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.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Christopher B. Leinberger, November 13, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's climate change bill ignores the demand side of the equation which focuses on changing the built environment—the nations’ buildings and transportation systems, says Christopher Leinberger. He calls for policy that promotes demand mitigation measures so more Americans will use less energy and emit less greenhouse gases where they live, work and recreate. 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
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
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
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
Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman , October 01, 2009, The Avenue, TNR.com
Senators Kerry and Boxer recently unveiled their climate bill calling for the creation and funding of a string of energy innovation hubs that are dedicated to clean energy technology development and deployment. Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman reviewed the bill—especially as it impacts metro and regional areas—and noted its similarities and differences with the House of Representative's climate bill, Waxman-Markey. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kenneth G. Lieberthal, September 21, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Kenneth Lieberthal analyzes the politics of U.S.-China cooperation, recommends how to structure a bilateral agreement on clean energy, and describes how the two countries can work together to shape a more successful UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Craig Pirrong, September 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Craig Pirrong writes that current legislative attempts to regulate derivatives trading in the climate and energy context are severely misguided. While arguing that the ex post enforcement regime should be strengthened to deter price manipulation, he suggests that overly restrictive clearing and exchange requirements will dramatically increase the costs of managing carbon price risk. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, September 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Binding greenhouse gas emissions targets are the backbone of any cap-and-trade system, but the appropriate stringency of domestic reductions remains an unresolved issue in US legislation. In this paper, Bryan Mignone shows how available scientific information could be coupled with a variety of judgments about climate risk and international burden-sharing to yield a plausible range of domestic cap-and-trade targets. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, September 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Concerns about the economic costs of climate policy and the potential for volatility in the future carbon market have led to a proliferation of possible mechanisms to mitigate these concerns. Bryan Mignone shows how a coherent "cost containment" policy could be constructed by considering two key substantive objectives – price stability and cost viability – and then tailoring policy instruments to meet these objectives. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, September 11, 2009
8:45 AM to 1:00 PM
Washington, DC
On September 11, the Brookings Institution’s Energy Security Initiative and Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a discussion on the challenges of modernizing the electricity grid. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, Matthew D. Hurteau, Yihsu Chen and Brent Sohngen, July 10, 2009, The Brookings Institution
One controversial issue in the larger cap-and-trade debate is the proper use and certification of carbon offsets related to changes in land management. Bryan Mignone, Matthew Hurteau, Yihsu Chen and Brent Sohngen show how reversal risk associated with such instruments could be properly internalized in a crediting framework and how this framework itself could be used to manage prices in the future carbon market. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bryan K. Mignone, July 09, 2009, The Hill
As the Senate discusses the Waxman-Markey bill, Brian Mignone writes that architects of climate policy would do well to heed key lessons from the House debate. Mignone believes well-designed guidelines toward carbon offsets should enhance three key objectives, including political support for cap-and-trade, and preserve or enhance the environmental integrity of the broader policy. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, June 08, 2009
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
On June 8, the Brookings Institution hosted a preview of a forthcoming report on the economic impact of climate change reduction strategies by Brookings experts Warwick McKibbin, Adele Morris and Peter Wilcoxen. Read More