Climate 2030 Blueprint

The report proposes a U.S. cap-and-trade system to limit global warming emissions, citing the success of the 1990 Acid Rain Program. It outlines design criteria including a stringent declining cap, full auctioning of allowances, and the inclusion of all major heat-trapping gases. The author emphasizes that while cap-and-trade is a lynchpin, it must be paired with parallel sector-based policies to be effective.

• To avoid the worst effects of global warming, the United States must reduce its emissions by at least 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050, with a cumulative emissions budget of 160–265 gigatons CO2 equivalent from 2000 to 2050.
• A cap-and-trade program is presented as superior to a carbon tax because the price of allowances adjusts automatically to market conditions, ensuring emissions targets are met, whereas a tax level is difficult to determine and adjust accurately.
• The U.S. Acid Rain Program, established under the Clean Air Act of 1990 to control sulfur dioxide (SO2), serves as a successful precedent, reaching its 2010 goal by 2007 at one-fourth the estimated cost.
• Effective cap-and-trade design requires auctioning all allowances rather than giving them away for free to avoid windfall profits for companies and to generate revenue for 'revenue recycling' into clean energy, energy efficiency, and community transition assistance.
• The program should include all major heat-trapping gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
• The use of 'offsets' and 'borrowing' should be strictly limited because they can allow major emitting sectors to postpone necessary technological transformations and innovations.
• A cap-and-trade system alone is insufficient; it must be complemented by parallel policies such as renewable energy mandates for utilities, fuel economy standards for automakers, and smart growth policies.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Climate 2030 Blueprint. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/climate-2030-roadmap-chapter-3.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Climate 2030 Blueprint. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/climate-2030-roadmap-chapter-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Climate 2030 Blueprint |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/climate-2030-roadmap-chapter-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndclimate, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Climate 2030 Blueprint}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/climate-2030-roadmap-chapter-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }