RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William J. Antholis and Bryan K. Mignone, December 02, 2008, Politico
As the United Nations Conference on Climate Change occurs in Poland, William Antholis and Bryan Mignone write that over the past decade, the evidence for human-induced climate change has become one of the most widely accepted scientific findings of our time. They offer four recommendations for President-elect Barack Obama to carry out a comprehensive and economically sensible approach to the issue. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, November 2008, The Brookings Institution
The economic costs of a cap-and-trade system will depend on the extent to which the program facilitates compliance flexibility. Bryan Mignone compares the costs of different cap-and-trade policy architectures and estimates the economic value of realizing flexibility with respect to the timing of emissions abatement. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, November 2008, The Brookings Institution
Establishment of a mandatory cap-and-trade system in the United States remains an essential element of a comprehensive response to the global climate problem. Bryan Mignone considers the expected evolution of allowance prices in the future carbon market and what this implies for the design of provisions to limit the economic costs of such a program. Read More
BOOK
Carlos Pascual and Jonathan Elkind, November 01, 2008
Assuring long-term energy security remains one of the industrialized world’s most pressing priorities, but results thus far have been tenuous. This insightful volume assesses exactly what we’re talking about, what it means in several contexts, and where we go from here. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
October 2008, The Brookings Institution
As President-Elect Obama prepares to lead the United States, what are the top global economic challenges facing the new president and his advisors and how should the new administration address them? A new report by Brookings global economic and development experts ranks the top 10 issues and details specific ideas for how to tackle the toughest challenges. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Barry Rabe, October 09, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Trading of emissions under a cap-and-trade regime has received prominent attention as a possible approach to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. On September 25, one regional cap-and-trade program, involving ten Northeastern states, has already begun operation through an initial auctioning of carbon allowances. This poses many important issues of federalism, writes Barry Rabe, as the federal government begins to play catchup with states and will have to give thought to sorting out federal and state responsibilities. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, September 24, 2008, The Hill
Bryan Mignone discusses the pros and cons of lifting offshore drilling bans in exchange for increases in financial incentives for renewable energy. He believes that while additional drilling is not the ultimate answer, it can have some near-term benefits while the gradual displacement of oil use for transportation occurs. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, September 18, 2008
1:45 PM to 5:00 PM
Washington, DC
On September 18, experts from the Brookings Institution, the Earth Institute of Columbia University and the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission of China discussed China’s economic outlook within the context of climate change, the potential for alternative energy use in China and the specifics of China’s greenhouse gas emissions challenges and water crisis. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, September 15, 2008, The Washington Times
With cleanup from Hurricane Ike now underway across Texas and the upper Gulf coast, Bryan Mignone argues it is time to work to mitigate the costs of climate change. He writes that reducing carbon dioxide concentrations will help counter threats posed by extreme conditions such as drought and sea-level rises, in addition to lowering the growing risk of large hurricanes. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Erica S. Downs, August 13, 2008, U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission
In testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Erica Downs outlined China's energy policymaking reforms and how they are unlikely to substantially improve energy governance. She also discussed the implications of these changes for the United States. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Patricia Mulroy, February 07, 2008, Opportunity 08
Climate change has the unprecedented potential to profoundly affect the world’s water supplies. Shrinking reservoirs and more-frequent floods, among other threats, have tremendous ramifications for Americans living in dry areas or near the coast. Overcoming the challenges ahead will require the federal government to rethink how it views water and utility management. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Hahn, January 2008, AEI Center for Regulatory and Market Studies
Robert W. Hahn identifies key issues that will affect future ethanol support and suggests how politics could affect the development of sensible energy and climate policies in general. He offers some suggestions for more cost-effective development of energy alternatives that would enhance energy security and environmental quality. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William J. Antholis, January 29, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have clashed over strategies to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and achieve energy independence. As part of a series of charts examining the candidates’ positions, Opportunity 08 compares their views on energy and climate change. Read More
VIDEO
Carlos Pascual, December 04, 2007
The United Nation’s climate talks have begun in Bali with participants from nearly 200 countries. Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, says the negotiations are aimed at producing a pact that will replace the Kyoto Protocol – which expires in 2012.
VIDEO
Warwick J. McKibbin, November 29, 2007
As delegates gather for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia this week, world leaders will try to devise a comprehensive agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Brookings scholar Warwick McKibbin says the issues are complex with both environmental and economic considerations.