Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy. Check out this week’s highlights below:
Border Carbon Adjustment and International Trade: A Literature Review
An important source of political opposition to measures aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) arises from concerns over their negative effects on the competitiveness of domestic firms, especially those that are energy-intensive and exposed to competition from foreign producers. Politicians and industry representatives alike... — via OECD
Transaction Costs of Low-carbon Technologies and Policies: The Diverging Literature
Transaction costs are major challenge to moving forward toward low-carbon economic growth, as new technologies or policies tend to have higher transaction costs compared with those in the business as usual situation. However, neither a well-developed theoretical foundation nor a consensus interpretation is available for those transaction costs in the existing literature. — via World Bank
Hydraulic Fracturing: Selected Legal Issues
...An amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) passed as a part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) clarified that the Underground Injection Control (UIC) requirements found in the SDWA do not apply to hydraulic fracturing, although the exclusion does not extend to the use of diesel fuel in hydraulic fracturing operations. — via Congressional Research Service
A study of water withdrawals at hydraulic fracturing sites in the Marcellus Shale region shows most of the water injected is eventually removed from the hydrologic cycle, a finding that the study’s authors say raises concerns over operations in drier regions of the country or if operators begin developing deeper shale plays that require more water... — via Downstream Strategies for Earthworks Oil & Gas Accountability Project
Technology Roadmap: Wind Energy
Wind power could generate up to 18% of the world’s electricity by 2050, compared with 2.6% today, the new report Technology Roadmap: Wind Energy – 2013 Edition finds. The nearly 300 gigawatts of current wind power worldwide must increase eight- to ten-fold to achieve the roadmap’s vision, with the more than USD 78 billion in investment in 2012 progressively reaching USD 150 billion per year. — via International Energy Agency
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