The Case for a Climate Protection Authority

Brookings Institution / by William J. Antholis and Nigel Purvis http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0127_climate_change_antholis_purvis.aspx?rssid=LatestFromBrookings As the economic crisis deepens, pressures grow on President Obama to defer campaign pledges like addressing energy security and climate change. Yet, according to William Antholis and Nigel Purvis, postponing major action would be a major mistake. They say Obama should move forward now [...]

EDF Innovation Exchange

EDF http://innovation.edf.org/home.cfm [From press release] On January 12th, 2008 The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched the Innovation Exchange (http://Innovation.edf.org), a first-of-its-kind online resource that allows businesses to quickly identify and share ways to improve their environmental performance and reduce costs. The Exchange provides a no-cost, comprehensive set of recommendations, case studies, publications and tools for [...]

International Climate Policy for a Post-Kyoto World: Understanding Sectoral Approaches : Presentation at ETIP Seminar Series

Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard University / by Jonas Meckling and Gu Yoon Chung http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18778/international_climate_policy_for_a_postkyoto_world.html [Website] As the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, the international policy community is exploring options for a future climate policy framework. Among the various proposals, so-called sectoral approaches have featured prominently, increasingly gaining political momentum. Yet, there is considerable confusion [...]

The Role of Public Works Infrastructure in Economic Stimulus

Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.cdt.org/document/R40107 [Summary]  Interest in using federal government spending to stimulate U.S. economic recovery has intensified recently in response to indicators showing significant deterioration of the economy. Policymakers at all levels of government are debating a range of options to address these problems. Some favor using traditional monetary and fiscal policies. Others, however, [...]

Determining the Extent of Market and Extent of Resource for Stated Preference Survey Design Using Mapping Methods

National Center for Environmental Economics, US EPA / by Shalini P. Vajjhala, Anna Mische John and David A. Evans http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eed.nsf/WPNumber/2008-09?OpenDocument [Abstract]  Determining the appropriate survey population and the commodity to be valued are among the most fundamental design decisions for stated preference (SP) surveys. However, often little information is available about who in the population [...]

The Green Industry: An Examination of Environmental Products Manufacturing

National Center for Environmental Economics, US EPA / by Randy A. Becker and Ronald J. Shadbegian http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eed.nsf/WPNumber/2008-10?OpenDocument [Abstract]  The “green industry” is often noted in discussions of the costs and benefits of environmental policy, and it has been characterized as a unique industry with substantial potential for employment growth, well-paying jobs, and export opportunities. In [...]

Germs Go Global : Why Emerging Infectious Diseases Are a Threat to America

Trust for America’s Health http://healthyamericans.org/report/56/germs-go-global [Website]  Germs Go Global: Why Emerging Infectious Diseases Are a Threat to America finds that at least 170,000 Americans die annually from newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, a number that could increase dramatically during a severe flu pandemic or yet-unknown disease outbreak.  Factors including globalization, increased antimicrobial (drug) resistance, [...]

Preventing Biological Invasions : Doing Something vs. Doing Nothing

National Center for Environmental Economics, US EPA / by David Simpson http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eed.nsf/WPNumber/2008-11?OpenDocument [Abstract] Both biologists and economists are concerned about invasive species. There are several well-documented instances in which biological invaders have done extensive damage. This has led some economists to conclude that biological invaders should be treated as a form of “pollution”, and that [...]

Evaluating Voluntary Programs with Spillovers: The Case of Coal Combustion Products Partnership

National Center for Environmental Economics, US EPA / by Ian Lange http://yosemite.epa.gov/EE/epa/eed.nsf/WPNumber/2008-12?OpenDocument [Abstract] The framework for voluntary program evaluation assumes that voluntary programs provide partners with information that will not be transferred to non-partners. In this framework, a voluntary program is said to be worthwhile if there are significant differences between the behavior of partners [...]

A Blueprint for a Climate Friendly Cement Industry (aka How to Turn Around the Trend of Cement Related Emissions in the Developing World)

Ecofys for World Wildlife Fund International / by Nicolas Müller and Jochen Harnisch http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/news/?151542 The global cement industry can avoid up to 90% of emissions projected according to a new WWF report. A blueprint for a climate friendly cement industry says that the highly energy intensive industry, responsible for 8% of global emissions, has the [...]