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The briefing examines the impact of the pandemic on public transit, emphasizing that while ridership has fallen, the system remains essential for emissions reduction and frontline workers. It argues that the crisis provides an opportunity to modernize transit through data science, shift from timetable-based planning to trip-based models, and prioritize dedicated bus lanes over a sole focus on electrification to challenge the dominance of single-occupancy vehicles.

The report details a collaborative process in Colorado's Upper Roaring Fork Valley to enhance grid resilience against hazards like fires. It concludes that partnerships between utilities and community stakeholders lead to more efficient solutions and that integrating distributed clean energy, such as solar and battery storage, can provide both emergency backup and daily operational benefits.

This guide outlines strategies for transitioning in-person meetings to virtual formats, emphasizing the need to adapt facilitation styles, prepare for technical challenges, and foster inclusive and joyful environments to maintain productivity and connection.

The briefing explores the emergence of 'vid-checks'—live video-call interfaces used to conduct home assessments for energy, air quality, and resilience. It details the process of these virtual visits, the benefits for both residents (such as lower costs and increased agency) and providers (such as reduced travel costs and safety), and the limitations of the approach, including accessibility for people with mobility disabilities and technical connectivity issues. The text highlights early adopters like Energy New England, Abode Energy, and CLEAResult as examples of industry innovation in response to pandemic lockdowns.

The report examines the increasing need for energy resilience in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, following the 2018 Lake Christine Fire. It argues that traditional grid hardening and backup generators are insufficient and proposes a shift toward distributed energy resources (DERs) and community-centric planning. Through a partnership between Holy Cross Energy (HCE) and local stakeholders, the report identifies five priority resilience areas: community microgrids, bulk power supply flexibility, mobile generation fleets, gasoline pump resilience, and critical end-use efficiency. It emphasizes the need for 'blue sky' value—benefits during normal operations—to justify the cost of 'black sky' emergency investments and recommends new business models, such as split ownership and updated tariffs, to facilitate the deployment of clean energy resilience solutions.

The author contends that the European Green Deal lacks necessary provisions to address methane leakage from the oil and gas sector. While some European companies have committed to a "near-zero methane" future, the author argues that voluntary efforts are insufficient and that the EU should implement enforceable regulations and performance standards for both domestic operators and gas importers to drive global reductions.

The briefing compares the systemic challenges of COVID-19 and climate change, highlighting how data lags and inconsistent reporting hinder effective decision-making. It advocates for a shift toward standardized, open-source data ecosystems, potentially led by non-state actors, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The report examines the potential of semi-industrialized, prefabricated retrofit packages to reduce the complexity, risk, and cost of zero-energy building upgrades. It specifically analyzes the Dutch model pioneered by Energiesprong, which has applied net-zero retrofit packages to approximately 5,000 multifamily units, and evaluates the availability of similar facade panel and mechanical system innovations in the US market to catalyze large-scale industrialized retrofits.

The document frames the COVID-19 pandemic as a harbinger of future climate-driven crises, noting that both involve unpredictable, compounding risks and systemic failures in political and economic management. It argues that traditional financial risk models are inadequate for the 'new normal' of climate change and calls for collective action from the financial sector to drive decarbonization. The author suggests that mitigation and resilience can be mutually reinforcing, citing examples such as solar-powered microgrids and green recovery programs, while emphasizing the need to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5°C.

This guide outlines six strategies for homeowners to save money and reduce carbon emissions during the COVID-19 crisis: optimizing thermostat settings, switching to LED lighting, scheduling appliance use during low-emissions periods, reviewing utility rate structures, planning for the removal of gas appliances, and improving indoor air quality by opening windows.

The managing director of RMI's Beijing office describes the team's resilience during a 45-day office closure starting in late January 2020. The author emphasizes that the battle against the virus is winnable, noting that Beijing and other Chinese cities had no new local cases in the week prior to the letter's writing. The document highlights the importance of solidarity, patience, and maintaining commitment to a sustainable world during the crisis.

By the end of 2019, financial institutions managing $17.2 trillion committed to aligning portfolios with Paris Agreement goals. This brief addresses the challenges of meeting these objectives by outlining five common barriers and advocating for a sector-by-sector approach to achieve climate alignment efficiently.

The briefing highlights a significant opportunity for electric vehicles (EVs) to become a dominant class of renewable energy buyers, potentially requiring 640 TWh of electricity by 2030. It urges EV charge point operators (CPOs), electric mobility service providers (eMSPs), and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop seamless 100% renewable energy charging solutions, starting with large centralized fleets. The author suggests using energy attribute certificates (EACs) to link electricity consumption with renewable purchases and argues that the incremental cost of renewables is low enough to be absorbed by providers to accelerate adoption. Finally, the document advocates for industry-wide technical standards and interoperable digital infrastructure to enable EVs to participate in energy markets and decarbonization schemes.

RMI has closed all its offices and suspended work travel and major events to implement social distancing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization is transitioning to virtual and digital platforms, such as webinars, to maintain progress toward its mission of a low-carbon energy future.

The briefing urges the Puerto Rican government to move from planning to action following the passage of Act 17, which sets a 100 percent renewable energy goal. It highlights the urgent need for new capacity in solar and battery storage to mitigate reliability risks caused by earthquake damage to the Costa Sur Power Plant and the legacy of Hurricane Maria. The author advocates for the expedited procurement of solar projects, the use of virtual power plant solutions to integrate existing distributed batteries, and the development of energy efficiency programs to reduce demand and lower costs for ratepayers.

The policy brief contends that the proposed $1 billion Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) gas pipeline is incompatible with New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). It argues that a 'no infrastructure' approach—combining energy efficiency, electrification (specifically heat pumps), and demand response—is a more cost-effective and reliable path to meeting energy needs while reducing emissions. The author asserts that National Grid's cost analysis underestimates the benefits of customer-focused solutions by ignoring air conditioner cost savings, externality costs of pollution, and the long-term savings beyond a 15-year net present value calculation.

The document outlines the potential for India to become the world's second-largest electric bus market by 2030 and discusses the implementation of 5,595 e-buses across 64 cities under the FAME II scheme. It reports on a workshop convened by the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) and RMI to share lessons learned and address challenges in tendering, contracting, and operations to ensure the success of early e-bus adoption.

The document proposes the 'hours of safety' metric to measure building resilience during power outages in extreme cold weather, comparing various housing standards from 1950s builds to Passive House standards.

The briefing introduces 'hours of safety' to measure building resilience during extreme cold events. Simulations in Duluth, Minnesota, show that high-performance envelopes, such as Passive House standards, maintain safe temperatures significantly longer than older or code-compliant homes, highlighting the potential for this metric to guide resilience planning and weatherization efforts.

The report analyzes rooftop solar PV failures following major hurricanes in the Caribbean (2017-2019) to establish engineering and installation best practices. It identifies critical failure modes, such as top-down clip failures and corner overturning, and recommends specific technical mitigations including vibration-resistant hardware, mechanical attachments over purely ballasted systems, and strict adherence to roof edge setbacks. The authors estimate that implementing these resilience measures increases engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs by approximately 5%.