VIDEO
Mark Muro, February 05, 2010
Even in lean times, President Obama’s 2011 budget proposal favors basic science and applied research. This signals that the administration is really serious about reigniting the American entrepreneurial spirit, explains Mark Muro. More jobs and more investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs could also be realized in expanding research and development.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Katz, February 04, 2010, 'The Next American Economy' Conference, Palo Alto, California
The recession has unveiled an economy dangerously out of whack: frenzied with consumption, wasteful in its use of energy, more adept at increasing inequity than sharing prosperity and more successful at exacerbating rather than easing divisions between Wall Street and Main Street, says Bruce Katz. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kelly Sims Gallagher, January 08, 2010, The Brookings Institution
To reduce the threat of global warming, both China and the United States are developing new technologies aimed at decreasing greenhouse-gas emissions. According to Kelly Sims Gallagher, carbon pollution from dirty coal presents an enormous challenge for both countries, but through strategic collaboration on the development of carbon capture and storage technology, positive outcomes can be achieved. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William J. Antholis and Charles K. Ebinger, January 05, 2010, The Brookings Institution
William Antholis and Charles Ebinger give President Obama a composite score of B+ on taking mostly positive steps internationally, but some missteps domestically, toward building a secure energy future for the United States. Antholis cites the administration's negotiating skills on the Copenhagen accord; Ebinger writes that attempts at sound energy policy formulation often ignore the realities of the U.S. energy situation. This is the second in a series of reviews of Obama’s first year. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ted Gayer, December 30, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Ted Gayer offers a response to critics of his recent op-ed about the peculiar policy implications of "negative cost" greenhouse gas reductions. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ted Gayer, December 28, 2009, Forbes
Ted Gayer writes that as the climate change debate has left Copenhagen, the stage is now set for regulatory action in the U.S., with the EPA asserting its authority to regulate greenhouse gases as a public health hazard. Gayer argues that it "is important that EPA have no illusions about the economic costs" that will result and warns that a widely cited report by McKinsey & Company "oversells the affordability claim" of EPA regulations. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, December 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
During the recent U.N. conference in Copenhagen, the United States and other participating countries narrowly avoided a complete breakdown in climate change talks. One of the larger hurdles was China's opposition to monitoring emission reductions. Ken Lieberthal contends that China's approach to the Copenhagen negotiations highlights the country's need to evolve further as a responsible player on global issues such as climate change. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alex Evans and David Steven, December 21, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Given that the U.N. climate change conference failed to produce a strong agreement, Alex Evans and David Steven warn that world leaders now need to act boldly or risk complete failure in the climate negotiation process. To that end, the authors lay out a 12-point action plan to address the issue of climate change. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles K. Ebinger and Lea T. Rosenbohm, December 08, 2009, The Brookings Institution
As the United Nations Climate Change Conference begins this week in Copenhagen, Charles Ebinger and Lea Rosenbohm express concern that climate legislation in the United States will be stalled in favor of other pressing concerns. Ebinger and Rosenbohm argue that the American public must be made better aware of the risks to the economy and national security from inaction on climate change. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles K. Ebinger and Kevin Massy, December 07, 2009, The Brookings Institution
With ever-increasing concerns about carbon emissions and global warming, many view nuclear power as a leading viable energy alternative. Charles Ebinger and Kevin Massy examine the benefits and challenges generated by increased use of nuclear power, recognizing that global expansion of the nuclear industry poses a number of real energy security and non-proliferation risks. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ted Gayer, December 02, 2009, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
A carbon tax is the most economically efficient way to address climate change, says Ted Gayer in testimony before the Senate Energy Committee. While it might be politically unpopular, he says it is well worth considering because it helps generate public revenues that can be used to offset economically harmful taxes, and it is less susceptible than cap-and-trade to economically disruptive price volatility. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Charles K. Ebinger and Evie Zambetakis, November 30, 2009, International Affairs
Charles Ebinger and Evie Zambetakis examine the legal and political implications of the Arctic ice melt, as global focus on that region shifts from pure scientific research to competing commercial, national security and environmental concerns. Read More
VIDEO
Warwick J. McKibbin, November 13, 2009
Delaying national commitments to reach reduced greenhouse gas emissions will be more costly for national governments in the long run. Nonresident Senior Fellow Warwick McKibbin says the floundering global economy is a critical factor in what actions can be taken now.
PAST EVENT
Friday, November 06, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
In mid-November, President Barack Obama began his first trip to Asia as president with a visit to Tokyo. He also traveled to China, South Korea and Singapore, where took part in meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. Prior to the president's trip, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies and the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted a discussion of President Obama’s trip and the issues he was likely to face. Read More
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