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| | RFF INDEX | | RFF Among Top-Ranked Think Tanks | | In an international survey encompassing nearly 170 nations, Resources for the Future ranks 24th among U.S. think tanks in a field of more than 5,500 institutions worldwide. The project, described in the January-February 2009 issue of Foreign Policy magazine, was conducted by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies program at the University of Pennsylvania. James McGann, director of the program, said the the Think Tank Index is the first comprehensive ranking of the world’s top think tanks, based on a worldwide survey of hundreds of scholars and experts. | | Obama and Carbon Pricing | | The Obama Administration should endeavor to set a price on carbon emissions as a high priority, asserts RFF Senior Fellow Richard Morgenstern in a December 17 commentary in The Hill newspaper. That would not only send an early signal to the global community about U.S. climate intentions, he says, but will also set in place a needed revenue stream for future climate initiatives in advance of the economic recovery. A related article appeared in the December 22 edition of Energy Daily. | | McConnell in the Marketplace | | In a commentary aired December 15 on American Public Media’s Marketplace Radio, Senior Fellow Virginia McConnell suggests that raising taxes on gasoline would spur automakers to build greener cars – and motivate potential buyers. “Recently passed fuel economy standards are a step in the right direction, but high gas prices are essential. They provide incentives to manufacturers to produce the new generation of vehicles, and for consumers to buy them,” she said. “The recent run-up in oil prices showed us what a powerful force the market can be in influencing purchase decisions and spurring innovation.” | | RFF Researchers Contribute to New GAO Climate Report | | Senior Fellows Joe Aldy and Dallas Burtraw contributed to a General Accountability Office (GAO) study released in November seeking to extract lessons from climate change regulation in Europe and guidelines set out under the Kyoto Protocol. Aldy and Burtraw were among a group of 26 experts identified by GAO and the National Academy of Sciences as having relevant experience in both market-based climate change programs and U.S. policymaking. The report, entitled "Lessons Learned from the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme and the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism," was published by GAO’s International Climate Change Program.
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| FEATURES | | 2009-2010 RFF Academic Fellowships | | RFF is currently accepting applications for the Gilbert White Postdoctoral Fellowship, Joseph Fisher Dissertation Fellowships, Walter Spofford Internship, and John V. Krutilla Research Stipend. Materials must be submitted by February 27, 2009. | | The Geography of Ecosystem Services | | The information used to measure the conventional economy doesn’t capture the free public goods provided by natural systems, such as wetlands. RFF Senior Fellow Jim Boyd delves into this “missing economy of nature” and examines the essential role of geography in the study of ecosystem services. | | The Cartography of Climate Change | | Climate change is an inherently spatial problem, where the locations of impacts, people, and resources are critical. According to RFF Fellow Shalini Vajjhala and GIS consultant Janet Nackoney, digital mapmaking helps us build a deeper understanding of the complex geographic implications of emerging climate policy decisions. | | Reshaping Government to Address Climate Policy | | Will wholesale government restructuring be needed to deal with the complex questions around climate change in the Obama Administration? A December 3 RFF roundtable addressed this topic in a discussion encompassing regulation, diplomacy and international engagement, science and information, and economic policy. Video and audio available. | | RFF and Environment for Development | | To improve environmental policymaking in developing countries, RFF is working with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden to support national centers for economic analysis in countries around the globe. |
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