Once again, European policymakers are divided on a major issue. And this time, we feel their pain because our own views are divided, too. The issue is climate policy, specifically the EU’s rejection this week of a proposal from Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegard to revise Europe’s “cap-and-trade” system for limiting …
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – government support for ethanol is both bad climate policy and bad economics. Now, the government data offer more evidence that, as a business, ethanol for fuel doesn’t add up. Despite some recent improvement, data from the Department of Energy … We all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but increases in energy efficiency are enabling Americans to enjoy bigger homes with more appliances and very little impact on their energy bills. That’s the word from the U.S. Department of Energy, which reports that homes built since … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Category: Building Codes, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Housing Regulation, Quick Takes |
 Leave a commentIn his State of the Union address, President Obama identified climate change as one of his top priorities, which makes one wonder about the recent Bloomberg headline: “Obama to Stay Course on Biofuel Law…” If Bloomberg is right, Americans are going to continue to subsidize ethanol at … We’re delighted that Pres. Obama has nominated John Bryson, the former CEO of Edison International (the parent of Southern California Edison), to run the Commerce Department. Bryson is that rare bird – a feet-on-the-ground corporate leader who is committed to balancing economic and environmental goals. On second thought, … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Commerce Secretary, Edison International, John Bryson, Southern California Edison | Category: Environment, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentIrwin Stelzer, an economist and conservative intellectual who isn’t inclined to suffer fools, suggests a carbon tax could help reduce the deficit and enhance national security, even as it stimulates economic growth. Quite so. The problem – or at least one of the problems – is the bitter opposition … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: carbon tax, deficit, Hudson Institute, Irwin Stelzer | Category: Climate Change, Energy, Energy Regulation, Environment |
Leave a commentTime was, economists and environmental activists lived on different planets, talking past each other when they claimed to be talking to each other at all. Happily, their orbits have grown closer in recent years. Environmentalists are typically more economics-savvy, while economists are more inclined to acknowledge that solving environmental problems … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Andrew Revkin, Dot Earth | Category: Environment, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentEconomists Robert Stavins (Harvard) and Richard Schmalensee (MIT) make a key distinction between the substance of climate policy and the mechanisms for implementing it in the Boston Globe. In trashing efforts to pass a climate bill, Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats sought to demonize … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Boston Globe, cap-and-trade, Climate Change, Richard Schmalensee, Robert Stavins | Category: Environment, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentIf Pres. Obama has his way, Washington will invest heavily in energy technology as part of a broader climate change initiative designed to wean us addicts from our daily (hourly? secondly?) carbon fix. The Republicans will take the technology minus the climate regulation, thank you very much. Either way, though, … It’s egg-on-their-faces time for the assorted politicians and pundits who dismissed the potential for spills in offshore drilling as an acceptable price to pay for access to undersea riches. Does that group include us (Hahn and Passell)? Yes and no. We admit to writing articles, both technical [READ MORE...] By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: benefit-cost analysis, BP oil spill, deep water drilling, Outer Continental Shelf | Category: Energy, Environment |
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Professor Dieter Helm (Oxford) is a very fine fly fisherman, and an even better economist. If you haven’t done so, take a look at his new book “The Carbon Crunch: How We Are Getting Climate Change Wrong — and How to Fix It” for a bit of unconventional wisdom. He argues that politicians and the general public have not shown any real interest in addressing climate change. Helm argues that places like Europe should focus on setting a price for carbon that would cover consumption (and not just production), and that fracking could be a good “bridge” technology for reducing consumption of coal. The book is readable and insightful for those interested in the inside track on climate policy. 
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