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February 2026 was the fifth-warmest month globally on record, with the contiguous U.S. experiencing its second-warmest winter in 132 years. A critical 'snow drought' affected the western U.S., where snow-covered areas in January were only 34% of normal, threatening water supplies for agriculture and energy. Climate Central's analysis indicates that human-driven climate change significantly influenced winter temperatures, particularly in the Southwest, and is the primary cause of spring warming in 98% of 241 examined U.S. cities.

January 2026 was the fifth-warmest January on record globally, characterized by significant temperature anomalies in the U.S. West and record-low snowpacks in several states. The document highlights the transition of NOAA to the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) to better account for climate change in ENSO tracking. Attribution analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates that extreme warmth in the northern U.S. and specific cities like San Juan and Honolulu was strongly driven by carbon pollution.

The Private Equity Manufactured Housing Tracker identifies 23 private equity firms and hedge funds owning over 1,900 manufactured home parks and 400,000 lots in the U.S. It argues that institutional investors capitalize on the limited mobility of residents to increase rents and fees, often with financing from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The report details specific instances of rent hikes, poor maintenance, and unjust evictions, while calling for government intervention to preserve affordability and protect residents' rights.

The report details a shift in U.S. federal priorities that has narrowed incentives for clean energy, primarily through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and executive agency actions. It highlights significant tax credit repeals or restrictions, DOE funding cancellations, and EPA reporting rollbacks that have created deep uncertainty across the electric power, manufacturing, and energy and industry sectors. While some investments accelerated to meet new deadlines, others—particularly in hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, and carbon management—have declined or relocated abroad.

Colorado is experiencing a rise in billion-dollar climate disasters, with an increase from 1.7 annually since 1980 to 4.4 per year between 2020 and 2024. The state faces critical threats from wildfires, flooding, avalanches, and drought, which impact public health, infrastructure, and the economy. Federal agencies including NOAA and FEMA provide essential forecasting, research, and funding for mitigation, such as the $13.8 million BRIC grant for the Greely Water Pipeline. However, proposed FY26 budget cuts and the cancellation of programs like BRIC threaten to shutter research labs in Boulder, eliminate cooperative university partnerships, and reduce funding for climate-smart agriculture and critical mineral surveys, potentially increasing the vulnerability of both local communities and military installations such as Buckley Space Force Base and Fort Carson.

The report provides an extensive archive of advertisements from ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, and Chevron, organized into appendices that highlight deceptive themes such as overstating greenhouse gas reductions, exaggerating renewable energy commitments, shifting responsibility to consumers, and promoting natural gas, carbon capture, hydrogen, and algae biofuels as viable climate solutions.

In 2025, the contiguous U.S. experienced its fourth-warmest year on record and 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, totaling $115 billion in damages. Globally, 2025 was the third-warmest year since 1850, with NOAA data indicating it was approximately 1.3°C warmer than the pre-industrial average. The year was marked by record-breaking December heat in the U.S. Southwest and devastating atmospheric river flooding in Washington and Oregon.

The document reports that November 2025 was the third warmest on record globally and the fourth warmest for the contiguous U.S. It highlights a long-term trend of warming winters in the U.S., where the coldest day of the year has warmed by approximately 7°F since 1970. The briefing also notes significant regional anomalies, such as extreme warmth in Texas and heavy rainfall in southern California, while discussing the ongoing La Niña advisory and its expected impacts on weather patterns through early 2026.

Earthjustice responds to a DOE request for information on accelerating power delivery for AI and industrial growth. The organization argues against reviving retired coal plants due to high costs and unreliability, instead advocating for the rapid deployment of wind, solar, and battery storage. It recommends that the DOE address speculative and inflated data center load forecasts, automate interconnection studies to reduce timelines, and deploy Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) to increase grid capacity quickly. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for early community engagement in permitting and the long-term expansion of interregional transmission lines.

The document highlights the rapid global growth of solar energy, noting a 31% jump in generation in the first half of 2025 and its cost-effectiveness compared to fossil fuels. It advises journalists to move past 'alternative energy' framing, treat intermittency as a manageable issue rather than a fundamental obstacle, and be skeptical of 'weird solar' innovations that cannot compete with mass-produced panels. The guide also provides specific examples of solar applications, from agrivoltaics in Illinois to mini-grids in Nigeria and resilience hubs in Houston.

