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Although economists prefer a unique, economy-wide carbon price, climate policies are likely to continue to combine technology- and sector-specific regulations with, at best, some degree of carbon pricing. A hybrid energy-economy model that combines technological details with partial macro-economic feedbacks offers a means of estimating the likely effects of this kind of policy mix, especially under different scenarios of technological innovation. We applied such a model, called CIMS-US, in a model comparison project directed by the Energy Modeling Forum at Stanford University (EMF 24) and present here the interrelated effects of policies focused separately on electricity and transportation. We find that technological innovation encouraged by transportation regulation can inadvertently increase emissions from electricity generation and ethanol production to the extent that abatement from the regulation itself is effectively neutralized. When, however, regulation of electricity generation is combined with transportation policy or there is economy-wide carbon pricing, substantial abatement occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the role that innovation plays in the transition to a green economy, with special attention paid to the importance of diffusion and transfer of technologies. The article first describes the origins and conceptual foundations of a transition to a green economy, concentrating on the initiative launched by the United Nations Environment Programme, and leading to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 ( Rio +20). The article then reviews the critical role of innovation in the reconfiguration of the economy's capital stock, leading to a discussion of the roles of both innovation and environmental policy in promoting such technological change. It next discusses the channels for international transfer of technologies and their relationship to the international policy architecture, and proposes that international discussions concerning technology transfer, particularly those related to environmental technologies, have suffered from a lack of coherence in policy positions, based probably on a fundamental misunderstanding of the economic nature of these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the weaknesses and shortcomings of the American institutions in addressing climate change and the characteristics of a governance model that might overcome these failings in the U.S. It looks into climate science and the expected outcomes under different scenarios, the technological innovations and potential innovations in the future, and the efforts to deal with the challenges of climate change. It examines the political institutions and the governance models.

In this article the authors discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The focus of the article is the need for an integrated systems approach for effective environmental protection in the 21st century. Topics include an overview of the evolution of U.S. environmental science and policy, the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Ash Council, and sustainability science and technology in the 21st century.

The editorial presents the proposition for global climate control measures similar to the paradigm of the United States' "Manhattan Project." The author overviews the various challenges inherent in present governmental policies regarding environmental controls and suggests a drastic, high-intensity research project to produce a distinct technological solution to the problem of the fuel-energy crisis rather than allowing the slower systems of gradual economic regulation to continue unsuccessfully.

Abstract: Using patent data from the United States, Japan, and Germany, this paper examines both innovation and diffusion of air pollution control equipment. Whereas the United States was an early adopter of stringent sulfur dioxide (SO2) standards, both Japan and Germany introduced stringent nitrogen dioxide (NO X ) standards much earlier than the US. Nonetheless, in both cases, tightened standards in the US led to more domestic patenting, but not more foreign patenting. Overall, the data suggest that inventors respond to environmental regulatory pressure in their own country, but not to foreign environmental regulations. Moreover, any technology transfer that occurs appears to be indirect. Domestic innovation occurs even for technologies that have already experienced significant innovative activity abroad and utilities purchase pollution abatement equipment from domestic firms. However, patent citation data from the US do show that earlier foreign patents are an important building block for NO X pollution control innovations in the US. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

National and local authorities worldwide are facing new forms of industrial organization that impede environmental regulation of industrial activities. After the latest waves of public utility privatizations, accompanied by concentration in diverse economic sectors and the maturation of global manufacturing, it is to be expected that regulators might find themselves with little independence or power to design and enforce regulatory schemes. This is particularly true for the promotion of environmental protection through technological innovation in firms. This article argues that business cycles in the maquiladora industry and the institutional capabilities of regional authorities are direct structural constraints that inhibit the promotion of cleaner production in the Mexican-U. S. Border region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores how to design public policy mechanisms to stimulate rather than impede pollution-preventing technological innovation. Role of the government in technological innovation for a minimal waste society; Design criteria for policy for `green' technological innovation; Assessment of the United States environmental policy as a stimulus for `green' innovation.

Presents speech given by the executive of Beveridge & Diamond P.C., about the impact of the United States' environmental regulations on innovation. Percentage of Fortune 500 chief executives in 1970 supportive of more government regulation; Solid w aste statistics; Growth in pollution prevention technologies.

The New York City Department of Sanitation operates the world's largest refuse marine transport system. Waste trucks unload their cargo at land-based transfer stations where refuse is placed in barges and then towed by tugboats to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. In the early 1980s, the city commissioned the development of a computer-based model for use in fleet sizing and operations planning. As a result of the complexities introduced by environmental regulation and technological innovation, the marine transport system operations changed and the existing model became obsolete. Based on the success achieved with the first model in 1993, the city commissioned the development of a new model. In this paper, we present a PG-based model developed to meet the increased complexity of the system. Analysis performed for validation and calibration of the model demonstrates that it tracks well the operations of the real system. We illustrate through a detailed design exercise how to use the model to configure the system in a way that meets the requirements of the refuse marine transport system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on United States Vice President Al Gore's release of the National Environmental Technology Strategy. Bridge to a Sustainable Future CD-ROM as a key component of the strategy; CD-ROM's focus on federal agencies that are working to ensure continued US leadership in the emerging international marketplace of the environmental technology industry; Online updates.