ocean islands with solar panels in foreground

Global South

Solar under Storm

As the intensity and frequency of hurricanes and typhoons increase, islands—which contribute little to climate change—are suffering disproportionate damage to their energy infrastructure and economies, and thus their people’s health and wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has only served to exacerbate this disparity as island economies suffer greatly from the lack…

American flag hung in front of a house destroyed by Hurricane Maria

Puerto Rico: For Real Resilience, Go Renewable

Puerto Ricans are facing new and ongoing threats to health, safety, and the economy, including those that stem from the spread of COVID-19. The deadly global pandemic has brought widespread economic disruption, all while the medical system continues to recover from recent shocks. Many in Puerto Rico lack homes or…

A Blue-Sky Vision: Clean Energy and Mobility in India’s Recovery

This article was co-authored by Jagabanta Ningthoujam​. We at Rocky Mountain Institute have been working in India for the past five years, supporting government and business leaders with the country’s energy transition. Yet a few of us have just started to call Delhi our home. Over the past year we…

A Greener Caribbean is Possible with Resilient Distributed Energy

Historically, Caribbean electricity systems have heavily relied on imported, dirty fossil fuels burned at a central plant. In recent years, Caribbean leaders have spearheaded a transition to distributed local resources that are connected to the electricity grid at various locations. In the process, Caribbean islands are leaders in the global…

nurses taking care of patient in hospital

Powering Health across Africa through COVID-19 and a Changing Climate

Modern health services require electricity everywhere in the world. The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by United Nations Member States in 2015, include access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 (SDG 7). This means not only for households, but for all health facilities, everywhere. Yet today,…