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:
Co-producing Wells as a Major Source of Methane Emissions: a Review of Recent Analysis
U.S. EPA’s estimate of this number is at least 100 times lower than what it should be, according to a white paper released yesterday by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The white paper reviewed a series of recent studies that have tried to quantify methane emissions from wells that produce both natural gas and oil... — via Environmental Defense Fund
What We Know: the Reality, Risks and Response to Climate Change (AAAS Report)
...Despite “overwhelming evidence”, the AAAS said Americans had failed to appreciate the seriousness of the risks posed by climate change, and had yet to mobilise at a pace and scale needed to avoid a climate catastrophe. — via American Association for the Advancement of Science
A High-Carbon Partnership? Chinese-Latin American Relations in a Carbon-Constrained World
China’s rapidly increasing investment, trade and loans in Latin America may be entrenching high-carbon development pathways in the region, a trend scarcely mentioned in policy circles. High-carbon activities include the extraction of fossil fuels and other natural resources, expansion of large-scale agriculture and the energy-intensive stages of processing natural resources into intermediate goods. This paper addresses three examples... — via Brookings Institution
Methane Offsets for Rice Farms: California Cap and Trade Program Draft Protocol
California’s carbon cap-and-trade program is preparing to expand to cover emissions reductions from coal mines, and momentum is building for other sectors, as well… The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is also considering accepting offsets from methane reductions at rice farms... — via California Air Resources Board
California Air Pollution Mapping Tool
RAND analysts estimated how failing to meet federal and state standards for particulate matter and ozone affected private and public insurer spending on hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular causes, and ER visits for asthma, throughout California from 2005-2007. — via Rand Corporation
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