Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide by RMI provides strategic advice for municipalities to renegotiate franchise agreements with electric and gas utilities to advance climate, equity, and resilience goals. It emphasizes moving beyond narrow legal scopes to incorporate specific climate actions, equitable funding, and infrastructure resilience, while highlighting the importance of overcoming informational asymmetries during negotiations.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the necessity and design of federal just transition legislation in Canada. It evaluates international best practices from 12 jurisdictions to provide a framework for protecting workers and communities during the shift to a low-carbon economy, emphasizing social dialogue, Indigenous partnership, and corporate accountability.

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States is essential for meeting climate goals, as transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document outlines how systemic changes in land use, transportation pricing, and roadway design can reduce reliance on personal vehicles and mitigate the societal harms of urban sprawl.

As of August 2021, fewer than 1% of U.S. school buses are electric, with 95% still relying on diesel. Adoption is led by California and Montgomery County, Maryland, though deployment is heavily skewed toward suburban areas (64% of committed buses). While some electric buses are in highly vulnerable communities, this is largely due to targeted funding in California. Federal initiatives like the American Jobs Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework provide scaling opportunities, though the report warns that funding 'clean' fossil-fuel alternatives like natural gas hinders decarbonization goals.

The report 'COAL COST CROSSOVER 2.0' analyzes the economic viability of the United States coal fleet compared to new wind and solar energy. It finds that a vast majority of existing coal capacity is now more expensive to operate than building new nearby renewable projects, a trend that is accelerating faster than previous forecasts.

RMI analysis indicates that Colorado's plans to add approximately 200 new highway lane-miles over the next decade will likely increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions, contradicting the state's climate goals. The report introduces an induced travel calculator to quantify these impacts, suggesting that road expansion fails to provide long-term congestion relief and instead encourages more frequent and longer trips.

This case study by RMI examines how developers in Colorado are implementing all-electric, affordable housing projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower long-term costs, and improve resident health. Through examples like Oxford Vista, Kestrel, and 30 Pearl Street, the document demonstrates that avoiding fossil fuel infrastructure can offset higher upfront costs for electric systems, providing a scalable model for sustainable urban development.

This case study examines Colorado's legislative and strategic efforts to manage the transition away from coal-fired power plants. The state has established a Just Transition Office and Advisory Committee to support workers and communities, while implementing a securitization mechanism to accelerate the closure of uneconomic plants.

This fact sheet from RMI outlines the climate, health, and economic advantages of transitioning US buildings from fossil fuels to clean electricity for heating and cooking, arguing that electrification is the only established method to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial appliances.

The CLEAN Future Act, introduced on March 2, 2021, by U.S. Representative Frank Pallone and other House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership, proposes a framework to achieve a 100% clean economy in the United States by 2050. The briefing outlines the bill's targets for emissions reduction, its approach to climate federalism, investments in transportation and power, and provisions for environmental justice and worker transitions.

This guide by RMI provides a framework for updating electricity resource procurement processes for vertically integrated utilities in the US. It advocates for 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement to optimize the deployment of clean energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) during a period of significant projected investment.

This briefing by RMI examines how several US states are using securitization—a financing tool that replaces high-cost utility capital with low-interest ratepayer-backed bonds—to facilitate the equitable retirement of coal-fired power plants. The document details how this mechanism can lower electricity rates for consumers, enable utility investment in clean energy, and provide funding for displaced workers and affected communities.

This policy brief by RMI argues that the United States requires a bold, coordinated national vision for transportation electrification by 2030 to meet climate goals and maintain global industrial competitiveness. It proposes specific targets for EV adoption and infrastructure, alongside a national industrial strategy to retool manufacturing and an aggressive fleet electrification plan.

This guide by RMI outlines the environmental impact of natural gas flaring, specifically within the United States, and proposes a seven-step framework for industry actors and policymakers to reduce and eventually eliminate routine flaring to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

This issue brief by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the economic and workforce challenges facing coal-dependent communities in the United States as they transition to a clean energy economy. It analyzes the drivers of coal's decline, evaluates proposed federal strategies for a 'just transition,' and highlights regional opportunities for economic diversification in sectors such as renewable energy, environmental remediation, broadband deployment, and entrepreneurship.

The briefing 'The New (Ab)Normal' describes the escalating frequency and severity of climate-driven catastrophes, using the 2020 wildfire season in Colorado and the western United States as a primary example. It argues that the world has entered a state of 'continuous escalation of catastrophe' and outlines five critical areas of impact: mass migration, health threats, financial instability, the need for resilient rebuilding, and the necessity of updating the electric grid. The author emphasizes that immediate global action to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 is required to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This RMI briefing argues that the United States must accelerate its leadership in electric vehicle (EV) adoption to address climate change, noting that transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document highlights rapid technological advancements in battery design, increasing demand from state governments and major corporations, and the necessity of scaling charging infrastructure to meet a zero-emissions mobility system by 2050.

This briefing by Energy Innovation compares 2019 securitization legislation passed in Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico. These laws allow utilities to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to refinance investments in early-retired electric generation plants, primarily coal, to reduce consumer costs by replacing high-cost corporate finance with low-cost debt.

This guide by RMI provides strategies for maintaining cool indoor temperatures while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, particularly during heat waves. It outlines passive cooling methods, natural ventilation techniques, and efficient cooling technologies, supported by two case studies of net-zero and super-insulated homes in Colorado.

This report argues that establishing a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) in the Southeast U.S. could reduce electricity costs by 29% and emissions by 37% by 2040. It recommends a combination of full market restructuring, the adoption of all-source procurement, and the integration of distributed energy resources to achieve these goals. The authors also emphasize the need for 'just transition' policies to support coal-impacted communities by leveraging the fact that most coal plants have cheaper renewable alternatives within 35 miles.