Questions surrounding the issue of climate change are evolving from ""Is it happening?"" to ""What can be done about it?"" The primary obstacles to addressing it at this point are not scientific but political and economic; nonetheless a quick resolution is unlikely.Ignorance and confusion surrounding the issue -- including a lack of understanding of climate science, its implications for the environment and society, and the range of policy options available -- contributes to the political morass over dealing with climate change in which we find ourselves. Climate Change Policy addresses that situation by bringing together a wide range of new writings from leading experts that examine the many dimensions of the topics most important in understanding climate change and policies to combat it. Chapters consider: climate science in historical perspective analysis of uncertainties in climate science and policy the economics of climate policy North-South and intergenerational equity issues the role of business and industry in climate solutions policy mechanisms including joint implementation, emissions trading, and the so-called clean development mechanism Regardless of the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the issues raised in that debate will persist as new climate protection regimes emerge; this volume treats most of those topics. Tying the chapters together is a shared conclusion that climate change is a real and serious problem, and that we as a society have an obligation not merely to adapt to it but to mitigate it in whatever intelligent ways we can develop. Cost-effectiveness is not disdained, but neither is the imperative for valuing species threatened by rapid climate change.
Acknowledgments Introduction
PART I. Science and Impacts Chapter 1. Understanding Climate Science \ Richard Wolfson and Stephen H. Schneider Chapter 2. Uncertainty and Climate Change Policy \ Stephen H. Schneider and Kristin Kuntz-Duriseti Chapter 3. Regional Impact Assessments: A Case Study of California \ Elenor G. Turman
PART II. Economic Analysis Chapter 4. International Approaches to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions \ Lawrence H. Goulder and Brian M. Nadreau Chapter 5. Designing Global Climate Regulation \ Jonathan Baert Wiener Chapter 6. Carbon Abatement with Economic Growth: A National Strategy \ Stephen Bernow, Alison Bailie, William Dougherty Sivan Kartha, and Michael Lazarus
PART III. Policy Context Chapter 7. U.S. Climate Change Policy \ Armin Rosencranz Chapter 8. The Climate Policy Debate in the U.S. Congress \ Kai S. Anderson Chapter 9. Population and Climate Change Policy \ Frederick A. B. Meyerson Chapter 10. Global Climate Change: A Business Perspective \ Thomas G. Burns Chapter 11. Activities Implemented Jointly \ Reimund Schwarze
PART IV. Forests and Agriculture Chapter 12. Climate Change and Agriculture: Mitigation Options and Potential \ Holly L. Pearson Chapter 13. Tropical Forest and Climate Change \ John O. Niles
PART V. Development and Equity Chapter 14. A Southern Perspective on Curbing Global Cilmate Change \ Anil Agarwal Chapter 15. Equity, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Global Common Resources
PART VI. Energy Choices Chapter 16. Renewable Energy Sources as a Response to Global Climate Concerns \ John J. Berger Chapter 17. Fuel Cells, Carbon Sequestration, Infrastructure, and the Transition to a Hydrogen Economy \ Michael B. Cummings Chapter 18. Energy R&D and Innovation: Challenges and Opportunities \ Robert M. Margolis and Daniel M. Kammen Chapter 19. Business Capitalization on Energy Transition Opportunities \ Orie L. Loucks Chapter 20. Earth Systems: Engineering and Management \ Stephen H. Schneider
Appendix A. Climate Negotiation History \ Leonie Haimson Appendix B. """"Hot Air"""" and """"Hot Air"""" Policies \ Reimund Schwarze Glossary Index
