Search Climate Insights Directory
103 results
The Climate Crisis Domino Effect
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.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
Roadmap for Distributed Green Ammonia in Minnesota
This report outlines a roadmap for implementing distributed green ammonia (DGA) in Minnesota to address the climate impact of ammonia production (over 1% of global GHG emissions) and the vulnerabilities of centralized supply chains. It identifies Minnesota as a strategic starting point due to high fertilizer costs and consumption, suggesting the state could pioneer a shift toward localized production in the US Midwest and nationwide.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Clean Repowering Can Avoid Disastrous Delays with 250 GW of Clean Energy
This briefing by RMI proposes "clean repowering" as a strategy to bypass interconnection delays for clean energy projects in the United States. By utilizing existing power plant interconnection points, the time from application to operation can be reduced from an average of five years to less than one year, potentially deploying 250 GW of new clean energy assets.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
Analysis: Illinois is leaving money on the table until it embraces clean transportation
RMI analysis indicates that Illinois could achieve significant household cost savings, pollution reduction, and public health improvements by adopting three clean transportation strategies: vehicle electrification standards, climate-driven agency planning, and renewed investments in state transit systems.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
How to Unlock IRA CPRG Funding for the Drivers and Cyclists Most in Need
This guide by RMI outlines how local and state decision makers can utilize the Inflation Reduction Act's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) to fund clean transportation. It specifically recommends incorporating e-bike subsidies and targeted electric vehicle (EV) incentives for 'superusers' into Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) to maximize competitiveness for EPA funding based on equity and emissions reduction metrics.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
Drive Less, Live More: How States Can Lead the Way in Climate-Smart Transportation
This report by RMI argues that US state departments of transportation (DOTs) must shift their focus from roadway expansion and vehicle electrification toward reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by investing in pedestrian infrastructure, transit, and micro-mobility to meet climate targets and improve public safety.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Competitiveness, Constraints, & Coordination: A Strategy for Accelerating Energy Transition Investment in the Great Lakes
This report by RMI outlines a strategic framework—focused on competitiveness, constraints, and coordination—to accelerate energy transition investment in the Great Lakes region. It argues that while the region possesses significant industrial legacies and innovation assets, it faces structural hurdles such as slow population growth, labor shortages, and a lack of cohesive industrial strategies. The document proposes that states move beyond simple investment attraction toward coordinated industrial policies, leveraging federal incentives from the IRA, IIJA, and CHIPS Act to build regional clusters in sectors like EV batteries, low-carbon steel, and sustainable fuels.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Opportunities for Near-Zero-Emissions Steel Production in the Great Lakes
This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for transitioning the Great Lakes region's steel industry to near-zero-emissions production. It identifies a gap between aggressive federal incentives—such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—and the lack of coordinated, steel-specific industrial strategies at the state level. The report evaluates three primary decarbonization pathways: Blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) with carbon capture and storage (CCS), natural gas direct reduced iron (DRI) with CCS, and renewable hydrogen-based DRI, noting that hydrogen DRI offers the lowest emissions intensity and most competitive levelized costs when subsidies are included. It emphasizes the region's economic importance, as the Great Lakes house all of the US's integrated steel mills and two-thirds of the nation's steelworkers, while warning that failure to modernize could lead to a loss of competitiveness and jobs to other regions or international markets.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Targeted Opportunity Region – Great Lakes Region
This policy brief by RMI examines the potential for the Great Lakes region of the United States to become a globally competitive hub for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). It analyzes the region's strengths in feedstock availability, existing ethanol infrastructure, and logistics, while identifying a significant gap in coordinated state-level industrial policy to support the SAF value chain.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Policy brief
Electric Vehicle (EV) And Battery Manufacturing in the Great Lakes Region
This briefing by RMI analyzes the potential for the Great Lakes region to lead the electric vehicle (EV) and battery supply chain. While the region possesses historical automotive strengths and significant R&D capacity, it faces competition from the 'Battery Belt' in the Deep South and gaps in state-level industrial policies. The document outlines the four stages of the supply chain—upstream, midstream, downstream, and reuse/recycling—and provides a gap analysis of regional policies compared to federal initiatives, urging Great Lakes states to coordinate on strategic coordination, production incentives, and end-of-life regulations to maintain competitiveness.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
How Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Can Drive Solar Development
This guide by RMI explores how Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) can leverage their extensive rooftop and parking assets to drive solar development, reducing greenhouse gas emissions while increasing shareholder value. It identifies significant untapped capacity, outlines the financial and regulatory barriers to adoption, and proposes community solar as a viable solution to overcome these challenges.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
APPENDIX B: FINANCIAL VIABILITY ANALYSIS OF EXPORT-ONLY ELECTROLYZER PROJECTS
This appendix provides a financial viability analysis of 'export-only' electrolyzer projects in the United States, which utilize co-located new clean energy resources and allow for opportunistic electricity sales to the grid. The analysis concludes that such projects, which comply with the three principles of additionality, deliverability, and hourly time-matching, are competitive across large portions of the U.S., suggesting that rigorous 45V tax credit guidance regarding lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions would not hinder industry growth.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
Clean Energy 101: Geothermal Heat Pumps - RMI
This RMI fact sheet explains the technology, benefits, and market opportunities for geothermal heat pumps (also known as ground-source heat pumps) in the United States. It highlights their efficiency in both hot and cold climates, their role in reducing building emissions, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on lowering installation costs.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
TOP STATE ENERGY POLICIES TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS
This report by Energy Innovation and RMI evaluates the impact of five key state-level energy policies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across six U.S. states using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS). The analysis demonstrates that a coordinated policy approach can significantly reduce emissions, create jobs, and improve public health outcomes.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Climate Adaptation: A Review of Federal Legislation Enacted Since 2017
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.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning
This fact sheet describes the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source tool developed by RMI and Energy Innovation to help states estimate the impacts of climate and energy policies. It specifically outlines how the EPS can be used by state governments to meet the requirements of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, including GHG inventory, emissions projections, and benefits analysis.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
IMPLEMENTING THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: A ROADMAP FOR FEDERAL AND STATE BUILDINGS POLICY
This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the building sector provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), detailing how rebates, tax credits, and funding for building codes can accelerate decarbonization. It provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local policymakers to implement these incentives, emphasizing the need for complementary regulations—such as updated appliance standards and building codes—to overcome the challenge of slow building stock turnover and meet 2030 climate goals.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
How Local Governments Can Advance Community Solar for Low- and Moderate-Income Households
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.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
Lower Winnipeg River Basin Discussion Sheet Series Sheet #11 | Maps
This fact sheet provides a series of maps characterizing the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB) and the Manitoba portion of the broader Winnipeg River basin (WRB). It details the basin's geography—with the WRB covering 136,840 km2 and the LWRB covering 4,650 km2—and includes spatial data on surficial geology, land cover, forest cover, zoning, Indigenous presence, 2016 population density, and drinking water advisories.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Landscape Characteristics
This fact sheet describes the geological, soil, and land cover characteristics of the lower Winnipeg River basin (LWRB), noting its dominance by forested land and Precambrian bedrock.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet