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Climate Mitigation Actions

U.S. states play an important role in contributing to global solutions to climate change because of their size and their ability to formulate effective responses. State policies resulting from these plans have been compiled here: State Policy Tracker [updated 1/25/10].

State climate action plans—a product of intensive stakeholder and technical work group collaboration—are designed to reduce state greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a wide range of specific policies and programs in the following categories:

A typical climate plan has 40 to 70 actions that are combined into a balanced and comprehensive “portfolio” that covers all sectors and uses a combination of implementation methods, with elements of both traditional and innovative policy mechanisms:

Codes and Standards
Market-Based Systems
Funding and Technical Assistance
Reporting and Disclosure
Voluntary Agreements
Information and Education Programs
Other Methods

Policy actions in the portfolio are adopted and integrated over time through administrative or legislative action at the state, regional, or national level. Together, they achieve the desired level of emissions reductions that are best suited to the unique economic circumstances and needs of each state. To see what states have done more specifically, please see our track record. CCS maintains a catalog of more than 300 policy options that states have undertaken for a variety of reasons, including emissions reductions. For further information, feel free to contact us directly.

Climate Policy Integration
To work most effectively, policy actions in different economic sectors and levels of government must be integrated. In addition, because many actions that reduce greenhouse gas pollution may be implemented for reasons other than climate protection (such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transportation improvements), it is important that they be integrated with actions designed specifically for climate policy. This is true, for instance, of market-based systems such as cap-and-trade that may require or benefit from companion policies and measures at the state or federal level in each of the economic sectors in order to address specific market barriers. For instance, programs to support energy efficiency through demand-side management may address “split incentives” or fragmented markets that discourage demand-side market participation in supply-side policy incentives. As the nation develops comprehensive approaches to climate policy, it will be important to address economic, governance, and environmental issues through various types of policy integration.

Whitman & Peterson: Climate Bill Should Top the Congress’ To-Do List
As Congress approaches the August recess, our economy, energy and environmental security needs still top the to-do list of the president and Congress. This summer the Center for Climate Strategies and the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition have outlined how Congress can put a national strategy in place that gets all three on the same page: by passing comprehensive national climate change and energy policy that reflects our best policy options for immediate action.

New Climate and Energy Policies Could Create 2.5 Million Jobs, Hold Down Energy Costs
July 22, 2010 -- New greenhouse gas emissions and energy policies at the Federal level could generate as many as 2.5 million new jobs and $134 billion in economic activity in the U.S. while keeping energy costs down, according to a new report from the Center for Climate Strategies, published with Johns Hopkins University.

Colorado legislature raises state RES, move seen creating jobs
A coalition of stakeholders who worked on the Colorado Climate Panel's were critical to the new legislation’s passage. Since investor-owned utilities supply 60% of Colorado’s electricity, this implements most of the Panel recommendation (adopted by the Governor) on renewable energy standards (RES).

Analysis Says Energy Bill would Boost GDP, Jobs
The Clean Energy Jobs Act, recently introduced in the Wisconsin legislature, can create jobs and improve the state's economy according to a recent Center for Climate Strategies study.
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