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New research from Climate Central indicates that climate change accounted for 27% of the rate of heat-related emergency room visits in the U.S. during the warm seasons from 2018 to 2025. The study found that all U.S. regions experienced increased visit rates due to climate change, with the highest rates occurring in southern and western states. A notable peak occurred during the June 2021 northwestern U.S. heat wave, where daily visit rates were approximately 50 times higher than the regional average, with 27% of that rate attributed to climate change.

The report details a pattern of labor violations at Grimmway Farms since its 2021 acquisition by Teays River Investments, including disability discrimination, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions. It highlights a 2023 fatal accident involving Rosa Miriam Sanchez and argues that the private equity business model can exacerbate poor working conditions in the US agricultural sector.

The 2026 State Healthcare Policy Review examines US state efforts to regulate private equity in healthcare, focusing on transparency, approval authority, targeted prohibitions, and the corporate practice of medicine. While several states enacted new disclosure and reporting laws, few expanded the power to block transactions, and many stringent proposals were narrowed or failed. Key developments include Maine's new administrative approval process and Connecticut's ban on hospital sale-leasebacks.

The report argues that while next-generation geothermal has vast potential to provide clean firm power, its growth is hindered by a 'missing middle' financing gap, subsurface uncertainty, and outdated regulatory frameworks. It proposes five deployment levers: characterizing subsurface resources through data digitization and mapping, governing through streamlined permitting and clarified property rights, financing via procurement standards and convertible loans, connecting through improved transmission planning and workforce development, and innovating through sustained R&D and testbeds.

Climate change accounted for 27% of the rate of heat-related emergency room visits in the U.S. during 2018-2025. August 2026 was the warmest August on record globally, with record warmth affecting 13.2% of global land and ocean areas. In the U.S., Summer 2026 was the warmest on record for the contiguous region, and August 2026 was the warmest August for average, maximum, and minimum temperatures since 1895. Drought affected at least 81% of the contiguous U.S. as of September 8, 2026, and nearly 8.3 million acres burned year-to-date, driven by increased 'fire weather' days. Attribution analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates human-caused climate change drove summertime warming trends in 91% of analyzed U.S. cities. Additionally, a strong El Niño event is projected to peak around February 2027, with global temperature anomalies potentially reaching 1.7C above pre-industrial levels.

Research by the Union of Concerned Scientists and University of California, Merced, indicates that emissions from the 'Carbon Majors'—the 122 largest industrial carbon producers—are responsible for approximately half of the climate-driven reductions in snowpack and streamflow, and increases in irrigation demand across the western United States. The analysis highlights specific 'hot spots' in California and the Pacific Northwest, noting that these emissions contributed to a 15% reduction in April snowpack and a 6.1% decrease in warm season streamflow. In California's Central Valley, 10% of observed groundwater loss is attributed to these companies. The document argues that the fossil fuel industry should be held financially accountable for these damages, as local governments and vulnerable communities currently bear the economic costs of adaptation and infrastructure failure.

A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists and UC Merced finds that human-caused climate change has significantly reduced snowpack and streamflow while increasing irrigation demand in the western US. Approximately half of these impacts are attributed to the emissions of 'Carbon Majors'—the 122 largest industrial CO2 emitters. The report highlights severe consequences in agricultural regions like California's Central Valley, where Carbon Majors' emissions are linked to 10% of groundwater loss, and argues for the financial accountability of these companies for climate-driven water damages.

The document analyzes the growth of Compassus, a for-profit home-based care provider jointly owned by TowerBrook Capital Partners and Ascension Health, as a model for private equity expansion into nonprofit healthcare. It details joint ventures with systems including Providence, Bon Secours Mercy Health, and OhioHealth, highlighting the strategic shift toward home-based care. The text specifically examines the Providence partnership, noting that while Providence sought to reduce operating losses and manage services outside its 'core focus', the move faced opposition from nursing associations over concerns regarding patient care quality, workforce benefits, and access for underserved populations.

The report analyzes the strategic use of joint ventures by private equity (PE) firms to enter healthcare markets, leveraging the reputation of nonprofit partners to scale operations. Through case studies of Lifepoint Health, Ascension, Compassus, and Ardent Health, it documents patterns such as sale-leaseback real estate transactions, the use of nonprofit referral networks, and declining care quality. It argues that current IRS and state regulations are insufficient to oversee these complex structures and recommends expanded oversight of management fees, control rights, and charitable asset transfers.

