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The report identifies a warming and potentially drier trend for the Great Lakes region, predicting significant temperature increases and shifts in precipitation patterns by the end of the 21st century. These changes are expected to disrupt aquatic ecosystems, reduce forest diversity, and create economic risks for agriculture and shipping. The document advocates for a three-pronged approach: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing local environmental pressures, and planning for climate adaptation.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed the potential effects of Colorado's Amendment 37, which would require the state's largest electric companies to increase renewable energy use to 10 percent of sales by 2015. Under the most likely scenario, the report projects that the initiative would result in $236 million in consumer savings on electricity and natural gas bills, the creation of 2,000 new jobs by 2020, and a reduction of 3 million metric tons of annual CO2 emissions by 2025. The analysis highlights that wind resources would drive most of the development, providing significant capital investment and tax revenues for rural communities.

The report details how U.S. power plants impact water resources through massive withdrawals and the discharge of heated, chemically treated water. It highlights the ecological damage caused by once-through cooling systems—such as fish impingement and entrainment—and the risks of toxic chemical leaks from coal ash ponds. The document argues for a transition to closed-cycle and dry-cooling technologies to mitigate these effects and ensure power system reliability during droughts. It also critiques the current state-led enforcement of the Clean Water Act, calling for more consistent federal standards and cumulative impact assessments.

The document examines the intersection of land use and energy efficiency, proposing a framework based on 'how' and 'where' we build to reduce fossil fuel dependence. It advocates for 'energy smart' growth, which combines compact, mixed-use development with green building standards and renewable energy. The author provides recommendations for funders to support this merger through research, integrated planning tools, policy incentives, and innovative financing like location-efficient mortgages.

The report assesses how rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will affect the Great Lakes region, predicting warmer, drier summers and increased extreme weather. It details vulnerabilities in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and human health, while recommending emission reductions and adaptive management.

The report asserts that while the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments reduced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, ecosystems in North America remain damaged due to a 150-year accumulation of acidic compounds. It documents ongoing damage to aquatic life, forests, and wildlife, and argues that biological recovery requires emission cuts up to 80 percent beyond the 1990 mandates. The authors state that affordable technologies, such as scrubbers and renewable energy, are available to achieve these deeper reductions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) asserts that US nuclear plant risk assessments are merely probability assessments that ignore catastrophic consequences and rely on unrealistic assumptions. The report details how the lack of minimum standards leads to inconsistent results between identical plants and argues that the NRC is using these flawed calculations to justify cutting safety inspections and tests to reduce costs for plant owners.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) monitored 10 US nuclear power plants and found a "serious breakdown in quality assurance," noting that internal auditors failed to identify any of the 200+ reported incidents. The study found that 44 percent of problems were caused by poor procedures and 35 percent by worker mistakes. While some plants like Surry and Oyster Creek demonstrated proactive safety cultures, others like LaSalle and Sequoyah showed systemic failures, including ignored warnings and repetitive errors. UCS recommends better training for auditors and workers, revised procedures, and stronger NRC enforcement.

In 1993, the Utilities Division at Kodak Park volunteered to implement a prevention-based environmental management strategy using the Council of Great Lakes Industries' TQEM matrix. By late 1995, the division reported significant improvements in environmental performance, including a reduction in high- and medium-severity incidents and a substantial decrease in the labor required to rectify audit findings. While direct cost savings were difficult to quantify initially, the shift toward proactive management was projected to reduce annual HS&E personnel costs by 25% by 1998 and 40% by 2000. The division's TQEM scores increased from baseline levels in the 100s to over 400 by 1995, a level considered sufficient to satisfy ISO 14000 requirements.

The document serves as a teaching guide to evaluate the application of Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM) at Eastman Kodak's Kodak Park Utilities Division. It examines the challenges of implementing environmental management systems during corporate downsizing, the suitability of a utilities division as a test site, and the use of a TQEM matrix to measure success. Key findings suggest that while TQEM improved audit performance and accountability, its impact on direct cost management was limited due to the division's role as a cost center with little influence over the waste generated by other departments.

