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The report argues that replacing coal with natural gas is insufficient to meet U.S. climate goals due to continued CO2 emissions and methane leakage. It highlights risks including water contamination from fracking, price volatility, and the potential to crowd out renewables. The authors advocate for a transition to a system where renewables and efficiency provide 80% of electricity by 2050.

The 'HALF THE OIL' plan outlines a pathway for the United States to halve its projected oil use by 2035. The strategy relies on two main pillars: efficiency (improving passenger and commercial vehicles, and retrofitting buildings) and innovation (scaling electric vehicles, cellulosic biofuels, and smart transportation systems). The plan argues that these steps will save billions of dollars, reduce pollution, and establish U.S. leadership in transportation technology.

Ohio is transitioning from coal to natural gas for electricity generation, but this shift maintains significant risks. The report advocates for a more diverse energy mix, highlighting the success of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard in reducing costs and creating jobs through wind, solar, and energy efficiency.

The report details a workshop on U.S. nuclear weapons surety, distinguishing between safety (preventing accidental detonation) and security (preventing unauthorized use). While participants generally felt existing warheads were safe, they expressed greater concern over security and use control. The document examines the trade-offs of adding intrinsic surety features—such as insensitive high explosives (IHE)—during life extension programs (LEPs), noting that such changes can risk reliability and increase costs. It emphasizes that improvements outside the nuclear explosive package are faster and lower-risk. Additionally, the report addresses cybersecurity threats to command and control networks and the challenges of maintaining a 'foolproof' system involving human operators.

The report challenges the claims that small modular reactors (SMRs) are inherently safer and more cost-effective than large-scale nuclear plants. It argues that SMRs suffer from negative economies of scale and that vendors are pressuring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to weaken safety, security, and emergency planning standards to make the technology financially viable. The author warns that reducing security staffing or shrinking emergency planning zones could increase public risk, especially in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

The document serves as a guide for citizens and officials to navigate the complexities of unconventional oil and gas development. It outlines the technical process of fracking, identifies critical environmental and social risks—including water contamination, air pollution, and infrastructure strain—and provides a framework for assessing the reliability of scientific information. Additionally, it lists key stakeholders and potential regulatory responses at the federal, state, and local levels, while highlighting case studies of community-led actions in the United States.

Wildfires in the Western U.S. are becoming more frequent and the wildfire season is lengthening, driven by regional temperature increases that are double the global average and earlier spring snowmelt.

The report examines the vulnerability of the U.S. power sector to water constraints and climate change, comparing a 'business as usual' pathway with low-carbon alternatives. It finds that a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency can drastically reduce water withdrawals and consumption while lowering consumer costs and mitigating climate impacts.

The report analyzes the intersection of the U.S. electricity sector, water resources, and climate change, arguing that current power generation is vulnerable to water scarcity and high temperatures. Through modeling of four scenarios—Business as Usual, Renewables-and-Efficiency, CCS-and-Nuclear, and a general Carbon Budget—the authors find that a transition toward renewable energy and energy efficiency can drastically reduce both carbon emissions and water withdrawals and consumption. Conversely, low-carbon options like nuclear power and carbon capture and storage (CCS) remain water-intensive. The report provides a set of "water-smart criteria" for decision-makers to enhance the resilience of the U.S. power grid in a warming world.

The 'Half the Oil' plan proposes reducing U.S. oil use by 50% over 20 years, projecting annual oil spending cuts of $550 billion, the creation of over 1 million jobs, and the elimination of 2 billion metric tons of global warming emissions per year by 2035. The strategy focuses on improving fuel efficiency for passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks, expanding the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), and implementing 'smart growth' urban planning to reduce vehicle miles traveled.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) argues that the U.S. can cut its projected oil use in half by 2035 compared to a 'do-nothing' baseline. By implementing technology and policy advances across transportation, buildings, and industry, the plan estimates a reduction of 11 million barrels per day (mbpd), resulting in gross cost savings of more than $550 billion and the creation of over 1 million net new jobs by 2035.

A fact sheet by the Union of Concerned Scientists highlighting the high cost of gasoline for US travelers during the 2013 Memorial Day weekend and the potential savings from federal fuel economy standards.

The 'Half the Oil' plan proposes reducing U.S. oil use by over 11 million barrels per day by 2035. This is to be achieved through efficiency gains in vehicles and buildings (saving nearly 8 million barrels per day) and innovations such as electric vehicles and biofuels (saving over 4 million barrels per day).

The report argues that state renewable electricity standards (RES) are effective market-based tools that have driven significant growth in wind and solar capacity across the U.S. with minimal cost impacts on consumers. It highlights that these policies stimulate local economies through job creation in installation and manufacturing, provide new revenue streams for rural landowners, and stabilize electricity rates by removing reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets. While noting strong compliance rates, the document identifies transmission infrastructure, market oversupplies, and political opposition as primary challenges to further expansion.

The document identifies two contradictory trends in tropical land tenure: a 'global land rush' where agricultural land is transferred from governments and communities to corporate control, and a simultaneous increase in forestland tenure granted to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The author argues that while agricultural land transfers are driven by economic factors—such as rising food prices, changing diets, and biofuel demand—forestland transfers are primarily political, driven by rights campaigns and the financial incentives of national-scale REDD+ programs. The paper notes regional disparities, with community tenure increasing significantly in Latin America, while corporate land-grabbing is most prevalent in Africa.

The document details how global average sea level has risen 8 inches since 1880, noting that the US East Coast and Gulf of Mexico are hotspots due to ocean current changes and land subsidence. It highlights the accelerating role of land ice melt—which contributed 75 to 80 percent of the total increase between 2003 and 2007—and asserts that future sea level rise will be primarily driven by the loss of ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica.

The US experienced a nearly four-fold increase in electricity from wind and solar between 2007 and 2012, with nine states already generating 10 percent or more of their power from these sources. The document asserts that current grid tools can handle higher percentages of variable renewable energy and that a combination of wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower could supply 80 percent of US electricity by 2050, with wind and solar alone contributing 50 percent.

The document explains that global sea level has risen approximately eight inches since the Industrial Revolution, driven primarily by thermal expansion and the melting of land ice due to global warming. It highlights that the U.S. East and Gulf coasts are experiencing some of the world's fastest rates of rise. Projections for 2100 range from 8 inches to 6.6 feet, with significant risks of permanent inundation, amplified storm surges, and shoreline erosion for over 100 million Americans living in coastal counties. The report argues that while adaptation is necessary, reducing heat-trapping emissions is the most effective way to limit the pace and magnitude of future sea level rise.

The report examines the growth of wind and solar power in the U.S. and globally, asserting that the technical challenges of variable energy sources are manageable. It highlights successful integration by utilities like Xcel Energy and countries like Denmark and Germany. The document details various tools for maintaining reliability—including geographic dispersion, improved forecasting, transmission upgrades, and energy storage—and cites studies suggesting that renewables could provide 80% of U.S. electricity by 2050.

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a transition from industrial agriculture to 'healthy farms' based on agro-ecological principles. The brief identifies four key strategies: adopting a landscape approach to biodiversity, increasing crop rotation diversity, reintegrating livestock and crops, and expanding the use of cover crops. It argues that these methods can maintain high yields and profits while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, mitigating pollution, and enhancing soil fertility. The document concludes that this transition requires systemic policy changes, including increased financial incentives, expanded technical assistance, and more publicly funded research into sustainable practices.