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A sustainable world has often been assumed to be a world in which climate change will be dealt with automatically. But even in a future which emphasizes sustainability, there will still be limited resources and the need to balance competing demands on these resources. As the list of objectives for a sustainable world is quite long, climate objectives will need to compete with many other policy goals for resources. So it is of relevance to understand what the climatic outcomes of a sustainable world might be, what additional options to control emissions might be in place in this world, and how the costs might vary as additional policies are implemented, or assumptions about critical determinants of emissions vary. In this analysis, we focus on how a generic carbon tax varies as alternative assumptions about energy demand, the effectiveness of carbon sequestration, and climate goals are made. The result that emerges is that uncertainty is pervasive in the climate mitigation problem, and that despite the political difficulties of revisiting decisions on a regular basis, there is no way out of the need for adaptive policies which require constant reassessment of the goals and the effectiveness of the policies in place to reach these goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stabilization presents a daunting challenge for all countries of the world, regardless of their stage of development, institutions or technological capabilities. This article explores the implications for the USA of climate stabilization at 3.4 W/m². Stabilization at this level, even under idealized conditions of nearly immediate global cooperation, will require a transformation of the USA's energy system, beginning almost immediately and extending throughout the century and beyond. This transformation will need to be even more rapid and extensive if the emissions reduction regime encompasses only a portion of the global economy. The availability of advanced technologies such as CCS, sustainable bioenergy production, wind and solar, nuclear energy and end-use efficiency improvements will facilitate this transition. Indeed, the degree to which technology advances over the coming century is among the most important determinants of the economic costs of stabilization for the USA and the rest of the world. The scope of the energy system transformation highlights the need to begin deploying technologies that are currently available and to continue to invest in R&D to develop newer, more efficient, and less expensive low- or zero-carbon energy supply technologies and end-use technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]