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The report details shifts in how Americans in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West experienced extreme weather between Fall 2012 and November 2013. It highlights a general consensus on the vulnerability of agriculture and electricity systems, with a majority of citizens advocating for government prioritization of water supplies, transportation, and public health. Additionally, 56% of Americans believe global warming is impacting U.S. weather.

The April 2013 report 'Extreme Weather and Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that 58% of Americans believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather. A significant majority (85%) reported experiencing extreme weather in the past year, with 37% stating they suffered moderate or great harm. While over half of Americans believe a natural disaster in their community is likely in the coming year, only 31% have a family emergency plan and 36% have a supply kit. Communication about these events remains primarily face-to-face or via phone, despite some use of social media.

The report finds that a growing majority of Americans (74%) believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather, with many attributing recent extreme heat, drought, and record temperatures to climate change. It details regional variations in perceptions, noting that Midwesterners were particularly sensitive to drought and crop harm in 2012, while Westerners reported higher rates of forest fires. The data shows an increase in the number of Americans reporting personal harm to health, property, or finances from extreme heat and drought.

A 2012 survey of 1,008 American adults found that 82% personally experienced an extreme weather event in the previous year, and a majority believe U.S. weather is worsening. While many link high-profile disasters to global warming, only about a third of respondents have both an emergency plan and a supply kit. The report also highlights a public interest in hearing weathercasters discuss global warming, despite infrequent occurrences of such discussions in forecasts.

The document identifies approximately 2 million mobile homes built before 1976 as the "worst housing stock" in the U.S., noting they are energy-inefficient and often house low-income, elderly, or disabled residents. It highlights that these structures are often ineligible for traditional weatherization programs and proposes the Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Act of 2009 to provide rebates for ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The text details the differences between mobile, manufactured, and modular homes, and provides demographic data on residents of pre-1980 manufactured housing.

The document describes how wind, solar, and biomass energy can provide long-term income and operational savings for U.S. farmers. It highlights specific economic projections from the U.S. Department of Energy, such as the potential for wind energy to create 80,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in income by 2020, and the potential for tripled biomass use to generate $20 billion in new income. The text details the practical applications of these technologies—including turbine leasing, perennial energy crops, and solar-powered farm operations—and notes the availability of federal incentives via the 2002 Farm Bill and various state-level policies like net metering.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) asserts that the EPA's proposed MACT regulations for utility units lack rigorous economic analysis and fail to protect children from mercury risks. By modeling an 'Alternate Mercury Control Scenario' using the EPA's own Integrated Planning Model (IPM), CATF demonstrates that more stringent mercury emission limits are cost-effective, providing substantial health benefits—specifically avoided premature deaths from PM2.5 exposure—that far outweigh the incremental costs to the power sector. The document further claims the EPA misled the public regarding its compliance with Executive Order 13045 concerning environmental health risks to children.

The report finds that a majority of Americans in 2012 were unfamiliar with fracking and undecided about whether to support or oppose it. Among those who had formed an opinion, views were split, though a slim majority viewed the practice as 'bad'. Support and opposition varied significantly by gender, age, political affiliation, and geographic region, with conservatives and older males more supportive, and liberals, younger people, and residents of the Northeast and West more opposed. Associations with fracking were primarily divided between environmental concerns (linked to opposition) and economic or energy supply benefits (linked to support).

A technical analysis indicates California can reach 85 percent carbon-free electricity by 2030 even under extreme stressors, such as the August 2020 heat waves and the retirement of one-third of natural gas capacity. To support this, the brief recommends diversifying clean energy resources (including offshore wind and geothermal), phasing out natural gas plants—particularly in disadvantaged communities—and leveraging demand-side resources like energy efficiency and demand response. It also suggests improving regional coordination across Western states and refining reliability evaluation tools used by the CPUC, CEC, and CAISO.

The document finds that reaching an 85% clean electricity target by 2030 is feasible and reliable for California, even under most simultaneous stress conditions. Analysis indicates that while solar and battery storage are primary drivers, a diverse portfolio including offshore wind and geothermal reduces dependence on imports and gas. Battery storage specifically reduces the 'duck curve' ramping requirements by an average of 42%. While the state can retire nearly a third of its in-state gas fleet under certain conditions, some gas remains necessary for reliability unless replaced by comparable firm clean resources. The study emphasizes that sharing power with the rest of the Western United States is more optimal than a 'go it alone' approach.

The document addresses the recent surge in U.S. electricity demand driven by data centers, manufacturing, and electric vehicles. It warns that utilities are defaulting to new gas plants, which risks creating stranded assets and conflicting with climate goals. The authors propose a portfolio of alternatives, including aggressive energy efficiency, the reuse of fossil fuel interconnection sites for renewables, demand response with large customers, and grid-enhancing technologies to improve existing transmission infrastructure.

WWF urges the US Congress to utilize the 2023 Farm Bill to end habitat conversion, reverse species decline, and achieve net zero agriculture by 2040. Key recommendations include protecting the $20 billion Inflation Reduction Act investment in agricultural conservation, eliminating subsidies for the conversion of grasslands, and reducing the approximately 35% of food that goes unsold or uneaten in the US. The document advocates for the integration of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, the promotion of regenerative agriculture, and the implementation of rigorous biodiversity safeguards for bioenergy and advanced fuels.