Research Library

Clean electricity technologies are here, and they’re affordable. So why does most of our power in the U.S. still come from fossil fuels? Daniel Cohan joined Baker Briefing to explain how bureaucratic bottlenecks have led to a backlog of wind, solar, and battery storage power projects that could, if built, revolutionize the grid and greatly reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and air pollution.

Gain-of-function research is an important tool in medicine and other areas that leads to new biotechnologies, therapies, and tools. Instead of banning it, existing oversight can be used to ensure its safety.

While Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump differ on clean energy policy, neither candidate has yet to offer a comprehensive energy plan. In a new commentary featured in The Conversation, Daniel S. Cohan examines how legislation, regulations, and trade policy will guide either administration’s approach to the energy transition.

Nearshoring — the outsourcing of production to another country — would increase manufacturing and further economic development across U.S.-Mexico border areas, but it also raises significant questions about environmental impacts and, ultimately, environmental justice. Both governments should begin drafting and implementing effective transboundary policies that incentivize companies to protect local communities and fragile border ecosystems from a manufacturing surge, writes research scholar Ivonne Cruz.

As Mexico becomes a desirable site for nearshoring, damaging environmental and social impacts on the border region may be exacerbated under the economic growth. A new report by research scholar Ivonne Cruz dissects the relationship between nearshoring’s ecological and socioeconomic risks and offers trade policy recommendations to support sustainable economic development, mitigate potential hazards, and safeguard local communities.

The U.S. needs streamlined approval processes and investments in transmission infrastructure to eliminate the backlog of pending clean electricity projects, satisfy the growing demand for electricity, and meet federal and state climate goals, writes faculty scholar Daniel S. Cohan.

Testimony of Daniel S. Cohan to the Texas House Environmental Regulation Committee on Sept. 5, 2024.

The Latin American does not stop with hydrocarbons: It extends into metals and minerals as well. The demand for critical minerals such as copper and lithium is projected to at least double by 2030. Tilsa Oré Mónago discusses the role of South America in responding to the growing demand for critical minerals in light of clean energy transition plans, as well as the challenges to be faced in doing so.

Rachel A. Meidl discusses why sustainability requires an approach that includes environmental, social, and economic factors across the entire supply chain spanning the life cycle of energy systems. Sustainability must move beyond a narrow focus on carbon metrics to address broader impacts and drive innovation. As companies emphasize sustainability imperatives, life cycle management will become increasingly important.

The transportation industry is squarely impacted by energy transitions. Ed Emmett discusses the importance of a nation’s transportation system for its economic health, much like a circulatory system is critical for the health of the individual. Shifting to new transportation energy sources poses challenges because, in some applications, it requires not just a change in the technology embodied in the mode of transportation, but an overhaul of the entire system. Each mode of transportation — from cars to shipping fleets to planes — faces different constraints that impact the economic viability of different fuel sources and methods of scaling.