Search Climate Insights Directory

GreenLatinos opposes the EPA's repeal of carbon pollution standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, stating that the rollback prioritizes fossil fuel profits over the health of Latino and working-class communities. The organization notes that the repealed standards were projected to prevent 1,200 premature deaths and 360,000 asthma attacks in 2035. GreenLatinos highlights that Latino households face median energy costs 24% higher than white households and that 1.6 million Hispanics live within a half mile of oil and gas wells.

The EU petrochemical industry, a €635 billion sector employing 1.2 million people, is facing a deep structural crisis characterized by ageing assets, high energy costs, and intensifying global competition. The industry is physically organized around approximately 150 chemical parks, with the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr corridor serving as the world's densest concentration of production. However, the EU's global market share in chemical sales fell from 21% in 2009 to 13% in 2024, while China now accounts for 46% of global sales. The sector is experiencing a 'closure wave' of steam crackers—the central units for producing ethylene, propylene, butadiene, and aromatics—due to their 1970s-era scale and high carbon exposure under the EU ETS. Between 2022 and 2025, the industry lost approximately 37 Mt of production capacity, and investment CAPEX dropped from €7.6 billion in 2022 to €1.5 billion in 2025. The report highlights acute vulnerabilities in the supply of primary 'building block' molecules, noting that the EU produces less than 10% of global primary petrochemical capacity and is increasingly dependent on imports for molecules like methanol, where domestic production covers less than 15% of consumption.

The document examines the diverse nature of Africa's manufacturing sector, noting that most countries remain outliers with low manufacturing shares of GDP. It highlights a trend of 'premature deindustrialization' in low-income countries and the significant role of Chinese private enterprises in meeting domestic demand. While most of the continent relies on raw material exports, a few countries like Eswatini and South Africa show higher industrial competitiveness.

The report identifies government corruption, the cost of living, and the economy as the primary concerns for the general U.S. population, while global warming is a top priority only for the 'Alarmed' segment. It analyzes these worries across political ideologies and the 'Six Americas' framework, suggesting that climate communicators can broaden their appeal by linking climate action to these more prevalent economic and governance concerns.

Based on a May 2025 survey of 1,040 adults, the report finds that government corruption (54%), the cost of living (48%), and the economy (47%) are the top worries for Americans. In contrast, only 29% of the general population is very worried about global warming. The study highlights deep polarization: the 'Alarmed' group is highly concerned about climate change (92%), while the 'Doubtful' and 'Dismissive' groups report 0% high concern. The report suggests that climate communicators can broaden appeal by connecting climate action to economic opportunities, energy costs, and government accountability.

WRI and the Shenzhen government implemented 113 near-zero carbon demonstration projects, including rooftop solar and building retrofits, to address rising household energy demand. These initiatives are projected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 1 million tons and save residents US$ 280 million in energy costs. To ensure scalability and affordability for low-income groups, the city introduced a subsidy policy providing up to 1 million yuan per community.

The research examines how CCUS deployment in the U.S. power sector affects air pollution and energy costs, finding that the outcomes depend on the underlying policy and that Black and low-income populations experience the most significant impacts.

The report argues that utility-enabled distributed energy resources (DERs) can address Nigeria's power sector bottlenecks, such as high ATC&C losses and supply deficits. It identifies a market opportunity exceeding 20 GW over the next decade, which could reduce carbon pollution by 33 million tons per year and lower customer energy costs by up to 25%.

Approving pending LNG export terminals could increase U.S. domestic natural gas prices by 9 to 14 percent, leading to an estimated annual expenditure increase of $11-18 billion for U.S. households, businesses, and industry. The analysis suggests that average natural gas-heating households would see annual bill increases of $20 to $40, with higher impacts in cold-weather regions like Michigan and for low-income households who spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy.

The 247Solar project in Queensland, Australia, aims to deploy a hot-air-driven Brayton Cycle system to provide 100% of the electricity for a mine, its campsite, and an export jetty, while meeting 50% of a local aboriginal community's demand. The project expects to reduce the carbon footprint by 90%, lower energy costs by 25%, and create approximately 350 local jobs, supported by funding from the Queensland State Government and the Australian Federal Government (ARENA).

The report argues that a political solution to the Cyprus problem would significantly boost the island's economy by creating a unified market, improving productivity, and opening access to the EU and Turkish markets. Using sectoral and Total Factor Productivity (TFP) methodologies, the authors estimate that a solution could increase the total GDP by between 11 billion and 17.4 billion Euros by 2040 compared to the status quo. Key growth drivers include tourism, construction, shipping, and professional services, with wholesale and retail trade expected to benefit most from chain effects. The report also emphasizes that maximizing this dividend requires strong institutions, gender equality, and a sustainable financing model for property compensation.

Rooftop solar costs in the US have nearly halved since 2007, with projections suggesting that by 2017, more than half of US states could have rooftop solar as cheap as grid electricity without state or local incentives. The number of US homes with rooftop solar grew from 30,000 in 2006 to nearly 400,000 by 2013, with future projections ranging from 1 million by 2020 (EIA) to nearly 4 million (DOE) depending on cost reductions.

The report disputes claims that the Kyoto Protocol would lead to dire economic consequences for American farmers, finding that net cash returns would likely decrease by less than one percent due to the small share of energy costs in production expenses.