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An Energy Resource Investment Strategy for the City of San Francisco
The report evaluates three energy scenarios for San Francisco: 'Central Generation', 'More Imports', and 'Distributed Resources'. It compares these paths based on capital and operating costs, electricity supply reliability, environmental impacts, and local economic development. The analysis finds that while all scenarios can ensure reliability and allow the closure of the Hunter's Point Power Station, only the 'Distributed Resources' scenario significantly reduces CO2 emissions and promotes environmental equity. The 'Central Generation' path is identified as potentially the least expensive but carries risks related to market power and higher in-city emissions.
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Document type: Report
Letter to Sen. Schumer on Climate & AI
The letter argues that large language models (LLMs) increase carbon emissions through high energy demands and accelerate the spread of climate disinformation. It calls for mandatory reporting on energy use, emissions, and critical mineral consumption, as well as safeguards against AI-generated disinformation.
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Document type: Statement
Federal Funding Programs that Support Alternative Fuel Corridor Implementation and Decarbonization of the Long-Haul Trucking Industry
The document outlines federal grants and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to support the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. It details specific funding categories including charging/fueling, supply chain development, emissions monitoring, and state planning, while highlighting active zero-emission freight corridor projects along I-95, I-80, and I-10. The guide also provides a three-phase strategic framework for states to establish priorities, communicate with stakeholders, and monitor performance to maximize the use of these federal resources.
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Document type: Guide
Climate Change in the San Franciscan Mind
A 2013 survey of 700 San Francisco adults reveals high levels of belief in human-caused global warming (67%) and significant concern for its impacts. While residents expect severe future effects, including the potential abandonment of parts of the city due to sea level rise (66%), they are uncertain if humanity will successfully reduce warming. There is strong support for clean energy transitions and a preference for the U.S. to reduce emissions regardless of other countries' actions.
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Document type: Report
EL SECRETO SUCIO DE NUEVA JERSEY
The report details the environmental and public health impacts of waste incinerators in New Jersey, specifically highlighting how these facilities are located in low-income communities of color. It provides data on air pollution emissions and permit violations, criticizes the use of renewable energy subsidies for incineration, and proposes a policy framework to phase out incinerators in favor of zero-waste strategies.
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Document type: Report
NEW JERSEY’S DIRTY SECRET
The report details the environmental and public health impacts of waste incinerators in New Jersey, highlighting their disproportionate location in overburdened communities of color and low-income areas. It documents significant air permit violations and the receipt of millions in clean energy subsidies despite high emissions. The authors propose a shift toward a zero-waste hierarchy—emphasizing redesign, reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting—and recommend that New Jersey ban new incinerators and decommission existing ones by 2030.
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Document type: Report
GreenING in Place: Protecting Communities from Displacement TOOLKIT
The toolkit addresses 'green gentrification,' where green infrastructure investments increase property values and spur real estate speculation, leading to the displacement of vulnerable populations. It proposes a multi-layered approach combining tenant protections, land-use regulations, funding alignment, economic opportunity enhancement, community ownership, and inclusive design to ensure that the benefits of urban greening are shared equitably without harming existing residents.
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Document type: Guide
The Coronavirus Climate Profiteers
The report identifies 'coronavirus profiteers' across the meat, auto, airline, logging, and fossil fuel industries who lobbied for deregulation and subsidies during the pandemic. It contrasts these with 'climate heroes'—including certain European automakers, EU leadership, and specific palm oil companies—who continued to pursue emissions reductions and forest protection. The text emphasizes that weakening environmental protections, such as allowing deforestation and air pollution, increases public health vulnerability to respiratory diseases and future pandemics.
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Document type: Report
Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit
The Greening the White House Project, initiated by the Clinton Administration in 1993, aims to transform the White House complex into a model of efficiency and environmental responsibility. The project employs a six-component approach: audits, a feasibility study, early actions, demonstration spaces, long-term initiatives, and technology transfer. Key efforts include upgrading the building envelope, improving lighting and HVAC systems, and implementing sustainable procurement. The project emphasizes an integrated design process to reduce resource consumption by potentially 50% or more while respecting the historic and security requirements of the site.
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Document type: Report
THE ECONOMICS OF BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
The report categorizes battery energy storage services into three stakeholder groups: ISO/RTOs, utilities, and customers. It details the technical application and economic value of services such as frequency regulation, resource adequacy, and demand charge reduction. The document includes a meta-study of six major energy storage valuation publications and outlines specific use-case assumptions for commercial and residential systems in San Francisco, New York, and Phoenix.
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Document type: Report
What RMI’s Supporters and Staff Created Together (continued)
This fact sheet outlines RMI's history of developing market-based solutions for energy efficiency and climate protection. Key achievements include the creation of the Hypercar concept to reduce oil dependence, the development of the Natural Capitalism framework for sustainable business, and the establishment of the LEED green building rating system. The organization has also worked extensively on military energy security, water efficiency, and the promotion of decentralized low-carbon power generation over nuclear energy.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Background Information on Climate Change and Costly Damages in California
The document details the environmental and economic damages in California resulting from climate change, focusing on sea level rise, drought, public health risks, wildfires, and ecosystem decline.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Purchasing Power
The report argues that large-scale institutional food procurement can drive systemic change in the US food system by leveraging collective buying power to demand sustainable, healthy, and fair food production. It highlights the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), which uses five value categories—local economies, environmental sustainability, nutrition, valued workforce, and animal welfare—to guide procurement. A case study of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) demonstrates that adopting these standards can lead to significant local economic gains, reduced carbon and water footprints, improved student health outcomes, and industry-wide shifts, such as the increased production of antibiotic-free chicken in the US.
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Document type: Report
Citywide Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories
The paper examines the complexities of developing citywide transportation GHG emissions inventories, highlighting that results vary based on decisions regarding boundaries, trip inclusion, and data collection. It reviews diverse methodologies—including those from the World Bank, the European Commission, San Francisco, and Lisbon—and argues that accurate inventories are essential for climate action plans and performance-based funding.
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Document type: Research paper
ESPRIT INTERNATIONAL
The document outlines a scenario at Esprit International where the Ecollection department, responsible for an environmentally sensitive clothing line, must develop a plan for the fall season to address skepticism from Division Heads regarding its manufacturing and marketing processes and its impact on the bottom line.
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Document type: Case study
JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY: Integrated Public Investments for Livable Cities
The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) is a framework for municipal governments to move away from siloed agency funding toward integrated capital planning. By creating an independent entity for collaboration, the JBA allows multiple city departments to pool resources, issue bonds, and leverage new investments to scale natural infrastructure. This approach aims to quantify undervalued co-benefits, such as reduced heat island effects and improved mental wellbeing, while advancing social equity by integrating community leadership directly into the project team for decision-making and long-term stewardship.
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Document type: Fact sheet
JOINT BENEFITS AUTHORITY FAQ
The Joint Benefits Authority (JBA) is a proposed governance and finance model based on the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) structure. It aims to overcome the challenges of siloed city departments and tight budgets by pooling resources and using advanced capital planning to deliver multi-purpose, nature-based infrastructure. The JBA focuses on capturing co-benefits, pioneering creative municipal financing, and advancing social equity by prioritizing underserved neighborhoods. The concept is currently being piloted in San Francisco through a partnership between the World Resources Institute, Encourage Capital, the Liquid Assets Project, and the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, with funding from the Kresge Foundation, Spring Point Partners, and the Moore Foundation.
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Document type: Fact sheet