Region: California

Broadening the Scope of Climate Policy

How to expand climate policy to new places and new sectors

This is the sixth in a series of posts.  The first post is here.  The second post is here.  The third post is here.  The fourth post is here.  The fifth post is here. The political dynamics of decarbonization that I’ve sketched out are very specific to time, space, and economic sector.  The policy approaches …

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How to Commit to Decarbonization

Feedback effects can lock in decarbonization policies, for better and for worse

This is the fifth in a series of posts.  The first post is here.  The second post is here.  The third post is here.  The fourth post is here.  Decarbonization is a long-term challenge, and it requires commitments to drive the investments required for innovation and deployment of non-fossil-fuel energy sources.  But long-term commitments, which …

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Our Mission: Keeping Hope Alive

If you read Legal Planet, you know the work of the environmental law centers at Berkeley and UCLA is critical. Now is the time to support it.

The Trump Administration is planning a tsunami of anti-environmental actions..  States like California will be the best hope for making progress in the next four years.  Keeping the torch burning — helping California succeed — will be challenging. So will fending off hostile actions from Washington. Our centers at Berkeley and UCLA are at the heart of this work. 

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On Carbon Pricing and Mass Climate Movements

Neither carbon pricing nor a mass climate movement can drive effective climate policy on their own

This is the fourth in a series of posts.  The first post is here.  The second post is here.  The third post is here. What lessons can we draw from this analysis for key climate policy debates?  Here, I will focus on two key lessons, first for carbon pricing, and second for the use of …

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EPA Grants California’s Waivers for Clean Cars and Clean Trucks

By finally granting the Advanced Clean Car II waiver, the agency just undercut Trump’s planned attack on electric vehicles.

EPA just made the incoming Trump Administration’s efforts to stop the move toward clean, zero emission vehicles a whole lot tougher.  And ironically, the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision overturning deference to agency actions, Loper Bright v Raimondo, may help California in any litigation over the legitimacy of the waiver request. EPA finally granted California …

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Step-by-Step: The Role of Sequencing in Effective Climate Policy

The key to climate policy is to start by supporting investments in new technologies that produce both innovation and political change

This is the third in a series of posts.  The first post is here.  The second post is here. How might sequencing work in climate policy?  And why is it important?  I’ll explore these questions by walking through the most important stage of climate policy – initiating action on climate change. The initial steps of …

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The Multiple Goals of Climate Policy

Effective climate policy requires consideration of efficiency, equity, technological innovation, carbon reductions and political feasibility

This is the second in a series of posts.  The first post is here. When people think about climate policy, they probably think that the goal of climate policy is reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  And of course, the ultimate goal of climate policy is to reduce emissions, eventually getting us to an economy that is …

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The Difficult Politics of Climate Change

How can we enact policy that is effective, resilient, and expands its ambition over time?

Climate change is a difficult problem to solve, politically.  The costs of addressing climate change are born by current generations, but the benefits accrue to many generations to come.  Addressing climate change might require people today to make significant sacrifices to benefit people around the world, as well as future generations.  There are significant, powerful …

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A Framework for Equity and Local Leadership in the EV Transition

Buses and cars

New tools to help local governments plan for equitable and effective investments

Eliminating fossil fuel-powered vehicles from the road is necessary to fight climate change and save thousands of lives at risk due to poor air quality. As governments and the auto industry advance the switch to electric vehicles, this rapid technology transition may disrupt traditional mobility patterns–and, without equitable planning and policy, it has the potential …

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California Can Protect Climate Policies—and Pocketbooks

California flag and Capitol.

Lawmakers can use climate policies to alleviate some cost burdens. They should also resist the narrative that climate progress is driving affordability concerns.

Affordability is the name of the game at the California Legislature this session, with leaders in both the Assembly and the Senate talking explicitly about cost of living. But legislators’ focus on bringing costs down for average Californians doesn’t need to come at the expense of forward-thinking climate policy. Here are a few things legislators …

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