From Research to the Front Page

Over the past year, climate and energy policy has shifted quickly, prompting people to search for clear, trusted information. In those moments of uncertainty, journalists and policymakers turned to Resources for the Future for perspective grounded in evidence, not ideology. Because RFF researchers were already immersed in these issues, they were ready to help the public understand what new decisions and developments meant in practice, at a time when clarity truly mattered.

Informing the 45V Tax Credit

Before the Biden administration left office, hydrogen producers became eligible for new federal tax credits intended to accelerate the development of clean hydrogen. As RFF researchers had already been closely following the policy debate and design of these credits, they were ready to help the public understand what the final rules would mean in practice. When the credits were finalized in January, RFF experts were called on by the New York Times, Financial Times, and other major outlets to explain how the policy could shape investment decisions, emissions outcomes, and the future of clean energy.

Wildfires

In early 2025, Americans across the country witnessed the toll of wildfires on lives, homes, and local economies. As communities in and around Los Angeles began to recover, RFF experts helped shape the public conversation around wildfire risk and resilience, speaking with journalists at outlets including the New York Times, CNN, CalMatters, Bloomberg, and local NPR stations. When wildfires later flared in the Carolinas, RFF’s expertise and research on wildfire risk in the Southeast was cited by the Washington Post and in a national profile in Heatmap News, helping audiences understand how climate, land use, and policy choices intersect to influence wildfire outcomes.

Exploring Climate-related Financial and Economic Risk

In September, RFF and the Harvard University Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability launched the Climate-related Financial and Macroeconomic Risk Initiative. Many outlets reported on the new effort; Bloomberg and other outlets ran pieces about it, and Science invited Billy Pizer and Harvard University’s Jim Stock to write a well-received editorial about the need for research on climate-related financial risks.

Timely research on power plant pollution

Our analysis in Science about the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant greenhouse gas standards became imminently relevant when the Agency repealed the standards in June. That research, along with RFF’s expert commentary, was featured in more than a dozen news stories, including coverage by the Associated Press and POLITICO.

Rapid changes in federal climate policy

As federal climate policy shifted dramatically this year, RFF researchers were ready to help the public understand what the changes could mean in practice. On Inauguration Day, RFF President and CEO Billy Pizer offered perspective on the future of US climate progress in Bloomberg. Posts in our popular If/Then series, which analyzes evolving federal policies, were cited in articles in NPR, the New York Times, Washington Post, and E&E News, helping inform coverage at a moment of heightened uncertainty.