Climate Change Policy Publications
Assessing Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Opportunities and Implementation Strategies for Agricultural Land Management in the United States
October 2011 - by Lydia P. Olander, Alison J. Eagle, Justin S. Baker, Karen Haugen-Kozyra, Brian C. Murray, Alexandra Kravchenko, Lucy R. Henry, and Robert B. Jackson
Approximately 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from agriculture. This number could be reduced through the use of on-farm management practices, such as switching to no-till, reducing fallow, managing species composition on grazing lands, and adjusting management of nitrogen fertilizer. Efforts are under way by government, industry, and others to incentivize such practices by creating new business opportunities or revenue for farmers and ranchers. This assessment reviews a wide range of agricultural practices and provides a roadmap and resource for programs and initiatives that are designing protocols, metrics, or incentives to engage farmers and ranchers in large-scale efforts to enhance GHG mitigation on working agricultural land in the United States.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Nitrogen Use in U.S. Agriculture: Historic Trends, Future Projections, and Biofuel Policy Impacts
October 2011 - by Justin S. Baker, Brian C. Murray, Bruce A. McCarl, Steven K. Rose, and Joshua Schneck
Agriculture is among the world’s largest sources of greenhouse emissions and is the largest source of certain types of anthropogenic nitrogen pollution. But as a source of renewable fuels production and carbon sequestration, agriculture could also be part of the solution to energy security and climate change problems. Similarly, improved management of agricultural nitrogen use could be the key to managing nitrogen pollution in surface- and groundwater systems. If policy makers are to determine how best to develop and implement effective policy interventions to correct environmental problems in agriculture, the critical linkages among demand, supply, land use, nitrogen use, and greenhouse gas emissions must be captured. This paper projects greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen use from agricultural and forestry practices under baseline and alternative biofuel scenarios in the United States, while accounting for land use competition, production heterogeneity, and a full suite of biofuel production possibilities.
Seeding the Market: Auctioned Put Options for Certified Emission Reductions
August 2011 - by William A. Pizer
There are a number of reasons for considering some kind of market-based, pay-for-performance mechanism to mitigate developing country greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This policy brief lays out arguments for the auctioned put option as a pay-for-performance mechanism that would allow governments or philanthropic organizations to support and catalyze markets for GHG reductions. The existing offset market, with its detailed methodologies for calculating emission reductions, offers tools that could be borrowed by such a mechanism. Auctioned put options could target a subset of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects—segregated by type of project or country of origin—or an entirely different set of activities, such as REDD+ (reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation plus conservation, sustainable forest management, and enhancement of carbon stocks). The key element is that there must be standardized rules (or the promise of rules) detailing how emission reductions get counted and certified.
Examination of the Carbon Fee Alternative for the State of California
June 2011 - by Brian C. Murray, Jan V. Mazurek, and Timothy H. Profeta
The California Air Resources Board (ARB), as a result of a recent court decision, is required to provide information about a carbon fee as one of several alternatives to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Other alternatives include direct regulation of facilities, cap and trade, and a mix of sectoral strategies. This paper examines the carbon fee as an option for controlling greenhouse gases and compares it to other regulatory alternatives, such as the cap-and-trade approach ARB initially decided to take.
Demand for REDD Carbon Credits: A Primer on Buyers, Markets, and Factors Impacting Prices
February 2011 - by Joshua D. Schneck, Brian C. Murray, Christopher S. Galik, and W. Aaron Jenkins
This paper provides an overview of the demand for forest carbon, including potential buyers and their objectives, markets for forest carbon, and forces that affect the price of forest carbon. It is intended for parties and organizations who are considering developing forest carbon projects, as an aid to understanding the changing market and demand for forest carbon credits. While the primary focus of the paper is on markets and demand for REDD credits—credits arising from projects that reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation—much of the information is applicable to afforestation and reforestation projects, as well as improved forest management.
An Output-based Intensity Approach for Crediting Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Agriculture: Explanation and Policy Implications
February 2011
Recent climate legislative proposals place a significant emphasis on greenhouse gas (GHG) offsets in uncapped sectors (e.g., agriculture and forestry) to reduce compliance costs of an economy‐wide cap‐and‐trade system, while incentivizing more environmentally friendly production. The most recent bill to be proposed is the Kerry‐Lieberman American Power Act. Section 734 of this bill establishes a comprehensive list of potentially eligible domestic offset activities. Among those included are “projects that reduce the greenhouse gas intensity per unit of agricultural production.” This output‐based intensity approach is a distinct departure from standard offset mechanisms for agriculture, which focus on absolute GHG reductions that are determined on a per unit area (acre or hectare) to which the practices are applied. While the focus of this discussion is offset mechanisms in regulatory or voluntary markets, insights can also be gained for low‐carbon fuel standards, supply chain requirements, and other low‐carbon strategies.
Transportation Infrastructure Spending and Climate Outcomes: Effects of Reinvesting Transportation Carbon Fee Revenues in Transportation Infrastructure
December 2010 - by Craig Raborn
Estimating the Employment Impacts of Energy and Environmental Policies and Programs: Workshop Summary Report
December 2010 - by Josh Schneck, Brian C. Murray, Etan Gumerman, and Suzanne Tegen
With U.S. unemployment rates hovering near 10 percent, new energy and environmental policies are being scrutinized more and more for their ability to create jobs. Yet, the information provided concerning these policies’ impact on jobs is widely variable, is often conflicting, and can confuse policymaking efforts. This policy brief summarizes the key points of a workshop the Nicholas Institute convened in October, which examined how to best estimate and convey the employment impacts that may result from enactment of energy and environmental policy.
Policy Impacts on Deforestation: Lessons Learned from Past Experiences to Inform New Initiatives
June 2010 - by Alexander Pfaff, Erin O. Sills, Gregory S. Amacher, Michael J. Coren, Kathleen Lawlor, and Charlotte Streck
A new Nicholas Institute report looks at the successes and failures of previous policy attempts to stem deforestation and suggests a way forward for global policy efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas from deforestation.
An Analysis of the Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal (CLEAR) Act and Comparison to Waxman-Markey
May 2010 - by Eric Williams
Emissions Offsets in a Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Policy
May 2010
Chapter in Issues of the Day: 100 Commentaries on Climate, Energy, the Environment, Transportation, and Public Health Policy
The Effects of Low-Carbon Policies on Net Farm Income
February 2010 - by Justin S. Baker, Bruce A. McCarl, Brian C. Murray, Steven K. Rose, Ralph J. Alig, Darius Adams, Greg Latta, Robert Beach, Adam Daigneault
Expanding the Scope of International Terrestrial Carbon Options: Implications of REDD+ and Beyond
February 2010 - by Kathleen Lawlor, Aaron Jenkins, Lydia P. Olander, Brian C. Murray
Forging a Path for High-Quality Compliance REDD Credits
December 2009 - by Brian Murray, Lydia Olander, Donald P. Kanak
U.S. Government Funding for Forests in Developing Countries and the New REDD+ Landscape
October 2009 - by Kathleen Lawlor and Lydia Olander
Strategic Reserve Coupons
October 2009 - by Jon A. Anda, Nathaniel O. Keohane, Peter Maniloff, Brian Murray and Tim Profeta
A New Idea for Cost Containment
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