Agriculture, likely one of America’s most vulnerable sectors to a changing climate, has much to gain from a comprehensive climate policy. Agriculture’s vulnerability to climate change was highlighted in a recent study by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (including …
On June 26, 2009, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES Act) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 219 to 212. The bill contains five distinct titles: I) clean energy, II) energy efficiency, …
No bill is perfect. Certainly not one that contains a thousand pages and seeks to overhaul the way our nation uses energy. But many of the recent attacks on the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) proposed by Representatives …
This brief explains how and why renewable energy certificates (RECs) differ from greenhouse gas (GHG) emission offsets (offsets). While the Offset Quality Initiative (OQI) is a strong supporter of renewable energy and believes it has a critical role to play …
Eileen Claussen responds to questions about domestic and international climate policy in the US-focused June edition of CARBONfirst. Do you believe a US cap-and-trade bill can be passed out of Congress in 2009? What chance does the bill have …
A close look at the historical relationship between energy prices and U.S. production and consumption of energy-intensive goods suggests that energy-intensive manufacturers are likely to face only modest “competitiveness” impacts under a U.S. greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, according to this …
Recent discussions in the United States have raised questions about the performance of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). Some argue that this cap-and-trade system has not significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, has conferred windfall gains on firms receiving …
Cap and trade and a carbon tax are two distinct policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Each approach has its vocal supporters. Those in favor of cap and trade argue that it is the only approach that can …
This brief presents the key issues and identifies options for the incorporation of greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets into emerging U.S. climate change policy. A GHG offset represents a reduction, avoidance, destruction, or sequestration of GHG emissions from a source not …
This brief describes issues involved in choosing the set of greenhouse gases (GHGs), emission sources, and sectors of the economy included in a cap-and-trade program. Trade-offs between three primary criteria determine whether a source should be included in a cap-and-trade …