Region: International

What policies lead to greenhouse gas emissions declines?

A recent study emphasizes the role of policy mixes in driving short-term emissions reductions

In a series of posts (beginning here, and ending here) last month, I outlined an approach to climate policy that emphasizes the role of subsidies in building political support and technological progress for climate policy.  In doing so, I drew heavily on existing political science research and case studies from North America and Europe.  But …

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The Environmental Gifts of the Magi

Clean air. Clean water. We receive these public goods every day without payment, as gifts from everyone to all of us.

One of the Christmas classics is the Jimmy Stewart movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Stewart’s character is feeling suicidal, until he learns how much he has unknowingly helped others and how grateful they are. It’s heartwarming if also very corny. There’s a flip side to that story: the need to remember how much others have contributed …

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Looking Ahead to the Second Trump Administration

Does the IRA have staying power?

This is the seventh 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 sixth post is here. The incoming Trump Administration has, of course, called for ending efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, …

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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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What Is A “Sustainable Battery”?

CLEE’s Global Forum for Sustainable Batteries releases a 2040 Sustainable Battery Vision

As the market for the electric buses, cars, trucks, and trains that help curb the climate crisis continues to grow globally, the battery supply chain faces increased scrutiny. Minerals like lithium, nickel, graphite, and cobalt are too often mined and processed in ways that contribute to harming communities and ecosystems, while the batteries often face …

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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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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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