The latest research and policy updates from Resources for the Future (RFF) highlight the importance of reducing carbon emissions and addressing methane emissions in the climate debate.
A recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump aims to update or eliminate the social cost of carbon (SCC), an estimate of the cost to society of emitting additional carbon dioxide emissions. RFF Fellows Brian C. Prest and Kevin Rennert refute a recent third-party analysis that criticizes the higher SCC estimate, citing robust science.
Meanwhile, a new law in Maryland aims to protect consumers from unreasonably high electricity bills by setting stricter energy efficiency standards. The law will increase funding for renewable energy projects and promote the use of clean hydrogen.
RFF researchers are also exploring ways to make forests more resilient to wildfires, examining two forest-treatment strategies: prescribed burning and mechanical thinning. They found that current levels of state and federal funding may be sufficient to achieve the lowest-cost treatment goals.
In addition, a new report by RFF scholars Yuqi Zhu and Aaron Bergman proposes that insurers can help finance the development of new clean energy technologies by assessing their viability, pricing them, and providing coverage if they fail. This approach could facilitate cooperation between technology developers and insurers.
The article also touches on the importance of balancing regulatory flexibility with stronger wildfire-mitigation efforts. RFF researchers are examining revisions to the Exceptional Events Rule, which allows air-quality readings affected by wildfire smoke to be excluded from assessments of compliance with Clean Air Act standards.
Finally, the article discusses how climate themes have become more prominent in popular culture, including films such as “Flow,” a silent animated film that tells a story of survival and resilience in the face of environmental disaster.
Source: https://www.resources.org/on-the-issues