Search Climate Insights Directory

The report argues that private equity firms prioritize high returns (at least 15%) over short timelines (3-5 years), leading to deferred maintenance and increased tenant instability. It proposes a toolkit of interventions, including rental registries with beneficial ownership disclosure, just cause eviction protections, landlord licensing with portfolio caps, and right of first refusal legislation. The document also examines federal legislative attempts to curb consolidation through tax penalties and transfer taxes, while highlighting the challenge of state preemption of local housing justice measures.

Climate Central's analysis of U.S. data from 1970 to 2024 shows that winter is the fastest-warming season for 74% of analyzed locations. Average winter temperatures rose by 4°F across 235 locations, with the highest warming seen in the Upper Midwest, Northeast, and Ohio Valley. The report notes a decrease in freezing nights and shorter cold streaks, alongside an increase in warmer-than-normal winter days. These trends impact western water supplies, residential energy use, the $27 billion fruit and nut industry, and the prevalence of disease-carrying pests.

The fact sheet compares the climate policies of several major pension funds and endowments, detailing their net zero targets (ranging from 2040 to 2050), interim emissions reduction goals, and specific exclusions of fossil fuels in both public and private markets.

The document argues that the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation is feasible due to extensive state and federal funding and the availability of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) for long-haul and drayage trucking. It outlines the ACF's ZEV requirements for government, high-priority, and drayage fleets, and lists numerous financial incentives such as the HVIP and the Inflation Reduction Act. CATF emphasizes that FCEVs are critical for routes over 300 miles where battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are less efficient, and notes that California is actively building the necessary hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

The document argues that Oregon should adopt consumption-based emission targets to account for its full carbon footprint and avoid displacing emissions to other regions. It contrasts sector-based emissions (territorial) with consumption-based emissions (life cycle of goods and services) and notes that while Oregon's sector emissions have decreased, consumption emissions continue to rise. The paper provides case studies from cities like San Francisco, London, and Paris, and countries like Sweden, to illustrate different target-setting approaches. It proposes four specific frameworks for Oregon: aligning with existing sector goals, targeting minimum well-being standards, using global carbon budget scenario analysis, or applying a 'fair share' equity-based approach.

The document argues that Oregon cannot achieve climate-safe emission levels through individual behavioral changes or technological solutions alone. It highlights a significant 'emissions gap' where consumption-based emissions grew over 20% in 16 years, despite stabilizing in-state production emissions. The authors advocate for a shift from growth-centric neoclassical economics toward paradigms like the well-being economy, degrowth, and doughnut economics. Proposed structural interventions for Oregon include redesigning economic measurements beyond GDP, investing in the care economy, implementing carbon pricing, and adopting smart growth urban policies to ensure a just and equitable transition.

The document outlines strategies for regulators to direct utilities to incorporate Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits, rebates, and grants into their planning and procurement processes. It highlights specific actions taken by PUCs in Washington, Georgia, Oregon, and New Jersey to improve grid affordability and reliability by mandating the investigation of federal funding, creating financial incentives for matching requirements, and integrating federal rebates into state energy efficiency programs.

The U.S. transportation sector, responsible for nearly one third of national greenhouse gas emissions, is undergoing decarbonization through a combination of federal strategies, such as the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, and significant funding from the IIJA and Inflation Reduction Act. While progress is evident in the buildout of EV and hydrogen corridors and the growth of clean energy manufacturing jobs, the document argues that the U.S. is not yet on track to meet its goal of cutting all transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Regional efforts are concentrated in the West Coast (hydrogen and EV corridors), Midwest (battery manufacturing and freight networks), Gulf Coast (low-emissions shipping and hydrogen trucking), and East Coast (EV manufacturing and I-95 freight corridors). To accelerate progress, the document recommends a federal clean fuel standard, improved inter-agency coordination, and stronger community engagement.

Climate Central reports that 89% of 242 analyzed U.S. locations have seen an increase in annual 'warning days' (heat index 80°F to 94°F) since 1979, with the most significant rises in the Ohio Valley and Upper Midwest. Between 1992 and 2022, 986 U.S. workers died from heat exposure, and from 1980 to 2016, an average of 421 million work hours were lost annually, costing $14 billion. The document highlights a lack of comprehensive federal heat standards, noting that only five states have such protections, while some states like Florida and Texas prohibit local municipalities from enacting their own heat safety laws.

