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Ask a Scientist: The US Has to Do More to Meet Its Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last year, Congress passed the most ambitious climate bill ever enacted, the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation committed nearly $400 billion to support, among other things, wind and solar power, battery storage, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technologies that will make a significant dent in US heat-trapping emissions.

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Reevaluating the Role of Fossil Gas in a Decarbonizing Grid

Union of Concerned Scientists

And this problem will only get worse as the impacts of climate change become more frequent and severe. While it’s clear we need to rapidly reduce gas generation to help limit the worst impacts of climate change, it’s less clear how much fossil gas capacity we actually need to maintain reliability in a future decarbonized grid.

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Good News—and Bad—about Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 2023 

Union of Concerned Scientists

With the clean energy transition already under way, the US electricity mix is set to continue changing this year. Solar power is expected to make up about half of all additions of US electric generating capacity in 2023, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

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Building a Better Power Grid for Minnesota

Union of Concerned Scientists

Minnesotans are facing concurrent crises of climate change, high energy prices and inflation, and the inequitable public health impacts of fossil fuel air pollution. Renewable energy will help with all of that—but we need a grid that is designed for wind and solar instead of having to rely on expensive coal and gas plants.

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Progress Possible at COP 28 Despite Fossil Fuel Industry Deception

Union of Concerned Scientists

The fossil fuel industry is the problem, not the solution Despite their well-funded campaigns to convince us otherwise, here are five reasons why we need to be skeptical about fossil fuel industry engagement in global climate policy. Let’s start with the obvious: the burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change.

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Bolivia has high solar power potential but faces challenges scaling up

A Greener Life

The new 100 MW Oruro solar plant is a boost to Bolivia’s energy transition, but there are obstacles to harnessing the radiation potential of its western highlands. Perched at 3,730 metres above sea level in the community of Ancotanga, the Oruro solar power plant is one of the flagship projects in Bolivia’s energy transition.

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Latest UN, IEA, WMO Climate Reports Show Global Emissions Dangerously High, Emergency Action Required

Union of Concerned Scientists

Four important global reports released in the last two days set up a deeply sobering context for the upcoming annual international climate talks in Egypt, also called COP27. Source: UN Climate Change 2022 NDC Synthesis Report. Source: UN Climate Change 2022 NDC Synthesis Report. The UNEP Emissions Gap Report.