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The report frames the climate as a critical infrastructure asset, asserting that the economic costs of inaction—comprising direct physical losses, indirect growth reductions, and market uncertainty—are significantly higher than the costs of preventive climate action. It provides specific financial projections for the United States, noting that value-at-risk for all assets could reach $5.2 trillion under a 4.5°C warming scenario and $17 trillion under a 6.0°C scenario. Conversely, it highlights that targeted investments, such as building retrofits and grid upgrades, offer positive financial returns, and a $50/ton carbon tax could generate $180 billion in annual revenue from 2020-2029 while helping avoid trillions in climate-related costs.

Class B and C office buildings can achieve significant energy cost savings and value increases through energy efficiency and green leasing, though adoption is hindered by information, resource, and funding constraints.

The briefing discusses the risks of top-down rural electrification, citing a failed $100,000 project in India as an example of stranded assets. It proposes that community-led minigrids—designed in partnership with local leadership structures like cooperatives—can lower system costs and electricity prices by 60% from 2018 levels. RMI's Africa Energy Program is implementing the 'Sharing the Power' project over three years in sub-Saharan Africa, with potential testing sites in Nigeria and Ethiopia, to demonstrate how community involvement in planning and operation enhances financial and social sustainability.

The production of industrial metals accounts for over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure likely to rise as declining ore grades increase the energy required for extraction. Using copper as a flagship example, the report demonstrates that mining operations can achieve 45% renewable electricity while improving financial performance and resilience. RMI's modeling across 25 sites in five countries shows that a 'one-size-fits-most' approach—combining large-scale solar with other renewable technologies or utility buyback programs—can maintain internal rates of return (IRR) while increasing net present value (NPV). The report identifies market, structural, organizational, and behavioral barriers to adoption and suggests financing mechanisms like Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to mitigate high upfront capital costs. To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the report advocates for further electrification, energy productivity reforms, and new metallurgical processes.

The report identifies a significant economic opportunity for undergrid minigrids in Nigeria, potentially saving distribution companies $30–60 million annually and generating $1 billion in annual revenue for operators. It proposes four business models—operator-led, SPV-led, cooperative-led, and collaborative SPV-led—to facilitate development and suggests that proof-of-concept projects in Nigeria could enable global scaling in areas where utilities cannot fully serve customers.

The guide introduces a method to determine the 'Climate Effectiveness' of electricity system investments by combining emissions and cost data. Using 3Q2019 U.S. market data, the author demonstrates that carbon savings per dollar can vary from manyfold to over 50-fold between different options. The method is designed to be simple, requiring only basic arithmetic, and is applicable to various resources and emission types.

The briefing advocates for net-zero energy districts, highlighting how urban-scale planning enables energy balancing across diverse building types, economies of scale for thermal systems, and reduced transportation emissions. It provides examples of smart developments in the US and India that integrate solar microgrids and battery storage to provide grid services and avoid infrastructure costs.

The policy brief contends that new natural gas capacity is a primary driver of increased grid emissions in the US and that avoiding 90% of proposed gas plants could save electricity customers over $29 billion. It advocates for a transition to 'clean energy portfolios'—combinations of wind, solar, batteries, demand flexibility, and energy efficiency—to support economy-wide decarbonization and meet international climate targets.

Steelmaking contributes 2.9 GtCO2 annually and is projected to consume 50% of the remaining 1.5°C carbon budget by 2050. Because primary steel production from iron ore exceeds acceptable emission levels for the 1.5°C target, there is a critical need for low-carbon iron ore reduction. Hydrogen-based direct reduction is identified as the most developed of several non-coal-based technologies currently being piloted.

Following 2019 legislation to decarbonize Colorado's electricity sector, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must investigate whether transitioning to performance-based regulation (PBR) is 'net beneficial'. The briefing suggests that the PUC should utilize scenario analysis and collaborative stakeholder processes, drawing on examples from Hawaii, Minnesota, and Oregon to align utility incentives with goals such as emissions reductions and cost-efficiency.

RMI collaborated with the Lodha Group to implement a net-zero energy (NZE) district framework for Palava City, a greenfield development near Mumbai. The approach integrates energy, mobility, and water management to reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life. Key strategies include improving building envelopes, maximizing on-site solar generation, prioritizing non-motorized transport, and treating 100% of wastewater for on-site reuse. The project serves as a model for sustainable urban development in emerging markets.

The document describes the Urban Mobility Lab's Solutions Workshop held in Delhi on June 26-27, 2019. This initiative, a partnership between the Delhi government (via DDC-D) and RMI, seeks to translate the city's draft electric vehicle policy into practical, scalable pilot projects to reduce vehicular pollution and modernize the movement of people and goods.

The briefing positions hydrogen as a necessary partner to electrification in the energy transition, particularly for heavy industry and long-range transport. It details the transition from fossil-fuel-based 'grey' and 'blue' hydrogen to 'green' hydrogen produced via renewable-powered electrolysis. The text highlights hydrogen's potential to decarbonize mineral extraction and steelmaking, while noting that global production must scale significantly from current levels to align with science-based climate pathways.

The briefing introduces 'hours-of-safety' to measure how long a home remains at a comfortable temperature after power is lost during extreme weather. It highlights the life-threatening risks of heat waves and polar vortexes, particularly for vulnerable populations in poorly insulated housing. The author advocates for passive design strategies—such as improved insulation, tighter envelopes, and cool roofs—combined with islandable solar PV and battery storage to increase passive survivability and community resilience.

The report analyzes the transition toward electric vehicles (EVs), shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles (AVs) in China, India, and the United States. It argues that while battery costs will likely lead to price parity with combustion vehicles within 5–10 years, coordinated policies—such as China's mix of rewards and punishments or India's focus on high-utilization vehicles—are necessary to accelerate adoption. The authors emphasize that shared mobility and AVs must be electrified and pooled to avoid increasing congestion and pollution, and suggest that China and India may leapfrog the US model of private car ownership due to rapid urbanization.

The report examines Shenzhen's experience with electric logistics vehicles to identify strategies for improving charging infrastructure, utilizing a dataset of over 10,000 vehicles and operator interviews to provide a guide for other global cities.

The report examines the decarbonization of mining haul trucks, which currently emit 68 MtCO2 annually and represent a significant portion of mine energy use. It argues that meeting 2050 targets requires a nonlinear pathway involving full decarbonization via disruptive technology by 2040, as near-term partial investments offer limited long-term timing benefits.

The document provides a primer on electricity units for EV users, arguing that understanding kilowatts (kW) and kilowatt-hours (kWh) is more accurate than using simplified metrics like 'miles of range per minute' because vehicle efficiency varies. It details the differences between Level 1, 2, and 3 charging speeds and illustrates how battery size and efficiency determine total range and charging time.

China's industrial sector, responsible for over 70% of national carbon emissions, is pursuing deep decarbonization through five primary trends: improving energy efficiency via stricter regulations, scaling the recycling of steel and plastics, increasing industrial electrification to reduce coal reliance, piloting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and expanding hydrogen energy utilization.

Puerto Rico's energy transition, guided by Act 17 of 2019, is threatened by projects expedited by PREPA and the P3 Authority that circumvent regulatory oversight. This lack of transparency weakens institutional trust and increases investor risk, potentially making public-benefit projects more expensive and less likely. The document suggests that civil society pressure during the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) process is necessary to ensure compliance and public benefit.