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The document identifies off-site renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) as a primary procurement method for US local governments aiming for 100% clean energy, while warning that the wholesale market nature of these agreements introduces specific financial and operational risks. It categorizes these risks into six types—price, basis, non-energy market, shape, operational, and volume—and offers nine mitigation strategies tailored to virtual and physical PPAs.

The briefing examines the initial net-zero announcements from Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo. While these institutions have committed to 2050 targets, the document notes that they are in early stages, lacking specific interim targets, defined pathways, and clear coverage standards for business units like capital markets. It highlights varying organizational responses, ranging from Wells Fargo's centralized Institute for Sustainable Finance to Goldman Sachs' hybrid model, and notes the adoption of the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) by several banks to improve emissions reporting consistency.

The document argues that the US power sector faces a critical investment window between 2020 and 2030, with an estimated 420 GW of resource procurement needed. It advocates for a shift toward 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement practices to move away from legacy processes that reflect past conditions rather than emerging trends. The guide provides specific actionable recommendations for legislators, state commissions, and utilities to increase transparency, engage stakeholders, and better integrate distributed energy resources (DERs) into the planning and procurement cycle.

The briefing discusses the application of securitization in US states to mitigate the financial and social risks of coal plant retirements. By replacing high-cost utility capital with low-interest bonds, states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Mexico have reduced ratepayer costs and provided funding for clean energy and community transition. The document highlights Colorado's legislation as a model for integrating consumer protections, worker assistance, and renewable energy reinvestment.

The briefing highlights the vulnerability of India's power sector to climate-induced extreme weather, citing the Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower plant disaster. It argues that current infrastructure is insufficient for future needs and calls for a shift toward flexibility, decentralized renewables, and higher design standards for grid hardening to protect critical services and social resilience.

The report analyzes how demand flexibility in buildings can reduce carbon emissions based on different grid decarbonization stages in New York City, finding that potential savings increase as the grid incorporates more variable renewable energy.

The report proposes a shift from supply-side to demand-side energy planning in China's new urban development zones to support carbon neutrality. By focusing on buildings, transportation, and industry, this integrated energy planning (IEP) approach aims to optimize resource allocation and improve efficiency. The document estimates that if all new urban development zones in China adopt this methodology, it could contribute at least 15% to the total emissions reduction required for China's carbon-neutrality goal.

EV financing in India is currently hindered by asset and business model risks, leading to higher interest rates and larger down payments compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. The document estimates that India's EV transition will require 19.7 trillion Indian rupees (US$266 billion) in cumulative capital investment over the next decade, with a potential financing market size of 3.7 trillion rupees (US$50 billion) by 2030. To address these barriers, the author suggests a toolkit including priority sector lending, interest rate subventions, product guarantees, risk-sharing mechanisms, and the development of a secondary market.

The briefing argues that achieving a 1.5°C future requires substantial reductions in absolute energy use, which can be achieved through incremental gains, technological breakthroughs, and systems-level design. It contends that traditional energy models, which rely on extrapolating past supply, systematically underestimate the potential of efficiency. Using Tesla as a case study, the document demonstrates how integrated design across the supply chain can drastically reduce costs and resource use. It recommends that businesses and policymakers move toward service-oriented models and innovate across supply chains to avoid stranded assets and capture new economic opportunities.

The document argues that the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'—characterized by AI, cloud computing, and IoT—is providing the tools necessary to overcome legacy modeling and accelerate decarbonization. It identifies data and transparency as one of six key market catalysts and provides examples of how corporations (Tesla), cities (Shenzhen), and financial instruments (Sustainability Linked Loans) are leveraging data to reduce emissions and capture economic value. The brief concludes with recommendations for policymakers, corporations, and financial institutions to integrate climate-relevant data into their strategic decision-making to mitigate risk and seize a projected $26 trillion economic opportunity by 2030.

