Common Resources

Climate Policy in California: What It Means for the State and Beyond

I recently testified before a California Senate Select Committee on the state’s climate policies about California’s interactions in the development of policy across the country and internationally. I highlighted the four main points below in my remarks, and you can read the full testimony here. California is not alone. It is joined by many other […]

The New CAFE Standards: Are They Enough on Their Own?

The new CAFE standards may require complementary policies to meet the ambitious goals of reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In a new RFF discussion paper, I examine the new footprint standards, their implications for changes to the size mix of vehicles, and the role of credit policies on compliance and cost-effectiveness of the […]

The Value of Being First: Climate Policy Perspectives from California and Sweden

When it comes to climate policy, it seems like pessimism is the only thing that rivals greenhouse gas emissions in terms of volume. Last week, the daily atmospheric content of CO2 popped up over 400 parts per million, pushing the stated goal of keeping worldwide temperatures to a 2˚C increase even further from reach. Beneath […]

Aligning Carbon Markets: The Case of California and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

Incrementally aligning policies in distinct carbon markets—linking by degrees—can allow programs to experience immediate benefits of sharing best practices in program design. Together with colleagues at RFF and Yale, we’ve examined the details and prospects for the cap-and-trade programs in California and the Northeast. Read more here.

Thinking Like an Economist within the Complex Climate Policy Regime

Building on recent work that highlights the need to account for institutions in crafting economic solutions to environmental problems, Matt Woerman and I look specifically to the implementation of climate policy—and how incentive-based thinking can help. Read more here.

Doha in Context: A Brief History of Climate Negotiations

The 18th round of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations concluded last month in Doha. Expectations were low, but reviews have still been mixed. But for those who aren’t insiders, understanding the talks – much less identifying success or failure – is very hard because of the complexity that’s accumulated over the […]

Doha Dysfunction

You are probably used to hearing about how dysfunctional the COPs are, how much unnecessary brinksmanship they display, and how despite a couple weeks of long nights and frayed nerves, the delegates seem to come together and salvage some kind of agreement that may or may not be disappointing, but at least has some potential […]

A Look Back at Rio 1992

Twenty years ago, in a chapter of an RFF book (Global Development and the Environment: Perspectives on Sustainability, 1992 - now available for the low price of $1.75!), I tried to sort out some of the global energy issues then confronting the approaching 1992 Rio United Nations Conference on Development and Environment (UNCED). With leaders […]

The Cost of Climate Change in Canada

RFF experts have delved into domestic climate adaptation risks and recommendations in a comprehensive report, Reforming Institutions and Managing Extremes: U.S. Policy Approaches for Adapting to a Changing Climate. But what about our neighbors to the north? According to Paying the Price: The Economic Impacts of Climate Change for Canada—a report by The National Round […]

VIDEO: How Communities And Countries Can Adapt To Climate Change

We’ve previously talked about Resources for the Future’s two-year research project on climate change adaptation in the United States, Reforming Institutions and Managing Extremes. However, while the U.S. is facing the effects of climate change, developing countries are more at risk. For a perspective on what is needed to address global climate adaptation, RFF Center […]