Building on a review of experience in the United States and the European Union, this article advances four main propositions concerning policies aimed at increasing electricity generation from renewable energy. First, who bears the short-run costs of programs to subsidize the generation of...

We review the evidence on the economic values of forest ecosystem services in developing nations and the effectiveness of policies aimed at protecting these services. We conclude that, despite a plethora of publications, the literature is thin, with few well-designed studies that can provide a...

This article describes three essential elements of an effective post-2012 international climate policy architecture: a framework to ensure that key industrialized and developing nations are involved in differentiated but meaningful ways, an emphasis on an extended time path for emissions...

Since 1982, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used benefit-cost analysis to evaluate many of its surface water quality regulations. Early regulations were aimed at controlling conventional and toxic pollutants that were directly linked to highly visible water quality problems. More...

I review the concept of sustainability and the various approaches to quantifying it. My focus is on the role that natural capital plays in supporting human welfare, the extent to which there are substitutes for it in this role, and how this is reflected in sustainability measures. Copyright ,...

In this article we discuss the mechanics of linking different types of climate change policies and identify areas where linkage will be difficult. Our goal is to identify opportunities for constructive linkage and policy choices that may limit or hinder linkage. We argue that the basic approach...

Coastal and marine ecosystems (CMEs) generate some of the most important services to humankind, but they are endangered from overexploitation and loss. The widespread decline in CME services suggests that it is important to understand what is at stake in terms of the critical benefits and values...