Search Climate Insights Directory
112 results
Building Sustainably: Mass Timber
This fact sheet describes mass timber as a class of engineered wood building materials that offers a lower carbon footprint and potential cost-competitiveness compared to steel and concrete. It outlines the environmental benefits, construction advantages, and the current state of mass timber adoption and policy support in the United States.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Building Sustainably: Mass Timber
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) explains the nature, benefits, and regulatory support for mass timber—engineered wood materials used for large-scale construction. It highlights mass timber's potential to reduce building emissions, store carbon, and support sustainable forest management, while addressing concerns regarding fire safety and moisture.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Understanding California’s Advanced Clean Truck Regulation
This fact sheet explains the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulation adopted by California in 2020, which requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to increase the percentage of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) and near-zero-emissions vehicles (NZEVs) in their annual sales from 2024 to 2035.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Understanding California’s Advanced Clean Cars II Regulation
This guide explains the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation in California, which aims to reduce light-duty vehicle emissions by 50 percent by 2040. The regulation mandates that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) increase the sale of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), culminating in a requirement that 100 percent of sales be ZEVs or PHEVs by 2035.
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Document type: Guide
Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions
This briefing by RMI outlines strategies and policy levers to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the United States. It proposes a two-pronged approach: improving the monitoring and control of existing waste and preventing new methane generation by diverting organic waste from landfills. The document advocates for stronger federal standards from the EPA to scale these reductions and protect adjacent communities.
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Document type: Briefing
Embodied Carbon 101: Building Materials - RMI
This fact sheet by RMI explains the concept of embodied carbon in building materials, detailing how it is calculated, strategies for its reduction, and the role of policy and industry in decarbonizing construction.
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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
Why Canada Is Unlikely to Sell the Last Barrel of Oil
This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that Canada is unlikely to be the last country to sell oil due to a combination of declining global demand, price volatility, and higher production costs compared to Middle Eastern competitors. While Canada's heavy reliance on U.S. refineries provides a temporary buffer, the document suggests that ESG credentials will not protect market share and that the sector faces an existential threat as the world moves toward a post-peak oil market around 2030.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist List
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.
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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.
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Document type: Guide
How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future
This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.
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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
Regulatory Process Design for Decarbonization, Equity, and Innovation
This RMI report provides recommendations for modernizing the regulatory processes of state public utilities commissions (PUCs) in the United States to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and equitable electric grid. It identifies four primary areas for reform: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry through data transparency, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.
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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
Offshore Wind: A Crucial Resource To Decarbonize The Western United States
This policy brief by Energy Innovation argues that floating offshore wind is a critical, untapped resource for decarbonizing the Western United States. While the U.S. currently lags behind other nations in offshore wind capacity, the authors contend that scaling this technology can diversify energy resources, reduce land-use conflicts, and provide reliable power during peak evening demand. The document outlines the economic potential for job creation and port revitalization, specifically highlighting projects in California, and provides policy recommendations for federal tax credits, infrastructure investment, and transmission planning to achieve net-zero emissions by midcentury.
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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
Développer l’électricité propre
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), on behalf of the 'Electrifying Canada' private sector task force, outlines the requirements and obstacles for scaling up clean electricity production in Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It argues that current utility planning is insufficient to meet the projected demand and proposes five catalysts—specifically focusing on regulatory mandates, proactive planning, and private investment—to accelerate the transition.
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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
Oregon Energy Policy Simulator Insights: Recent Developments, Policies to Meet Emissions Goals
Research using the Oregon Energy Policy Simulator evaluates the impact of current and potential climate policies on emissions, GDP, and employment in Oregon.
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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
IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability - Zero Carbon Analytics
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics discusses the findings of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), specifically the Working Group II (WGII) report on impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. It outlines the severe effects of human-induced climate change on ecosystems and humans, the increasing frequency of extreme weather, the disproportionate impact on marginalised populations, and the critical need for transformative adaptation and mitigation to avoid catastrophic economic and social costs.
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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
Canceling a Natural Gas Pipeline
A case study by Friends of the Earth detailing the successful opposition to the Jordan Cove Energy Project, a proposed 229-mile natural gas pipeline intended to transport fracked gas from Canada to Coos Bay, Oregon.
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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: Case study
The Climate Consequences of Plastics | Briefing | EESI
This briefing summarizes a panel discussion on the climate and environmental justice impacts of plastic production, highlighting the role of the petrochemical industry in greenhouse gas emissions and the necessity of policy shifts toward reuse and extended producer responsibility.
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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
3 Ways Federal Investment in Trees and Forests Can Support Economic Growth
This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines how federal investment in three tree-based natural climate solutions—reforestation, agroforestry, and wildfire risk mitigation—can help the United States meet its 2030 emissions targets while driving economic growth and job creation.
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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
Federal Programs Support Diverse Environmental Workforce Opportunities for Veterans
This fact sheet outlines several federal and partner-led programs designed to transition military veterans into civilian careers within the low-carbon workforce, specifically focusing on land management, agriculture, conservation, and fisheries.
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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
The New (Ab)Normal
The briefing 'The New (Ab)Normal' describes the escalating frequency and severity of climate-driven catastrophes, using the 2020 wildfire season in Colorado and the western United States as a primary example. It argues that the world has entered a state of 'continuous escalation of catastrophe' and outlines five critical areas of impact: mass migration, health threats, financial instability, the need for resilient rebuilding, and the necessity of updating the electric grid. The author emphasizes that immediate global action to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 is required to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
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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