Lars Christopher

November 2014

"A Pre-Lima Scorecard for Evaluating which Countries are Doing Their Fair Share in Pledged Carbon Cuts"

By Valentina Bosetti and Jeffrey Frankel, James W. Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth

The authors explore a novel approach to evaluating the ambition and fairness of countries' voluntary pledges to reduce emissions. This approach could facilitate negotiations at the upcoming UN climate conference in Lima—and the broader process leading to a new 2015 international climate agreement.

Sean Gallup

November 18, 2014

"Harvard Project to Conduct Side-event on Linkage of Climate Policies at COP-20"

Panelists will discuss how the new international agreement to be concluded in Paris, in December 2015 at COP-21, might either facilitate or impede linkage—not only among cap-and-trade systems, but among cap-and-trade, carbon tax, and non-market regulatory systems. This is an important topic, as linkage has the potential to increase the cost-effectiveness, political feasibility, and environmental effectiveness of regional, national, and sub-national climate policies. The event is co-hosted by the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), Arizona State University, and the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements.

November 18, 2014

Harvard Project to Conduct Side-event on Energy Efficiency at COP-20

Panelists will discuss the "energy-efficiency gap"—that is, the apparent gap, suggested by research, between the rate at which energy-efficient technologies are actually adopted and the rate at which we expect them to be adopted, based on expected private financial returns to investment in these technologies. As energy efficiency is often put forward as an important approach to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, an understanding of the energy-efficiency gap is relevant to climate-change policy.

November 2014

"An Assessment of the Energy-Efficiency Gap and its Implications for Climate-Change Policy"

By Todd D. Gerarden, Richard G. Newell, Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements and Robert C. Stowe, Executive Director, Harvard Environmental Economics Program; Manager, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Improving end-use energy efficiency—that is, the energy-efficiency of individuals, households, and firms as they consume energy—is often cited as an important element in efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Arguments for improving energy efficiency usually rely on the idea that energy-efficient technologies will save end users money over time and thereby provide low-cost or no-cost options for reducing GHG emissions. However, some research suggests that energy-efficient technologies appear not to be adopted by consumers and businesses to the degree that would seem justified, even on a purely financial basis.

December 10, 2014

"Spurring the Rest of the Planet"

Politico

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

"China's and America's commitments create a sufficient foundation for meaningful future steps among the entire global community, beginning with the 2015 Paris agreement that is being drafted in Lima over the next two weeks. With the announced Chinese and American national determined contributions, the future Paris agreement would include countries that together account for more than 40 percent of global carbon emissions. With Europe already on board, the total amounts to more than 50 percent of the world's emissions."

November 24, 2014

"Should Endowments Divest Their Holdings in Fossil Fuels? No: The Symbolic Act Would Achieve Little and Cost Much"

Wall Street Journal

By Robert N. Stavins, Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government; Member of the Board; Director, Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

"...[E]ven if divestment were to reduce the industry's financial resources, this would only serve to reduce fossil-fuel companies' efforts to develop emissions-cutting technologies such as carbon capture and storage. It also could slow development of new renewable energy sources by fossil-fuel companies pursuing sensible diversification strategies. Also, keep in mind that a major reason for recent declines in U.S. carbon emissions is our increased use of natural gas (a fossil fuel) instead of coal to generate electricity."

October 6, 2014

Legal and Policy Perspectives on EPA's Proposed Clean Power Plan

By Louisa Lund

Is EPA's proposal for regulating carbon emissions from existing sources a reasonable interpretation of the Clean Air Act, likely to lead to significant environmental benefits at reasonable economic cost, or is it an overly complex overreach, likely to be overturned by the courts or abandoned by a future president?  In a discussion moderated by Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government Robert Stavins, David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Jeffrey Holmstead of Bracewell & Giuliani discussed their differing views of EPA's proposed rule.