Search Climate Insights Directory

The document analyzes the dual potential of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to serve as a climate solution or an environmental liability. While AVs could reduce emissions through electrification, platooning, and shared transit, the proliferation of single-occupancy AVs risks increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and urban sprawl. The brief emphasizes that achieving climate goals requires integrating AVs into multimodal, electric urban systems that prioritize mass transit, biking, and walking over private vehicle use.

The document outlines the environmental and economic benefits of bicycle infrastructure, noting that federal investment rose from $22.9 million in 1992 to over $970 million in 2017. It describes various infrastructure types, such as protected lanes and bike-sharing systems, and highlights a significant increase in cycling and e-bike sales during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data indicates that bicycle commute shares rose in many major U.S. cities between 1990 and 2015, and research suggests that replacing car lanes with bike lanes often has positive effects on local retail and food service businesses.

RMI analysis indicates that Colorado's plan to add nearly 200 new highway lane-miles by 2030 could induce 1 to 1.5 billion additional annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), equivalent to adding 70,000 more vehicles to the roads each year. The report argues that road expansion fails to provide long-term congestion relief because travel demand increases proportionally to new capacity, a phenomenon known as induced travel. These expansions are estimated to increase cumulative direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions by 8 to 15 million tons of CO2-equivalent through 2050, costing over $3 billion in direct project costs. RMI advocates for shifting investment toward public transit, micro-mobility, and compact, mixed-use community development to achieve a 10 percent reduction in VMT by 2030.

The document examines how autonomous vehicles (AVs) could either reduce or increase greenhouse gas emissions depending on whether they are deployed as shared, electric mass transit or as private, single-occupancy vehicles. While AVs offer potential efficiency gains through 'platooning' and reduced vehicle weight, they risk increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and urban sprawl. The brief highlights the necessity of integrating AVs into multimodal urban systems and reviews current testing and regulatory efforts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

The document argues that Zimbabwe can overcome high transport costs and fuel shortages by transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) and micromobility. It highlights the potential for a 'campus model' of electrification in the mining sector, the use of used EV imports to lower entry barriers, and the opportunity to leverage Zimbabwe's rich deposits of battery minerals like lithium and nickel to move from mineral export to local battery manufacturing.

The report evaluates three policy scenarios for transitioning New Jersey's medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) vehicle fleet to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The most ambitious scenario, '100 x 40 ZEV + Clean Grid', projects cumulative net societal benefits of over $21 billion by 2050, including 303 avoided premature deaths and 325 fewer hospital visits. While ZEVs currently have higher purchase costs, the analysis predicts lifetime cost parity with combustion vehicles by 2030. The transition is expected to generate national macroeconomic gains in GDP and higher-paying jobs in electrical manufacturing and infrastructure, although net job gains may reverse by 2045 due to reduced fuel and maintenance spending. Implementation would require significant investment in depot and public charging infrastructure, with the 100 x 40 ZEV scenario requiring an average of $73 million annually for depot charging and $46 million for public networks.

The report finds that ride-hailing typically increases climate pollution and urban congestion because it displaces lower-carbon travel modes and adds 'deadheading' miles. It argues that the industry must rapidly electrify its fleet and increase ride-pooling to mitigate these effects, while governments should prioritize multimodal transportation and mass transit over car-centric models.

The report evaluates a planned public bicycle sharing (PBS) system in Dwarka, New Delhi, using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology. While a conventional cost-benefit analysis shows the system is financially deficient, the integrated SAVi analysis reveals positive net values across all demand scenarios. The most significant benefits are derived from time saved, reduced air pollution costs, and increased retail and property values. Over a 20-year period, discounted net benefits are estimated between INR 3.14 billion (~USD 44.4 million) under conservative assumptions and INR 12.19 billion (~USD 172.3 million) in a high-demand scenario. The findings suggest the PBS system supports the Delhi Master Plan 2021 and justifies investment in bicycle and road safety infrastructure.

The report analyzes climate policy performance in the transport and buildings sectors across CEE countries, highlighting specific successful initiatives. In transport, it identifies Romania's 'Rabla' car scrappage scheme, Hungary's Jedlik Ányos Action Plan for electric vehicles, Poland's electric bus rollout, Slovakia's railway modernization, and the Czech Republic's integrated public transport laws as regional benchmarks. In the buildings sector, it highlights Romania's EIB-financed thermal insulation, Slovakia's long-term retrofit support, Poland's solar collector promotion, and the Czech Republic's heat pump subsidies. The document argues that these 'first mover' experiences can be transferred across the region to accelerate the low-emission transition.

