The use of offsets to reduce greenhouse gases.

Format:

Book

Government document

Contributor:

United States. Congressional Budget Office

Series:

Economic and budget issue brief

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greenhouse gas mitigation--Government policy--United States--Evaluation.

Greenhouse gas mitigation.

Carbon dioxide mitigation--Government policy--United States--Evaluation.

Carbon dioxide mitigation.

Air quality management--Government policy--United States--Evaluation.

Air quality management.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (8 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : Congressional Budget Office, [2009]

Summary:

Discussions about reducing greenhouse gases often focus on limiting the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity or power cars and trucks, yet a variety of other actions -- including disposing of waste in different ways, changing methods of farming, and lessening deforestation -- could also reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Both existing climate policies, such as the European Union's Emission Trading System, and policies under consideration, such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA) of 2009, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives, have recognized the potential for such actions to "offset" the extent to which the use of fossil fuels must be reduced to meet a chosen target for total GHG emissions. If such offsets, which can be defined as reductions in GHGs from activities not subject to limits on emissions, are less expensive than reductions from limiting the use of fossil fuels, they can reduce the overall economic cost of meeting a target for emissions. Yet the difficulty of verifying offset activities raises concerns about whether the specified target will actually be met; those concerns may be especially acute when, as under ACESA, allowable offsets include actions taken outside of the country setting the target for emissions

Notes:

Title from title screen (viewed on August 17, 2009).

"August 3, 2009."

Other Format:

United States. Congressional Budget Office. Use of offsets to reduce greenhouse gases

OCLC:

430836327