Insights: WRI's Blog

The United States used more energy in 2018 than ever before. While clean energy powered some of it, 80% came from fossil fuels.

Decisions from utility commissions across the country suggest natural gas' time as a "bridge fuel" may be short—renewables are already often preferred and cheaper.

The Green New Deal has inspired activism and debate, but not much action on Capitol Hill so far. That hasn't stopped states, cities and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico from taking bold steps now.

Many cities have set renewable energy goals. Some are achieving them through innovative ways, such as legislation, banding together to pool their buying power, partnering with utilities and community solar programs.

Water quality trading can spur more cost-effective reductions of pollution. But they're most effective when they have a strong driver, like a cap, and the new memo isn't as instructive as it could be on that front.

The United States still doesn't give any money to the world's largest climate fund. But things are looking up, with big contributions to the Global Environment Facility, the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund and the multilateral development banks.

With the U.S. Congress largely silent on the subject of ambitious climate legislation—at least since the 2009 push for a federal cap-and-trade program—the idea of a Green New Deal has stirred attention to climate change like never before.

Lori Bird, Director of U.S. Energy at WRI, sits down with WRI Vice President for Communications Lawrence MacDonald to talk about the tech (batteries and rooftop solar), policy (net metering and RPS), movements and politics that are powering the renewables surge in the United States.

Even as climate negotiators in Poland laughed at the U.S. administration's promotion of fossil fuels, activists rallied for a Green New Deal in Washington. What they want is congressional support for climate action that would be embedded in the broader U.S. agenda of economic reform, public investment, job creation and social justice.

Andrew Wheeler, acting chief of the Trump administration's EPA, tried to discredit the findings of the latest U.S. National Climate Assessment, saying that they were skewed by highlighting worst-case scenarios of climate change impacts. His comments were inaccurate. Here's what the environmental agency should be doing.