clair031

Summary .   This post reviews the new book “Climate Change Policy Failures: Why Conventional Mitigation Approaches Cannot Succeed” by Prof. Howard A. Latin.   Prof. Latin begins by reviewing the past decade or more of legislative activity in the U. S. concerned with abating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, finding the drafts to be ineffective (none were enacted into law).   More generally, he characterizes the gradual approach to abatement currently prevalent both nationally and internationally as being “too little, too late”, and being “back-loaded” toward later decades.   This is ineffective because GHGs would continue to accumulate, building up ever higher levels in the atmosphere and worsening the warming of the planet.   Additionally, the book details the failures at the international level to agree on world-wide abatement policies, over more than two decades. Instead, the book calls for innovative measures to “decarbonize” our energy economy by deploying r...

Summary .   One way of reducing the rate of emission of carbon dioxide is to generate electric power from renewable sources, including wind energy.   In the U. S. renewable energy has been aided by a production tax credit since 1992, that Congress, in fits and starts, has repeatedly granted and taken away.   It is scheduled to expire again on Dec. 31, 2012 .   In contrast, conventional fossil fuel energy sources have been steadily subsidized since the early 1900’s.   Renewable energy, including wind energy, benefits the U. S. by relieving dependence on foreign energy sources, expanding economic activity, and lowering the annual rate of emission of carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas.   For these reasons the production tax credit should be renewed for an extended duration, in order to convey stability and predictability to the renewable energy industry.   Introduction .   The United States burns large amounts of fossil fuels in or...

Summary .   Increased burning of fossil fuels, producing higher rates of emission of greenhouse gases, generates worsening patterns of extreme weather events that affect human wellbeing.   In response to this trend, policies are being proposed to abate emissions.   This post summarizes two recent newspaper articles proposing use of a carbon tax, or a more limited gasoline tax, for lowering emissions.   It is judged that a carbon tax is simpler and more effective than establishing a cap-and-trade regime for limiting emissions.   Introduction .   Humanity’s rate of use of fossil fuels for energy has grown to high levels in recent decades, and is projected to continue increasing for the indefinite future.   As a result, the annual rate of emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the main greenhouse gas, as well as other greenhouse gases such as methane, has likewise been increasing.   Most CO 2 , once it enters the atmosphere, remains there indefinitely...