The author outlines twelve fundamental transitions in electricity efficiency, moving from fragmented equipment upgrades to integrated, whole-system optimization. He argues that 'negawatts' (saved electricity) are often cheaper than new generation and that market failures currently penalize efficiency. The paper proposes eight improvements to make efficiency programs more cost-effective and critiques the concept of 'retail wheeling' as a distraction from the more significant shift toward wholesale competition and decentralized generation via fuel cells and superflywheels.

The document details a legal conflict between Mobil Chemical Company and several US state attorneys general over the claim that Hefty garbage bags were 'degradable'. While the bags were photodegradable, they did not break down in landfills, leading to charges of consumer fraud. The case is situated within a wider 1980s-1990s context of 'greenwashing', where vague environmental terms were used to meet consumer demand despite a lack of scientific substantiation or infrastructure for degradation.

The report examines the digital footprint of 15 major Brazilian companies in the agribusiness, mining, and fossil fuel sectors, finding a wide disparity in the volume of sustainability communications. While all analyzed companies acknowledge climate change, the report identifies significant signs of greenwashing, including the use of vague language and green imagery to mask negative environmental impacts. It highlights a contradiction between corporate narratives—which frame these sectors as 'part of the solution'—and actual records, such as Petrobras, Vale, and Shell being among the top 10 companies most fined by Ibama between 2000 and 2025. Additionally, the report notes the use of targeted Meta advertising and influencer partnerships, particularly by Petrobras, to amplify sustainability messaging to younger audiences.

Health professionals from 30 countries call on G7 nations to phase out coal power to reduce air pollution and climate-related health risks. The document highlights that coal plants release sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury, contributing to millions of premature deaths and significant healthcare costs. It advocates for renewable energy and energy efficiency as viable alternatives, noting successful phase-outs in regions like Ontario and the UK.

The document outlines how states can leverage billions of dollars in federal funding to support the transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). It categorizes funding opportunities into manufacturing, procurement, charging infrastructure, workforce development, emissions monitoring, and state planning, providing specific program details, eligibility, and strategic next steps for state officials.

A study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force and conducted by Carbon Limits finds that finding and fixing natural gas leaks is a cost-effective strategy for reducing methane pollution. Based on data from over 4,000 inspections, the analysis shows that repairing most leaks is profitable for companies because the value of the conserved gas outweighs the repair costs. Quarterly LDAR surveys are estimated to abate methane at a net cost of less than $280 per metric ton, while monthly inspections at well sites and gas plants cost between $800 and $900 per metric ton—both figures remaining below the EPA's estimated societal damage cost of $970 per metric ton of methane. The document argues that current US federal regulations are insufficient, as only gas processing plants built since 1984 are required to perform leak inspections, and advocates for more robust federal rules based on the empirical evidence of low abatement costs.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) used US EPA COBRA modeling to estimate that retiring four Illinois nuclear plants (Byron, Dresden, Braidwood, and LaSalle) would lead to significant increases in PM2.5 pollution. Over a ten-year period, this shift is projected to cause between 1,200 and 2,700 premature deaths and $10 to $24 billion in monetized damages. While the pollution sources are spread across ten states, the most severe health impacts are concentrated in the Midwest.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recommends that NYSERDA establish a minimum clean firm capacity need, evaluate the whole-system value of nuclear energy beyond capital expenditure, and consider a wider range of technologies, including gigawatt-scale reactors. To reduce costs, CATF suggests a 'fleet approach' with pooled orderbooks and government-backed financial solutions. The document also proposes that the state explore a 'state champion' model, potentially through a purpose-made vehicle, to lead deployment and mitigate the financial risks that have stalled new nuclear construction in the U.S.

The document provides a detailed inventory of US state-level legislative and executive actions to achieve carbon-free or renewable energy targets, alongside a timeline of voluntary net-zero and carbon reduction commitments from major utility providers.

The document examines the application of environmental taxes, fees, and charges across different sectors in the U.S., including water, air, solid waste, and hazardous waste management. It distinguishes between revenue-raising taxes and cost-offsetting fees, noting that while many instruments are designed to recover administrative costs, some—such as the federal tax on ozone-depleting chemicals and certain state-level hazardous waste taxes—have demonstrated significant incentive effects in reducing pollution. The report also details specific state-level experiments with variable-rate waste collection and wetland compensation fees.