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Methane is a potent warming agent and health hazard that leaks frequently from oil and gas systems, coal mines, landfills, and livestock. RMI advocates for the use of remote sensing and the MiQ voluntary standard to create a market for low-methane gas and eventually establish mandatory standards to achieve a 1.5-degree future.

The policy brief advocates for targeted, refundable tax credits to drive the transition to zero-carbon buildings and deep energy retrofits in the US. It proposes six specific tax credit mechanisms—including improvements to existing credits like 45L and 179D and the creation of new ones for lead safety and clean heating—to overcome cost barriers, support low-income housing, and scale domestic manufacturing of heat pumps.

The briefing argues that meeting the US NDC target of 50–52 percent emissions reduction by 2030 requires the rapid retirement of fossil fuel assets, which risks placing high costs on ratepayers and frontline communities. It proposes amending Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a Clean Transition Financing Program. This program would use tools like low-cost direct loans, outcome-based impact bonds, and environmental risk insurance to reduce transition costs. Specifically, RMI estimates that a federal credit subsidy of $3 billion to $4 billion could save electricity ratepayers over $10 billion annually by refinancing fossil generation assets.

The document highlights the challenges of rapid urbanization in India, where urban freight contributes significantly to emissions, congestion, and road fatalities. It argues that with demand for urban freight expected to rise by 140 percent this decade, implementing specific freight management measures is essential to lower logistics costs and meet climate goals.

The document argues that substituting portland cement with SCMs—such as fly ash, ground glass, natural pozzolans, and blast furnace slag—is a cost-effective way to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete. It highlights that up to 40% substitution is possible in the US, potentially saving 27 Mt CO2e per year and reducing emissions for specific applications by up to 80%. However, it notes that supply for some SCMs is geographically constrained or declining due to the phase-out of coal power, suggesting the reclamation of stored fly ash and the use of natural pozzolans as viable future alternatives.

The document challenges the notion that heavy transport and industrial heat are 'hard-to-abate' sectors, suggesting that they can be decarbonized profitably. It emphasizes the role of plummeting renewable energy costs and the potential for massive efficiency gains in trucking, aviation, shipping, and the production of steel and cement. The author advocates for 'integrative design' and structural efficiency to drastically reduce the volume of materials needed, thereby lowering both costs and emissions.

The report identifies tax regulations as a primary barrier preventing US utilities from adopting low-cost renewable energy. It highlights how 'tax normalization' and the lack of tax liability for non-profit or loss-carrying utilities create 'perverse incentives' that favor fossil fuels. To meet President Biden's goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, the author proposes eliminating tax normalization for the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and introducing 'direct pay' mechanisms to ensure all utility types can access clean energy incentives.

The report identifies three primary opportunity areas to reduce the negative impacts of India's growing freight demand: increasing the share of rail transport, optimizing truck usage, and adopting zero-emissions vehicles and fuel economy technologies. Implementing these solutions could save 10 gigatons of cumulative CO2 emissions by 2050 and lower logistics costs from 14 percent to 10 percent of GDP.

The document posits that electrifying ridehailing services, specifically mentioning companies like Uber and Lyft, serves as a catalyst for the broader EV transition. It suggests that this shift can lower operational costs and create profitable investment opportunities for the development of fast-charging infrastructure, which in turn helps to equitably expand charging capacity for all users.

Fossil-fuel burning appliances in the US contribute significantly to outdoor and indoor air pollution, climate change, and public health disparities. Gas appliances are particularly problematic, emitting more than twice as much NOX as gas power plants. RMI proposes that the EPA implement a NOX standard of performance under Clean Air Act Section 111(b), requiring all new appliances to be electric by 2030. This transition could avoid over 500,000 tons of NOX and 14,400 tons of PM2.5 annually by 2045, potentially saving over 3,750 lives per year and providing $21 billion in annual economic benefits. The document emphasizes that electric appliances are cost-effective and that policies should include incentives to ensure low-income consumers can access these technologies.

