Search Climate Insights Directory
1,930 results
Fire and Water in the Western United States
Wildfires in the western United States are increasing in size and severity due to climate change and historical fire suppression, posing significant risks to water resources. High-severity fires destroy vegetation and alter soil chemistry, leading to increased streamflow, flooding, and the contamination of drinking water with sediments, toxins, and carcinogens. The document advocates for a combination of emissions reductions, active forest management—including prescribed and Indigenous cultural burns—and investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure to mitigate these threats.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Reality Check: Electric Trucks Are Viable Today
The document asserts that electric trucks can effectively replace up to half of the trucks currently on the road, as many medium- and heavy-duty routes are short enough for existing battery technology. While electric trucks are heavier, the text notes that most trucks reach cargo volume limits before weight limits, and federal and state exemptions help mitigate weight concerns. Driver preference is high due to reduced noise and vibration. Economically, the document highlights California's use of subsidies, fuel standards, and infrastructure rebates as a model. To scale adoption, the document emphasizes the need for broader policy frameworks—such as the Advanced Clean Truck regulation—and significant upgrades to the electric grid.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Clean Energy 101: Electric Trucks
The document outlines the transition to electric trucks across passenger pickups, delivery vans, box trucks, and heavy-duty rigs in North America, highlighting that several segments are economically viable for electrification now and could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Guide
ACHIEVING AN EQUITABLE AND RELIABLE 85 PERCENT CLEAN ELECTRICITY SYSTEM BY 2030 IN CALIFORNIA
The report argues that California can reliably reach an 85 percent clean electricity target by 2030 through a diverse portfolio of resources, including offshore wind and geothermal, while retiring significant natural gas capacity. It emphasizes the need to prioritize the retirement of gas plants in disadvantaged communities (DACs) to improve environmental justice. The authors recommend leveraging demand-side resources as a risk mitigation strategy and expanding regional coordination through a West-wide Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) to enhance grid resilience and reduce costs. The report serves as a policy companion to a technical analysis that stress-tested these portfolios against extreme weather events.
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Document type: Report
Charting the Course for Early Truck Electrification
The report analyzes trucking telematics data from Geotab to determine the feasibility of early electric truck adoption in California and New York, finding that emissions per mile for electric trucks are significantly lower than diesel alternatives regardless of charging schedules.
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Document type: Report
Carbon Market Watch recommendations to Article 6 negotiators on removals
Carbon Market Watch argues that Article 6.2 and 6.4 mechanisms lack a clear definition of "removals," leading to the risk of including "false solutions." The organization proposes four scientific principles for defining real removals: atmospheric GHG removal, permanent storage (at least 200-300 years), comprehensive accounting of process emissions, and a net-positive removal balance. Based on these, the document asserts that nature-based sequestration and point-source CCS do not qualify as permanent removals. It specifically critiques nature-based activities due to the impossibility of guaranteeing monitoring and liability for reversals over centuries, noting that buffer pools are inadequate. Instead, it suggests nature-based activities generate "Paris Agreement Support Units" to channel finance without allowing offset claims.
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Document type: Statement
RELIABLY REACHING CALIFORNIA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY TARGETS
The study finds that California can reliably meet an 85% clean electricity target by 2030 using portfolios primarily composed of wind, solar, and battery storage. Through 264 PLEXOS simulations, the authors tested three portfolios—Base Case, Diverse Clean Resources, and High Electrification—against stressors including gas and coal retirements, low hydro availability, and extreme weather. Results indicate the system remains robust even under simultaneous stressors, though it remains dependent on a strategic amount of in-state natural gas and economic imports. The report emphasizes that diversifying resources with offshore wind and geothermal reduces the need for solar and storage and improves grid stability by lowering instantaneous inverter-based generation. While demand flexibility can offset some storage needs, the study concludes that further nodal transmission and grid stability analyses are required for a complete reliability assessment.
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Document type: Report
Electrifying Medium- and Heavy-Duty Fleets
The report identifies that while light-duty EV adoption is progressing in Canada, medium- and heavy-duty vehicle (MHDV) electrification is lagging. It highlights three primary barriers: constrained vehicle supply, charging infrastructure gaps, and operational implementation challenges. To address these, the Electrifying Canada task force proposes four catalysts: the development of near-term corporate electrification plans, the alignment of utility planning with net-zero pathways, the establishment of ZEV sales mandates for MHDVs, and the use of public-private financing to crowd in private investment.
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Document type: Report
Électrifier les parcs de véhicules moyens et lourds
The report identifies the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) as critical for Canada's 2050 net-zero goals, noting that this sector lags behind light-duty vehicle adoption. It highlights three primary obstacles: limited vehicle supply from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), charging infrastructure and grid capacity constraints, and high upfront capital costs. To address these, the document proposes catalysts including the development of short-term corporate action plans, the alignment of utility planning with decarbonization trajectories, the implementation of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandates, and the creation of innovative public-private financing models.
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Document type: Report
Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania
The report examines how agricultural expansion and urban development in the Chiquitano dry forest region of Bolivia are altering water resources. It highlights the proliferation of 'atajados' (artificial ponds) and groundwater wells, noting that these decentralized systems are often unregulated and not captured in current hydrological models. The authors argue that these changes reduce deep infiltration and base flow, potentially threatening downstream ecosystems and water users, drawing a parallel to similar unregulated water diversions in Northern California.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Testimony of Carroll Muffett President & CEO, Center for International Environmental Law Before the US House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
The testimony asserts that CCUS is not a viable climate solution, citing its failure to meet capture targets, high costs compared to renewables, and the risk of increasing lifecycle emissions. It highlights that most captured carbon is used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), which produces more CO2 than it captures. The author warns of significant safety risks from CO2 pipelines and the environmental dangers of offshore storage in the Gulf of Mexico, where legacy oil and gas wells increase the likelihood of leaks and ocean acidification.
