Topic: us policy

The U.S. Congress is debating national legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For a program like cap-and-trade to work, it must rely on a robust national greenhouse gas registry. What is a registry and what should one look like?

There are two ways the U.S. government could bring consistency and credibility to the voluntary carbon offset market: endorse an existing program and provide guidance, oversight and/or enforcement.

The renewable energy tax credits expire at the end of 2008. 15 corporate green power buyers say these tax credits are absolutely critical, and are calling on Congress to renew them.

The Energy Bill just signed by President Bush will raise fuel efficiency standards, but they may not fully affect new cars until 2020. That means we won’t see the complete impact until almost 2035, when cars before 2020 will be off the road. My children will be nearing retirement by then. Are we waiting too long? Read the blog.

Trends to Watch is WRI’s annual forecast of emerging issues that will have major impacts on environmental coverage in 2008. On climate change: what will happen between COP-13 in Bali, and COP-14 in Poznan? What role will China play? Will we see new legislation and regulations from Congress or the EPA? Where will biofuels and technology go? Where will the water come from? WRI President Jonathan Lash makes his predictions at the National Press Club.

It was a day later than scheduled, but the 13th U.N. climate change conference (COP-13) in Bali at last came to a close. The world is now breathing a sigh of relief; as late as Saturday, negotiations looked like they would run off the tracks. But Bali gave us only a vague sense of the road ahead, and the only certainty is that the road will be difficult.

Climate change is also changing the political climate. In this International Herald Tribune editorial, Senator John Kerry and I cover current international and U.S. climate change politics, and what must happen in the 13th U.N. climate change conference (COP-13) beginning this week in Bali, Indonesia. Read the editorial.

This week the Senate EPW Committee is holding hearings on S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner bill. WRI’s and NRDC’s joint overview covers what the bill would mean for U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.