Search Climate Insights Directory
488 results
Latine Community Priorities and The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The report analyzes 308 projects totaling over $3.1 billion in IIJA expenditures across California, Colorado, Florida, New York, and Texas. It finds that while significant funds are reaching these states, investments are heavily skewed toward large-scale infrastructure projects managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, with relatively low funding for public lands and greenspaces. The analysis highlights a gap in orphaned well remediation near Latine communities and notes that carbon capture investments in Texas primarily benefit private industry. However, it identifies successes in fenceline air monitoring and climate pollution planning grants that have reached grassroots organizations and Latine-led initiatives.
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Document type: Report
Strategic Plan 2025-2028
GreenLatinos' 2025-2028 Strategic Plan focuses on increasing the political influence of the Latino environmental community through the establishment of a 501(c)4 advocacy entity and a Political Action Committee (PAC). The organization aims to expand its state programs in Colorado, California, New Mexico, Illinois, and Texas, while increasing support for leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean to influence international climate and conservation frameworks. Key operational goals include launching a mission-aligned social enterprise and developing leadership programs for members.
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Document type: Report
Our Progress from 2021–2024
GreenLatinos reports significant growth between 2021 and 2024, expanding its staff from four to thirty and increasing network membership by 250%. The organization released two editions of the Latino Climate Justice Framework, influenced the Inflation Reduction Act, and launched the Justicia y Equidad Fund, which granted nearly $22.8 million to frontline organizations for urban greening and community forestry. It also established state programs in Colorado, Texas, California, New Mexico, and Illinois to support place-based campaigns.
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Document type: After-action report
decisions-ec-16-824749a2cf00d0b1.pdf
The document is an action list from the Sixteenth Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Council (EC), held on December 2-3, 2002, in Panama City, Panama. It records administrative decisions, approvals of financial and working group reports, and the scheduling of future meetings.
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Document type: Report
Comments on Forest Service’s West Elk Mine Environmental Impact Statement
The Institute for Policy Integrity, alongside several environmental organizations, argues that the U.S. Forest Service's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Elk coal mine expansion is deficient because it does not monetize greenhouse gas emissions using the social cost of carbon and methane. The authors contend that since the Forest Service used a cost-benefit analysis to list federal revenue increases, it is required to monetize climate damages using the best available data, especially as the expansion could represent "1.67% of all federal coal produced nationally".
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Document type: Statement
Why State Land Use Reform Should Be a Priority Climate Lever for America
The document outlines a methodology for estimating GHG emissions reductions achievable through land use reform in the US. It projects that over 13 million new housing units will be needed by 2033 to address population growth and existing shortages. By comparing a 'business as usual' scenario with a 'low VMT' scenario—where 90% of new housing is placed in the 90th percentile lowest VMT areas of each state—the analysis calculates potential savings in direct tailpipe emissions, vehicle lifecycle emissions, and indirect emissions from building energy, embodied carbon, and the loss of natural land carbon sinks.
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Document type: Report
Sustainable Zero Net Energy – Identifying the Essentials for Solutions
The document examines the transition toward zero net energy (ZNE) buildings and distributed energy resources (DERs), highlighting the misalignment between traditional utility business models and the bidirectional power flows of ZNE designs. It argues that current volumetric rate structures and net energy metering (NEM) can create economic inefficiencies and equity issues. To resolve this, the authors propose a framework involving more rigorous measurement of DER impacts, the use of price signals to align customer incentives with grid value, and the evolution of utility models toward either incentive-based regulation or a 'network utility' approach. The paper emphasizes the need for metrics that account for short-term grid interaction rather than just annual energy balances.
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Document type: Research paper
SENSE AND RESPONSE
The paper examines the historical relationship between human settlements and their environments, contrasting traditional sustainable systems with modern industrial disengagement. It proposes a new regionalism in architecture that uses climatic data to inform design and advocates for 'ecological utilities'—buildings designed primarily to repair and rebuild the environment by providing ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water remediation, and soil regeneration.
