If you’ve been following our writing this year, you know it’s a dire time for weather, climate, and science overall in the U.S. Budget and staff cuts at NOAA, FEMA, and more threaten to cut our ability to prepare for and respond to weather disasters.

In the midst of all that, hurricane season is coming, and we’re also facing budget limitations at Yale Climate Connections as the philanthropy world tries to make sense of the new administration.

Season after season, readers like you have shown us that you value our coverage of hurricanes and other extreme weather. You’ve used it to stay informed and keep your loved ones safe. Now we need your help.

We are aiming to raise $10,000 to support our Eye on the Storm hurricane coverage this summer and fall. Your donations will go directly to paying journalists like Bob Henson and putting that coverage in front of people who are in the path of storms. Will you sign up to be a sustaining donor today?

We’re raising $10,000 to support our life-saving extreme weather coverage. If you sign up by May 31, 2025, to be a sustaining donor, which means you’ll contribute each month, we’ll invite you to an exclusive virtual conversation with our meteorologists Jeff Masters and Bob Henson. Will you become a sustaining donor today?


To become a monthly donor, make sure you’ve selected the ‘Sustaining gift” option on the Yale donation form. Note that if you set up your donation to be anonymous, we won’t have your information to invite you to the conversation. 

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Sabin 33 #30 - What is the net effect of EVs on climate change?

Posted on 27 May 2025 by Ken Rice

On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School in 2024. Below is the blog post version of rebuttal #30 based on Sabin's report.

Fact-Myth box

EVs are essential to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the use of fossil fuels that cause those emissions1 (also Singh et al. 2023). The Environmental Protection Agency has found that EVs typically have lower lifecycle emissions than traditional gasoline-powered cars, even when taking into account the emissions released when manufacturing EVs and generating power to charge them.2 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has further explained that “[t]he extent to which EV deployment can decrease emissions by replacing internal combustion engine-based vehicles depends on the generation mix of the electric grid although, even with current grids, EVs reduce emissions in almost all cases.”3 The key reason why EVs reduce emissions in almost all cases is that they are inherently more efficient than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles: EVs convert over 77% of electrical energy to power at the wheels, whereas conventional vehicles only convert roughly 12%–30% of the energy in gasoline to power at the wheels.4

Assuming average U.S. grid emissions, the average lifecycle GHGs associated with a gasoline-powered car that gets 30.7 miles per gallon are more than twice as high as those of an EV with a 300-mile range.2 The figure below from the EPA shows that the lifecycle GHGs for the gasoline-powered car under this scenario are between 350 and 400 grams/mile, whereas the lifecycle GHGs for the EV are only slightly above 150 grams/mile.

Breakdown lifecycle emissions

Figure 17: Break down of lifecycle emissions for electric and gasoline cars. This figure is based on the following assumptions: a vehicle lifetime of 173,151 miles for both the EV and gas car; a 30.7 MPG gas car; and U.S. average grid emissions. Source: EPA.

Most importantly, EVs’ lack of tailpipe emissions and heightened efficiency more than offset the emissions required to manufacture EV batteries: these emissions are offset within 1.4-1.5 years for electric sedans, and within 1.6-1.9 years for electric SUVs5 (Woody et al. 2022). These reduced tailpipe emissions not only help to stabilize our climate, but also improve air quality, bringing multiple health benefits including reduced rates of childhood asthma, particularly in urban areas.

The emissions offset by transitioning to EVs vary based on the carbon intensity of the energy grid. A study from Munich’s Universität der Bundeswehr found EVs to have reduced emissions by 72% when powered by Germany’s electric grid, which drew 23% of its electricity from renewable energy in 2021 (Buberger et al. 2022). But the researchers projected that a 100% renewable energy grid would have allowed EVs to reduce emissions by as much as 97% (Buberger et al. 2022, Wolfram et al. 2021). And the U.S. grid is getting cleaner over time, with a 44% reduction in power sector emissions from 2005 to 2023, meaning that EVs are having an increasingly positive impact on U.S. emissions.6 For those drivers in the United States who would like to ensure that they are charging their EVs with the cleanest possible energy, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program helps drivers determine which chargers rely on renewable energy sources.7

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The Weather & Climate Livestream

Posted on 26 May 2025 by Guest Author

Wed. May 28th 1pm ET/10am PT to Sun. June 1st 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT on YouTube:

100 HOURS TO SAVE AMERICA'S FORECASTS

Whether it's tomorrow's temperatures or the sea level in fifty years, Americans need to plan for our futures. For generations, the US government has invested in the science that helps us do so, building one of the greatest meteorology and climate science communities in the world.

In recent months, this community have been thwarted in our mission of serving the public due to substantial cuts and firings. These actions have already hurt our forecasts, endangering Americans as hurricane season approaches. Legally required assessments of the climate are being stopped, and far more drastic cuts are being proposed.

But it's not too late to stop these cuts. Already, public pressure has helped to reopen shuttered weather data centers. To help keep this pressure building, meteorologists and climate scientists from across America want to fulfill our mission by sharing our science with you - so we're coming to your screens, speaking and answering your questions, for over 100 hours, in this science-filled, non-partisan event:

The Weather & Climate Livestream

From Wednesday, May 28th to Sunday, June 1st, join meteorologists and climate scientists from across the US as we share our work, and show you what makes it so vital. We will clarify the impact of the cuts on this research, and answer your questions about weather and climate research in the US. Information on how to watch is coming soon. If you are a scientist who wants to participate, please visit this speakers page to learn more.

A NOAA satellite's view of clouds over America.

Schedule highlights

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