Search Climate Insights Directory

Colorado is experiencing a rise in billion-dollar climate disasters, with an increase from 1.7 annually since 1980 to 4.4 per year between 2020 and 2024. The state faces critical threats from wildfires, flooding, avalanches, and drought, which impact public health, infrastructure, and the economy. Federal agencies including NOAA and FEMA provide essential forecasting, research, and funding for mitigation, such as the $13.8 million BRIC grant for the Greely Water Pipeline. However, proposed FY26 budget cuts and the cancellation of programs like BRIC threaten to shutter research labs in Boulder, eliminate cooperative university partnerships, and reduce funding for climate-smart agriculture and critical mineral surveys, potentially increasing the vulnerability of both local communities and military installations such as Buckley Space Force Base and Fort Carson.

In 2025, the contiguous U.S. experienced its fourth-warmest year on record and 23 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, totaling $115 billion in damages. Globally, 2025 was the third-warmest year since 1850, with NOAA data indicating it was approximately 1.3°C warmer than the pre-industrial average. The year was marked by record-breaking December heat in the U.S. Southwest and devastating atmospheric river flooding in Washington and Oregon.

The document reports that November 2025 was the third warmest on record globally and the fourth warmest for the contiguous U.S. It highlights a long-term trend of warming winters in the U.S., where the coldest day of the year has warmed by approximately 7°F since 1970. The briefing also notes significant regional anomalies, such as extreme warmth in Texas and heavy rainfall in southern California, while discussing the ongoing La Niña advisory and its expected impacts on weather patterns through early 2026.

The policy brief examines how virtual power plants (VPPs) can mitigate grid interconnection delays for large loads, specifically data centers, in the United States. It highlights that VPPs can scale to meet over 20% of US peak demand by 2030 and are significantly cheaper than new gas plants. The document proposes three commercial models—pass-through funding, capacity transfer, and reliability reinforcement—to align incentives between large loads, utilities, and VPP aggregators. It also recommends reforms in interconnection policy, integrated planning, and customer protection to enable this transition.

The report critiques the 'firm fixation' approach where utilities meet surging data center demand by adding gas plants or refurbishing coal units. It identifies six defining features of data centers—agency, clustering, consumption profiles, flexibility, backup requirements, and modularity—that make them unsuitable for simple one-to-one matching with firm power plants. Instead, the author advocates for a 'system of systems' approach combining clean energy portfolios, battery storage, and demand-side flexibility. Key recommendations for policymakers include using the interconnection process as leverage to ensure cost causation and exploring demand-side resources, such as sponsoring household energy upgrades, to free up grid capacity.

The document explains that rising global temperatures increase 'atmospheric thirst,' where the atmosphere absorbs more moisture from the land. In the western U.S., this heat-driven demand has replaced lack of precipitation as the leading cause of exceptional drought since 2000, contributing to a multi-decade megadrought in the Southwest and increasing wildfire risk in California and Nevada.

The policy brief outlines five strategic recommendations for Western U.S. governors to address rising energy demand driven by electrification, industrial reshoring, and AI data centers. It advocates for the deployment of clean firm energy technologies, the acceleration of interstate transmission, the fostering of private investment through policy innovation, the implementation of multi-use public land planning, and the modernization of regulatory frameworks and federal coordination.

A forecast for extreme heat across the Southwest U.S. and northern Mexico indicates temperatures up to 18°F above normal, with the Climate Shift Index (CSI) attributing a level 5 likelihood to human-caused climate change. Approximately 53 million people are expected to be affected by these conditions, which are compounded by persistent drought in the region.

The briefing examines how the prevalence of outdoor work correlates with worry about extreme heat in the U.S., finding a modest positive correlation at the county level and a stronger one at the state level, though results vary significantly by region.

The analysis finds a modest positive correlation between the proportion of outdoor workers and worry about extreme heat at the county level, though this relationship varies by region. While the South and West show positive correlations, the Midwest and Northeast show negative correlations. At the state level, a stronger positive correlation exists. The document also notes a gap between heat worry and the implementation of worker protections, highlighting that some high-worry states like Texas and Florida have blocked local heat safety standards, while California's 2005 standards are linked to a 30% reduction in heat-related injuries.

