Environment & Climate Change

111 Items

Discussion Paper - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

International Cooperation to Reduce Methane Emissions

| November 2022

In recognition of the urgency of reducing methane emissions, several voluntary international multiparty agreements and initiatives have recently been concluded to accelerate collective action and establish formal mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of methane-related commitments. While these initiatives reflect ambition on the part of public, private, and civil society actors with regard to methane, the implementation of these initiatives presents challenges for governments, emitting sectors, and other parties.

An array of mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating site in Primm, Nevada on Aug. 13, 2014

AP Photo/John Locher, File

Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Financing the Energy Transition through Cross-Border Investment

| November 2022

Ely Sandler and Daniel Schrag propose a new approach to Article 6 of the Paris agreement, arguing that states must use cross-border investment to finance the energy transition. By linking additionality to an investment’s impact on cost of capital, Sandler and Schrag demonstrate how Article 6 can leverage blended finance to de-risk private investment, creating a new model of public private partnership. The paper uses case studies from the Middle East and North Africa region to demonstrate the potential economic, environmental and political benefits of cooperation on Article 6.  

Electricians install solar panels.

AP/Mary Altaffer

Report Chapter - Brookings Institution

Mexico’s Energy Reforms: A Blow to Realizing the Most Competitive and Dynamic Region in the World

| Feb. 28, 2022

In late 2017, Mexico made headlines as Italian company Enel bid what was then a world-record low price for renewable energy in the country’s third such energy auction. This development was possible due to the historical and sweeping energy reforms passed with broad support in Mexico in 2013. Then-President Enrique Peña Nieto had succeeded where previous Mexican presidents had failed, reversing decades of resource nationalism and overhauling the energy sector through constitutional reforms that gave the private sector a larger role and advantaged renewable energy in Mexico’s economy. The 2017 auction seemed to indicate Mexico’s bright future not only as a conventional oil producer, but also as a clean energy power.

Paper - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Advancing International Cooperation under the Paris Agreement: Issues and Options for Article 6

    Author:
  • Michael A. Mehling
| October 2021

This discussion paper explores key areas of disagreement on Article 6 and explores possible outcomes from the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-26) in November 2021 in Glasgow.

Paper - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Carbon Taxes vs. Cap and Trade: Theory and Practice

| November 2019

How do the two major approaches to carbon pricing compare on relevant dimensions, including efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and distributional equity? This paper addresses this question by drawing on theories of policy instrument choice pertaining to the attributes — or merits — of the instruments.

Discussion Paper - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements

Governing Cooperative Approaches under the Paris Agreement

    Author:
  • Michael A. Mehling
| November 2018

This paper draws upon research, practical experience with carbon trading, textual analysis, negotiating history, and insights from stakeholders to develop principles that can help inform the elaboration of cooperative approaches set out in Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement — and thereby enhance opportunities for ambitious mitigation. The author, Michael A. Mehling, explores, in particular, how operational guidance for implementing Article 6.2 can balance environmental ambition and flexibility in governance.

Report Chapter - Asia Society Policy Institute

The Paris Agreement's Article 6 and Cooperation in Northeast Asia to Address Climate Change

| July 2018

This chapter explores how Article 6 of the Paris Agreement may support international cooperation to address climate change, with particular reference to Northeast Asia. The chapter focuses especially on Article 6.2, which provides the opportunity for countries to apply emissions reductions from other jurisdictions to the attainment of their own nationally determined contributions.

Report: More Climate Change Recognition, Action Among Major Investors

Free-Photos/Pixabay

Report - Axios

More Climate Change Recognition, Action Among Major Investors

| May 10, 2018

Since the Paris Agreement's adoption in 2015, a majority of the world's largest investors have begun to take action on climate change. According to a new report, the 2016–2017 year showed an average improvement in decarbonization within all major investor categories except pension funds.