Climate Mitigation Policy

Climate Mitigation Policy at SEI-US
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		Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries (Policy brief) SEI Policy Brief Author(s): Erickson, P. ; Owen, A.; Dawkins, E. Date: April 2012 Research Area(s): Climate Mitigation Policy This policy brief, based on SEI Working Paper 2012-01, outlines a study of the implications of a potential shift towards low-carbon consumption in wealthier countries for the poorer countries that produce goods for export. The authors find that if high-income countries were to shift spending to lower-emission types of products and services, the average GDP of lower-income countries could drop by more than 4 percent, and Least Developed Countries' GDPs could drop by more than 5 percent. Given the importance of both emission reduction and sustainable development, it is important to find ways to reduce emissions from consumption that minimize the impact on poorer countries. More information Download PDF
		Low-Greenhouse-Gas Consumption Strategies and Impacts on Developing Countries SEI Working Paper 2012-01 Author(s): Erickson, P. ; Owen, A.; Dawkins, E. Date: April 2012 Research Area(s): Climate Mitigation Policy This paper explores the implications of a potential shift to low-carbon consumption in wealthy countries for the poorer countries where many goods are made, and looks at ways to minimise negative impacts. It finds that if the U.K. and all other high-income countries shifted spending to lower-emission products and services, lower-income countries would be disproportionately affected, with average GDP losses greater than 5 percent in the world's poorest countries. These findings suggest that greater efforts need to be made to embed development considerations in efforts to reduce emissions from consumption in high-income countries. Several approaches could yield both climate and sustainable-development benefits, the authors note, such as helping low-income countries reduce the GHG-intensity of production; preferentially sourcing products from low-GHG and low-income regions; and helping low-income countries produce higher-value, more-durable goods. Read a policy brief summarizing the study findings More information Download PDF
		Revisiting Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Inventories Environmental Science & Technology, available online 17 April Author(s): Erickson, P. ; Lazarus, M. Date: April 2012 Research Area(s): Climate Mitigation Policy This viewpoint article reviews how local governments are measuring their communities' contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions. The last year has seen a surge of interest in methods for measuring and tracking community-wide GHG emissions, but no broadly accepted standard yet exists to measure or track GHG emissions at the local level, though several protocols have recently been developed or are in the works. One of the most vexing questions is how to account for the emissions associated with goods and materials consumed and/or produced in the community. The authors suggest pulling industry out of community-scale inventories, and looking at it separately from both a production and consumption perspective, to provide a clearer view of a community's emissions. More information External Link
		A Consumption-Based GHG Inventory for the U.S. State of Oregon Environmental Science & Technology, Article ASAP Author(s): Erickson, P. ; Lazarus, M. ; Stanton, E.A. ; Allaway, D. Date: March 2012 Research Area(s): Climate Mitigation Policy ; Climate Economics This article describes what may be the first comprehensive consumption-based emissions inventory conducted for a U.S. state. The authors find that consumption-based emissions for Oregon are 47 percent higher than those released in-state. This not only provides a different view of the state's carbon footprint, but also highlights the role of goods and services (and associated purchasing behaviors). Such a perspective could help states and their local government partners find new ways to reduce emissions, such as promoting low-carbon consumption by the public sector or households, that are well within their sphere of influence. More information External Link
		Biomass in a Low-Carbon Economy: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change, and Business in a Finite World (Policy brief) SEI Policy Brief Author(s): Kemp-Benedict, E. ; Kartha, S. ; Fencl, A. Date: March 2012 Research Area(s): Sustainable Futures ; Climate Mitigation Policy This policy brief, based on a report produced through a partnership between the business leaders' initiative 3C (Combat Climate Change) and the Stockholm Environment Institute, gauges the availability of biomass for low-carbon energy and other uses in the context of sustainability and competing demands. It explores four scenarios for future biomass use, depending on the relative emphasis on climate change mitigation, agriculture, or both, and finds that while all of the scenarios require trade-offs, a "Sustainability Transition" that uses biomass for food, energy, industrial materials, and more could yield great benefits, helping address the urgent climate problem while spurring improvements in agriculture to boost food production and result in new agricultural products. More information Download PDF