The document analyzes how federal clean energy incentives have driven over $321 billion in investments across the U.S. between Q2 2022 and Q1 2025, highlighting that these investments are heavily concentrated in Southern and Western states and Republican-held congressional districts. It argues that rolling back these incentives would disproportionately harm these regions and jeopardize significant outstanding investments in states like Louisiana and North Dakota, as well as major projects in emerging hubs like Southern Arizona and the Southeast.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that major transmission projects in California are experiencing significant delays, averaging an additional 6.1 years beyond original estimates. These delays, driven by utility reprioritization and permitting hurdles, hinder the integration of clean energy and threaten grid reliability. The brief recommends expanding competitive solicitation, increasing agency permitting capacity, implementing public financing, and deploying grid-enhancing technologies.

The document outlines the RISE model, where tax-exempt organizations act as solar owners to install systems for LMI households at low or no upfront cost, utilizing the IRS 'direct pay' mechanism to claim the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit (ITC). It details an eight-step implementation process: determining project type and team, identifying ownership structures (such as green banks or CDFIs), planning capital stacks, selecting installers, conducting community engagement, constructing projects, claiming tax credits, and managing ongoing operations. The guide emphasizes the importance of trusted community messengers and provides strategies for adapting to potential policy changes regarding federal incentives.

The Private Equity Detention and Surveillance Tracker details the involvement of private equity firms in the US mass incarceration system, covering facility management, healthcare, food services, telecommunications, and surveillance tools. It highlights how profit motives lead to cost-cutting in critical services, high markups on basic necessities, and the deployment of controversial surveillance technologies.

The analysis reveals a significant increase in fire weather days across much of the contiguous U.S., with the western U.S. experiencing far more frequent fire weather than the east. While the western U.S. has seen strong increases, particularly in the Southwest during spring and summer, parts of the eastern U.S. have also seen impactful increases, especially in the Southeast and Northeast. The study emphasizes that while human activity causes 87% of wildfires, fire weather primes the landscape for these fires to ignite and spread.

In April 2025, 182 out of 191 analyzed U.S. cities were warmer than normal, with an average temperature anomaly of 2.1°F. The Southeast region experienced the most significant anomalies and the highest number of days with a Climate Shift Index (CSI) of 2 or above, indicating temperatures at least twice as likely to occur due to climate change. Shreveport, Louisiana, recorded the highest anomaly at 6.33°F, while Reno, Nevada, showed the fastest long-term April warming since 1970, increasing by 8.0°F.

The report finds that the 2025 Reconciliation bill would significantly increase household energy costs, lead to substantial job losses, and increase greenhouse gas emissions by repealing clean energy incentives and EPA standards. Despite proposed increases in oil and gas production, the analysis suggests that higher demand for fossil fuels and the loss of low-cost renewable capacity would raise overall energy spending and decrease GDP.

The report argues that the private equity business model, characterized by high debt and a focus on short-term returns, is incompatible with the goals of value-based care (VBC). It details how three VBC companies—CareMax, Cano Health, and Clinical Care Medical Centers (CCMC)—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024 due to unsustainable debt levels. The document highlights that these companies served vulnerable dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid populations and that their failures accelerated healthcare consolidation, as assets were bought by vertically integrated insurers like Humana. It concludes with policy recommendations to limit debt in leveraged buyouts and increase antitrust enforcement.

The U.S. public EV charging network grew more than six-fold between 2016 and 2025, reaching nearly 196,000 ports. While California leads in total numbers and northeastern states lead in density, significant coverage gaps remain in the southern, central, and plains regions. To support a projected 33 million EVs by 2030, the U.S. may need 1 million additional public chargers, including 170,000 DC fast chargers.

Geothermal energy in the U.S. is positioned for rapid growth due to bipartisan support and advancements in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), with 1.16 GW of capacity expected to come online by 2028. While the Trump administration has deprioritized wind and solar, geothermal has benefited from new categorical exclusions in permitting and expanded tax credits. EGS technology, leveraging oil and gas drilling techniques, allows for expansion beyond traditional geological constraints and is increasingly viewed as a viable 24/7 power source for AI data centers. However, the report notes that geothermal alone cannot meet 2030 electrical demand without the continued rollout of prospective wind and solar capacity.