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Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use electricity stored in battery packs to power motors, producing no tailpipe emissions and offering lower fueling costs than internal combustion engines. While their total pollution depends on the electricity source, they remain cleaner than gasoline cars even on coal-heavy grids. BEVs feature energy-saving technologies like regenerative braking and typically offer ranges between 70 and 265 miles.

The authors contend that the Clean Power Plan's design and current industry trends allow for significant power sector emission cuts while maintaining reliability. They highlight that existing natural gas and transmission infrastructure, combined with the flexibility of the rule, are sufficient to manage the transition. To further mitigate potential reliability risks, the document advocates for the EPA to establish a mechanism for interstate allowance trading between states in different regions, which would allow states facing local constraints to purchase allowances from those with surplus capacity.

The Obama administration's FY 2016 budget proposal emphasizes an "all of the above" energy strategy and the Climate Action Plan, proposing significant funding increases for the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Key investments include $7.4 billion for clean energy technology, a proposed $4 billion Clean Power Plan Incentive Fund, and $1.29 billion for the Global Climate Change Initiative. The budget targets specific greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2020, 2025, and 2050, while funding diverse initiatives ranging from solar and wind energy to sustainable transportation and international climate finance.

Georgia has emerged as a leading U.S. market for electric vehicles, driven by state tax credits for vehicles and charging infrastructure. In 2014, EV drivers in Georgia saved an average of over $850 in fuel costs, contributing to a total state saving of $10 million and a reduction of over 22,000 tons of climate change emissions. The document highlights that EVs offer lower maintenance costs and lower global warming emissions than conventional vehicles, with benefits increasing as Georgia's electricity grid incorporates more renewable energy. To sustain growth, the report emphasizes the need for ongoing policy support, consumer education, and public-private partnerships.

The briefing outlines the unique energy context of India—characterized by high total emissions but low per capita emissions—and proposes four areas for US-India cooperation: facilitating investment in renewable energy, leading a global clean energy collaborative, expanding climate resilience partnerships through data access, and establishing direct high-level communication to support the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that increasing Minnesota's renewable energy standard to 40 percent by 2030 would drive over $6 billion in new capital investments and reduce reliance on imported electricity without significantly impacting retail rates. The analysis indicates that such a policy would increase wind capacity to nearly 6,000 MW and utility-scale solar to over 600 MW by 2030. While a strengthened RES helps position the state to comply with the EPA's Clean Power Plan, the report notes that coal would still provide 38 percent of electricity in 2030 without additional policy actions. The authors recommend combining the strengthened RES with an increased energy efficiency standard of 2 percent annually by 2020.

The report finds that while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe in human-caused global warming and support climate action, liberal and moderate Republicans often align with the mainstream public. Conservative Republicans remain the primary group opposed to climate action and skeptical of global warming. There is broad cross-party support for renewable energy research and tax rebates for energy-efficient products, though significant divisions persist regarding carbon taxes and emission limits on coal plants.

The strategy assesses the vulnerability of Estonia's energy and infrastructure systems to climate change, identifying the electricity distribution network and small ports as particularly susceptible. It outlines a comprehensive set of adaptation measures across technical support systems, buildings, transport, and energy resources, with an estimated total implementation cost of approximately 1.3 billion EUR for the 2017–2030 period. The plan emphasizes increasing energy independence through domestic renewable sources and improving the resilience of buildings and transport networks to temperature extremes and flooding.

The 2015 update to the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020 (CECP Update) outlines a comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. The plan identifies key drivers for these reductions, most notably vehicle GHG emission standards and the import of clean electricity. It also provides a framework for long-term goals, aiming for an 80% reduction by 2050 through a strategy of reducing energy consumption, decarbonizing the electricity supply, and electrifying transportation and heating. The report includes detailed assessments of building efficiency, transportation, electricity generation, and non-energy emissions, as well as research on land use and carbon storage in terrestrial and wetland ecosystems.

The report argues that Brazil's current energy-related emission trajectory is unsustainable and likely to exceed estimated fair carbon budgets between 2024 and 2035. It identifies significant opportunities for decarbonization in the transport, industry, and electricity generation sectors, suggesting that a transition to a low-carbon economy can be achieved with low or negative economic costs while improving public health and competitiveness.

