Published since 1959 by Resources for the Future

Common Resources

A blog that offers timely analysis and commentary about pressing environmental and energy issues.

Common Resources Archive

Cars backed up bumper-to-bumper on a road

Gas Prices Went Up, and US Households Mostly Chose Hybrid Vehicles

Mohit Bisbey and Joshua Linn

July 9, 2026

A view from below as a freight plane flies overhead stacked shipping containers

New Polling Shows That Americans Support Climate-Related Trade Policy

Danny Richter and Christopher Borick

June 25, 2026

A view of the Antofalla salt flats in the Catamarca province of Argentina

Argentina Needs a Better Strategy to Benefit from Its Mineral Resources

Emilia Ravetta, Victor Freret, America Quinteros Condoretty, Beia Spiller, and Jason Yao

June 25, 2026

A view of downtown Richmond, VA at night

Virginia’s Upcoming Re-entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Can Reduce Household Electricity Bills

Brian C. Prest and Dallas Burtraw

June 22, 2026

An airplane is visible refueling through the windows of an airport terminal, with empty chairs in the foreground

Information on Flight Emissions Changes How Travelers Book Flights

Nafisa Lohawala and Xuan Teng

June 11, 2026

Rhododendron flowers

Remembering Rafe Pomerance

Richard D. Morgenstern

June 4, 2026

Firefighters containing a wildfire on a mountainside in California

If/Then: To Reduce Wildfire Risk, Agencies Need to Manage Both Fire Prevention and Response

Matthew Wibbenmeyer

May 26, 2026

People enjoying a sunny day in a park in New York City

If/Then: Pending Deregulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Could Create Significant Negative Health Effects

Arthur G. Fraas and Randall Lutter

May 19, 2026

Large data center building with windmills in the background on a sunny day

Four Lessons from Energy and Climate Policy for Governing Artificial Intelligence

Daniel Raimi

May 11, 2026

Warm lights glowing from within a house in the countryside against a night sky

A Closer Look at Affordability Pressures in the United States

Jesse Buchsbaum, Dallas Burtraw, Yanjun (Penny) Liao, and Carlos Martín

May 4, 2026

Trucks and excavator in open pit on of an industrial mining site

Can Price Floors Fix America’s Rare Earth Problem?

Beia Spiller and Madeline Craig-Scheckman

April 22, 2026

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Earth Day 2026: How Resources for the Future Contributes to a Better World

Kristina Gawrgy

April 21, 2026

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Office Hours with Billy Pizer: How Can We Value and Improve Future Energy Security?

William Pizer

April 17, 2026

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Energy and the Iran War: What We’re Watching

Daniel Raimi, Alan Krupnick, and Brian C. Prest

March 17, 2026

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High Costs and Few Benefits from California’s Proposed Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit

Aaron Smith, Kristen McCormack, William Scott, James Stock, Mengying Wu, and Jingran Zhang

March 2, 2026

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If/Then: The Uncertain Future of Coal and What It Means for Climate, Air Quality, and the Energy Economy

Bryan Hubbell, Alan Krupnick, Dallas Burtraw, Daniel Raimi, Aaron Bergman, Karen Palmer, and Kristen McCormack

Feb. 17, 2026

Empty seat for a US representative in the United Nations General Assembly Hall

If/Then: America’s Great Global Governance Withdrawal Risks Global Climate Action

Milan Elkerbout

Feb. 12, 2026

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Carbon Pricing Cooperation Provided a Hint of Optimism at Global Climate Talks in Brazil

Milan Elkerbout and Danny Richter

Feb. 9, 2026

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If/Then: Ignoring the Benefits of Air Pollution Regulations Will Lead to Worse Policy Decisions

Bryan Hubbell and Alan Krupnick

Jan. 22, 2026

Aeriel view of an airplane shadow looking out of an airplane window over a field

The Promise of Ethanol-to-Jet for Sustainable Aviation Fuel in the United States

Nafisa Lohawala

Jan. 21, 2026

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How Will Changes to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Affect Short-Term Markets?

Aaron Bergman

Jan. 15, 2026

Lithium extraction

Why One-Off Federal Investments Won’t Make or Break US Critical Mineral Supply

Zach Whitlock, Ambarish Kota, Nafisa Lohawala, and Beia Spiller

Jan. 6, 2026

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The Evolving View of Climate-Related Financial Risks in the US Financial Sector

Kevin Stiroh

Dec. 15, 2025

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How Will Changes to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Affect Long-Term Contracts?

Aaron Bergman

Dec. 10, 2025