RFF Features

Whither Markets for Environmental Regulation?

This article from the latest issue of Resources magazine covers the highlights from an RFF policy symposium where researchers drew lessons from attempts to incorporate market-based approaches in the regulation of air pollution, water quality, and land development.

Crowdsourcing Environmental Science and Reporting

This recent Resources magazine article highlights RFF's February First Wednesday Seminar, where panelists discussed how perceptions about ?climatec hange? are shaped and detailed efforts such as ??iseeChange?, a major public media project that combines ??environmental? reporting, local community engagement, and crowdsourcing.

Preserving Blue Carbon to Limit Global Climate Change: An Interview with Juha Siikam?ki

In an interview for the Resources 2013 digital issue, RFF Associate Research Director Juha Siikam?ki discusses preserving ?blue carbon? coastal areas ?via a REDD-like framework.?

Energy Independence?What Then?

RFF Senior Fellows Joel Darmstadter and Roger Sedjo discuss the implications of North American energy independence in this article from the digital issue of Resources magazine.

Green Infrastructure: Investing in Nature to Build Safer Communities

A new article in Resources magazine highlights recent work at RFF's Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth, examining how green infrastructure can be a cost-effective substitute for the pipes, dams, levees, and treatment plants traditionally used to control flooding, purify and store water, and reduce urban stormwater runoff.

Connecting International Climate Agreements and Domestic Actions: An Interview with Takashi Hattori

In an interview with Resources magazine, Takashi Hattori, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Environment and ?Climate Change? Unit, discusses his experiences with climate policy negotiations both internationally and within Japan.

The Controversy over US Coal Exports

In a new Resources magazine article, RFF Senior Fellow Joel Darmstadter looks at why American coal is embroiled in controversy?both political and ??environmental??over plans to serve foreign markets, most notably in China and India.

Hurricane Sandy and the National Flood Insurance Program

Resources magazine: Based on research from RFF Fellow Carolyn Kousky and Erwann Michel-Kerjan of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, this infographic shows the relationship between Hurricane Sandy?s impact in New York and New Jersey and ?take-up rates??the percentage of households covered by federal flood insurance.

The New CAFE Standards: Are They Enough on Their Own?

The new CAFE standards may require complementary policies to meet the ambitious goals of reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In a new RFF discussion paper, RFF Senior Fellow Virginia D. McConnell examines the new footprint standards, their implications for changes to the size mix of vehicles, and the role of credit policies on compliance and cost-effectiveness of the rule.

Resources Magazine: Ensuring Competitiveness under a US Carbon Tax

Tax exemptions, industry rebates, and border tax adjustments can help protect the competitiveness of industries affected by a carbon tax, but they are not equally efficient at achieving economic and environmental goals. In the latest issue of Resources, RFF scholars Carolyn Fischer, Richard Morgenstern, and Nathan Richardson examine the issues.

Resources Magazine: The Limits to Ingenuity

When is ingenuity likely to help solve ecological problems? Is humanity?s ability to innovate its way around environmental problems relevant to how we think about conservation? RFF Senior Fellow and Center for the Management of Ecological Wealth Co-Director Jim Boyd tackles these questions and contemplates the limits to ingenuity in a piece for the latest issue of Resources.

Policy Options for Addressing Carbon Tax Impacts to Households

Carbon pricing remains the strongest option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. But such a policy still faces serious political hurdles in part because of the perception that a carbon tax would most negatively impact the poor. Clayton Munnings and Daniel Morris address the potential of a carbon tax to actually be progressive in a new RFF issue brief.

Resources Magazine: How a Clean Energy Standard Works

A clean energy standard, a policy that imposes a minimum level of electricity generation that comes from clean energy, has been proposed in various forms since 2010. In an interview for Resources magazine, Center Fellow Anthony Paul and Resident Scholar Nathan Richardson discuss the details and viability of such a policy.

US Shale Gas Development in Review

The United States has seen rapid recent development of shale gas. What are the factors behind the notable growth in the past decade? And what does it mean for shale gas development elsewhere in the world? RFF scholars Alan Krupnick and Zhongmin Wang examine the history of the US shale gas boom in a new RFF discussion paper.

Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Analysis Deconstructed: Changing Assumptions, Changing Results

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.

Resources Magazine: Population and Sustainability

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.

Aligning Carbon Markets: The Case of California and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

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.

