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The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recommends that the EPA establish specific emission rate standards for existing fossil fuel-fired utility boilers (1,450 lbs/MWh) and natural gas combustion turbines (1,100 lbs/MWh). The proposal centers on a 'model' interstate emission credit trading rule that allows states flexibility in compliance, including the use of state-specific emission budgets. Analysis by The NorthBridge Group indicates this approach could reduce electric sector carbon dioxide emissions by 27 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, resulting in a total reduction of 636 million metric tons. The report argues that nearly 70 percent of these reductions would come from optimizing fossil dispatch. Beyond climate benefits, the proposal is estimated to avoid over 2,000 premature deaths annually due to reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The total monetized health and climate benefits are estimated at $34 billion in 2020, significantly outweighing the $9.4 billion compliance cost.

The report finds that while the EU ETS initially focused management attention on CO2, a declining carbon price and free allocation rules have since diminished its impact. Most emission reductions were driven by economic cycles or non-ETS regulations. The authors argue that current free allocation creates distortions, such as discouraging asset rationalization and incentivizing excess clinker production. To unlock deep mitigation like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and clinker substitution, the report recommends strengthening the carbon price signal, reforming leakage protection through output-based allocation or the inclusion of consumption, and providing targeted innovation support.

The document reports a significant decline in federal political will to regulate carbon emissions in Canada during 2013, specifically noting the delay of oil and gas regulations. In contrast, provinces took leading roles: Ontario phased out coal-fired electricity, Quebec launched a cap-and-trade system linked to California, and British Columbia maintained its carbon tax. The brief highlights the 'Keystone effect,' where U.S. market access for the Keystone XL pipeline became linked to Canada's GHG performance. It concludes that federal 'equivalency' agreements—intended to align provincial and federal standards—have stalled due to complexity and lack of political will, recommending that Canada embrace a bottom-up approach to subnational policy alignment.

The document examines the IPCC's 2014 report on climate change mitigation, noting that global greenhouse gas emissions have accelerated despite existing climate plans. It argues that to limit temperature rise to 2°C, emissions must be reduced by 40-70% by 2050 and reach almost zero by 2100, requiring radical technological and institutional shifts. While the report finds these goals technically and economically feasible, it stresses the urgency of investments between 2010 and 2030 to avoid costly and risky negative emission technologies like large-scale biomass combined with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

The document assesses the gap between current climate-specific mitigation finance and the levels required to meet a 2°C target. It highlights that while estimates vary widely due to differing assumptions and metrics, current investments are insufficient, particularly in developing countries. The analysis distinguishes between total climate-specific investment, incremental investment (above business-as-usual), and net climate-relevant finance (which accounts for avoided fossil fuel infrastructure).

The briefing critiques the EU's Energy Roadmap 2050 for providing only a "superficial treatment" of energy security, primarily limiting its analysis to import dependency and grid stability. The authors argue that energy security is a complex concept encompassing not only security of supply but also security of demand, economic and political risks, and environmental threats. They highlight that the roadmap relies on implicit assumptions—such as the guaranteed expansion of transmission infrastructure and the resolution of nuclear security issues—which may conceal potential challenges in the transition to a low-carbon system. The document advocates for a shift from purely quantitative metrics to a framework that includes qualitative assessments and considers the perspectives of various actors, including households and industries.

The document examines the concept of 'unburnable carbon' and the risk of 'lock-in' where new fossil fuel infrastructure commits societies to high-emission pathways. It highlights a gap in green growth planning, which typically focuses on demand-side efficiency rather than supply-side extraction limits. The authors argue that without widespread carbon capture and storage (CCS), a 2°C warming limit will require leaving the majority of coal and unconventional oil reserves in the ground, potentially creating a 'carbon bubble' of overvalued assets.

The document details SEI's multi-scale approach to climate mitigation, focusing on sub-national policy for cities, the necessity of limiting fossil-fuel infrastructure to meet the 2°C target, and the strategic use of modern bioenergy in developing countries. It highlights the use of the LEAP system for low-carbon planning and describes ongoing efforts to integrate social variables into technical climate analysis.

The document outlines SEI's interdisciplinary approach to the water-energy-food nexus, emphasizing the need to integrate cross-sectoral interactions, ecosystem services, and multi-scale governance. It highlights the use of analytical tools like WEAP and LEAP to identify synergies and trade-offs in resource management. SEI advocates for participatory processes and the identification of policy 'entry points' to ensure scientific research translates into practical, sustainable solutions for resource scarcity.

