Intersecting Risk: Heat and Substance Use in Rural Communities

Extreme heat has a direct impact on health and can exacerbate substance use. Rural communities are at high risk given higher rates of hospitalizations for heat related illness and the disproportionate effects of substance use. This commentary explores the connection between heat and substance in rural communities and proposes recommendations within the span of policy, research and practice that can be tailored to fit the local rural context.

If implemented, comprehensive approaches such as Promoting of Local Infrastructure and Safe Spaces, Addressing Structural Health Inequities, Developing Workforce, Developing and Evaluate Public Health Communication Strategies, Engaging the Community in Developing Research, …

Testing Factors that Enhance Private Participation in Payments for Ecosystem Service Programs Targeting Flood Mitigation

To address the severe consequences of low participation, more studies are needed that empirically evaluate how different factors affect enrollment in payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs. In this paper, we provide empirical insight into how different land-leasing, purchase, and management arrangements might affect potential participants’ willingness to enroll in these programs. The authors administer a choice experiment in the coastal plain of the State of North Carolina (USA), to explore how a hypothetical, flood mitigation-focused PES program could optimize participation across a variety of natural infrastructure practices and across multiple aspects of program design.

The authors find evidence that …

Evaluating Heat Risk: Comparing On-Site WBGT Measurements Versus Smartphone Application Estimates

Exertional heat illness poses a significant risk for workers, athletes, and military personnel participating in outdoor activities during hot weather. An important component of heat safety is monitoring environmental conditions through heat stress indices like the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which accounts for factors such as air temperature, humidity, wind, and sunlight, and adjusting activity as conditions get progressively hotter. On-site (OS) WBGT measurement devices are traditionally used, but phone applications (PAs) offering WBGT estimates have emerged as a potential alternative. This study compared WBGT estimates from a smartphone application with those from an OS WBGT device and their …

California Clean Industrial Hub

California is a national leader in climate policy with state mandates to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Yet, California is the third largest industrial emitter in the nation, with the state’s refineries, trucks, airports, ports and other industries responsible for 80 million metric tons of CO2 in 2022 or 6% of total industrial emissions in the United States.

Meeting our collective global climate goals requires building more than 700 net-zero industrial projects and purchasing 7 million zero-emissions trucks by 2030. Most of these projects will occur in regional industrial hubs in places like California where the physical, social, regulatory, …

Texas Gulf Coast Clean Industrial Hub

Texas has an opportunity to lead the new era of clean industrial development.

Texas has a long history of energy leadership. The state’s decarbonization journey began two decades ago with early investments in renewable energy leading Texas to be the number one producer of wind power in the United States. Looking to the future, Texas is forecasted to produce 50 percent of the clean hydrogen that will be made in the United States by 2050. In addition to climate benefits, clean industries in Texas can create more than half a million jobs and spur $100 billion in investments in the …

US National Power Demand Study

New data reveals the U.S. is facing a historic opportunity: electricity demand is projected to surge 35-50% by 2040, driven by domestic manufacturing growth, data centers, and mass electrification.

A landmark study coming later this month—conducted by S&P Global Commodity Insights and commissioned by the American Clean Power Association with the support of additional partners (below)—will reveal how America’s domestic energy resources must be mobilized to meet this challenge:

– Record-Breaking Growth: The next decade will require more new electricity than any period in our nation’s history
– All-of-the-Above Solutions: Wind power, solar energy, energy storage, natural gas, and nuclear …

2024 CDR Market Insights Report

Access exclusive insights on the biggest trends shaping carbon removal technologies. From Article 6 implications to mining innovations and buyer engagement strategies, this comprehensive CDR investment report features must-know insights from industry leaders including Google, CDR.fyi, AirMiners, Terraset, and Northstar Clean Energy.…

Emissions Accounting for the Hydrogen Production Tax Credit: Key Gaps in the 45VH2 GREET Model

The Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model is used to determine the lifecycle emissions of various energy sources, expressed as carbon equivalent emissions, and creates the framework for many monetary and market incentives related to energy production. In some cases, the values, assumptions, and calculations within each GREET model have the power to allow dubiously credible fuels to be classified as clean energy and benefit from supportive tax credits and fuel standards. Developed by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and first released in 1995, the GREET model has been updated and developed …

Understanding the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit: Requirements, Exceptions, and Project Impacts

The U.S. Treasury Department released final guidance on the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit in January 2025. While the guidance did contain the vital “three pillars” of incrementality, temporal matching, and deliverability, which are essential for ensuring hydrogen production does not lead to a massive increase in grid emissions, it also contains several concessions to industry lobbying that have the potential to jeopardize emissions reductions.

Clean Energy Group has produced a 3-page primer on 45V explaining how the 45V tax credit is calculated; how lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are determined; how emissions are assessed for the electricity used to …

Big Data and Sustainability – A Guide for Companies in 2024

This resource explores how big data enhances energy efficiency, supports ESG reporting, and fosters corporate responsibility. It also provides insights on cost savings, regulatory compliance, and enhancing reputation through sustainable practices.…