Federalism in the Greenhouse

This policy brief examines the tension between state-led and federal-led climate legislation, advocating for a "hybrid" approach to a federal cap-and-trade program that preserves the role of states to maintain innovation and emissions reductions.

• The document advocates for a "hybrid" approach to climate legislation that combines the strengths of both state and federal levels of government to create a more cost-effective and effective nationwide cap-and-trade program.
• Preserving the ability of states to act within a federal cap-and-trade program is presented as necessary for achieving emissions reductions and maintaining state-level innovation, provided that the federal law expressly includes a mechanism for state action.
• A lack of provisions for state action in federal legislation could inadvertently remove the incentives for states to implement strong policies that support federal climate efforts.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Federalism in the Greenhouse. https://www.wri.org/research/federalism-greenhouse

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Federalism in the Greenhouse. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/federalism-greenhouse.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Federalism in the Greenhouse |url=https://www.wri.org/research/federalism-greenhouse |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfederalism, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Federalism in the Greenhouse}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/federalism-greenhouse}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }