Can state-level carbon pricing help achieve national climate goals?

Carbon pricing is a powerful tool to curb greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. While the U.S. government has yet to put a general price on carbon, several states have enacted their own initiatives—for example, California’s cap-and-trade program—or plan to do so in the near future. To what extent can state-level carbon pricing help meet the nation’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals?

On March 30, the Center on Regulation and Markets at Brookings and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted an event to explore current state-level carbon pricing initiatives and their role in U.S. climate policy, with particular focus on the challenges of carbon pricing in a federal system. After keynote remarks from Rajinder Sahota, deputy executive officer for climate change and research at the California Air Resources Board, a panel of climate policy experts offered their perspectives on the issue.

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