Search Climate Insights Directory

An RMI analysis evaluates the viability of residential clean technologies—electric vehicles (EVs), air-source heat pumps (ASHPs), and rooftop solar—in the US following the expiration of federal tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. The report finds that these technologies still provide significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and household cost savings, though the most effective technology varies by region and household archetype.

The US electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a slowdown in momentum due to federal policy shifts, including the expiration of purchase tax credits and the repeal of tailpipe emission limits. While EV sales fell 4% in 2025, charging infrastructure continues to expand through private investment. Automakers are pivoting away from all-electric targets toward a mix of hybrids and affordable models, while manufacturing investments in the Midwest and South have seen significant cancellations.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics challenges the claim that renewable energy increases electricity prices, arguing that real-world data from the US, EU, Australia, and India often show a correlation between high renewable uptake and below-average power prices.

RMI analysis indicates that Clean Energy Portfolios (CEPs) are more cost-effective and lower risk than the natural gas plant proposed by the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). The report finds that JEA's updated capital cost projections for the gas plant are 139% higher than its 2023 estimates, while CEPs—particularly those leveraging high energy efficiency—offer lower net present value (NPV) costs and significant local economic benefits without the negative health externalities associated with gas combustion.

This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the projected economic, environmental, and health impacts of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA), a 2025 budget Reconciliation legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis compares a "Current Policies" scenario against an "EI House OBBBA" scenario, finding that the bill's repeal of clean energy tax credits and environmental standards would lead to higher energy costs, significant job losses in manufacturing, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and higher premature death rates.

In 2024, wind and solar combined to produce 17% of US electricity, surpassing coal (15%) for the first time. While electricity demand rose by 3%, solar generation grew by 27%, adding more generation than gas to meet this demand. Despite the growth in clean energy, overall power sector CO2 emissions rose slightly by 0.7% because gas generation increased to meet rising demand, though carbon intensity reached a record low.

In 2024, wind and solar combined to produce 17% of US electricity, surpassing coal for the first time nationwide. This shift is driven by market dynamics, cost-effective renewables, and state-level policies, with 24 states now generating more electricity from wind and solar than from coal.

This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the state of clean energy in the United States through 2024, highlighting record growth in solar and battery storage alongside significant headwinds including grid capacity limits, rising local opposition, and policy uncertainty under the Trump administration.

This report by Ember analyses Energy Information Administration (EIA) data to demonstrate how solar power and battery storage met a significant portion of the United States' rising electricity demand in 2025.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law examines how climate-induced extreme weather is driving an insurance crisis in the United States, which in turn threatens housing affordability and financial stability. The authors argue that insurance companies are exacerbating the crisis by raising premiums to recoup losses while simultaneously reinvesting profits into fossil fuel companies.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides data on the growth and distribution of climate-related jobs in the United States as of 2022, highlighting sectors such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean vehicles, and adaptation and resilience.

This report by RMI argues for the establishment of comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) guidelines in the United States to protect public health and inform building decarbonization. It examines the health risks of indoor pollutants, compares indoor and outdoor air regulation, reviews international and domestic examples of IAQ guidelines, and outlines how such guidelines can be applied to product safety, building codes, and certifications.

This case study describes RMI's efforts to make rooftop solar more accessible to low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities through inclusive Solarize campaigns. Between 2021 and 2022, RMI organized cohorts of 27 cities to implement bulk-purchasing programs combined with grants and community partnerships to reduce financial and administrative barriers to solar adoption.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute analyzes version 1.0 of the White House Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). While the update identifies more disadvantaged communities than the beta version, the authors argue it fails to account for cumulative burdens—where multiple environmental, health, and socioeconomic stressors overlap—which disproportionately affect communities of color.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) reviewed federal legislation from the 115th through the 117th Congress to identify laws promoting climate adaptation and resilience. EESI identified 41 laws that address over 16 different climate impacts, ranging from acute events like wildfires to slow-onset events like thawing permafrost, though much of the federal approach remains centered on disaster response and recovery.

This briefing by RMI outlines the energy affordability crisis in the US, driven by high fossil fuel prices and rising electricity rates, and provides a toolkit of short-term and long-term regulatory solutions for state public utility commissions to reduce the energy burden on vulnerable households.

A November 2022 report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) based on a 50-state survey reveals that major U.S. companies in the technology, banking, and insurance sectors frequently employ state-level lobbyists who also represent the fossil fuel industry. The report highlights a contradiction between these companies' public net-zero climate goals and their reliance on 'multi-client lobbyists' who promote continued fossil fuel dependence.

This guide from the World Resources Institute outlines strategies for U.S. local governments to expand community solar access for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households, leveraging new federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act and various municipal-level interventions.

This briefing by RMI examines the financial risks that extreme weather poses to US homeowners and the mortgage industry, highlighting the disproportionate impact on low-income communities and people of color. It discusses the role of the Inflation Reduction Act in providing funding for climate adaptation and calls for better property-level climate risk data and coordinated financing to future-proof the US housing market.

A case study by Friends of the Earth detailing a legal victory where the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ordered a full environmental review of the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant before allowing a 20-year license extension.