The IPBES Global Assessment: Pathways to Action

The IPBES Global Assessment released in the spring of 2019 is a significant milestone for the international scientific community; the critical challenge now is to disseminate and apply its findings at national and local scales where most policy and management decisions affecting biodiversity and ecosystem services are made.

Effective, enduring action from assessments requires collaborative, multidisciplinary science-policy processes that frame and cogenerate knowledge with decision makers and stakeholders from many sectors.

Examples of assessments driving policy responses to recover biodiversity and ecosystem services highlight the need for significant, long-term commitments by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, civil society, …

As Economic Concerns Recede, Environmental Protection Rises on the Public’s Policy Agenda

Reflecting a strong U.S. economy, Americans’ policy priorities have changed in recent years. The public now places less priority on economic and job concerns than it did just a few years ago. At the same time, environmental protection and global climate change are rising on the public’s agenda for the president and Congress.

For the first time in Pew Research Center surveys dating back nearly two decades, nearly as many Americans say protecting the environment should be a top policy priority (64%) as say this about strengthening the economy (67%).

In addition, while a smaller share (52%) rates dealing with …

Expert Dialogue on Critical Minerals: The Achilles Heel of America’s Clean Energy Future?

OurEnergyPolicy (OEP) held a discussion November–December 2019 on the United States’ critical mineral import dependency and potential policy solutions. OEP’s community of energy professionals provided recommendations on the best ways to address this issue, and this document provides excerpts from that discussion.…

Charge for Less: An Analysis of Electricity Pricing for Electric Vehicles in Ameren Territory

Electric Vehicle drivers in Central and Southern Illinois could potentially save hundreds of dollars a year in charging costs if they participate in an Ameren Illinois program called Power Smart Pricing, according to a new study released by the nonprofit consumer watchdog Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Monday.

“Charge for Less: An Analysis of Electricity Pricing for Electric Vehicles in Ameren Territory” can be found at CUBHelpCenter.com. It was written by CUB Data Scientist Ramandeep Makhija, Research Director Jeff Zethmayr and Executive Director David Kolata.

The study found that Ameren’s Power Smart Pricing program, a special electricity plan available to residential …

What Does Ridesharing Replace?

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft are an increasingly popular mode option for many travelers. Yet little is known about the effects of this mode on travel behavior and other social impacts, such as public transit use, traffic, and pollution. In this paper, we estimate the effects of the availability of ridesharing on travel mode choices made in a large sample of metropolitan areas. We do so by estimating a discrete choice model of household mode choice using a nationally representative dataset of travel behavior and simulating household mode choices in a setting where ridesharing were not available. We …

A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF COAL ASH LAW AND COMMERCIALIZATION: Its Environmental Risks, Disposal Regulation, and Beneficial Use Markets

This white paper, A Comprehensive Survey of Coal Ash Law and Commercialization: Its Environmental Risks, Disposal Regulation, and Beneficial Use Markets (Comprehensive Survey) was commissioned by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) under a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in response to a major rule, Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System; Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals From Electric Utilities; Final Rule (Final Rule) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 17, 2015 on coal ash disposal and remediation of disposal sites, which has significant implications to states. It subjects state environmental agencies …

Critical Minerals: National Security Amendments to the NDAA

Critical minerals are a necessary component for everyday items from cellphones, flat-screen televisions, electric motors, solar panels, wind turbines, lithium-ion batteries and television screens, to aircraft components, radar arrays, and missile guidance systems. In many instances, only a small amount of rare earths are needed to change the properties and bestow valuable characteristics to the end product. But there is no substitute for these items. Our nation cannot defend itself without them.…

CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States

Avoiding the worst impacts of climate change will require not only steep reductions in emissions but also the removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere at a massive scale (aka, carbon removal). The United States needs to make large-scale investments in carbon removal in the coming years—up to $6 billion per year in federal funding over the next 10 years, with continued support for scaled deployment beyond 2030—if the country is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Compiled deployment scenarios through 2050 illustrate needs and trade-offs to achieve a 2 GtCO2 per year benchmark by 2050—an objective roughly commensurate …

Getting to Neutral Options for Negative Carbon Emissions in California

This report is an assessment of negative emissions pathways—ones that physically remove CO2 from the atmosphere—that can help California achieve carbon
neutrality by 2045, or sooner. It integrates original research findings with current published research on three main pillars of negative emissions: natural and working lands, carbon capture from biomass conversion to fuels, and direct air capture.

The focus and scope of this report is unique: it only addresses practices and technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the air. It also encompasses the entire breadth of strategies, from land management to the latest technological options, and it evaluates the cost …

Florida Climate Outlook: Assessing Physical and Economic Impacts through 2040

Climate change is affecting Florida today, and those effects will become more significant in the years to come. This introduction provides basic information on recent temperature trends in Florida, along with projections over the next 20 years. This report discusses the implications of these changing temperatures along with changes in other climatic conditions that will affect Floridians. The report addresses the following topics:

Effects of Sea Level Rise in Florida
Effects of Climate Change on Storms in Florida
Effects of Climate Change on Human Mortality in Florida
Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture in Florida
Impacts of National Climate Policies …