Search Climate Insights Directory

The Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) is a free, open-source tool developed by RMI and Energy Innovation to model the environmental, economic, and health impacts of energy policies across the lower 48 US states. The tool supports the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program by enabling states to calculate GHG inventories, project emissions through 2050, build scenarios to meet reduction targets, and quantify the co-benefits of mitigation measures, such as public health improvements and economic development.

The document reports that 97% of 246 analyzed U.S. locations experienced an increase in average temperature during the period from December 25 to January 5 between 1969 and 2021. It details regional shifts in snowpack and precipitation, noting that winter is the fastest-warming season for most of the U.S., which increases the likelihood of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow.

The report analyzes the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the U.S. building sector, highlighting its potential to reduce annual emissions by 32 to 33 million metric tons of CO2e by 2030. It details various residential rebates (HEEHRA, HOMES), tax credits (25C, 25D, 45L), and commercial incentives (179D), while emphasizing that these must be paired with stricter appliance standards and updated building codes to overcome slow stock turnover. The document provides specific implementation guidance for State Energy Offices and utility regulators to ensure an equitable transition, particularly for low-to-moderate-income households.

The report details how the North Carolina Retirement System (NCRS) has invested $3.25 billion in Landmark Partners, a firm that backs Progress Residential, the largest single-family rental company in the U.S. It argues that this investment supports a business model that squeezes profits from tenants through high rents, excessive fees, and neglected maintenance, while simultaneously reducing homeownership opportunities for working-class and Black residents in North Carolina.

The U.S. has seen a steady increase in the frequency and cost of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters since 1980. In 2022, by September 30, the country had already experienced 15 such events totaling $29.3 billion in losses, exceeding the historical annual average of seven. The time between these disasters has shrunk from 82 days in the 1980s to an average of 18 days between 2017 and 2021, reducing the time available for recovery and preparation. While hurricanes are the most costly event type, the overall trend of increasing extremes is linked to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, with projections suggesting further intensity without rapid emissions cuts.

The document outlines how U.S. local governments can leverage federal incentives, such as those in the Inflation Reduction Act, to advance community solar for low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. It details specific actions including proactive community engagement, advocacy for state-level enabling legislation, providing direct financial subsidies, and reducing developer risks by acting as anchor subscribers or providing public land. The guide highlights various municipal examples from cities like Denver, Pueblo, and Anaheim to demonstrate how to integrate job training, bill discounts, and loan funds into solar initiatives.

The report examines the intersection of the U.S. nursing shortage and private equity's expansion into travel nursing. It argues that while the pandemic exacerbated staffing issues, structural problems and profit-seeking by hospitals created a vulnerability that travel nursing agencies and private equity firms have exploited. The document details how private equity firms use leveraged buyouts and dividend recapitalizations to extract value from staffing agencies, while agencies have seen profit margins grow from 15% in 2019 to 62% in 2022. It also covers legislative efforts to address price gouging and the push for mandated staffing ratios.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project urges KCERA to halt a proposed $40 million investment in Landmark Real Estate Partners Fund IX, citing systemic issues with Progress Residential, a Landmark investee. The document highlights allegations of unsafe housing conditions in Minneapolis and Charlotte, as well as a U.S. House of Representatives committee finding that Progress Residential used abusive eviction tactics during the pandemic.

The report details a corporate campaign to implement municipal preemption laws that block local governments from accessing courts to recover climate-related damages. It identifies a 'triumvirate' of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ALEC, and NAM as the primary architects of this strategy, drawing parallels to previous industry efforts to avoid liability in the tobacco and opioid sectors. The document outlines specific legislative tactics used to stifle litigation and provides a framework for municipal leaders to recognize and repeal such preemption laws, while suggesting proactive legislative measures to protect local legal autonomy.

The document details the rise of the institutional single-family rental (SFR) industry following the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting how private equity firms like Blackstone, Pretium Partners, and Cerberus Capital Management have acquired hundreds of thousands of homes. It argues that these firms outcompete individual homebuyers with cash offers and impose high rents and fees on tenants. The report provides evidence of widespread eviction filings during the COVID-19 pandemic, often targeting majority-Black communities, and documents systemic failures in property maintenance. It also critiques the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) as a lobbying tool for the industry's largest players and recommends legislative protections including rent caps, 'Just Cause' eviction laws, and beneficial ownership disclosure.