We Mean Business calls for direct engagement between government ministers and business leaders at COP in Lima to align on a high-ambition climate pathway. The statement argues that bold climate action is an economic opportunity, citing significant growth in clean energy investments and job creation. It proposes three areas for cooperation: committing to a long-term decarbonization pathway to reduce uncertainty, scaling up public and private climate finance, and collaborating on short-term ambition to close the emissions gap by 2020.

The document examines performance requirements (PR)—stipulations imposed on investors to achieve specific development goals—and the legal constraints placed upon them by the WTO's TRIMs Agreement and various Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). It highlights a growing trend, led by Canada and the United States, toward broader prohibitions of PRs (MIC+ clauses) that extend to pre-establishment phases. Through the analysis of cases like Lemire v. Ukraine and Mobil Oil v. Canada, the guide illustrates the unpredictability of investment tribunals in interpreting these prohibitions. It concludes by offering strategic options for developing nations to maintain their regulatory space, such as avoiding PR prohibitions in BITs or explicitly excluding certain sectors and mechanisms from such restrictions.

A survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication reveals that 67% of Americans support strict CO2 emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants, even with potential electricity cost increases. The data also shows strong public support for infrastructure resilience (83%), renewable energy research (77%), energy-efficient vehicle/solar tax rebates (77%), and the regulation of carbon dioxide as a pollutant (75%). Additionally, 66% of respondents believe global warming is occurring, reflecting a slight increase from November 2013.

The analysis of the 2014 People’s Climate March reveals that participants were primarily motivated by group affiliation, personal passion, and professional relevance. Key messages focused on replacing fossil fuels with clean energy, corporate accountability, and government influence. When associating global warming with specific imagery, participants frequently cited melting ice, floods, and catastrophe, while identifying solar power, people power, and carbon taxes as primary solutions.

The author contends that the climate crisis and poverty are linked, requiring a radical shift toward social justice and sustainability. Using Portugal as an example, the text highlights how renewable energy can drive GDP growth and job creation, while criticizing austerity measures and the lack of public awareness in Portugal, where only 6% of the population views climate change as a serious problem.

The report argues that the U.S. distributed solar photovoltaics (DPV) market must shift from customer-centric value models to system-wide value models to sustain growth and meet SunShot Initiative targets. It proposes three 'bridge' business model building blocks: increasing access via subscription and community models, treating DPV as a grid resource through optimized siting and production, and bundling DPV with other distributed energy resources (DER) for resilience. The document emphasizes that achieving these goals requires collaboration between utilities and solar companies to reduce soft costs and capture operational benefits post-interconnection.

The document analyzes the evolving energy partnership between the US and South Africa, framed by the US's shift toward energy independence via shale gas and its 'Power Africa' initiative. While South Africa is interested in the US model for shale gas and renewables, the briefing argues that South Africa must remain cautious regarding hydraulic fracturing due to severe water constraints and infrastructure gaps. It highlights the US-South Africa Strategic Dialogue as a mechanism for cooperation on clean energy, carbon capture, and hydrocarbon development, while noting that US initiatives in Africa have targeted a limited number of countries.

Botswana possesses 212 billion tonnes of coal, offering potential for economic diversification away from diamonds. However, the document argues that a coal export industry is likely economically unfeasible due to massive infrastructure costs—specifically a proposed $10 billion railway to Namibia—and environmental constraints. Instead, the author suggests that integrating regional fossil fuels for electricity production could address Southern Africa's power crisis, provided there is political cooperation, particularly from South Africa, and until solar baseload power becomes a viable alternative.

The text asserts that the United States possesses renewable energy potential exceeding the requirements of the Clean Power Plan and advocates for a coordinated shift toward wind and solar technologies to prevent long-term dependence on fossil fuels.

Mike Shinoda describes how Music for Relief has raised over $6 million USD and implemented sustainable energy projects in Haiti, Uganda, and Nepal through the 'Power The World' initiative. He argues that global leaders must move beyond fear-based rhetoric and 'clunky' terminology to earn the trust of a cynical youth population to achieve universal energy access by 2030.