The document argues that without major intervention, transportation carbon emissions will double by 2050. It identifies a combination of reduced passenger car demand, improved vehicle efficiency, increased electric vehicle adoption, and a decarbonized electricity grid (via renewables, nuclear, or CCS) as the necessary path to significant reductions. A case study based on a Spanish city with 360,000 inhabitants demonstrates that while modal shifts and fuel switches (like CNG or biodiesel) offer modest gains, the most aggressive reductions occur when these are paired with a transition to nuclear or CCS-equipped power generation.

The research paper evaluates strategies to decarbonise urban transportation, focusing on modal shifts, fuel switching, and electricity decarbonisation. Using a Spanish urban area as a model, it finds that aggressive measures—including a 50% reduction in car demand, improved fuel economy, and a shift to nuclear or CCS-equipped power—are necessary to significantly lower emissions and health burdens from particulate matter.

The document asserts that CCS is the only available technology allowing coal and gas power generation at near-zero emissions and is a 'Best System of Emission Reduction' under the Clean Air Act. It highlights the flexibility of the EPA's proposed rules, such as an emission limit of 1100 lbs/MWh and an eight-year compliance window, which allow for partial capture. The testimony provides evidence of CCS deployment in industrial and power sectors, including projects like the Dakota Gasification Plant and the Texas Clean Energy Project. It also addresses the economic viability of CCS, noting that enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can offset costs, and argues that U.S. geologic storage capacity is sufficient to handle power sector emissions for a century or more, countering concerns about induced seismicity.

The author expresses skepticism that current green technologies, such as renewables and electric vehicles, can drive a 'Green Industrial Revolution' (GIR) similar to the steam engine or electricity. While the potential market for energy services is substantial, the author argues that these technologies are unlikely to produce the drastic direct productivity gains (price drops) or the profound indirect economic reorganizations necessary to stimulate a decades-long growth wave. Instead, the author suggests that significant growth would require either hypothetical technological breakthroughs or 'techno-autonomous' reorganizations like the functionality economy.

The Clean Air Task Force supports the EPA's move to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, asserting that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a technologically ready and necessary tool for deep emissions cuts. The authors argue that CCS can reduce emissions from stationary sources by 90% and is essential for the U.S. to reach its target of an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. They reject industry claims that the technology is not commercially viable, citing decades of industrial use and existing projects like the Kemper plant in Mississippi and the Texas Clean Energy Project. The document emphasizes that the Clean Air Act is intended to be "technology-forcing," driving innovation and scaling of emissions control technologies similar to the historical adoption of sulfur dioxide scrubbers.

The World Resources Institute supports the U.S. EPA's proposed emissions standards for new power plants as a key component of the President's Climate Action Plan. While the standards provide flexibility through carbon capture and storage (CCS) and reflect market shifts toward natural gas and renewables, the document emphasizes that addressing the existing power plant fleet is the most critical opportunity for emissions reductions, as electricity generation accounts for one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The study analyzes the impact of partial CCS deployment in Europe by 2030, categorizing countries as pioneers or laggards based on their R&D projects and national roadmaps. Using a dispatch model, the authors find that the economic outcomes of pioneering are heterogeneous: while electricity suppliers in Poland, the UK, and the Netherlands may see increased producer surpluses, consumers in the UK could face higher wholesale prices due to the high cost of gas-fired CCS. Conversely, Romania is projected to experience lower wholesale prices and increased domestic production. The results suggest that being a pioneer does not automatically guarantee an advantage, as benefits are unevenly distributed between producers and consumers.

The report argues that replacing coal with natural gas is insufficient to meet U.S. climate goals due to continued CO2 emissions and methane leakage. It highlights risks including water contamination from fracking, price volatility, and the potential to crowd out renewables. The authors advocate for a transition to a system where renewables and efficiency provide 80% of electricity by 2050.

The report finds that current algal biofuel technologies are not yet economically or environmentally superior to fossil fuels, citing low energy return on investment (EROI) and high greenhouse gas emissions. While theoretical yields are high, large-scale commercialization is estimated to be years or decades away. The document argues that viability depends on integrating production with wastewater treatment, industrial flue gas for CO2, and the development of marine algae strains via molecular engineering to reduce freshwater and land demands.

The document analyzes President Obama's 2013 climate strategy, which shifts toward EPA sector-regulation for electricity due to congressional inaction on carbon pricing. It compares this approach to Canada's regulations, examines the potential for continental equivalency in emissions trading, and discusses the plan's impact on the Keystone XL Pipeline and international climate negotiations.

The report examines the vulnerability of the U.S. power sector to water constraints and climate change, comparing a 'business as usual' pathway with low-carbon alternatives. It finds that a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency can drastically reduce water withdrawals and consumption while lowering consumer costs and mitigating climate impacts.