General Energy
Doubling Down on the Market-Based Transformation
This week we all woke up to a new and different political reality for the United States and the world. RMI CEO Jules Kortenhorst describes how our work has endured through decades of various administrations because it's the right thing to do environmentally and economically.
Paris Climate Agreement: The Need for Speed
This week, a number of European countries will submit paperwork to the United Nations formally binding them to the Paris Agreement, raising the tally of committed countries above 55 percent of global emissions and triggering the agreement’s entry into force 30 days later. For those who thought the champagne corks popped last December in Paris, here’s a brief guide about why this week’s events constitute a historic milestone and what comes next.
Why Peak Car Ownership in 2020 Isn’t So Farfetched
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released formal recommendations designed to help states regulate autonomous vehicles. The guidelines follow advice from the business and safety community: Establish standards for states to adopt a uniform set of rules for autonomous vehicles that ensure human safety, while allowing innovation to continue. The guidelines have been in the works for several months, but their release comes at a time of great activity in the autonomous vehicle space.
Research Release: An Energy Roadmap for China
Late last week, China and the U.S. announced that they are formally joining the Paris agreement to combat climate change. Download our Reinventing Fire: China Executive Summary, the most sophisticated model of China’s energy use to date and a roadmap to slash carbon emissions and energy use by 2050, all at a net economic benefit.
Looking for a Breakthrough in Cement and Concrete
Guest author Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson is an RMI Senior Fellow. The toughest climate challenges involve large global industries, with no good substitutes. One of these literally produces the material under our feet—concrete. Every year, each of us in the U.S. uses about one-third of a ton. Fast-growing developing countries use…