Each week, I review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted over at the RFF Library Blog.
EPA Clean Power Plan Webinars
Upcoming Clean Power Plan Informational Webinars
As EPA works with states, utilities, and other stakeholders to implement the Clean Power Plan, we have received requests for information on several subjects. To help states as they consider state plan options and approaches, EPA is hosting webinars on the following topics. All webinars will include a Q&A session with EPA staff. - via US EPA
Risking Risk: Improving Methane Disclosure in the Oil and Gas Industry
[From an Energy Wire article by Anne C. Mulkern, sub. req’d] Methane leaks pose an economic and climate risk that many oil and gas companies don’t fully disclose to investors, an analysis released today said. - via Greenpoint Innovations for the Environmental Defense Fund
Annual 2015 U.S. Climate Report
The 2015 annual average U.S. temperature was 54.4°F, 2.4°F above the 20th century average, the second warmest year on record. Only 2012 was warmer for the U.S. with an average temperature of 55.3°F. This is the 19th consecutive year the annual average temperature exceeded the 20th century average. The first part of the year was marked by extreme warmth in the West and cold in the East, but by the end of 2015, record warmth spanned the East with near-average temperatures across the West. This temperature pattern resulted in every state having an above-average annual temperature. - via US NOAA
Benefits of Mercury Controls for the United States
[Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News] In a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MIT researchers report that global action on reducing mercury emissions will lead to twice the economic benefits for the U.S., compared with domestic action, by 2050… - via Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
After Paris: Fiscal, Macroeconomic and Financial Implications of Global Climate Change
This paper discusses the implications of climate change for fiscal, financial, and macroeconomic policies. Most pressing is the use of carbon taxes (or equivalent trading systems) to implement the emissions mitigation pledges submitted by 186 countries for the December 2015 Paris Agreement while providing revenue for lowering other taxes or debt. Carbon pricing in developing countries would effectively mobilize climate finance, and carbon price floor arrangements are a promising way to coordinate policies internationally. Targeted fiscal measures that are tailored to national circumstances and robust across climate scenarios are needed to counter private sector under-investment in climate adaptation. And increased disclosure of carbon footprints, stress testing of asset values, and greater proliferation of hedging instruments, will facilitate low-emission investments and climate risk diversification through financial markets. - via International Monetary Fund
Follow the RFF Library Blog via RSS feed or @ChrisClotworthy on Twitter.
