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.

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.

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.”

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.