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Document type: Statement
China and the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Cultivating Mutual Benefits for the EU and China
The report analyzes the EU's proposed CBAM, which will impose fees on carbon-intensive imports starting in 2026. It finds that the overall impact on China's exports will be moderate due to the limited number of covered sectors, primarily aluminum, iron, and steel. The authors recommend that China expand its national emissions trading system (CN ETS) to reduce exposure to fees and enhance competitiveness. For the EU, the report suggests dedicating CBAM revenues to technical assistance for developing countries and recognizing non-price-based decarbonization policies to reduce international tensions.
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Document type: Report
Electrifying Standards for New Passenger Cars and Trucks
The Biden administration's new emissions standards for model years 2023–2026 improve upon the previous SAFE rule, with fleet average emissions reductions rising up to 10 percent by model year 2026. While these rules are projected to reduce global warming emissions by 440 million metric tons and drive electric vehicle (EV) deployment to 14 percent by 2026, the Union of Concerned Scientists argues they are insufficient. The document highlights critical loopholes, such as the 'SUV Loophole' and 'off-cycle' credits, and asserts that all new vehicle sales must be electric by 2035 to prevent the worst impacts of global warming.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Petition for rulemaking to add dams and reservoirs as a source category under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
The petition argues that dams and reservoirs are significant sources of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, yet are currently excluded from the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). It highlights scientific evidence showing that some U.S. facilities, such as Lake Mead and Kentucky Lake, emit millions of metric tons of CO2e annually, sometimes exceeding emissions from fossil-fuel power plants of similar capacity. The petitioners contend that the current lack of reporting leads federal agencies, states, and utilities to incorrectly assume hydropower is a zero-carbon energy source, which may result in ill-informed climate policies and hinder the U.S. from achieving the Global Methane Pledge. The document identifies seventeen distinct emission sources within reservoir systems and urges the EPA to expand the GHGRP to include these facilities to improve data transparency and inform the transition to a truly clean electric sector.
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Document type: Statement
Current status of groundwater policy and governance in South Africa with a focus on the role of local partners to support local groundwater resource management
The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Table Mountain Strategic Water Source Area (TMSWSA), noting that groundwater management is currently a national mandate that lacks local enforcement and clear delegation to Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs). It highlights the vulnerability of the Table Mountain Group and Cape Flats aquifers to over-extraction and pollution, exacerbated by unregulated borehole drilling during Cape Town's 2016-2018 drought. To address these failures, the document proposes a flexible, multi-stakeholder Partnership Framework based on adaptive management, recommending WWF South Africa as the host institution and secretariat to coordinate between the City of Cape Town, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and local communities.
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Document type: Report
Recommendations on accelerating transportation electrification under a Clean Fuel Standard
The Union of Concerned Scientists and EV Noire argue that Clean Fuel Standards (CFS) can provide critical financial support for transportation electrification by setting declining carbon intensity standards for fuels. Using examples from California and Oregon, the briefing emphasizes that while CFS are technology-neutral, they can enable broader goals like zero-emission bus fleets and equitable EV access if paired with strong oversight, public engagement, and safeguards against harmful fuel pathways.
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Document type: Briefing
Reality Check: More EVs Can Mean Fewer Emissions
The document asserts that EVs in the US already produce 60–68 percent fewer emissions than internal combustion engine vehicles. It highlights that 'smart charging'—specifically Automated Emissions Reduction (AER) technology—can further lower emissions by aligning charging with periods of cleaner energy. The text claims that if 70 million EVs are on the road, emissions-optimized charging would be equivalent to removing an additional 5.73 million internal combustion engine vehicles from the road.
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Document type: Fact sheet
El metano importa: un enfoque integral hacia la mitigación del metano
The document argues that reducing methane emissions by at least 45% by 2030 is essential to meet the 1.5°C target. It details sector-specific interventions: transitioning to agroecology and plant-based diets in agriculture, eliminating fossil fuels and fixing leaks in the energy sector, and implementing a waste hierarchy focused on organic waste prevention and composting in the waste sector. It further proposes a global governance framework based on monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), national action plans, and financial assistance for developing countries.
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Document type: Report
Methane Matters
The report argues that while the Global Methane Pledge aims for a 30% reduction by 2030, a 40–45% reduction is necessary to meet the 1.5°C target. It details sector-specific interventions: shifting to plant-rich diets and improving livestock management in agriculture; phasing out fossil fuels and implementing leak detection in energy; and prioritizing organic waste prevention and composting in the waste sector. It further advocates for a global governance framework based on monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), national action plans, and financial assistance for developing countries.
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Document type: Report
WeatherPower Year in Review
The report analyzes 2021 renewable energy generation in the continental U.S., estimating a total of 606,000 GWh from wind (73%) and solar (27%). It highlights Texas as the leader in raw wind generation and California in raw solar generation, while also examining generation normalized by land area and population. The document compares these figures against the Net Zero America Project's 2030 target of 2.2 million GWh per year, concluding that while current growth is accelerating, the U.S. needs to nearly double its annual increase in generation to stay on track for net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Document type: Report