The World Resources Institute (WRI) created a dataset of U.S. school bus fleets by submitting records requests to state governments between March and November 2022. The data includes details such as model year, fuel type, manufacturer, seating capacity, and ownership model, intended for use in estimating greenhouse gas emission reductions, planning grid upgrades for electrification, and identifying highly polluting buses. The dataset is limited by missing data from four states and all U.S. territories, as well as structural differences in how states report data.
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Document type: Research paper
Technological Pathways for Decarbonizing Petroleum Refining
The analysis identifies that U.S. petroleum refineries, which contribute approximately 3% of all U.S. emissions, can deeply decarbonize through fuel switching to clean hydrogen, electrification, and carbon capture, utilization and storage. In the long term, the paper argues that refineries can shift to renewable feedstocks to produce low-carbon fuels for aviation, shipping, and trucking, potentially reducing fuel carbon intensities by up to 80%.
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Document type: Research paper
ZERO CARBON BUILDING ACCELERATOR
The Zero Carbon Building Accelerator aims to decarbonize the global building stock by 2050, addressing the fact that building construction and operations account for nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. The initiative employs a four-part strategy—outreach, dialogue, planning, and enabling—to help governments map decarbonization pathways and implement action plans. WRI intends to scale impact by engaging at least two jurisdictions per country and supporting three additional subnational governments globally through technical assistance and peer learning. Zero carbon buildings are defined as having net zero annual operational emissions and reduced life-cycle emissions, achieved through energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy sources.
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Document type: Fact sheet
TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON, CLIMATE-RESILIENT ECONOMY
The Illustrative People’s Energy Plan (IPEP), coordinated by WWF South Africa and modelled by the University of Cape Town, proposes an 'Ideal Energy Scenario' for South Africa to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. This scenario prioritises a rapid shift from fossil fuels to wind and solar PV, significant electrification of transport and industry, and expanded energy access for low-income households. The report argues that such a transition can nearly double employment by 2050 and maintain manageable costs through energy efficiency and localised clean energy manufacturing. It recommends that the government's official Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) be a transparent, living document that aligns fragmented policies and integrates social and environmental objectives as core planning outcomes.
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Document type: Report