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Climate Central reports that 97% of 240 analyzed U.S. locations saw an increase in annual cooling degree days (CDD) between 1970 and 2022, with the most significant rises in the Southwest, South, and Southeast. Projections suggest U.S. household cooling demand will increase by 71% by 2050, while global demand is expected to more than triple. The document highlights that rising demand can strain power grids, increase greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and HFCs, and exacerbate urban heat islands. It also notes a disproportionate energy burden on low-income and minority households, who may delay cooling use due to cost. Proposed solutions include transitioning to renewable energy, adopting high-efficiency heat pumps, and implementing building retrofits.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the BLM's proposed Conservation and Landscape Health rule, arguing that conservation leases are a valid tool for implementing the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) mandates. CATF recommends that the rule be structured to avoid hindering the buildout of electric transmission and renewable energy, specifically suggesting a two-mile buffer around energy corridors where leases are restricted to permittees. The document also advocates for integrating carbon sequestration and climate resilience into the 'fundamentals of land health' and strongly advises against allowing conservation leases to generate marketable carbon offset credits due to a lack of permanence in the proposed 10-year lease terms.

This report by the Union of Concerned Scientists highlights the challenges and successes of frontline communities in the US and Puerto Rico in building climate resilience. It identifies four key themes: displacement, government negligence, funding inequities, and the effectiveness of community-driven solutions. The authors argue that while scientific solutions exist, a lack of political will and bureaucratic barriers hinder progress. The report provides specific recommendations to shift toward inclusive, community-led adaptation strategies that respect tribal sovereignty and prioritize the lived experiences of marginalized populations.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis finds that 48% of the rise in fire-danger conditions in western North America since 1901 and 37% of the cumulative burned forest area since 1986 are attributable to emissions from the 88 largest fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers. In Arizona, over 10,000 wildfires burned nearly 2.5 million acres between 2017 and 2021, with the 2020 Bighorn Fire alone costing over $36 million. The document argues for holding these companies accountable and urges state governments to implement policies for forest health, community safety, and equitable resilience investments.

The document lists private equity firms and the specific companies they have acquired to profit from services provided to incarcerated populations, including communications, healthcare, and commissary services.

This fact sheet details the involvement of private equity firms in the incarceration industry, listing specific companies providing commissary, communications, healthcare, and construction services to millions of incarcerated people across the U.S. and internationally.

An analysis of 215 U.S. locations reveals that 84% have experienced a long-term decrease in winter chill since 1980. This trend threatens the $27 billion U.S. non-citrus fruit and nut industry, as many temperate trees require sustained cold temperatures to ensure proper flowering, pollination, and fruit yield. The study highlights significant chill decreases in key producing regions, particularly in California, Washington, and the Southeast, affecting high-value crops such as grapes, almonds, and strawberries.

A coalition of environmental and tribal organizations argues that current U.S. mining laws are deficient and have led to widespread pollution, specifically citing the legacy of uranium mining in the Navajo Nation. The authors advocate for transitioning to a leasing system for hardrock minerals, as proposed in the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act of 2022, and the utilization of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve environmental reviews and tribal consultations.

The report finds that U.S. solar and wind capacity grew to over 238 GW in 2022, generating 683,130 GWh of electricity. Texas and California emerged as the primary drivers of this growth, with Texas leading in wind capacity and generation, and California leading in solar generation. While historical growth rates might leave the U.S. short of 2030 benchmarks set by the Net-Zero America project, the report suggests that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides the necessary incentives to accelerate the transition toward the 2050 net-zero goal.

In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters causing $165 billion in damages and 474 deaths, with Hurricane Ian being the costliest hurricane on record. The year was the 18th hottest on record for the U.S., with 73% of analyzed locations experiencing warmer-than-normal temperatures. These events are part of a longer warming trend, with 98% of analyzed U.S. locations showing increased average annual temperatures from 1970 to 2021. Meanwhile, U.S. fossil fuel emissions increased by 1.5% in 2022, though the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to help double annual wind and solar PV capacity additions by 2027 compared to 2021.