The document argues that while climate and energy scenarios are essential for target setting, they often rely on legacy modeling that can constrain imagination and overlook non-linear transformations. It distinguishes between scenarios (future snapshots), pathways (adaptive courses), and roadmaps (deterministic methods), and advises decision-makers to use a combination of top-down models and bottom-up assessments to identify a broader 'opportunity space'. The author highlights critical gaps in current scenarios, including a lack of stakeholder diversity, neglect of equity and non-emissions benefits, and a failure to account for learning curves in technological innovation and demand-side efficiency.

The United States faces a deficit in public direct current fast-charging (DCFC) infrastructure, with only 17,000 plugs currently installed. The report highlights that current economics limit growth to a few high-traffic locations, potentially creating an inequitable system where lower-income drivers without home charging pay a significant price premium. In contrast, China has scaled its network to over 309,000 public fast-charging plugs by treating charging as a national priority since 2014. China's strategy included stimulating demand through the electrification of taxis and fleets, reforming utility tariffs to allow industrial rates, capping service fees, and providing installation subsidies. These efforts led to significant economies of scale, reducing the cost of a 50 kW DCFC unit to approximately $3,000, compared to $20,000–$35,000 in the United States. The author suggests the U.S. needs national and local goals, redesigned utility rates, and a focus on equitable access to achieve a similar transition.

The policy brief advocates for a resolute US national strategy to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption, proposing a target of 70 million EVs by 2030 and 100% new vehicle EV market share by 2035. It emphasizes that current fragmented efforts by states and private companies are insufficient to meet climate targets or compete with countries like China. The author recommends four key actions: establishing a national vision and government/industry commission, implementing an industrial strategy for manufacturing retooling, executing an aggressive public and private fleet electrification plan, and launching a nationwide education campaign.

The document highlights the environmental impact of natural gas flaring, particularly in the US, and outlines a seven-step framework for abatement including prohibiting routine flaring, increasing transparency, and implementing carbon pricing.

The briefing advocates for the electrification of the U.S. bus fleet, emphasizing that buses are more immediately deployable than light rail for reducing carbon emissions. It proposes a phased approach to fleet transition, the use of innovative financing mechanisms like Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to overcome high upfront costs, and a reallocation of federal funding to eliminate petroleum-fueled bus procurement by 2030.

The document argues that rural American communities can diversify their local economies by engaging with the renewable energy transition. It projects that new wind and solar capacity could generate $220 billion in lifetime value for rural areas by 2030, with annual revenues potentially exceeding $60 billion, comparable to the combined revenues of corn, soy, and beef production.

The document advocates for a strategic US industrial policy to transition the energy economy from fossil fuels to low-carbon solutions. It suggests leveraging a green stimulus package and public-private partnerships, citing historical successes like Sematech and ARPA-E, to compete with China, Europe, and Japan in sectors such as solar, batteries, and offshore wind.

The document critiques Governor Charlie Baker's veto of bill S.2995, which proposed a voluntary net-zero stretch code for new construction in Massachusetts. It argues that electrification is the most cost-effective path to meeting the state's 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target, citing state analysis and RMI research showing that all-electric single-family homes in Boston are already cheaper to build and operate than gas-powered ones. The text highlights that net-zero affordable housing is already viable in the state and warns that continuing to invest in Massachusetts' aging gas pipeline infrastructure—estimated to require $15.5 to $16.6 billion in repairs—is a poor financial decision for ratepayers.

The author contends that the United States faces a critical housing shortage that exacerbates economic inequality, public health risks, and climate change. By removing exclusionary zoning regulations and promoting infill, multi-family, and mixed-use development, the U.S. can reduce transportation emissions—the country's largest carbon source—and create a more equitable urban environment. The text calls for the federal government to incentivize local zoning reform through programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to enable '15-minute neighborhoods' and low-carbon construction.

The report identifies the electrification of ridehailing services, such as Uber and Lyft, as a key strategy to accelerate the broader electric vehicle transition in the United States. Based on an analysis of 100 million miles of vehicle data, it identifies three primary barriers to implementation: technological capability, financial competitiveness, and charging infrastructure.