The president said:
But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy.
So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America.
I posted earlier this month about quick reference sheets we’re putting together to cover points that we often discuss with with Hill staff and reporters. We just added some new ones, and I wanted to highlight a couple for you:
Again, I hope you also find these summaries useful, and we appreciate suggestions for additions and updates.
EDF has been saying for years that the best way to invent new, greener energy technology is to put a cap on carbon pollution. That approach worked to combat acid rain in the 1990s, and a new study provides the best evidence yet that it’s working for climate policy, too.
The study compared countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol and ones that didn’t, and guess which group had more new green tech patents?
I posted an overview of the findings, including a couple more charts and additional analysis I got from the authors, over at Environmental Economics.
I admit I was a little bit nervous on my way into Davos. I looked at the guest list – so many government officials this year – and I was sure that questions about climate and the environment were going to be completely sidelined by the terrible unfolding drama of the economy. But thankfully, today I was proved wrong. Read More
Last week, Brad Plumer over at the New Republic made some thoughtful points about climate policy that are worth taking a look at.
He puts well the key difference between a cap and a tax:
With a tax, we know in advance how much it will cost, but aren’t sure what emissions level will result. With a well-enforced cap-and-trade regime, we know the maximum level of emissions we’ll get, but aren’t positive how much it will cost to get there…
We take issue with some of his thoughts about to how to cope with fluctuations in the market price of carbon (a so-called “safety valve” is a bad idea), but it’s great to see a clear-headed reaction to the fluctuations in the European market.
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the U.S. Climate Action Partnership and its new blueprint for a cap on global warming pollution. Last week, the diverse group of environmental nonprofits and leading companies from every sector of the U.S. economy unveiled a detailed plan for legislation — the consensus product of two years of intense analysis and debate.
As a consensus document, it won’t satisfy everyone’s design for the perfect climate bill. Instead, it bridges the gap on the most important issues in the legislative debate, giving members of Congress clear guidelines for legislation that are environmentally effective, economically smart, and politically achievable.
It’s an attempt to find the “sweet spot” that can move the U.S. forward on climate change, in real, practical terms, toward a strong domestic emissions cap that reduces pollution at home and enables the U.S. to lead an effective global emissions reduction effort. Read More