The report examines how the increasing frequency and severity of climate-driven disasters lead insurance companies to raise premiums or withdraw coverage, particularly in high-risk areas of the US. This process creates a 'domino effect' where the lack of affordable insurance makes homes unmortgageable, reduces property values, and increases homelessness. The authors highlight a cycle where insurers profit from these increases and reinvest in fossil fuels, further exacerbating the climate crisis. The document warns that widespread mortgage defaults and the devaluation of lender security could lead to a systemic financial crisis with global implications.

The Gavin Coal Plant, owned by Lightstone Generation (a Blackstone and ArcLight Capital Partners joint venture), faces significant financial instability due to declining revenues in the PJM Interconnection market and high debt burdens. The plant is also subject to substantial EPA-mandated cleanup costs for coal ash contamination following a June 2024 court ruling. With the broader U.S. coal industry in decline and institutional investors divesting from thermal coal, the report urges pension funds to pressure owners to retire the plant responsibly to avoid the community and financial losses seen in other coal plant closures.

The report finds that U.S. residential electricity rates have generally kept pace with economy-wide inflation since 2010, and that states with high clean energy growth often see rates rise slower than inflation. Instead, the report identifies natural gas price volatility, wildfire mitigation and liability costs, aging coal plant investments, and rising transmission and distribution costs as the primary drivers of rate spikes. It further argues that the regulated utility business model incentivizes capital-heavy investments over more cost-effective operational solutions, which compounds these costs for consumers.

The report argues that decentralized election administration in the US has created a patchwork of transparency policies that can undermine democratic legitimacy and disproportionately affect marginalized communities. It provides specific recommendations for improving the accessibility and accuracy of voter files, the transparency of ballot processing and tracking, and the implementation of robust ballot curing and risk-limiting audit procedures.

The report asserts that Western US states must collaborate on regional electricity transmission expansion to realize significant economic gains. It highlights that energy export states could see their market access grow from $3 billion to $40 billion per year by 2050 with increased capacity, while states with clean energy standards could reduce costs by over 30% through expansive regional planning.

The report analyzes the federal permitting process for high-capacity electric transmission lines in the U.S., identifying systemic delays caused by poor interagency coordination, capacity shortages, and regulatory misalignment between federal and state authorities. Based on a dataset of 37 projects and case studies, it argues that while litigation is often cited as a primary barrier, it is rarely the sole cause of project failure. The authors recommend that the President prioritize transmission as a national priority, that Congress consolidate siting authority for multi-state projects, and that agencies adopt more agile, transparent, and collaborative environmental review processes, including expanded use of programmatic EISs and categorical exclusions.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) testifies that private equity firms use extractive financial tactics—such as high leverage, sale-leasebacks, and debt-funded dividends—to maximize returns, often resulting in the bankruptcy or closure of hospitals. The document highlights specific cases including Prospect Medical Holdings, Steward Health Care, and Apollo Global Management's Lifepoint/ScionHealth, noting severe impacts on patient safety and staffing. PESP proposes state-level policy solutions including stricter merger reviews, financial transparency, anti-looting measures, and joint and several liability for investors.

The document outlines strategies for reducing methane emissions from US municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, emphasizing the transition from traditional manual surface emissions monitoring (SEM) to advanced technologies like satellites, aircraft, drones, and fixed sensors. It provides a six-step framework for monitoring-informed mitigation: selecting a system, deploying it, pinpointing sources, identifying root causes, deploying mitigation measures, and verifying reductions. The guide highlights that while organic waste diversion is critical for future emissions, improving waste-in-place controls offers immediate climate benefits.

The report analyzes the US Department of Energy's Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, which provides low-cost loans to repurpose energy infrastructure. It demonstrates that using EIR to refinance remaining coal plant balances and fund new clean energy assets can significantly reduce costs for ratepayers. Case studies of Alliant in Iowa and Ameren in Missouri show potential net present value (NPV) savings of $124 million and $413 million, respectively, compared to traditional utility financing. The report emphasizes the urgency for utilities to apply before the September 2026 approval deadline.

The author argues that food waste is a critical but often overlooked component of climate action plans, noting that food waste in the US generates 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The document highlights the EPA's $4.6 billion CPRG program as a key funding opportunity for governments to implement scalable waste reduction projects, citing California's Senate Bill 1383 as a model for curbing organic waste in landfills.

The policy brief examines how Low-Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) can complement federal hydrogen investments by directing clean hydrogen toward high-priority sectors. It analyzes existing programs in California, Oregon, and Washington, providing four lessons for other states: regulating intrastate aviation fuel to move beyond biogenic feedstocks, phasing in maritime fuel regulation, managing biogenic feedstock demand to prevent indirect land use change, and implementing rigorous emissions accounting to avoid loopholes for blue and grey hydrogen.