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Book Description

Questions surrounding the issue of climate change are evolving from "Is it happening?" to "What can be done about it?" The primary obstacles to addressing it at this point are not scientific but political and economic; nonetheless a quick resolution is unlikely.

Ignorance and confusion surrounding the issue -- including a lack of understanding of climate science, its implications for the environment and society, and the range of policy options available -- contributes to the political morass over dealing with climate change in which we find ourselves. Climate Change Policy addresses that situation by bringing together a wide range of new writings from leading experts that examine the many dimensions of the topics most important in understanding climate change and policies to combat it. Chapters consider:

  • climate science in historical perspective
  • analysis of uncertainties in climate science and policy
  • the economics of climate policy
  • North-South and intergenerational equity issues
  • the role of business and industry in climate solutions
  • policy mechanisms including joint implementation, emissions trading, and the so-called clean development mechanism
Regardless of the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the issues raised in that debate will persist as new climate protection regimes emerge; this volume treats most of those topics. Tying the chapters together is a shared conclusion that climate change is a real and serious problem, and that we as a society have an obligation not merely to adapt to it but to mitigate it in whatever intelligent ways we can develop. Cost-effectiveness is not disdained, but neither is the imperative for valuing species threatened by rapid climate change.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
 
PART I. Science and Impacts
Chapter 1. Understanding Climate Science \ Richard Wolfson and Stephen H. Schneider
Chapter 2. Uncertainty and Climate Change Policy \ Stephen H. Schneider and Kristin Kuntz-Duriseti
Chapter 3. Regional Impact Assessments: A Case Study of California \ Elenor G. Turman
 
PART II. Economic Analysis 
Chapter 4. International Approaches to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions \ Lawrence H. Goulder and Brian M. Nadreau
Chapter 5. Designing Global Climate Regulation \ Jonathan Baert Wiener
Chapter 6. Carbon Abatement with Economic Growth: A National Strategy \ Stephen Bernow, Alison Bailie, William Dougherty Sivan Kartha, and Michael Lazarus
 
PART III. Policy Context 
Chapter 7. U.S. Climate Change Policy \ Armin Rosencranz
Chapter 8. The Climate Policy Debate in the U.S. Congress \ Kai S. Anderson
Chapter 9. Population and Climate Change Policy \ Frederick A. B. Meyerson
Chapter 10. Global Climate Change: A Business Perspective \ Thomas G. Burns
Chapter 11. Activities Implemented Jointly \ Reimund Schwarze
 
PART IV. Forests and Agriculture
Chapter 12. Climate Change and Agriculture: Mitigation Options and Potential \ Holly L. Pearson
Chapter 13. Tropical Forest and Climate Change \ John O. Niles
 
PART V. Development and Equity 
Chapter 14. A Southern Perspective on Curbing Global Cilmate Change \ Anil Agarwal
Chapter 15. Equity, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Global Common Resources
 
PART VI. Energy Choices 
Chapter 16. Renewable Energy Sources as a Response to Global Climate Concerns \ John J. Berger
Chapter 17. Fuel Cells, Carbon Sequestration, Infrastructure, and the Transition to a Hydrogen Economy \ Michael B. Cummings
Chapter 18. Energy R&D and Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities \ Robert M. Margolis and Daniel M. Kammen
Chapter 19. Business Capitalization on Energy Transition Opportunities \ Orie L. Loucks
Chapter 20. Earth Systems: Engineering and Management \ Stephen H. Schneider
 
Appendix A. Climate Negotiation History \ Leonie Haimson
Appendix B. ""Hot Air"" and ""Hot Air"" Policies \ Reimund Schwarze
Glossary
Index

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