New research from WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative and Carleton University shows that the U.S. would see an estimated $1.6 billion in health and climate benefits every year by using electric school buses. The benefits are most pronounced in counties with older diesel buses and larger populations.

How a storm of false and misleading claims about extreme weather events spread unchecked on social media putting lives at risk.

Since 2018, the Climate Advocacy Lab has distributed Climate Justice Microgrants to 25 environmental justice and climate justice organizations around the United States who are doing powerful work to protect and improve their communities.

This report shares findings from a joint study of community benefit plans (CBPs) made by utilities and developers. RMI and the University of Minnesota (UMN) Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) collaborated on the research and analysis.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on recent hurricanes and the government’s disaster response, new polling on renewable energy and grid expansion, and new state polls about energy issues in Pennsylvania, California, and Texas.

Voters in California and Texas both overwhelmingly agree that their states should be doing more to encourage solar power; voters see clear benefits of solar power for grid reliability, the economy, and costs. In California: Solar power – 85% agree that their utility should be using more; Wind power – 78%; Offshore wind power – 72%; Natural gas power – 57%; Nuclear power – 52%. In Texas: Solar power – 73% agree that their utility should be using more; Wind power – 69%; Natural gas power – 67%; Nuclear power – 50%; Coal power – 40%. Accordingly, large majorities in both California (85%) and Texas (71%) agree that their state’s policymakers should be doing more to encourage the use of solar power. In both states, there is a potent argument that solar can help to make an outdated electric grid more resilient and reliable.

Voters widely support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in key states where they are being considered, and see improved air quality as the clearest benefit of these projects. While voters aren’t very familiar with CDR, they are inclined to feel positively about the technology. In Wyoming, for example, NWF and Data for Progress find that 57% of voters feel favorably about “carbon dioxide removal technologies” when the term is first introduced in the survey while only 16% have unfavorable attitudes about the term.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) can positively impact Houston. This resource is a collection of pro-IRA messaging videos (on Instagram and TikTok). Titles include: “The Future of Houston and the IRA,” “The IRA Helps Safeguard Our Communities,” “IRA Funding Impacts Your Local Community,” and more. These videos explore: a possibility of a cleaner, greener Houston; a useful tool towards making Houston a leader in the effort towards a sustainable future; and alternative clean energy projects like solar panels, wind farms and technology hubs supporting marginalized communities in Houston.

Voters in key states want stronger limits on methane emissions, and believe that implementing technology to limit methane pollution is more likely to create jobs than reduce them. By a 68%-26% margin, battleground state voters support stronger EPA limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. By a 69%-27% margin, Pennsylvania voters support stronger EPA limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. By a 66%-28% margin, Texas voters support stronger EPA limits on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. By a 55%-41% margin, battleground state voters are more likely to agree that stronger methane pollution limits will create jobs than reduce jobs. By a 56%-42% margin, Pennsylvania voters are more likely to agree that stronger methane pollution limits will create jobs than reduce jobs. By a 58%-42% margin, Texas voters are more likely to agree that stronger methane pollution limits will create jobs than reduce jobs.

Misinformation about renewable energy continues to circulate in a range of areas. In this blog, we set the record straight with hard facts that reinforce renewable energy’s vital and indispensable role in the climate transition.