resources for the future

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Many from the “peak oil” community say we should worry about a decline in world oil supply. In my view, the danger is quite different: The real danger is financial collapse, coming much earlier.[read more]

Globalization seems to be looked on as an unmitigated “good” by economists. Unfortunately, economists seem to be guided by their badly flawed models; they miss real-world problems.[read more]

“I was a huge supporter of cap and trade,” said Wayne Leonard, the CEO of Entergy, a $11 billion utility company. “We developed enormously elegant solutions, but they couldn’t get done.” Taxing carbon emissions is the next best way to deal with the threat of global climate disruptions, he said, in part because it would give the energy...[read more]

With apologies for the dueling cliches in today's title, that image conveys the conflicting messages I received from a pair of events on the topic of energy efficiency this week. Yesterday I watched a panel discussion on energy efficiency finance, part of the valuable First Wednesday series of seminars from Resources for the Future in D....[read more]

How to tell a good climate bill from a bad one? Today’s unveiling of the Kerry-(Graham)-Lieberman climate bill will kick off what will likely be a rancorous debate on climate policy. It is essential that progressives come to the table armed with the information we need to not only pass a climate bill, but a good one as well. Policy...[read more]

Tiffany Clements: Anecdotal information often drives a perception that environmental regulation is responsible for significant economic damage to regulated industries, including reduced productivity and lost jobs. Thus, opponents often claim that rules will be catastrophically costly. Proponents argue the contrary. A 2000 RFF analysis...[read more]

In Parts 1-3 of this series, we looked at electricity’s modern revolution and how it will set traditional concerns aside as out of date, and in so doing will bring five timely and relevant new priorities to the fore for governments and industry to address. We’ll look now at the first of these priorities, as I see them… (...[read more]

Guest post from Jim Roumasset:RFF's Weathervane Blog has a brief side-by-side comparison of Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey. Environmental economics has clearly influenced the debate. Some outstanding issues:                     ...[read more]

Renewable energy threatens the planet. Who knew? Our nation runs the risk of damaging the environment, in the name of saving the environment. There are negative consequences from producing energy from the sun, the wind and the earth. So, at least, said Lamar Alexander, the Republican senator from Tennessee and a long-time...[read more]