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Document type: Research paper
Visitor’s Guide
The RMI Headquarters is a 4,000-square-foot experimental bioshelter in Colorado designed for extreme resource efficiency. It utilizes passive solar design, superinsulation, and advanced glazing to eliminate the need for a conventional heating system, achieving a 99% reduction in space- and water-heating energy. The structure integrates a residential home, a year-round greenhouse for food production, and an office space. Key technologies include krypton-filled Heat Mirror windows, a 1,500-gallon superinsulated water storage tank, and a combination of grid-interactive and stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The document details the building's construction, including its 16-inch thick masonry walls with polyurethane foam cores, and provides economic data showing that the efficiency investments paid for themselves in approximately ten months based on 1983-84 technology.
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Document type: Guide
THE ECONOMICS OF GRID DEFECTION
The report examines the economic viability of 'grid defection'—where customers use solar PV and battery storage to operate independently of the electric grid. It analyzes five U.S. geographies to determine when the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for these systems undercuts retail utility prices. The findings suggest that grid parity is already present in Hawaii and is imminent for millions of other U.S. customers, threatening to strand utility assets and trigger a 'utility death spiral' of rising prices and falling sales.
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Document type: Executive summary
CASE STUDY: Transition to Clean Energy for Cooperative Utilities
The document details Tri-State's Responsible Energy Plan (REP), announced in January 2020, which aims to retire significant coal capacity and add over 1 GW of wind and solar power by 2024. It outlines the economic and policy drivers behind the shift, the use of a multi-stakeholder advisory group to build credibility, and the challenges associated with stranded assets, transmission development, and the lack of a regional transmission organization in the West. The plan targets a 100% clean energy portfolio for Colorado by 2040 and a 70% reduction in emissions from Colorado wholesale electric sales by 2030.
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Document type: Case study
VIRTUAL POWER PLANT FLIPBOOK
The VPP Flipbook outlines how utilities can aggregate distributed energy resources (DERs)—such as batteries, electric vehicles, and smart thermostats—to provide grid services like capacity, energy, and resilience. It details a six-step development process and provides specific examples from utilities including PG&E, National Grid, and Green Mountain Power. The document emphasizes the importance of open-access structures, third-party partnerships, and the integration of VPPs into long-term resource planning to address load growth and decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Guide
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact GUIDEBOOK
The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, coordinated by Sustainable Energy for All on behalf of UN-Energy, promotes a global effort to ensure every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumption is met with carbon-free sources every hour of every day. The guidebook outlines five core principles: time-matched procurement, local procurement, technology-inclusivity, enabling new generation, and maximizing system impact. It details technical enablers such as Granular Certificates (GCs) for hourly tracking, smart metering, and 24/7 CFE Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The document also highlights the role of green hydrogen as a storage solution and provides implementation roadmaps for energy buyers, governments, and suppliers, while emphasizing equity considerations for the Global South.
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Document type: Guide
Cover Crops Public Investments Could Produce Big Payoffs
The document outlines the environmental and economic benefits of cover crops, such as reducing nitrate leaching by 40 to 70 percent and increasing soil fertility. It identifies significant barriers to adoption, including direct costs (ranging from $62 to $107 per acre for certain varieties in Kansas) and risks related to crop insurance and land tenure. The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends expanding USDA cost-share incentives through the CSP and EQIP programs, reforming crop insurance, and increasing technical assistance and research.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Energy-Water Collision
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.
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Document type: Report
Scientists Call for Canceling New Land Based Nuclear Missiles
The document argues that the Sentinel ICBM program is prohibitively expensive, increases the risk of nuclear war due to high-alert postures, and is unnecessary given the existing submarine-launched ballistic missile capability.
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Document type: Statement
State Progress Toward Clean Power Plan Benchmarks in 2020
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.
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Document type: Report
Microsoft Word - southwest.doc
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.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Power Sector Opportunities for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Colorado
WRI analysis indicates that Colorado can reduce its power sector CO2 emissions by 29 percent below 2011 levels by 2020 using existing policies and infrastructure. This would meet or exceed moderately ambitious EPA standards, which WRI estimates would require reductions between 28 and 37 percent. Key opportunities include meeting renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, increasing the use of combined heat and power (CHP), maximizing the capacity of natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plants, and improving coal plant efficiency.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Bottom Line on Public-Private Finance Tools for Energy Efficiency
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.
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Document type: Guide