Common Resources

US Shale Gas Development in Review

The United States has seen rapid recent development of shale gas. What are the factors behind the notable growth in the past decade? And what does it mean for shale gas development elsewhere in the world? Alan Krupnick and I examine the history of the US shale gas boom in a new RFF discussion paper. [...]

Thinking Like an Economist within the Complex Climate Policy Regime

Building on recent work that highlights the need to account for institutions in crafting economic solutions to environmental problems, Matt Woerman and I look specifically to the implementation of climate policy—and how incentive-based thinking can help. Read more here.

Econ 101. The Fray Market

Markets are not perfectly competitive and they are not free.   Even if they were perfectly competitive, they would not be free.  In his iconic Economics textbook, Paul Samuelson says there are no perfect competitors “except possibly the millions of farmers who individually produce a negligible fraction of the total crop.”  But even those farmers are [...]

RFF Feature: The Past, Present, and Future of Carbon Markets

New research explores lessons learned to date from carbon markets around the world and presents new issues to be examined in the future, such as the linking of existing markets. Click here to read the feature in its entirety.

RFF Feature: The Coming US Carbon Market

RFF experts have developed several background memos on cap-and-trade and carbon tax systems to provide informative overviews and highlight current work, available data, and potential research limitations. Click here to read the rest of this feature.

RFF Feature: US Energy Subsidies: Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

RFF researchers look at how federal energy-related spending programs and tax provisions impacted US emissions of carbon dioxide between 2005 and 2009, finding a change toward reductions in emissions over that time period. To read the piece in its entirety, click here.

Linking EU-Australia Carbon Markets Offers New Beginning and Challenges for Global Carbon Pricing

The EU’s announcement that it would link emissions markets with Australia beginning in 2015 brings a breath of fresh air to the prospect of a global price on carbon. In July, Australia introduced a tax that will transition into a cap and trade program in 2015. Currently the policy is under intense political attack. The [...]

Will A Trans-Regional Carbon Market Go Global?

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard introduced plans for the country’s carbon tax today in Parliament. While Australia’s price on carbon is still struggling to gain public support domestically, elsewhere countries are optimistic about its adoption. The European Union has expressed interest in linking its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) with Australia and will meet to discuss [...]

Changes In Market Mechanisms: The CDM Without China

As the Kyoto Protocol nears its expiration date, the sometimes controversial Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is experiencing some dramatic shifts, making its future seem quite different than its past. The CDM was established under the Kyoto Protocol as a way in which developed nations could reduce their carbon emissions to meet the Kyoto targets by [...]

PODCAST: The Future Of International Carbon Markets

China and other developing nations have shown an interest in establishing national carbon markets. Meanwhile, the uncertainty of the Kyoto Protocol also has been raising doubts about the future and strength of the international carbon market. Reports show that trading is down, and the United States seems further away from establishing a national carbon market [...]