Policy Briefs & Testimonies

The historical record does not support the idea that nuclear energy programs increase the odds of proliferation.

On April 27, 2017 Professor Burns testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on further assessing options for sanctions toward Russia. 

On April 27, 2017, the COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS met in open session to conduct a hearing entitled, “Countering Russia: Further Assessing Options for Sanctions.” The witnesses were: The Honorable Nicholas Burns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School of Government; and Mr. Chip Poncy, President and Co-Founder, Financial Integrity Network.

The authors break down the reasons for the United States to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement, arguing that the benefits far outweigh any potential costs. The Agreement gives the United States a seat at the table, and the ability to influence international policy on climate change, showing that the United States is open and willing to cooperate.

The author explores the role of the Montreal Protocol's assessment panel and draws lessons for the UNFCCC.

"Export sanctions continue to be used by countries while attempting to change the behavior of other governments. And, they still surface at the center of current policy debates when it comes to Iran. However, we still lack complete understanding about the impact and effectiveness of export sanctions."

The authors explore, in particular, the implications for CO2 removal and solar geoengineering of the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goals, provision for "removals by sinks," and market-based mitigation mechanisms.

The emerging pledge and review approach to international climate policy provides countries with substantial discretion in how they craft their intended emission mitigation contributions. The resulting heterogeneity in mitigation pledges places significant demands for a well-functioning transparency and review mechanism. In particular, the specific forms of intended contributions necessitate economic analysis in order to estimate the aggregate effects of these contributions as well as to permit "apples-to-apples" comparisons of mitigation efforts. This paper discusses the tools that can inform such analyses as well as the institutional needs of climate transparency.