The Climate Central Temperature Attribution System (CC-TAS) Version 1.0 operationalizes a multi-method framework to attribute temperature events to anthropogenic climate change. It utilizes two empirical methods (median-scaling and quantile-scaling) and a model-based method using CMIP6 simulations. To improve upon previous frameworks, CC-TAS incorporates high-resolution CFS reanalysis temperatures, ERA5 reanalysis for scale factors, and skew-normal parameterized distributions. The system introduces the 'occurrence ratio' (OR) as a primary metric to assess both warm and cold events, which is then converted into a conservative categorical 'Climate Shift Index' (CSI) for public mapping, primarily focusing on the contiguous United States.

The report finds that gas-fired power plants in MISO and SPP frequently operate at a loss, costing ratepayers an estimated $117 million in 2019. This uneconomic generation is most prevalent in steam turbines and gas turbines, often driven by practices like self-scheduling and self-commitment. The authors argue that these inefficiencies, combined with rising fuel costs and the growth of renewables, make gas-fired power an increasingly risky and expensive investment compared to clean energy portfolios.

The document outlines the technical framework for analyzing a transition to 100% renewable energy in U.S. Climate Alliance states. It describes the use of the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and Distributed Generation Market Demand (dGen) models to simulate various policy scenarios, including a '100% RES scenario' and a 'Clean Electricity Standard scenario'. The methodology includes specific retirement schedules for coal plants in Michigan and Minnesota, as well as a collaboration with Greenlink Analytics to model socioeconomic impacts, including public health benefits, macroeconomic shifts in employment and GDP, and changes to household energy burdens.

The document argues that Minnesota can meet its electricity needs with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, leading to significant public health savings, job growth, and emissions reductions, provided the transition is managed equitably.

The report finds that USCA states can meet 100% of their electricity consumption with renewables by 2035, even with increased demand from electrification. This transition would significantly reduce air pollution, prevent 6,000 to 13,000 premature deaths, and lower average household energy burdens from 3.7% to 3.0% by 2040. While the transition creates substantial net jobs in renewable installation, the authors argue that proactive equity policies are necessary to ensure benefits reach marginalized communities and fossil fuel workers.

The Union of Concerned Scientists and EV Noire argue that Clean Fuel Standards (CFS) can provide critical financial support for transportation electrification by setting declining carbon intensity standards for fuels. Using examples from California and Oregon, the briefing emphasizes that while CFS are technology-neutral, they can enable broader goals like zero-emission bus fleets and equitable EV access if paired with strong oversight, public engagement, and safeguards against harmful fuel pathways.

The report finds that most of the 88+ GW of proposed US gas power plants are economically uncompetitive compared to Clean Energy Portfolios (CEPs), which combine wind, solar, storage, energy efficiency, and demand flexibility. At least 70 GW of proposed gas capacity could be avoided using CEPs, potentially saving $22 billion and reducing CO2 emissions by 873 million metric tons over 20 years. The analysis highlights six key headwinds—including declining renewable costs, rising gas prices, and public health impacts—that increase the risk of project cancellations or stranded assets. Specifically, in a central analysis case, 40% of proposed combined cycle (CC) plants would cost more to operate than a new CEP would cost to build within 10 years, a figure that could rise to 80-90% under certain economic scenarios. The report also notes that CEPs create more jobs and avoid significant health costs, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color.

The report analyzes how Highland Park, Michigan, can transition to 100 percent locally generated clean energy to achieve energy sovereignty. It identifies a total average annual electricity demand of approximately 86,200 MWh and proposes a mix of rooftop solar, community solar, energy efficiency, distributed solar, and a community water and energy resource center (CWERC) to meet this need. The analysis highlights that current utility restrictions and state policies create long payback periods for solar investments, but a proposed policy scenario—including full retail-rate net metering and state tax credits—could increase rooftop solar's contribution from 13 percent to nearly 30 percent of the city's energy needs. The document concludes with recommendations for Michigan policymakers to eliminate distributed generation caps and for Highland Park leaders to enact solar ordinances and establish local financing mechanisms.

Phosmet is a U.S. registered pesticide used in 40 states, primarily on orchards and grapes, and is currently under registration review. It is associated with serious health effects, including cancer, neurodevelopmental harm, and reproductive toxicity, with exposure occurring via food, drinking water, and occupational contact. The pesticide is applied to a significant percentage of several common crops, including peaches (55%) and nectarines (50%).

The document argues that current U.S. policies are insufficient to protect communities and environments from the impacts of critical mineral extraction. Earthjustice proposes a four-part strategy: boosting the circular economy through recycling and efficiency, reforming the outdated 1872 mining law to mandate cleanup and royalties, setting high labor and environmental standards for imported minerals via certifications like IRMA, and applying a precautionary approach to deep seabed mining to protect ocean ecosystems.