The report argues that Canada's historical advantage of low-cost electricity is at risk due to outdated grid infrastructure, cautious energy planning, and policy instability. By comparing Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec with international peers like Texas and Germany, the analysis finds that Canadian grids often under-plan for industrial growth and lag in flexibility and transmission capacity. The document recommends that the federal government support interprovincial coordination, provide targeted funding for grid expansion, ensure a stable Clean Electricity Regulation, and prioritize grid flexibility to maintain industrial competitiveness.

The document outlines a comparative framework using six indicators—energy planning, flexible grid planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy predictability—to assess the competitiveness of jurisdictions including Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the UK, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The document outlines a benchmarking framework used to assess how jurisdictions attract investment in wind, solar, and battery projects. It defines six metrics: energy planning, flexibility planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy certainty. The report provides the specific data sources, scoring rubrics, and calculation methods used to evaluate Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The report introduces Green Economic Populism (GEP), a framework that argues the affordability crisis is a structural challenge intensified by the climate crisis. It posits that reducing dependence on volatile fossil fuels can lower costs for working people across energy, food, health, housing, and transportation. The document provides polling data showing that 70% of US voters believe economic policy can simultaneously lower costs and reduce emissions, and 55% want coordinated policies to address both. It highlights successful political campaigns and labor actions in cities and states such as New York City, Seattle, New Jersey, Georgia, and Missouri that centered the intersection of climate action and material needs, such as rent stabilization, utility price controls, and decarbonized public infrastructure.

The paper examines the UK's Enhanced Trade Partnerships (ETPs), which are non-binding memoranda of understanding that sit between informal commercial meetings (JETCOs) and binding Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). While ETPs frequently reference sustainability and can facilitate 'green' trade and regulatory diplomacy, the author argues they primarily serve offensive trade interests and lack the civil society oversight necessary to prevent 'greenwashing'.

The Multi-Family Housing Tracker documents the significant increase in private equity ownership of U.S. apartment complexes, noting that 228 identified firms own nearly 3 million units, or approximately 13% of the national total. The report highlights a heavy concentration in Sunbelt states and metropolitan areas, correlating these regions with sharp increases in 'cost-burdened' renters. It details a business model focused on rapid value increases through rent hikes and additional fees, while documenting widespread tenant complaints regarding poor maintenance, aggressive evictions, and the use of algorithmic pricing software like RealPage. The document concludes with recommendations for landlords, public officials, and institutional investors to implement rent caps, just-cause eviction protections, and responsible investment standards.

Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations to track fire weather trends in the contiguous U.S. between 1973 and 2025. The analysis reveals a significant increase in fire weather days, particularly in the western U.S., where conditions are intensifying in spring and summer. While the eastern U.S. has seen smaller increases, some areas in the Southeast and Northeast are experiencing more frequent fire weather. The report highlights that climate change is driving these trends through warming temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, which prime landscapes for wildfires to ignite and spread.

The report details how private equity firms have acquired Medicaid contractors to capitalize on government-backed revenue, often leading to operational failures. It highlights systemic payment errors and wage theft allegations at Public Partnerships, LLC; massive debt-driven cost-cutting and fraud allegations at Gainwell Technologies; and delays in care authorizations and the use of offshore labor at Acentra Health. The document also warns of the risks associated with AI-driven analytics and the offshoring of sensitive patient health information to India.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project supports Illinois HB5000, arguing that private equity's expansion into healthcare—through leveraged buyouts, roll-ups, and joint ventures—often leads to higher prices, increased debt, and reduced quality of care. The document details specific financial tactics like sale-leasebacks and dividend recapitalizations, and highlights the growth of private equity in ambulatory surgery centers and physician practice management, urging regulators to increase oversight to protect patient access and cost.

RMI and OTS R&D conducted laboratory tests on residential split systems and packaged rooftop units to determine if reclaimed R-410A refrigerant, processed to AHRI 700 standards, performs differently than virgin refrigerant. The results showed no statistically significant differences in heating capacity, cooling capacity, or energy efficiency across all tested operating conditions. The report argues that scaling refrigerant recovery and reclamation is essential to bridge the structural gap between declining HFC production under the AIM Act and the ongoing servicing demand for existing equipment, particularly for R-410A, which served approximately 85% of US residential and 92% of light commercial cooling systems in 2022.

The document argues that heat pumps are a cost-effective alternative to gas heating due to their superior energy efficiency, which allows them to overcome higher electricity costs. In the residential sector, heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces for four consecutive years. In the industrial sector, they are particularly viable for low-temperature processes (under 200°C), with the potential to increase U.S. GDP by over $42 billion by 2030. The briefing concludes that other alternatives, such as hydrogen and renewable natural gas, are less scalable and more expensive than heat pumps.