Demand flexibility—the ability to shift energy demand based on real-time signals—could reduce New York City building emissions by approximately 40% as the grid decarbonizes. Beyond carbon, it can lower a building's peak electricity consumption by 30% to 50%, reducing reliance on peaker plants and lowering grid operational and infrastructure costs. The document highlights that electrified buildings offer more flexable load and that integrating a time-of-use carbon metric into Local Law 97 would provide building owners with a more cost-effective route to compliance.

The document argues that current US climate policy reinforces inequities and risks political instability by placing the costs of transition on energy customers and workers. It proposes five objectives: decreasing energy burdens through flexible tax credits, driving growth via a 'transition tax credit' for carbon productivity, expanding Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO) financing to manage legacy fossil asset risks, increasing funding for the reclamation of fossil fuel sites, and prioritizing the retirement of assets causing the most health harm.

The briefing outlines six funding models—sales taxes, retail taxes, fossil fuel production taxes, electricity consumption taxes, climate bonds, and resilience bonds—that US cities have implemented to fund climate action. It highlights specific examples from cities like Denver, Portland, and Miami, emphasizing that integrating equity into the design of these funding streams is essential for success, particularly for Black, Indigenous, Latino, and low-income communities who are disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change.

The United States aims to reduce carbon pollution to at least 50-52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. RMI asserts that this is achievable by immediately phasing out fossil fuel infrastructure and scaling three primary solutions: renewables (wind, solar, and batteries), electrification (electric vehicles and heat pumps), and holistic efficiency. The document emphasizes that cumulative emissions are the critical metric for limiting warming to 1.5°C and that the transition will provide significant public health benefits, job creation, and social equity, particularly for historically disadvantaged communities.

The authors advocate for a city-led approach to US infrastructure recovery, calling for federal partnerships, the redirection of transportation funding toward public transit and active travel, and the reform of energy markets to remove barriers to renewable energy procurement.

RMI analysis indicates that Colorado's plan to add nearly 200 new highway lane-miles by 2030 could induce 1 to 1.5 billion additional annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), equivalent to adding 70,000 more vehicles to the roads each year. The report argues that road expansion fails to provide long-term congestion relief because travel demand increases proportionally to new capacity, a phenomenon known as induced travel. These expansions are estimated to increase cumulative direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions by 8 to 15 million tons of CO2-equivalent through 2050, costing over $3 billion in direct project costs. RMI advocates for shifting investment toward public transit, micro-mobility, and compact, mixed-use community development to achieve a 10 percent reduction in VMT by 2030.

The document highlights how Colorado developers are adopting all-electric designs for affordable housing to reduce climate impact and operational costs. Through projects like Oxford Vista, Kestrel, and 30 Pearl Street, it shows that avoiding gas infrastructure can offset upfront costs and provide long-term savings in utilities and maintenance. These developments also improve indoor air quality and equity for low-income tenants while aligning with Colorado's state-level greenhouse gas reduction goals and city-level net-zero plans.

The document argues that the US housing stock requires significant performance and health improvements, particularly for low-to-moderate-income households and communities of color. It suggests that the mortgage industry can bridge the gap between investor demand for ESG securities and the lack of market-ready green investments by streamlining green mortgage products. Specifically, it claims that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could generate over $2 trillion in green mortgage-backed securities within ten years.

The report outlines a strategic framework for zero-carbon investing in China, identifying seven priority technology areas—resource recycling, energy efficiency, demand-side electrification, zero-carbon power generation, energy storage, hydrogen, and digitalization—with a projected market size of nearly ¥15 trillion (US$2.32 trillion) by 2050 and total infrastructure investment of approximately ¥70 trillion (US$10.8 trillion) between 2020 and 2050.

The document outlines eight benefits of building electrification in the United States, asserting it is the only established way to eliminate carbon pollution from residential and commercial heating and cooking. It highlights that all-electric homes are cheaper to build than mixed-fuel homes, improve indoor air quality—particularly for children and marginalized communities—and can create millions of jobs. The text dismisses alternatives like renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, and synthetic methane as too costly or limited in scale, while noting that nearly 60 percent of new US homes are already built all-electric.