The report analyzes the transition toward electric vehicles (EVs), shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles (AVs) in China, India, and the United States. It argues that while battery costs will likely lead to price parity with combustion vehicles within 5–10 years, coordinated policies—such as China's mix of rewards and punishments or India's focus on high-utilization vehicles—are necessary to accelerate adoption. The authors emphasize that shared mobility and AVs must be electrified and pooled to avoid increasing congestion and pollution, and suggest that China and India may leapfrog the US model of private car ownership due to rapid urbanization.

The document proposes a feebate system for India—where inefficient vehicles pay a fee and efficient ones receive a rebate—as a market-based alternative to static fuel economy standards. It argues that such a policy could help India reach its goal of 100 percent electric vehicle adoption by 2030 without relying on public funds. Drawing on case studies from Norway, France, and Ontario, the authors suggest a three-phase implementation strategy: establishing a professional design body, implementing a revenue-neutral point-of-sale feebate, and eventually expanding to other vehicle segments and the used car market.

The report analyzes the Montréal cycling network, highlighting that while it is large, over half consists of low-protection painted markings. It identifies a high frequency of collisions at intersections along cycle tracks and a high collision rate in the West Island. The analysis reveals significant network discontinuities, with an average of one every 1.3km. To address these, the report proposes 24 strategic north-south and east-west connections totaling 175 km and recommends the city increase its construction target to 100km of new facilities per year.

The document details the differences between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), noting that BEVs produce less than half the carbon dioxide of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. It highlights the U.S. market's heavy reliance on California for sales due to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program and discusses the economic benefits of PEVs, such as lower fuel and maintenance costs. The text also outlines the current state of charging infrastructure, the downward trend in battery costs, and various federal and state incentives designed to accelerate adoption.

The document advocates for the preservation of US federal fuel efficiency and emissions standards, asserting that these regulations save consumers money on gasoline and reduce pollution. It emphasizes that low- and middle-income households benefit most from these savings, as they spend a larger proportion of their income on transportation. The text challenges industry claims that efficiency standards increase vehicle costs, noting that price increases are driven by the shift toward luxury SUVs and pickups. It also highlights strong public support for these standards across political lines and warns that reversing them would increase spending on expensive, dirty petroleum products.

The document outlines cross-cutting barriers to energy efficiency in Estonia, categorized as social, cultural, economic, educational, and institutional. It concludes that without additional policy measures, Estonia will fail to meet its 2020 energy efficiency target. While 2020 GHG targets for the non-ETS sector are likely to be met, achieving 2030 targets will require significant interventions, including the renovation of 40% of single-family and 50% of multi-family houses, as well as improved fuel efficiency and spatial planning in the transport sector.

The report develops a methodology using the LEAP-IBC (Integrated Benefit Calculator) tool to assess the impact of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) in Estonia. Focusing on the residential and transport sectors, it compares 'Business As Usual' (BAU) and energy efficiency (EE) scenarios. Findings indicate that while BAU leads to a 4-6% increase in emissions by 2030, the EE scenario could reduce NOx, PM2.5, and black carbon emissions by 13-15%. The report emphasizes that the most significant health risks are driven by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon, and recommends strategic urban planning and building renovations to mitigate these risks.

The report analyzes the fragmented state of Chinese logistics, where low barriers to entry and poor regulatory enforcement lead to overloading and low truck utilization. It argues that improving efficiency could save the Chinese economy up to RMB 1T annually and prevent freight emissions from growing from 4% to 16% of total CO2 emissions. The document proposes five key solutions: logistics information platforms, best-practice sharing mechanisms, equipment standardization, urban logistics master planning, and tax/toll reform.

The document examines the impact of the 2012 EPA and NHTSA fuel economy and emissions standards for light-duty vehicles (2017–2025). It highlights a market shift toward sport utility vehicles (SUVs), which use approximately 14 percent more fuel than similarly sized cars. The author argues that the current 'footprint-based' standards are effective because they set targets based on vehicle size, encouraging efficiency across all vehicle types rather than just a few models. While these standards are projected to reduce emissions by over 600 million metric tons by 2040, the document suggests that updating them to reflect recent technological advances is necessary to meet original projections due to the rising popularity of larger vehicles.

The document analyzes proposed US heavy-duty vehicle standards for model years 2018–2029, noting they would reduce oil consumption by 550,000 barrels per day by 2035 and avoid 1 billion metric tons of emissions. However, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) argues that a 40 percent reduction in fuel consumption is achievable by 2025, which would save an additional 200,000 barrels of oil per day and avoid 40 million metric tons of annual emissions compared to the government's 36 percent target for 2027.

The report examines the environmental and economic impacts of heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency in the U.S., arguing that standards increasing efficiency by 40% by 2025 would save billions in costs and reduce millions of metric tons of emissions.