The report details how private equity firms are acquiring and managing rural hospitals and other health services, such as air ambulances and behavioral health centers. It argues that the pursuit of high short-term returns often leads to cost-cutting, asset-stripping through sale-leaseback transactions, and reduced access to essential services. The document provides case studies of hospital closures and quality failures, and it calls for increased regulatory oversight, limits on dividend recapitalizations, and direct public investment to safeguard rural health systems.

The report details how the climate crisis is accelerating in Arizona, leading to increased drought, extreme heat, and flooding. It quantifies specific impacts—such as a 71% decline in Lake Mead's volume since 2000 and nearly 500 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County during the summer of 2023—and outlines the extensive infrastructure, public health, and water management costs required for adaptation.

The 2022 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker catalogs hearings held by various U.S. House and Senate committees. The tracker covers a wide array of topics including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, electric vehicle infrastructure, methane pollution, and agricultural resiliency. It details the specific dates and titles of hearings across committees such as the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The report argues that while the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) significantly advances U.S. climate goals, it is insufficient on its own to meet the 2030 NDC. Using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), the authors propose a comprehensive set of additional federal, state, and local policies across the electricity, industry, transportation, and building sectors. The electricity sector is identified as the primary driver for 2030 reductions due to its ability to decarbonize faster than sectors limited by slow stock turnover. Proposed measures include a nationwide 80 percent clean electricity standard, stricter tailpipe emissions standards, and the electrification of industrial and building heating. The report estimates that this combined policy pathway would create 2.7 million additional jobs, grow GDP by $700 billion, and avoid 3,900 premature deaths by 2030.

The report examines the intersection of the U.S. nursing shortage and private equity's expansion into travel nursing. It argues that while the pandemic exacerbated staffing issues, structural problems and profit-seeking by hospitals created a vulnerability that travel nursing agencies and private equity firms have exploited. The document details how private equity firms use leveraged buyouts and dividend recapitalizations to extract value from staffing agencies, while agencies have seen profit margins grow from 15% in 2019 to 62% in 2022. It also covers legislative efforts to address price gouging and the push for mandated staffing ratios.

Since 1970, fall temperatures in the contiguous U.S. have increased by an average of 2.7 °F, with warming observed in 97% of 245 analyzed cities. The most significant warming occurred in Nevada, Texas, and Arizona, with Reno, Nevada, recording the highest increase at 7.7 °F. This trend has led to a higher frequency of above-normal fall days, affecting 74% of analyzed cities. These temperature shifts extend health risks from extreme heat, prolong pollen and wildfire seasons, allow disease-carrying insects to persist longer, and disrupt ecological events such as bird migrations and fruit ripening.

The policy brief examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on the U.S. forest carbon sink, noting that forests in several Western states have become net carbon emitters. It advocates for scaling up 'fuel load treatments'—such as prescribed burns and mechanical removal of biomass—to mitigate wildfire risk and suggests developing markets for thinned biomass (e.g., biochar, green hydrogen) to fund these efforts and reduce emissions. The brief calls for federal policy support via the 2023 Farm Bill to increase research, support rural and Tribal communities, and incentivize innovative wood products.

The report analyzes the growing U.S. electric school bus (ESB) market, noting that as of March 2022, 415 districts had committed to 12,275 ESBs. It details the benefits of ESBs, including zero tailpipe emissions and lower operational costs, while outlining the technical requirements for charging infrastructure and the variety of available vehicle types (Type A, C, and D). The guide also explores funding mechanisms, such as the $5 billion Clean School Bus Program, and provides a roadmap for fleet electrification.

The report details a corporate campaign to implement municipal preemption laws that block local governments from accessing courts to recover climate-related damages. It identifies a 'triumvirate' of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ALEC, and NAM as the primary architects of this strategy, drawing parallels to previous industry efforts to avoid liability in the tobacco and opioid sectors. The document outlines specific legislative tactics used to stifle litigation and provides a framework for municipal leaders to recognize and repeal such preemption laws, while suggesting proactive legislative measures to protect local legal autonomy.

The report argues that traditional US public utilities commission (PUC) processes are too slow and restrictive to meet urgent decarbonization and equity mandates. It recommends four primary reforms: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry by unlocking utility data, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.