Feed aggregator

EPA regulations on mercury and other air pollutants currently under review are the subject of much debate for their potential costs and impacts on the electricity industry. In a new discussion paper, a team of RFF experts examines the assumptions behind several studies that have analyzed the potential effects of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, finding that the impacts may be less rigid and less uncertain than suggested by some models.

Pennsylvania State University professor Warren C. Robinson explains how changes in the demographic processes ? fertility, mortality, and migration ? affect the prospect of sustainable global economic development in the latest Resources magazine.

Incrementally aligning policies in distinct carbon markets?linking by degrees?can allow programs to experience immediate benefits of sharing best practices in program design. A team of experts from RFF and Yale have examined the details and prospects for the cap-and-trade programs in California and the Northeast in this new feature.

Building on recent work that highlights the need to account for institutions in crafting economic solutions to environmental problems, RFF scholars Matt Woerman and Dallas Burtraw look specifically to the implementation of climate policy?and how incentive-based thinking can help.

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of RFF researchers analyzed more than 20,000 surface water quality observations to estimate the effects of shale gas development on downstream water quality.

Video is now available for RFF?s recent seminar ?Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment: Perspectives on the Next 10 Years,? part of the Resources 2020 series. Hear panelists discuss the widespread use of genetically modified (GM) crops and the regulatory debate over the labeling of GM foods.

A new RFF discussion paper explores the ?energy efficiency gap? and what it means for policy by bringing in the latest insights from behavioral economics.

A new RFF report highlights a high degree of consensus among experts from government, industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations about the key risks associated with shale gas production and development.

The value of climate amenities to households may have significant implications for estimates of the costs of climate change. A new RFF discussion paper examines the possibilities in the United States.

In new research, RFF?s Margaret Walls finds that financially struggling state park systems are in need of a fresh approach?but that there is no ?one size fits all.?

New research explores lessons learned to date from carbon markets around the world and presents new issues to be examined in the future, such as the linking of existing markets.

Resources magazine: This infographic illustrates the potential revenue of a carbon tax and looks at the role natural gas plays in electricity generation.

Resources magazine: RFF Senior Fellow Alan Krupnick considers whether natural gas in the transportation sector will extend beyond heavy-duty vehicles in the United States.

Resources magazine: RFF Visiting Scholar Lynn Scarlett explains how network governance can address cross-jurisdictional water management issues in the United States.

New research by RFF?s Margaret Walls identifies the tradeoffs associated with choosing among loans, subsidies, and standards as policies to encourage energy efficiency improvements in homes.

RFF?s Margaret Walls describes the virtues, and the pitfalls, of market-based programs for land conservation and discusses the lessons learned from three decades of a Maryland program.

Resources magazine: Will California?s proposed train system linking San Francisco and Los Angeles set the course for high-speed rail development across the country? RFF Senior Fellow Joel Darmstadter investigates.

Video now available for "Geoengineering: Time for Some Gentle Experimentation" with Thomas C. Schelling, 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences.

Resources magazine: RFF experts weigh the potential effects of historic air pollution regulations compared to those of cheap natural gas and falling demand on electricity prices and the generation mix.

RFF experts have developed several background memos on cap-and-trade and carbon tax systems to provide informative overviews and highlight current work, available data, and potential research limitations.