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

Union of Concerned Scientists

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. Energy efficiency also plays a critical role. How is that going to happen?

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Ask a Scientist: Gas Plants Disproportionately Harm Marginalized Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

They accounted for most of the failed generating capacity in a number of recent extreme weather events, including Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, according to Gas Malfunction , a new Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issue brief. First, there’s air pollution.

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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). GW record from 2021.

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Ask a Scientist: Two Dozen States Can Meet 100 Percent of Electricity Demand with Renewables by 2035

Union of Concerned Scientists

We also evaluated the potential to accelerate the use of renewable energy dramatically through state-level renewable electricity standards, which have been major drivers of clean energy in recent decades. Under the no-new-policy scenario, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides decline only by 27 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

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Stepping Up to the Challenge: US Can Meet Climate Goals if Policymakers Take Immediate, Concerted Action

Union of Concerned Scientists

New UCS study shows how we can accelerate US clean energy ambition An interdisciplinary team of UCS experts set out to explore how the US can meet its goals to cut heat-trapping emissions 50%-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050.

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If the US Meets Its Climate Goals, We Can Save Money and Lives

Union of Concerned Scientists

The case for phasing out of fossil fuels and making a just and equitable transition to clean energy has never been more clear. Contrast that with some of the wider benefits of the clean energy transition, such as phasing out coal generation by 2030, which are realized by everyone including historically disenfranchised groups.

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Decarbonizing California Transportation by 2045

Science & Climate

by UC Davis News and Media Relations | April 21, 2021. Importantly, a major upfront investment in clean transportation through incentives and new charging and hydrogen infrastructure will soon pay off in net economic savings to the California economy, with net savings within a decade growing to tens of billions of dollars per year by 2045.