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The document outlines how low- and zero-emissions zones can improve air quality and achieve climate goals while addressing racial and economic equity. It highlights critical equity concerns, such as the risk of financial burdens on low-income residents and the need for community-led enforcement mechanisms. The text provides policy recommendations for California states and cities to ensure public oversight and technical support for pilot projects, particularly in under-resourced communities.

The document examines the technological, economic, and environmental aspects of transitioning the U.S. transportation sector to electric vehicles. It highlights the role of falling battery costs, the necessity of expanding charging infrastructure, and the potential for significant public health improvements, particularly in marginalized communities. It also addresses challenges related to the sourcing of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt and the impact of regional climates on vehicle range.

The document argues that climate change impacts are not equal and are influenced by intersectional factors such as race, gender, power, and poverty. It provides examples of coalitions uniting debt activists, homeless advocates, racial justice groups, indigenous leaders, women's rights organisations, and labour unions to address systemic inequalities alongside the energy transition. These collaborations range from demanding unconditional debt cancellation for the Global South and vaccine equality to promoting 'carbon banks' for Black farmers in the US and integrating trans rights into environmental movements. The briefing highlights that integrating a social justice lens—recognising interacting systems of oppression—is essential for a diverse and effective climate movement.

The report evaluates Colorado's emissions trajectory and proposes a '1.5°C Scenario' to bridge the gap between current policies and climate goals. This scenario emphasizes a rapid transition to 100% clean electricity by 2035, the electrification of transportation and buildings, and the reduction of industrial methane leaks. Implementing these measures is projected to reduce net emissions by 85% below business-as-usual levels by 2050, while creating up to 36,000 new jobs and providing significant public health benefits, including the prevention of over 1,400 deaths annually by 2050.

The document analyzes the 'Big Freeze' in Texas, attributing the disaster to a combination of inadequate building codes, failures in the natural gas supply chain, and an 'energy-only' electricity market design that failed to incentivize winterization. It argues that scarcity pricing is insufficient for managing 'high-impact common-mode events' and recommends a holistic approach to risk management, including emergency price caps, improved building codes, and demand-side investments.

The guide encourages Americans to reduce their environmental footprint during outdoor dining by choosing sustainable foods and eliminating single-use plastics. It details the high water and land requirements of cotton and livestock, the vulnerability of wine production to climate change, and the low recycling rates for plastics in the US. Practical tips include planning menus to reduce waste, using reusable containers, choosing local and in-season foods, and opting for carbon-free transportation to picnic sites.

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 briefing examines the risks and requirements for corporate financing of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) in the context of net-zero commitments. It proposes a shift from traditional offsetting—where companies might choose to pay for reductions elsewhere rather than reducing their own emissions—to a 'counterbalancing' approach. Under this model, companies must first comply with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to ensure they are on a 1.5°C trajectory across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions before using NBS credits. On the supply side, the document advocates for the 'jurisdictional approach' over project-based credits to better manage risks like leakage, permanence, and additionality, highlighting the ART/TREES standard as a robust framework for ensuring environmental and social integrity.

The report investigates the impact of 3,321 warehouses over 100,000 square feet in the South Coast Air Basin, finding that these facilities are disproportionately sited in low-income communities of color. This siting increases exposure to diesel truck emissions, which are linked to asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The analysis highlights a disparity where the communities most impacted by warehouse pollution are not the primary consumers of the e-commerce goods stored within them. The authors call for the South Coast Air Quality Management District to implement a strong Indirect Source Rule requiring zero-emission technology in these disadvantaged areas.

The report outlines a strategic policy framework to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S., aiming for 100% new EV sales by 2030-2035. It emphasizes the need for strong national fuel economy and emissions standards, equity-focused incentives, expanded charging infrastructure, and the growth of domestic battery and vehicle manufacturing. The document also details technical and regulatory requirements for grid integration, including streamlined interconnection, updated building codes, and smart electricity rate designs to ensure a reliable and equitable energy transition.

