Stories: U.S. Federal Climate Policy

Has cap-and-trade in Europe worked? WRI’s Senior Fellow Jill Duggan, who helped implement the EU trading scheme, sorts the myths from reality.

Payments for ecosystem services are becoming an increasingly important part of the U.S. business and regulatory landscape. As programs that provide payments for ecosystem services grow, policy makers will need to determine how these various payments should interact with each other.

Climate change is a global issue that requires action from all countries. As the U.S. Congress develops a domestic climate and energy package, the United States seeks assurance that other countries will also act and a means to track the progress of commitments by verifying that actions have been implemented.

S.1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA) also known as the Kerry Boxer bill , provides a number of important provisions that will ensure that offsets used in the U.S. cap-and-trade program represent real, additional, measurable and verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

In deciphering U.S. climate policy, it is important to understand the limitations of the president’s powers and the distinct processes that all legislation follows in the two chambers of the United States Congress.

This summary provides a concise overview of the Chairman’s Mark of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA), released by Senator Boxer on October 23, 2009.

New analysis compares emissions reductions in the current Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey bills.

The [Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009][act-link] (CEJAPA) provides a number of provisions that facilitate the demonstration and deployment of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies. This document provides a brief overview of the most important of these. Coal use is responsible for over 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions[^1], and significant, deliberate action will be required to reduce these emissions. The CEJAPA lays a foundation for moving CCS technology to scale by reducing costs and providing funding for demonstrations.

As December’s climate change talks approach, a new WRI report discusses the successes and challenges to effective regulation in China.