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The report finds that diesel pollution caused an estimated 3,000 premature deaths and $21.5 billion in health costs in California in 2004. While new engine standards help, the majority of pollution comes from existing engines, and the state's Diesel Risk Reduction Plan is at risk of failing due to funding gaps and regulatory delays. The Union of Concerned Scientists argues that investing in incentive programs like the Moyer Program provides high returns, reducing public health costs by $9 to $16 for every dollar invested.

The U.S. electricity system relies heavily on freshwater, with cooling power plants accounting for 41 percent of all freshwater withdrawals. This dependence creates a 'collision' where energy production competes with municipal, agricultural, and ecosystem needs, a situation exacerbated by global warming. The report details regional risks—such as hydropower instability in the Northwest and cooling water shortages in the Southeast—and highlights low-water alternatives like wind, solar photovoltaic, and dry-cooling systems.

The report argues that large-scale institutional food procurement can drive systemic change in the US food system by leveraging collective buying power to demand sustainable, healthy, and fair food production. It highlights the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), which uses five value categories—local economies, environmental sustainability, nutrition, valued workforce, and animal welfare—to guide procurement. A case study of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) demonstrates that adopting these standards can lead to significant local economic gains, reduced carbon and water footprints, improved student health outcomes, and industry-wide shifts, such as the increased production of antibiotic-free chicken in the US.

The report provides a state-by-state breakdown of progress toward 2020 Clean Power Plan benchmarks, noting that some states have exceeded 500% of their goals while others show 0% progress. It highlights the role of energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and regional initiatives in achieving these targets.

The report assesses fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) as a path toward a clean-vehicle future in the US, focusing on hydrogen and methanol as primary fuels. It analyzes the environmental benefits, such as the potential for 'zero-emission vehicles' (ZEVs) when using renewable hydrogen, and compares FCV performance and safety to gasoline vehicles. The document also addresses the infrastructure challenges of hydrogen distribution and the economic value of reducing urban air pollution in cities like Los Angeles and New York City.

The UCS Town Hall Toolkit is a guide for advocates to hold Members of Congress accountable through public engagement. It outlines strategies for finding and attending town halls, provides a framework for preparing and delivering questions, and offers specific sample questions focused on opposing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), protecting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and defending various tax credits and grants within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

The Southwest is projected to warm by 4-6°F under lower-emissions and 7-10°F under higher-emissions scenarios by the end of the century. The region faces severe water scarcity, expanding deserts, and reduced runoff, particularly in the Colorado River system. Public health risks include increased heat-related deaths in Los Angeles and worsening air quality. Economic threats include reduced yields for California specialty crops, diminished ski resort profitability due to snowpack loss, and reduced aircraft freight capacity at high-altitude airports like Phoenix and Denver. Biodiversity is critically threatened, especially in the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands, while mountain ecosystems face range reductions and reproductive failures in wildflowers due to earlier snowmelt and spring frosts.

The document outlines a 'funnel' process for wind resource assessment, moving from general wind maps to site-specific measurements. It emphasizes that wind energy production is approximately proportional to the square of wind speed, meaning small estimation errors can lead to significant financial losses. The guide details the use of wind power classes, the impact of wind shear on tower height selection, and the importance of analyzing year-to-year wind variability to satisfy lender requirements. It also provides specific siting advice regarding wind roses, turbine wake effects, and the use of set-backs or easements to protect wind access.

The document provides a comprehensive analysis of carbon pricing mechanisms, specifically carbon taxes and emissions trading systems (ETS), within the Brazilian context. It evaluates international experiences, such as the EU ETS, to demonstrate that while short-term costs increase, long-term benefits include fostered innovation and business growth. The report details various macroeconomic studies on Brazil, suggesting that the negative impacts of emission restrictions can be minimized through revenue recycling and technological progress. It emphasizes the importance of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and recommends that the Brazilian government establish a transparent climate governance structure. For companies, it suggests incorporating climate change into corporate strategy and adopting internal carbon pricing as a risk management tool.

