Bottom Line on Regional Cap-and-Trade Programs

The document outlines three regional cap-and-trade initiatives in North America: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), and the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. These programs involve 23 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, representing a significant portion of the region's GDP and emissions. RGGI focuses on electric generating units with a 10 percent reduction target by 2018. WCI aims for an economy-wide program reducing emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The Midwestern Accord proposes an economy-wide reduction of 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

• The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first U.S. cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, covering 10 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. It targets carbon dioxide emissions from large fossil-fuel-fired electric generating units, aiming to stabilize emissions from 2009 to 2014 and achieve a 10 percent reduction from the baseline by 2018.
• The Western Climate Initiative (WCI) includes seven U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, with a goal to cover nearly 90 percent of the region's greenhouse gas emissions through an economy-wide program. The program targets a 15 percent reduction below 2005 levels by 2020, with emissions regulation beginning in January 2012 and mandatory monitoring starting in January 2010.
• The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord involves six U.S. states and one Canadian province. Its draft design recommendations propose an economy-wide program to reduce emissions 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 (potentially decreasing to 18 percent if prices rise too much) and 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050, with a scheduled launch in January 2012.
• Regional cap-and-trade efforts in North America are significant in scale, with participating U.S. states representing one-half of the U.S. population and GDP and one-third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Participating Canadian provinces account for over three-quarters of Canada's population and GDP and nearly half of its GHG emissions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Bottom Line on Regional Cap-and-Trade Programs. https://www.wri.org/research/bottom-line-regional-cap-and-trade-programs

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Bottom Line on Regional Cap-and-Trade Programs. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/bottom-line-regional-cap-and-trade-programs.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Bottom Line on Regional Cap-and-Trade Programs |url=https://www.wri.org/research/bottom-line-regional-cap-and-trade-programs |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbottom, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Bottom Line on Regional Cap-and-Trade Programs}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/bottom-line-regional-cap-and-trade-programs}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }