Climate Change
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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CONTINUE READINGThe 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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CONTINUE READINGNo, Virginia, There is No Sanity Clause
A dangerous hallucinatory thread runs through today’s public discourse.
Unlike politicians and influences,even the most extreme federal judges feel compelled to make actual arguments for their positions and don’t attribute events to supernatural forces or bizarre conspiracies. They may be dead wrong – and often are in my opinion –but they still live in the world of rational discourse. Too many people in the public sphere seem to have left that realm behind whether the subject is public health or climate change.
CONTINUE READINGThe 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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CONTINUE READINGTowards Better Permitting Reform
What are we trying to achieve?
This is the third in a series of posts on permitting reform. The first post is here. The second post is here. How could we realistically achieve permitting reform that will advance climate and environmental goals? Answering that question requires recognizing the political realities of a sharply divided Congress and country. Any significant change to …
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CONTINUE READINGDeal or No Deal?
Should Congress pass EPRA?
This is the second in a series of posts on permitting reform. The first post is here. Given the provisions of the Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA), should Congress enact it as it stands now? Answering that question is tricky, in part because it depends both on uncertain political and administrative action, as well as …
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CONTINUE READINGShould We Do Permitting Reform?
What is at stake with the Manchin bill.
As Congress wraps up its lame duck session before the new Congress and President arrive in January, there is a lot of debate about whether to move forward on permitting reform within a quickly shrinking window of time. The basis of debate is the Energy Permitting Reform Act (EPRA) co-sponsored by Senators Manchin and Barrasso. …
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CONTINUE READINGA Framework for Equity and Local Leadership in the EV Transition
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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CONTINUE READINGSix Things to Know about Rights of Nature
More than 500 Rights of Nature laws and policies have been passed globally. Here’s how to make sense of this nascent movement — or movements.
This Fall, I have been co-teaching a course on Rights of Nature with the historian Jill Lepore. This is the first time either of us have taught the subject and it has proven a wonderful opportunity to explore with our students this emerging movement — one that some have praised as “A Legal Revolution That …
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CONTINUE READINGYes, Virginia, There ARE Federal Climate Laws.
Contrary to myth, Congress has actually passed laws relating directly to climate change.
It’s a common misconception that Congress has never passed any climate change legislation. But Congresshas passed at least laws regulating two powerful greenhouse gases, as well as a series of other laws stretching back almost forty years. The story begins under President Nixon and extends into the Biden years with the multi-billion dollar Inflation Reduction Act.
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