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Fossil Fuels Must Go: Re-inventing US Transportation

Union of Concerned Scientists

Together with other modes of transportation, our vehicles emit the most heat-trapping gases in the US economy: 28 percent, followed closely by the electricity sector. Contrary to claims made by some pundits, this transition away from fossil fuels can be done at moderate cost, primarily with technologies that are commercially available today.

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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

Nearly all of the alliance members have a renewable electricity standard (RES), which requires utilities in their jurisdiction to increase their use of renewable energy to a particular percentage by a specific year. Just as important, cleaning up the power grid also lowers carbon dioxide emissions.

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Ask a Scientist: Gas Plants Disproportionately Harm Marginalized Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

Responsible for 12 percent of all US global warming emissions from human activities, methane traps significantly more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide, making it 86 times more harmful for the first 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere. First, there’s air pollution.

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A 100% Renewable Energy Future is Possible, and We Need It

Union of Concerned Scientists

And we’re still trying to recover from a pandemic that has made even more clear the disproportionate impacts of air pollution on overburdened communities, making them even more vulnerable to the negative impacts of COVID 19. And we’re already seeing the prominent role that renewables are starting to play in our electricity mix.

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Is It Possible to Phase Out Petroleum and Transform our Transportation System?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Replacing petroleum with renewable electricity as the primary source of transportation energy will leave us all much better off. Tailpipes from our cars, trucks and buses are also a major source of toxic local air pollution that disproportionately harms overburdened and underserved communities.

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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). I’ll start off with the good.

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What You Need to Know about Advanced Clean Fleets: Funding, Flexibility, and FAQs

Union of Concerned Scientists

Fleets that utilize electric and hydrogen vehicles are eligible to earn Low Carbon Fuel Standard ( LCFS ) credits, which can be sold to offset ZEV costs. Daily Usage – if a fleet owner cannot comply because the daily usage of the vehicle cannot be adequately met with ZEV technology, exemptions may apply.