BOOK
Barry Rabe, December 15, 2009
Greenhouse Governance features a number of America's preeminent public policy scholars, examining some aspect of governance and climate change. Read More
VIDEO
Adele Morris, November 06, 2009
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a climate change bill last week despite a boycott from Republican committee members. Fellow Adele Morris examines the legislation and what policymakers will be able to offer at the climate change talks in Copenhagen next month.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Washington, DC
As attention to U.S. climate legislation has been increasing on Capitol Hill, Brookings hosted a discussion on a new series of papers on U.S. climate policy design. These papers acknowledge the complexity inherent in climate policy; explain the fundamental challenges involved in addressing a particular set of design features; and suggest a credible path forward, calling attention to tradeoffs where they exist. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Washington, DC
China’s continued ascension presents policy challenges for both Beijing and Washington. President Barack Obama will make his first trip to China from November 15-18. Kenneth Lieberthal and Fred Barbash, Politico's senior editor, took questions about the president’s trip to China in this edition of the Scouting Report. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, November 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
China’s continued ascension presents policy challenges for both Beijing and Washington. President Barack Obama will make his first trip to China from November 15-18, where he will address a multitude of issues ranging from climate change to trade and the economy to military ties between the two nations. On November 4, Kenneth Lieberthal took questions in a live web chat with Politico senior editor Fred Barbash about President Obama's first trip to China. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell, November 03, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Much is in question today as Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman Barbara Boxer tries to push ahead with work on climate-change legislation, with Republicans threatening a boycott of the markup. Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell examine the costs of cap-and-trade regulations for the U.S. economy and families. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles K. Ebinger and Govinda V. Avasarala, November 03, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In December, the 15th Conference of Parties will attempt to reach an agreement on new international climate change and emissions regulations. Charles Ebinger and Govinda Avasarala note that any agreement is likely to use a plethora of technologies which many nations do not have access to, and they propose solutions to the intellectual property rights issues involved. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Urjit R. Patel, November 02, 2009, The Brookings Institution
There is an emerging consensus among governments that aggressive climate change mitigation would be desirable, though they remain divided about how the associated burden should be shared. Urjit Patel argues that a burden sharing criterion which involves emissions permit allocation to each developing country would be a fair deal and discusses how this would affect India. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 29, 2009
3:00 PM to 5:15 PM
Washington, DC
On October 29, the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, the Institute for Environmental Security, CNA, E3G and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on the real dangers for conflicts and disputes resulting from resource shortages, water rights and natural disasters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Adele Morris, October 26, 2009, The Brookings Institution
A cap-and-trade system of the sort envisioned by the current generation of Congressional proposals would create a new market in carbon allowances worth potentially hundreds of billions of dollars. In this paper, Adele Morris discusses the likely distributional implications of a U.S. cap-and-trade system and how policymakers could manage these implications by altering the way in which allowances or allowance revenues are distributed throughout the broader economy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Walter Kälin, October 26, 2009, United Nations General Assembly
Since 2004 there have been encouraging trends related to internal displacement. Walter Kälin notes that the use of the Guiding Principles as the relevant framework for protecting IDPs and the development of national and regional laws and policies on internal displacement have been positive trends. However, despite such positive trends, the challenges presented by climate change, the disregard for civilian populations in conflict zones, a shrinking humanitarian space, and protracted displacement situations still remain unchanged. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carolyn Fischer and Richard Morgenstern, October 26, 2009, The Brookings Institution
A number of climate policy observers and U.S. policymakers have expressed concerns about the implications of climate policy for the U.S. industrial base. In this paper, Carolyn Fischer and Richard Morgenstern show that specific concerns about industrial competitiveness and emissions leakage could be realistically addressed in the context of a cap-and-trade system without unduly distorting the incentives that are essential to realizing an economically efficient outcome. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Only a few regions in the world are more affected by climate change than Latin America. However the region lacks a common perspective and will not be heard in the U.S. Congress or in international deliberations in Copenhagen unless it unifies as a strong voice. Mauricio Cárdenas proposes a formal subgroup of several Latin American countries for cooperation on climate change and points to specific commitments they should consider. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Elizabeth Ferris, October 02, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
The tragic earthquake in Sumatra, the tsunami in Samoa and the typhoon that hit the Philippines are just the latest in an increasing number of natural disasters. Last year alone natural disasters affected over 200 million people, killing 16,000 and displacing close to 50 million. Elizabeth Ferris evaluates the international capacity to respond to major disasters and argues that more should be done to reduce their impact. Read More
VIDEO
Warwick J. McKibbin, September 24, 2009
Crafting global policy to address climate change is a priority for leaders attending the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. Nonresident Senior Fellow Warwick McKibbin previews the talks, noting the complexities the leaders face in finding the common ground necessary to tackle this consuming issue.