RMI highlights the transition from climate commitments to action across several global regions. China is leading in renewable deployment and clean tech exports, while Brazil focuses on low-carbon shipping and ambitious NDCs as the COP30 host. India is pursuing energy independence by 2047 through clean mobility and cooling innovations. Southeast Asia is scaling clean infrastructure and battery storage, and the United States continues to see subnational progress in grid optimization and clean industrialization despite federal delegation concerns.

The briefing explains that the western grid operates as an interconnected web where electricity flows across state and utility boundaries to balance supply and demand. It highlights that most major utilities in the West acted as both importers and exporters of electricity in 2024, providing a critical safety net during emergencies. Case studies from 2024 illustrate how the Pacific Northwest relied on imports from the Southwest and Rockies during a January cold snap, and how Montana imported 59% of its demand during a July heat wave and generator outage. The document concludes that increasing demand from AI and manufacturing necessitates further investment in regional transmission planning and projects like SunZia and Greenlink.

August 2025 was the third warmest August globally on record, with all ten warmest Augusts occurring since 2015. In the United States, 98% of analyzed cities have experienced fall warming, and as of September 9, at least 60% of the country faces abnormally dry or drought conditions. A record-breaking marine heatwave in the North Pacific Ocean, attributed to climate change, is expected to persist into October.

The report identifies 'electoral cumulative inequalities' where precincts with majority populations of color consistently exhibit lower voter turnout and higher ballot rejection rates compared to majority-White precincts. Analyzing data from battleground counties in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the authors argue that these disparities are systemic and not solely explained by state-level factors. The study highlights that communities with the lowest turnout also face the highest rates of ballot rejections, further diminishing their political representation. The authors advocate for more equitable ballot design and increased election data transparency to mitigate these inequities.

Wildfire smoke pollution in the U.S. has increased significantly, with per-person exposure four times higher between 2020-2024 than during 2006-2019. Research indicates that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke caused approximately 164,000 premature deaths in the U.S. from 2006 to 2020, with human-caused climate change accounting for about 15,000 of those deaths. While the West and Northwest experience the most smoke days, smoke is a nationwide issue, with every county in the contiguous U.S. seeing at least 16 smoke days annually. The rise in smoke since 2016 has stalled or reversed air quality improvements in 30 U.S. states, threatening the goals of the Clean Air Act.

A forecast for extreme heat across the Southwest U.S. and northern Mexico indicates temperatures up to 18°F above normal, with the Climate Shift Index (CSI) attributing a level 5 likelihood to human-caused climate change. Approximately 53 million people are expected to be affected by these conditions, which are compounded by persistent drought in the region.

The briefing examines how the prevalence of outdoor work correlates with worry about extreme heat in the U.S., finding a modest positive correlation at the county level and a stronger one at the state level, though results vary significantly by region.

The analysis finds a modest positive correlation between the proportion of outdoor workers and worry about extreme heat at the county level, though this relationship varies by region. While the South and West show positive correlations, the Midwest and Northeast show negative correlations. At the state level, a stronger positive correlation exists. The document also notes a gap between heat worry and the implementation of worker protections, highlighting that some high-worry states like Texas and Florida have blocked local heat safety standards, while California's 2005 standards are linked to a 30% reduction in heat-related injuries.

A heat event in the Western U.S. from July 8-11, 2025, is forecast to bring temperatures 5-12°F above normal, with human-caused climate change making the event at least three to five times more likely for tens of millions of people.

The document analyzes how federal clean energy incentives have driven over $321 billion in investments across the U.S. between Q2 2022 and Q1 2025, highlighting that these investments are heavily concentrated in Southern and Western states and Republican-held congressional districts. It argues that rolling back these incentives would disproportionately harm these regions and jeopardize significant outstanding investments in states like Louisiana and North Dakota, as well as major projects in emerging hubs like Southern Arizona and the Southeast.