The report argues that transitioning the U.S. transportation sector to 100 percent electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030-2035, paired with a 90 percent clean grid by 2035, is technologically feasible and economically beneficial. It outlines a strategic framework focusing on national emission standards, targeted financial incentives, the expansion of charging infrastructure, and the growth of domestic manufacturing. The authors emphasize that this transition must prioritize environmental justice and social equity, specifically targeting low-to-moderate-income communities and those disproportionately affected by transportation pollution. Key recommendations include reforming the federal EV tax credit into a point-of-sale rebate, implementing 'made in America' policies for battery production, and streamlining grid interconnection and building codes to support rapid EVSE deployment.

The paper examines the water-energy nexus in Argentina's Vaca Muerta region, highlighting that while shale production uses a small percentage of total water, its wastewater management poses significant pollution risks. These risks are compounded by climate change projections of decreased precipitation and increasing competition for water from agriculture and urban growth. The authors argue for an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to replace the current fragmented provincial regulatory system.

The document argues that U.S. nuclear policy is currently operating in an "information vacuum," with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) often prioritizing licensee cost-savings over public safety and environmental data. It highlights systemic risks in "fast-track" decommissioning, the vulnerability of thin-walled spent fuel canisters to corrosion and failure, and the lack of scientific evidence supporting 80-year license extensions for aging plants. The authors further caution against the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and the establishment of consolidated interim storage facilities (CISFs) without comprehensive risk and cost analyses. The briefing concludes with ten recommendations to policymakers, including mandating ASME N3 standards for waste containers, requiring "hot cells" for repackaging damaged fuel, and reforming NRC oversight to reduce regulatory capture.

The guide advises journalists to frame climate change as a factor that makes extreme weather worse rather than a sole cause. It provides key data on global warming, noting a 2 degree Fahrenheit increase since pre-industrial times and the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The text details how climate change intensifies heat waves, floods, and hurricanes—noting that hurricanes now lose only 50% of their strength in the first 24 hours after landfall compared to 75% fifty years ago. It also highlights risks to biodiversity, the role of agriculture in producing a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the scientific necessity of eliminating new carbon emissions by 2050.

The document outlines eight benefits of building electrification in the United States, asserting it is the only established way to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial heating and cooking. It highlights that all-electric homes are cheaper to build than mixed-fuel homes, improve indoor air quality—particularly for children and marginalized communities—and can create millions of jobs. The text dismisses alternatives like renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, and synthetic methane as too costly or limited in scale, while noting that nearly 60 percent of new US homes are already built all-electric.

The document outlines several federal programs that leverage veterans' skills for roles in land management, agriculture, and conservation. Key initiatives include the Veterans Fire Corps for wildland firefighting, the BattleGround to Breaking Ground program for farming and ranching in Texas, and the VetsWork and NOAA Veterans Corps Fisheries programs for natural resource management and habitat restoration across multiple U.S. states.

The text advocates for a new transatlantic narrative that integrates civil society 'transformers'—including climate activists, women's movements, and marginalized groups—into political discourse. It emphasizes that democratic resilience requires diverse representation in institutions and the prioritization of social justice and the climate crisis over old security-centric models.

The author contends that the Biden-Harris administration provides an opportunity to reboot transatlantic relations by integrating diverse civil society movements—such as those focused on climate, racial justice, and gender equality—into the political discourse. The text argues that the previous focus on a common security policy is obsolete and should be replaced by a narrative of democratic resilience and inclusivity. It highlights the role of grassroots networks and regional initiatives, such as the 'We Are Still In' and 'Under2Coalition' alliances, as models for strengthening solidarity. The document concludes that achieving a 'build back better' transatlantic relationship requires structural and financial support for civil society and the implementation of joint regulations on hate speech and disinformation.

An analysis of California's largest school districts reveals a significant misalignment between school lunch menus and public health and climate goals, with 94% of entrées featuring animal protein and only 4% being plant-based. The report highlights how the USDA Foods program subsidizes industrial meat and dairy, benefiting large conglomerates like Tyson Foods and incentivizing carbon-intensive menus. It advocates for structural changes, including the expansion of the Farm to School Grant Program, to transition toward plant-forward, organic, and regenerative food systems to improve student health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The document argues that the US power sector faces a critical investment window between 2020 and 2030, with an estimated 420 GW of resource procurement needed. It advocates for a shift toward 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement practices to move away from legacy processes that reflect past conditions rather than emerging trends. The guide provides specific actionable recommendations for legislators, state commissions, and utilities to increase transparency, engage stakeholders, and better integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) into the planning and procurement cycle.