Search Climate Insights Directory
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Driving Electric — 10 Ways Cities Can Move on Electric Mobility in a Changing Landscape
This guide by RMI outlines ten strategies for United States cities to advance inclusive electric mobility, focusing on affordability and accessibility for residents without private vehicles or home charging. It provides specific examples of municipal policies, from building code mandates for EV-readiness in Arizona to zero-emission delivery zones in California, to help cities navigate budget constraints and reduced federal funding.
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Document type: Guide
Getting Electric Truck Chargers Online Faster
This report by RMI examines how flexible service connections (FSCs) can accelerate the deployment of electric truck charging infrastructure by allowing fleets to connect to the grid faster in exchange for limiting power draw during peak hours. Using modeling of utility feeder data from PG&E and National Grid, the report demonstrates that FSCs can significantly increase charging capacity and reduce the need for immediate, costly grid upgrades.
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Document type: Report
Grid-Scale Virtual Power Plants are Here. Have Utilities Noticed?
This policy brief by RMI argues that virtual power plants (VPPs)—aggregations of distributed energy resources like batteries and smart thermostats—have reached a scale capable of replacing traditional power plants but are not being adequately integrated into utility long-term planning. The document highlights that while VPPs are increasingly mentioned in regulatory filings, they are often not modeled as selectable resources on an equal footing with conventional generation, leading to a risk of inefficient grid overbuilding.
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Document type: Policy brief
For the US EV Market, a More Turbulent Road Lies Ahead
The US electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a slowdown in momentum due to federal policy shifts, including the expiration of purchase tax credits and the repeal of tailpipe emission limits. While EV sales fell 4% in 2025, charging infrastructure continues to expand through private investment. Automakers are pivoting away from all-electric targets toward a mix of hybrids and affordable models, while manufacturing investments in the Midwest and South have seen significant cancellations.
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Document type: Report
African Responses to Climate Change
This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines two primary policy responses to climate change in Africa: carbon sequestration through forest regeneration and the implementation of a global carbon tax. It highlights the critical role of the Congo Basin as a carbon sink and analyzes four illustrative global carbon tax scenarios, concluding that a differentiated payment approach aligns best with international equity principles and the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Research paper
5 Things We Learned from Analyzing More than 200 Utility Incentives
This fact sheet by RMI analyzes data from over 200 performance incentive mechanisms (PIMs) in the United States to identify trends in how public utility commissions (PUCs) use these tools to drive priorities such as decarbonization, equity, and affordability.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Scaling Direct Air Capture in the US: From Public Investment to Market Integration
This report by the World Resources Institute examines the potential for U.S. states to lead the deployment of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies as federal funding and policy support for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) face rollbacks and uncertainty.
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Document type: Report
Cutting These Subsidies Could Save States Millions of Dollars
This RMI fact sheet examines the practice of gas line extension allowances—subsidies where existing customers fund the cost of connecting new buildings to the natural gas system—and the movement among US states to phase them out to lower utility bills and support electrification.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Electric Vehicles Are on the Road to Mass Adoption
This report by RMI analyzes the global trajectory of electric vehicle (EV) adoption, noting that many markets have passed critical tipping points. It highlights that in the United States, the total cost of ownership for light-duty EVs is now lower than for gas-powered cars, while medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) electric trucks are trending toward cost parity with diesel. The document also discusses the role of battery recycling in potentially eliminating the need for additional mining by 2040.
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Document type: Report
The E-Bike Rebate Program Guidebook
The E-Bike Rebate Program Guidebook, published by RMI, provides a comprehensive framework for local governments, nonprofits, and transportation agencies to design and implement e-bike rebate programs. It outlines a five-step process: establishing a project team and goals, designing funding and incentive structures, partnering with bike shops, executing community outreach, and managing the program launch and follow-up. The guide emphasizes equity, suggesting income-tiered rebates and diverse application methods to increase accessibility for low- and moderate-income residents.
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Document type: Guide
US Governors Are Leading Efforts to Tackle the Cost of Electricity
This policy brief by RMI examines how US governors are addressing rising electricity costs, which have increased by an average of 23% over the last decade. The document highlights actions taken by governors in at least 14 states since 2023 to balance immediate customer relief with long-term system cost containment, while warning against superficial measures like one-time bill credits that do not address underlying affordability challenges.
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Document type: Policy brief
Lower Bills, Cleaner Air: Heat Pump Benefits for Homes Relying on Delivered Fuels
This briefing by RMI outlines the economic, health, and environmental benefits of transitioning over 10 million US homes that rely on delivered fuels (oil and propane) to electric heat pumps. It provides data on potential energy savings, carbon pollution reduction, and recommends specific policy interventions and outreach strategies to accelerate this transition.
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Document type: Briefing
Reforming Energy Efficiency Programs to Increase Heat Pump Adoption
This report by RMI provides best practices for reforming energy efficiency incentive programs to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps. It argues that current programs are often too complex, deterring participation—particularly among low-to-moderate income (LMI) households—and recommends streamlining applications, aligning equipment specifications, and tailoring incentives to local climates to better support decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Report
The Rise of Batteries Plus Solar
This report by Ember analyzes the accelerating deployment of battery storage and solar power in the United States, highlighting how batteries are enabling higher solar penetration and displacing fossil fuels, particularly in California and Texas.
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Document type: Report
Finding US Clean Power Development Sees Record Progress, As Well As Stronger Headwinds
This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the state of clean energy in the United States through 2024, highlighting record growth in solar and battery storage alongside significant headwinds including grid capacity limits, rising local opposition, and policy uncertainty under the Trump administration.
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Document type: Report
A Gathering Storm: How Marine Geoengineering Threatens All Ocean Basins
A report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Friends of the Earth US analyzing the risks and geographic scope of marine geoengineering technologies, arguing that these speculative interventions threaten all ocean basins and distract from fossil fuel phaseout.
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Document type: Report
Unnatural Disasters: The Connection Between Extreme Weather and Fossil Fuels
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the causal link between fossil fuel emissions and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. It details the role of 'Carbon Majors' in global emissions, the financial disparity between industry profits and climate damages, and the growing use of litigation to hold these companies accountable. The document argues that a managed phase-out of fossil fuels, through both supply and demand reductions, is essential to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
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Document type: Briefing
The Nuts and Bolts of Performance-Based Regulation
This guide by RMI introduces Performance-Based Regulation (PBR) as a regulatory approach for electric utilities designed to align utility incentives with customer and societal interests. It contrasts PBR with traditional cost-of-service regulation (COSR), which the document argues creates perverse incentives such as 'gold plating' and 'capex bias' that hinder the clean energy transition. The guide details various PBR tools—including revenue decoupling, multi-year rate plans, and performance incentive mechanisms—and provides a framework for moving from incremental to comprehensive PBR reform.
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Document type: Guide
How New Federal Policy Raises the Bar for Energy-Efficient Housing
In May 2024, the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) updated minimum energy standards for new construction, requiring new covered buildings under four stories to comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (2021 IECC) and taller buildings to meet ASHRAE/ANSI Standard 90.1-2019. These updates, combined with 45L tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), make high-performance multifamily housing financially viable, particularly for all-electric constructions and those in specific climate zones.
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Document type: Research paper
fact-sheet-climate-jobs-2024
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides data on the growth and distribution of climate-related jobs in the United States as of 2022, highlighting sectors such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, clean vehicles, and adaptation and resilience.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet