2018 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2019 Outlook

High tide flooding, sometimes referred to as nuisance flooding, is coastal flooding that leads to public inconveniences such as road closures. It is becoming increasingly common as sea levels rise. NOAA has released an outlook on coastal high tide flooding every year since 2014.…

Is There a Future for Nuclear Power in the United States?

Whither nuclear power? That question has become more important as energy policies evolve to emphasize emissions-free “green” energy and an increased electrification of the U.S. economy. Some environmentalists consider nuclear power to be crucial to reducing carbon emissions; others continue to vehemently oppose nuclear power and believe that our energy must come solely from renewable sources. Asked whether they favor or oppose nuclear power, the public is split.…

2019 US Cities Sustainable Development Report

The 2019 US Cities Sustainable Development Report is SDSN’s third city-level report ranking 105 US cities on progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (SDGs). The results show that there will be significant work to do across the board if the SDGs are to be achieved by 2030, as cities on average scored only 48.9%.…

Global trends in climate change litigation: 2019 snapshot

Climate change litigation is increasingly viewed as a tool to influence policy outcomes and corporate behaviour. Strategic cases are designed to press national governments to be more ambitious on climate or to enforce existing legislation, while cases against major emitters seek compensation for loss and damage. Routine planning and regulatory cases are increasingly including climate change arguments, exposing courts to climate science and climate-related arguments even where incidental to the main claim.…

The Economic Implications of Climate Change

In the absence of global pollution mitigation, anthropogenic emission of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere will raise global temperatures. Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will affect agricultural production and universally hurt worker health and productivity. More frequent and intense extreme weather events will increasingly disrupt and damage critical infrastructure and property. And sea-level rise will threaten coastal communities and island nations.…

Global Energy Outlook 2019: The Next Generation of Energy

The Global Energy Outlook (GEO) provides a unique “apples-to-apples” comparison of global energy projections by leading international organizations and corporations. It provides insight into the range of potential futures for energy at global, regional, and national levels, with projections varying due to distinct assumptions regarding energy technologies and public policies. For example, what is the outlook for coal consumption in China, oil consumption in India, and solar power in the United States under different policy pathways? The GEO includes projections and historical data from BP, BloombergNEF (BNEF), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), ExxonMobil, Equinor, the International Energy Agency (IEA), …

The Energy Transition and Oil Companies’ Hard Choices

In this Energy Insight, we explore the challenges of the energy transition for international oil companies (IOCs). We argue that energy demand forecasts are inconsistent with meeting Paris Agreement targets using currently available and economic technologies and that, barring a radical change in tendencies, significant volumes of oil and gas will be required well after 2050. However, there will be growing political, societal and financial market pressure to accelerate decarbonization. This poses a major challenge for IOCs, whose current business models and technologies are incompatible with full decarbonization, but whose future depends on them being part of the solution. The …

Dallas Fed Energy Survey

Special questions this quarter focus on capital spending plan changes for 2019, cost inflation for completion services, and initiatives undertaken regarding water usage.…

The New Mexico Boom That Cost Billions: How Federal Oil and Gas Policies Fail Taxpayers

Federal taxpayers own significant oil and natural gas reserves on federal lands throughout New Mexico and other Western states. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the Department of the Interior (DOI) manages these reserves and is directed by law to collect fair market value from their development and sale. The agency is failing to ensure taxpayers receive a fair market value for these resources because its land management policies are weak and outdated.…

G20 coal subsidies

A decade on from their commitment to phase out subsidies to fossil fuels at the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Pittsburgh, G20 governments continue to provide billions of dollars for the production and consumption of fossil fuels. This report finds that they provide at least US$63.9 billion per year in government support to the production and consumption of coal alone, with almost three-quarters of the support identified being directed to coal-fired power production.

At a time when tackling the climate crisis requires leadership and strong action from G20 countries, which account for 79% of global emissions, it is imperative …