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The fact sheet identifies significant quantities of agricultural production left in fields and waste generated during food processing as viable, non-food-competing biomass for biofuels. It details the causes of crop loss, such as weather and health outbreaks, and highlights existing technologies for recovering value from potato, orange, and corn waste, as well as the potential for anaerobic digestion of wastewater to produce biogas.

The report analyzes 10 ILM projects across North America and Europe, identifying a general framework consisting of baseline assessment, future scenario envisioning, collaborative planning, and monitoring. Key findings highlight the difficulty of integrating socio-economic and biophysical data, the challenge of translating scientific models into usable policy tools, and the necessity of early stakeholder engagement to ensure local relevance and ownership of project outcomes.

The report argues that the Lake Winnipeg Basin is highly suitable for water quality trading (WQT) because agricultural nonpoint sources contribute between 59% and 97% of phosphorus loads in the Canadian portion of the basin. It proposes a multi-level architecture combining inter sub-basin trading (using a trading ratio model to meet overall lake targets) and intra sub-basin trading (using reverse auctions to incentivize best management practices). The authors suggest that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Canada Water Act provide the necessary regulatory basis, and recommend a composite market structure to minimize transaction costs.

The document examines the impact of emissions offsets on air quality in California under the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). It highlights a University of California at Berkeley study showing that while in-state offsets produce mixed results—reducing methane but increasing nitrogen oxides (NOx)—out-of-state offsets lead to an increase in nearly every air pollutant, effectively exporting air quality co-benefits away from the state.

The document asserts that the United States must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent below 2000 levels by 2050 to avoid severe climate impacts. It argues that the cost of action is small relative to the global and national economy, while the cost of inaction is significantly higher, citing potential losses of over 3.6% of U.S. GDP annually by 2100. The text advocates for a policy mix of market-based cap-and-trade systems and sector-specific incentives, warning that 'safety valves' or price caps would undermine investment in new energy technologies.

The report examines the history and legal mechanisms used to construct barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically focusing on the 'Real ID Act' and 'Secure Fence Act'. It details how these laws allowed the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive nearly all federal and state laws, including environmental and historic preservation statutes, to expedite construction. The author highlights the resulting environmental damage in areas like the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the disruption of Native American sacred sites, and the high financial costs of the project. It concludes by calling for a suspension of construction and a legislative review of the wall's effectiveness and constitutionality.

The document analyzes the landscape of emissions trading schemes (ETS) in North America, noting that while regional initiatives like the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) are advanced, national efforts in the US and Canada face coordination challenges. It argues that linking is logical due to economic ties, but current designs—particularly Canada's intensity-based targets—create barriers to bilateral links with absolute-cap schemes. The author concludes that a US federal scheme would likely preempt most state schemes, while Canada may use equivalency agreements to allow provincial schemes to persist.

As of February 2009, 28 U.S. states and Washington D.C. have implemented renewable electricity standards to increase the share of wind, solar, and bioenergy in their power supplies. The Union of Concerned Scientists projects these standards will support 76,750 MW of new renewable power by 2025, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 183 million metric tons. While success varies by state—with Texas significantly exceeding its targets—the document argues that state leadership proves these standards can reduce market barriers, justifying a national renewable electricity standard to enhance energy security and fuel diversity.

The document details two 2008 CARB regulations: a Global Warming Rule targeting heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency through aerodynamic features and tires, and a Smog and Particulate Rule requiring diesel particulate filters for trucks over 14,000 pounds. It highlights projected benefits, including the prevention of 9,400 premature deaths and billions in health cost savings, while suggesting further improvements to the global warming rule to cover more vehicle types.

The Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) presents a methodology for measuring irrigation subsidies by calculating the difference between the cost of making irrigation water available and the revenue received from beneficiaries. The framework focuses on 'full supply cost,' incorporating annual capital costs (interest and depreciation) and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, while excluding complex elements like opportunity costs and full social costs due to data constraints. It provides detailed guidance on allocating joint capital costs in multi-purpose projects using the Alternative Justifiable Expenditures (AJE) and Separate Costs, Remaining Benefits (SCRB) methods. The methodology also addresses specific subsidies such as discounted electricity for groundwater pumping and identifiable government expenditures on environmental externalities. Revenue components include water sales, hydropower, fishing rights, and pollution taxes.