Thinking Like an Economist Within the Complex Climate Policy Regime

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.

Press Release: Impacts of Shale Gas Development on Rivers and Streams

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.

Agricultural Biotechnology and the Environment

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.

Policy Insights for Narrowing the Energy Efficiency Gap

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.

What the Experts Say about the Environmental Risks of Shale Gas Development

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.

Valuing Climate Amenities in the United States

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.

Evaluating Approaches for Financing State Parks

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.?

The Past, Present, and Future of Carbon Markets

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.

Answering Questions about a Carbon Tax: How New Natural Gas Supplies Impact the Electricity Sector

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

Will Natural Gas Vehicles Be in Our Future?

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.

Policy Options for Encouraging Home Energy Efficiency Improvements

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.

Managing Water through Innovative Collaboration

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

Using Transferable Development Rights to Control Land Use

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.

High-Speed Rail Passions

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.

Resources 2020 with Thomas C. Schelling

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

Clean Air Regulations and the Electricity Sector

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.

The Coming US Carbon Market: Planning for Ex Post Analysis

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.

Does Speculation Drive Oil Prices?

Resources magazine: Research on the forces behind the 2004?2008 dramatic spike in oil price challenges the common perception that excessive speculation in the futures market is to blame.

US Energy Policy: A Changing Landscape

As Congress gears up to overhaul the tax code, RFF President Phil Sharp examines developments reshaping today?s energy markets and assesses whether federal incentives are cost-effectively achieving the intended results.

Protecting Coastal Environments to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Preventing the release of ?blue carbon? stored in mangroves, sea grasses, and salt marshes may be an effective way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. A new RFF report details the possibilities.

Have Questions About a Carbon Tax?

You can find answers at RFF's carbon tax FAQs, developed by the Center for Climate and Electricity Policy.

Resources 2020 with Kenneth J. Arrow

1972 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences Kenneth J. Arrow delivered the second in a series of lectures celebrating RFF's 60th anniversary. Archived video of the event is now available.

Does Eco-Certification Pay? Costa Rica?s Blue Flag Program

RFF Senior Fellow Allen Blackman and his colleagues present some of the first evidence that eco-certification programs in developing countries can have positive impacts for both the economy and environment.

The Hidden Costs of Power: Health Effects of Coal Electricity Generation in India

Resources magazine: Emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides from coal-fired power plants are costing Indians their lives. How stringently should these pollutants be regulated, and what form should regulations take?

Forest Tenure Reform in China

Resources magazine: To boost domestic forest production and correct rural?urban income disparity, China is putting forest management rights into the hands of its citizens.

Beyond CO2: The Other Agents of Influence

Resources magazine: Cutting emissions of soot and methane?two short-term contributors to climate change?would slow warming while improving human health and food security.

US Status on Climate Change Mitigation

The United States is on course to achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 16.3 percent from 2005 levels in 2020?despite a lack of comprehensive climate legislation. RFF Senior Fellow Dallas Burtraw and coauthor Matthew Woerman examine the factors contributing to this outcome.

Managing Rural Water Systems: Keys to Success

Resources magzine: A study of village drinking water associations in Costa Rica reveals why some communities are effective at providing safe drinking water, while others fail.

Connecting Environmental Economics and Policy in Developing Countries

Resources magazine: Environment for Development (EfD) initiative Director Gunnar K?hlin talks about EfD?s achievements as it marks its fifth year and its goals for more policy-relevant environmental economics research in developing countries.

Eco-certification in Developing Countries: Truth in Advertising?

Resources magazine: RFF Senior Fellow Allen Blackman documents the surprising lack of hard evidence that eco-certification benefits the environment and describes some of the first rigorous studies showing that it can.

Tax Incentives for Developing Sewage Treatment Capacity in China

RFF?s Anthony Liu and coauthor Junjie Zhang examine the uneven development of sewage treatment plants throughout China and explore the relationship between tax incentives and investments in such infrastructure.

Resources 2020 with Joseph E. Stiglitz

2001 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences Joseph E. Stiglitz delivered the first in a series of lectures celebrating RFF's 60th anniversary. Archived video of the event is now available.

Why Environmental Policy Rarely Follows Economic Advice

RFF?s Dallas Burtraw explains that economic approaches to environmental policy need to consider the complex interactions of federal, state, and local governance institutions to be fully effective.