White Papers
Integrating Energy Climate and Air Pollution Policy
by Gary Bryner, November 2008. 34 pages (PDF)
Summary: The energy and climate policies currently being debated in the United States are among the most ambitious policy efforts ever undertaken. Because of the magnitude of policy changes required, an unprecedented level of coordination is needed to ensure those efforts are as cost-effective as possible and produce as many co-benefits as can be developed. Because of the critical role it plays in the economy, energy policy has become the dominant issue in this area, but because of its role in producing greenhouse gases, energy choices must be framed within the broader context of climate change. Similarly, since air pollution is such an important public health issue, and sources of these emissions are often the same as greenhouse gases, it too must be part of the policy debate. Agricultural and land use decisions also affect the amount of energy we use and the ability of natural systems to remove and store carbon emissions.