Search Climate Insights Directory

The Transnet Inquiry Reference Book, authored by the Public Affairs Research Institute, provides a fact-based account of governance failures and systemic corruption at Transnet, South Africa's state-owned freight transport and logistics company. The report details how the company's governance was repurposed to facilitate large-scale corruption and rent-seeking, primarily benefiting the Gupta family and their associates through manipulated procurement processes for locomotives, cranes, and IT services.

This report details a project led by WattTime.org and RMI to catalyze the market for Automated Emissions Reduction (AER), a software-based technology that modulates the electricity consumption of internet-connected devices based on real-time grid emissions data. The project included a pilot deployment in Chicago and a stakeholder workshop (charrette) to identify value propositions and scaling strategies for residential and institutional customers, utilities, and policymakers.

This RMI fact sheet argues that renewables and battery storage are now more effective than natural gas for supporting economic development and energy access in the Global South, offering superior reliability, deployment speed, and cost-effectiveness while avoiding the long-term financial and security risks associated with gas infrastructure.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) investigates the relationship between vehicle weight and safety, challenging the perception that lighter vehicles are inherently more dangerous. Using a virtually modeled ultralight concept vehicle (the 'UltraLight') compared against a 2007 Ford Edge, the study demonstrates that while an unoptimized ultralight design may offer less protection to its own driver, it is significantly less aggressive toward other road users and can be improved through iterative design without adding mass.

Amory Lovins responds to a critique by William Tucker regarding the economic viability of nuclear power, asserting that new U.S. reactors lack a business case and are unable to attract private capital despite significant subsidies.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and PG&E examines the challenges and opportunities presented by the rise of zero net energy (ZNE) buildings and distributed energy resources (DERs). It argues that traditional utility business models and volumetric rate structures are poorly adapted to a bidirectional power system, potentially leading to economic inefficiencies and equity issues. The authors propose a framework for solutions based on rigorous impact measurement, the use of price signals to align incentives, and the evolution of utility business models toward either incentive-based regulation or a network utility model.

This document is a rebuttal by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to an article and subsequent response by Charles C. Mann in The Atlantic. Lovins argues that Mann ignores the role of efficiency and technological innovation in reducing oil demand and misrepresents the reliability and economic viability of renewable energy, specifically in Germany.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) examines how traditional building project delivery methods hinder sustainability and proposes that specific contracting stipulations, particularly through Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), can overcome these barriers to improve energy efficiency and project outcomes.

The research paper "SENSE AND RESPONSE: A BIOCLIMATIC DIALOGUE OF PLACE" by Victor Olgyay explores the evolution of human interaction with the environment, from preindustrial symbiotic relationships to the ecological degradation caused by industrialization. The author advocates for a "performance based" regionalism in architecture that moves beyond reducing negative impacts toward a restorative approach, where buildings function as "ecological utilities" that actively provide ecosystem services and repair degraded landscapes.

In this commentary to Nathan Gardels, Amory Lovins discusses the unintended consequences and existential risks associated with four powerful technologies: nuclear fission, genetic manipulation, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Lovins argues that the pursuit of technological possibility without wisdom or feedback mechanisms poses a grave threat to humanity and suggests that safer, more biologically informed alternatives often exist.

The document argues that a new industrial revolution is emerging, driven by 'natural capitalism' and integrative design, which aims to increase resource productivity by 10- to 100-fold. The author posits that market-driven green design in human settlements—characterized by high density, pedestrian-centric transport, and resource-efficient buildings—can align commercial profitability with environmental restoration, potentially making traditional government spatial planning obsolete.

This editorial by Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute argues that the perceived inevitability of increased fossil fuel consumption is a flawed assumption. By applying engineering-economic analysis, the authors suggest that a 'least-cost energy strategy' focusing on energy efficiency and renewables can reduce fossil fuel reliance to nearly zero within half a century, effectively mitigating the CO2 problem through economic rationality rather than solely through climatic cost-benefit analyses.

The report introduces 'natural capitalism,' a business framework that argues the current economic model is deficient because it liquidates natural capital and ecosystem services. The authors propose four principles—increasing resource productivity, eliminating waste, shifting to service-and-flow models, and investing in natural capital—to align corporate profit with planetary health.

The document introduces 'natural capitalism,' a proposed new industrial paradigm that values natural and human capital alongside financial and manufactured capital. It argues that conventional industrial capitalism is unsustainable because it treats nature as a free, infinite resource, leading to the rapid depletion of living systems and ecosystem services. To avert ecological and social disaster, the text proposes four interrelated strategies: radical resource productivity, biomimicry, a service-and-flow economy, and direct investment in natural capital.

This report chapter argues that while market economies are powerful tools for resource allocation, they are frequently dysfunctional due to theoretical misconceptions, capital misallocation, and organizational or regulatory failures. It proposes 'natural capitalism' as a framework to extend market principles to all forms of material value, including natural capital, by identifying and turning market imperfections into business opportunities for resource efficiency.

This document, a chapter from 'Natural Capitalism', argues for a fundamental shift in business and economic models to prioritize resource productivity and the preservation of natural and social capital. It critiques the polarized nature of environmental debates and proposes a 'whole-system' approach that integrates diverse worldviews to ensure long-term economic and ecological viability.

This report chapter explores how industrial production can transition from a linear 'depletion to pollution' model to a circular system based on biological principles. It argues that significant reductions in energy and material use are possible through a combination of smarter design, new technologies, distributed controls, corporate culture shifts, and the adoption of remanufacturing and recycling.

This document, a chapter from 'Natural Capitalism', argues that traditional design often relies on compromise and diminishing returns, whereas 'whole-system engineering' can 'tunnel through the cost barrier' to achieve massive resource savings at lower capital costs. By optimizing systems as a whole and thinking 'downstream to upstream,' designers can eliminate expensive equipment and create synergies that reduce both operating and construction expenses.

This research paper by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the automotive industry's failure to adopt advanced composite materials in the body-in-white (BIW) is due to a reliance on incremental, component-based substitution. The authors propose a "leapfrog" strategy: a whole-system redesign using an all-advanced-composite monocoque BIW integrated with a hybrid-electric "hypercar" concept. This approach aims to overcome cost, manufacturing, and cultural barriers by maximizing mass reduction and simplifying assembly.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes opportunities to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Canadian Class-8 truck fleet through the adoption of aerodynamic retrofits, low rolling-resistance tires, and auxiliary power units (APUs). It argues that government leadership, technical guidance, and financial incentives are necessary to overcome industry inertia and the fuel-efficiency losses caused by emissions regulations.