The document is a formal statement signed by a broad coalition of individuals, businesses, and civil society organizations calling for urgent government action to limit global warming to 1.5°C. It emphasizes that 1.5°C is a critical limit rather than a target and argues that current national pledges are insufficient to meet this goal. The signatories commit to a just transition and call for global emissions to be halved by 2030, highlighting the immediate impacts of climate change already visible in regions such as Pakistan, California, Europe, and Somalia.

The report analyzes the first wave of CSRD climate reports from 93 large EU companies, finding that while limited assurance is standard, many companies are restating or erasing historical data to improve quality. It identifies a trend toward integrating sustainability internal controls with financial systems and notes that while GHG reporting is improving, monetized climate risk and opportunity reporting remain rare. The document also evaluates the adoption of the EU Taxonomy and the reporting of political lobbying and climate-related executive incentives.

The We Mean Business Coalition identifies critical failures in the ESG data ecosystem, noting that historical emissions data is often inadequate for meaningful analysis due to blatant errors and inconsistent reporting. The report categorizes these issues into company-level reporting failures, data provider extraction errors, and structural gaps such as the lack of central repositories and misalignment between GHG and financial reporting boundaries. To resolve these, the authors advocate for the global adoption of ISSB standards, mandatory XBRL tagging, and the alignment of GHG operational boundaries with financial reporting standards.

The study finds that scaling up switchgrass production in the U.S. would likely displace existing crops and conservation land, potentially increasing commodity prices and reducing exports. While it may reduce erosion and nutrient pollution, increased nitrogen application could lead to higher nitrous oxide emissions, potentially offsetting soil carbon sequestration benefits and increasing overall greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.

The document defines GHG emissions registries as databases for tracking emissions from individual emitters, distinguishing them from top-down national inventories. It details the legal mandate for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a national registry by mid-2008, funded by a December 2007 appropriations bill. The text outlines the role of registries in cap-and-trade programs—specifically for ensuring compliance and market efficiency—and describes the technical requirements for data collection, quantification, and verification to ensure consistency and transparency.

The document examines international subnational case studies to guide Vietnamese cities in creating electric mobility roadmaps. It highlights that while Vietnamese cities share contexts with other Asian cities, they are comparable to Californian cities regarding public transit usage. The paper suggests that Vietnam can move beyond narrow e-mobility uptake goals toward broader climate and air quality objectives, noting the unique presence of a local OEM, Vinfast.

The guide details five financial tools to facilitate energy efficiency: on-bill financing, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) models, loan guarantees, and loan loss reserve funds. It highlights how public investment can reduce lender risk to mobilize private capital, providing specific examples from the United States, Canada, and China.

The testimony argues that the America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191) is a strong legislative proposal to address global warming through a cap-and-trade system. Dr. Pershing asserts that the US, having contributed 28 percent of atmospheric emissions, must lead the transition to a low-carbon economy to enable a successful international agreement. WRI analysis suggests the bill would cover 82 percent of US emissions, reducing covered emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 71 percent by 2050 relative to 2005 levels. The testimony emphasizes that the economic impact of the bill's carbon price would be minimal, with some state-level models showing GDP increases when combined with complementary policies. The bill includes cost-containment strategies such as free allowance allocations, auctions, and offsets to ease the economic transition for industries and consumers.

The report examines 'vertical diffusion'—the process by which state policies move to the federal level—identifying key drivers such as state champions, spillover effects, and policy learning. It argues that early state action and interstate cooperation can shape federal outcomes, citing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and California vehicle emissions standards as examples of influential state-led initiatives.

The policy brief warns that using soybeans and corn for aviation fuel increases food prices and causes deforestation, urging the US government and states like California to prioritize non-food feedstocks such as waste biomass and e-fuels.

The briefing examines the climate policy landscapes of the U.S. and China, noting that while the U.S. lacks a national carbon price, it has significant subnational activity. China has established the world's largest emissions trading scheme (ETS) but maintains that it is not obligated to provide international climate finance as a developing nation. Both countries are advancing corporate climate disclosure rules, though they differ on the requirement for Scope 3 emissions. The paper suggests cooperation on sustainable procurement, data standards for emission accounting, and subnational carbon market exchanges.