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RMI has developed the Local Energy Action Framework (LEAF), a step-by-step process designed to help US cities and counties prioritize energy projects and map electricity needs holistically to reach 100 percent clean electricity or carbon-neutrality goals.

This guide by RMI provides implementation recommendations for state energy offices (SEOs) to design and deploy the Home Efficiency Rebate program established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The $4.3 billion program incentivizes whole-home retrofits for single-family and multifamily dwellings, with higher rebate amounts for greater energy savings and doubled benefits for low-income households.

This guide provides implementation recommendations for state energy offices (SEOs) to design and deploy the Home Electrification Rebate program, a $4.5 billion initiative established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to support residential electrification for low- and moderate-income households.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines China's transition away from financing overseas coal projects following its 2021 pledge. It argues that China possesses a significant comparative advantage in renewable energy due to its dominance in global manufacturing and supply chains, making renewables a more viable and sustainable investment path than natural gas, where China lacks domestic market maturity and technical export capacity.

This briefing by RMI discusses the environmental impact of cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, and outlines the efforts and challenges associated with decarbonizing the industry. It details the transition of Ethereum to a lower-energy mechanism, the development of accounting frameworks for emissions, and the necessity for Bitcoin to move away from proof-of-work mining or utilize additional renewable energy to avoid hindering climate progress.

This report summarizes the first in-person meeting of the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) Advisory Board, held from November 11 to 13, 2022, in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The meeting focused on co-developing an implementation plan for the SDC, defining its mission and vision, exploring sustainable funding, and strengthening partnerships to enhance the science-policy interface across the Americas.

This policy brief by RMI argues that the lack of universally accepted, machine-readable data standards for carbon accounting hinders the ability of companies to exchange and compare emissions data, thereby slowing decarbonization. The document proposes the creation of an ecosystem based on open standards, open-source collaboration, and industry-wide software support to enable real-time, interoperable carbon tracking acrossSS across supply chains.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) reviewed federal legislation from the 115th through the 117th Congress to identify laws promoting climate adaptation and resilience. EESI identified 41 laws that address over 16 different climate impacts, ranging from acute events like wildfires to slow-onset events like thawing permafrost, though much of the federal approach remains centered on disaster response and recovery.

This briefing by RMI outlines the energy affordability crisis in the US, driven by high fossil fuel prices and rising electricity rates, and provides a toolkit of short-term and long-term regulatory solutions for state public utility commissions to reduce the energy burden on vulnerable households.

This briefing from RMI's Center for Climate-Aligned Finance (CCAF) outlines six key trends expected to influence the climate strategies, implementation, and reporting of financial institutions (FIs) in 2023. These trends include the shift toward short-term transition plans, the political debate surrounding ESG, the growth of renewable energy investment, the need for workforce upskilling, increased regulatory scrutiny of greenwashing, and the move toward using transition-relevant data for portfolio steering.

The research paper 'Toward Multipurpose Trade Policy?' by Nicolas Lamp describes a paradigm shift in international trade, moving from a primary focus on economic efficiency and liberalization toward 'multipurpose trade policy.' This new approach integrates substantive policy objectives—such as climate mitigation, national security, and labor rights—directly into trade policy rather than treating them as externalities. The author outlines the domestic challenges of balancing incommensurable goals and the international implications, including a declining role for multilateral trade law and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This policy brief argues that the United States power grid lacks a comprehensive national development plan, unlike the European Union and China, leaving it fragmented and vulnerable to climate-related extreme weather. It advocates for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to mandate minimum inter-regional power transfer capabilities and establish a robust planning process to improve grid resilience and resource sharing.

This research paper examines the nature of fluorinated gases (F-gases), their impact on global warming, and the international and domestic policy frameworks designed to phase them down, specifically focusing on the Kigali Amendment and the U.S. AIM Act.

This briefing from RMI describes the role of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)—aggregations of distributed energy resources like batteries and electric vehicles—in enhancing grid reliability, affordability, and decarbonization, while outlining priorities to scale the market.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes energy efficiency (EE) mechanisms for electricity-intensive consumers, comparing international experiences from the European Union, USA, China, and other nations with the current policy landscape in Brazil. It identifies direct and indirect benefits of EE, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased industrial competitiveness, and evaluates various regulatory, fiscal, and market-based instruments to provide recommendations for improving Brazil's energy efficiency framework.

The report 'Coal Cost Crossover 3.0' analyzes the economic viability of existing coal-fired power plants in the United States compared to new renewable energy alternatives. Using 2021 data and accounting for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the study finds that nearly all coal plants are more expensive to operate than replacing them with wind or solar, particularly when resources are sited locally to leverage existing grid interconnections and energy community tax credits.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the sustainability of the road freight value chain during a period of disruptive technological change. It identifies three primary 'megatrends'—automation, digitalization, and electrification—that are shifting the industry's environmental and social hotspots from vehicle operation to manufacturing and labor dynamics.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights synthesizes the 2022 activities of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) regarding climate change. It details specific recommendations made to the United States, France, and Cameroon, and discusses the potential for the upcoming General Recommendation No. 37 on the right to health to address environmental racism and climate-related health disparities.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the outcomes of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, focusing on the integration of human rights into climate policies. It highlights a major breakthrough in loss and damage finance while criticizing the failure to address fossil fuel phase-out and the restrictions placed on civil society by the host country.

This white paper by the Climate Bonds Initiative presents a blueprint for a climate resilience classification framework designed to mobilize capital market investment into climate-resilient assets, activities, and entities. It proposes a systematic approach to identify eligible investments based on their 'Substantial Contribution' to resilience while avoiding maladaptation and significant harm to other sustainability goals.