Articles from Next 10

In one of California’s single largest year-over-year emissions reductions on record, the state lowered its climate pollution by 3% in 2023. The drop in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, was surpassed only by reductions achieved in 2009 during the Great Recession and 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the state is still not on track to meet its 2030 targets, the 17th annual California Green Innovation Index, released today by think tank Next 10, finds that the increased rate of emissions reduction puts those targets closer in sight.

A new report released today, An Assessment of California Data Centers’ Environmental and Public Health Impacts, authored by researchers from the University of California, Riverside and produced by the think tank Next 10 shows that from 2019 to 2023, health impacts from California’s data centers have tripled — and could rise by another 72% by 2028 unless strong mitigation policies are enacted.

While costs in the immediate aftermath of climate change-fueled disasters like floods and wildfires grab the headlines, Californians may not realize the less visible ways climate change is fueling the affordability crisis driving up cost of living. A new report commissioned by nonprofit think tank Next 10 and drafted by the Center for Law, Energy & Environment (CLEE) at UC Berkeley outlines those impacts together for the first time. In just one example, this winter’s Los Angeles wildfires wiped out generations of family wealth, but were also responsible for approximately $297 million in lost wages for local employees.

California has cut more than 22% of its greenhouse gas emissions since passing its landmark climate law in 2006, while growing its gross domestic product per capita by 38%, according to new data released today. The 16th California Green Innovation Index from think tank Next 10 shows that the pace of emissions reductions has accelerated in recent years, with steep drops in key sectors helping to narrow the gap to achieving its 2030 climate targets.

Sea-level rise will inflict enormous damage on Bay Area communities near the shore in the coming decades. With approximately $110 billion needed to address sea-level rise by 2050, we must change how we approach property institutions and land governance to equitably address the region's climate vulnerability according to a new report by Next 10 and authored by faculty from the University of California Berkeley.

Just like gas stations, EV charging infrastructure requires additional sources of revenue to be profitable. Whether it’s a gas station or an EV charging station, co-located services and amenities are needed to improve return on investment, according to a new report and EV driver survey released today by Next 10 and authored by the Institute for Transportation Studies at UC Davis.

California has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions far beyond the record low seen during the pandemic, but new data shows this goal will prove challenging amid an emissions upswing following the lifting of lockdown restrictions. A staggering increase in power sector emissions, particularly from in-state generation, in recent years is offsetting progress made in the transportation sector, and threatening the state's goals overall, according to the 15th annual California Green Innovation Index, released today by the nonpartisan nonprofit Next 10 and prepared by Beacon Economics.

Cities and counties across the state have a historic opportunity over the next decade to pull in millions of dollars in state and federal funding in the fight against climate change, including from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

California’s greenhouse gas emission fell a remarkable 8.7% in 2020 amidst pandemic-induced economic disruptions and travel restrictions. But while the significant drop in emissions has helped the state make progress toward its 2030 climate targets, it masks a rise in pollution from in-state power generation, as stubbornly-slow renewable energy growth threatens California’s transition to carbon neutrality. At the same time, a drop in emissions from the transportation sector for the third-consecutive year could signal a breakthrough in the state’s largest source of climate pollution, if pandemic-era shifts towards hybrid work remain and electric vehicle adoption continues to rise.

Half to two-thirds of the electricity rates paid by California residents are, in effect, a “tax” on electricity that disproportionately burdens lower-income households and discourages adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other clean technologies, according to a new report commissioned by Next 10, a nonpartisan research nonprofit organization.

California’s vibrant clean energy economy is supporting strong job numbers, but failing to deliver more than lackluster annual emissions reductions, as slowing renewable energy growth, underwhelming transportation sector gains, and a worrisome cross-sector overdependence on natural gas pose major challenges for the state. That’s the finding of the thirteenth annual California Green Innovation Index—released today by the nonpartisan nonprofit Next 10 and prepared by Beacon Economics.