The clean car standards, initiated by California's AB 1493 and adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), comprise regulations for air quality, global warming, and zero-emission vehicles. These standards aim for a 30% reduction in global warming pollution from new vehicles by 2016 and are more stringent than federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, targeting a fleet average fuel economy equivalent of 39.2 mpg by 2020 compared to the federal 35 mpg. As of January 2009, 13 states and the District of Columbia had adopted these standards, which are projected to reduce cumulative global warming emissions by 451 million metric tons of CO2E by 2020 across those 15 jurisdictions.

The report contends that nuclear power is economically unviable, citing soaring capital costs and a lack of private investment. It argues that decentralized 'micropower'—including wind, solar, and cogeneration—alongside end-use efficiency, provides a more cost-effective means of displacing CO2 emissions and enhancing energy security. The authors assert that nuclear power's slow deployment and high financial risk make it a liability for urgent climate action, suggesting that resources should instead be shifted toward distributed energy resources.

The paper examines the shift toward a more collaborative US-China relationship on climate change ahead of COP15 in Copenhagen. It details the announcement of mid-term emissions targets by both nations, China's continued alignment with the G77, and the internal US political struggles to pass climate legislation. The authors argue that while bilateral cooperation on clean energy technology is increasing, deep distrust between developed and developing nations and US domestic partisan gridlock continue to threaten the prospects of a legally binding international agreement.

The document details how rising temperatures in the Northwest are reducing springtime snowpack and shifting streamflow timing, which threatens water supplies, hydropower production, and salmon populations. It also highlights risks of increased forest fires, pest infestations, and coastal erosion due to sea-level rise, particularly in the Puget Sound region.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) developed the Vanguard blueprint to show that current technologies—such as cylinder deactivation, turbocharging, and continuously variable transmissions—can reduce global warming emissions across all vehicle classes. The report argues that while individual components are already used in many 2008 model year vehicles, automakers are resisting the implementation of full technology packages that would meet the 2016 clean car standard. Financial analysis indicates that for various vehicle types, the increase in purchase price for these upgrades would be offset by lifetime consumer savings, with payback periods ranging from 2.1 to 3.6 years.

The report argues that RGGI's design, which caps emissions only for power plants within participating states, creates a price advantage for imported electricity from coal-heavy states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania. This 'leakage' is exacerbated by excess capacity in existing coal plants and planned transmission upgrades that facilitate power flow from west to east. The authors suggest that RGGI states should implement retail-level carbon caps, prohibit contracts with high-emission plants, and prioritize transmission projects aligned with climate goals to prevent the expansion of coal-based power.

The document examines the role of carbon offsets within a cap-and-trade system, specifically focusing on the challenges of certifying reductions from forestry and agriculture. It argues that while offsets can lower compliance costs for capped entities, the rigorous requirements for offsets—being real, additional, verifiable, permanent, and enforceable—can create high transaction costs for certain project types. The authors suggest that instead of forcing all uncapped reductions into an offset framework, policymakers should use a mix of offsets, direct regulations, and incentive payments to achieve the lowest overall cost to the economy.

Friends of the Earth welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to review a 2003 EPA ruling that denied the agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The organization argues that the lack of regulation has coincided with a 16 percent increase in global warming emissions since 1990 and contributed to severe weather events and economic losses, such as the $57.6 billion in insurance losses from 2005 hurricanes.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis indicates that retrofitting new and existing heavy-duty trucks with aerodynamic technologies and fuel-efficient tires could reduce national global warming pollution by 17 million metric tons of CO2eq by 2020. Such improvements could save over 1.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel nationally and 200 million gallons annually in California by 2020, while providing net savings of over $30,000 over the life of a typical new long-range truck.

The document presents a collection of data points from multiple research organizations arguing that renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) sectors generate more employment per unit of energy or investment than fossil fuels. It highlights national and state-level projections in the US, such as the potential for 4.2 million new green jobs by 2038, and international examples from Germany, Spain, Brazil, and India. Specific technology sectors—including wind, solar, biofuels, and geothermal—are detailed alongside the impact of policy mechanisms like Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and investment tax credits.