Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS)? CCS is a nonpartisan, non-advocacy, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. CCS’s mission is to help states and the nation tackle the issue of climate change through development and implementation of consensus-based stakeholder-supported policies and plans.
Why was CCS created? CCS was formed to help government leaders and their stakeholders develop effective, consensus-based policy solutions to climate change.
Where is CCS located? CCS is located in Washington, DC. Team members are located across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and we work jointly with a partner organization in Beijing, China.
What does CCS do? CCS provides planning support, facilitation, technical assistance and economic analysis, training and capacity building to government entities and their stakeholders for development and implementation of effective climate policy actions.
How many U.S. states has CCS helped? CCS has provided technical assistance to over 40 U.S. states involved in state climate action planning, as well as to three U.S. regions, Canadian Provinces, and the Border States of Mexico. CCS has assisted 16 states with its signature stakeholder-driven consensus-based climate action planning process.
How many stakeholders has CCS helped? Through its collaborative state planning processes CCS has worked with more than 1,500 stakeholders and technical work group experts across the U.S.
How many U.S. states have developed climate action plans? Since 2000, 33 U.S. states have started or completed comprehensive climate action planning initiatives that cover two thirds of the U.S. population and economy.
What are the qualifications of CCS team members? The CCS team comprises highly experienced and well-respected professionals specializing in climate, energy, and economic policy development at the local, state, national, and international levels of government. Team members hold advanced degrees in economics, law, policy, communications, and business, engineering, sciences, and in other disciplines. Many CCS members hold additional posts in academia, policy institutes, or other consulting organizations. Bios are available at www.climatestrategies.us/team.cfm.
How is CCS funded? State, federal and other government agencies help fund CCS’s assistance through grants and contracts. CCS provides additional cost share, as needed, through private donor support.
How are state climate planning processes initiated? Climate policy planning processes are convened by Executive Order of the Governor, by public law, by government directive of a convening agency, or by private initiative. Typically the Governor and/or the legislature, or the convening agency or organization appoints a diverse set of stakeholders from the state to represent multiple economic sectors and to provide expertise.
What role does CCS play in the planning process? CCS provides start-up assistance, resource support, project management, facilitation, technical analysis, training and capacity building as an impartial, expert party.
How does the typical CCS policy development process work? The CCS planning process involves an open, collaborative, stepwise, and fact-based process with the following steps:
• An initial inventory and forecast of GHG emissions of the jurisdiction is conducted for review, revision, and final approval by participants.
• An initial catalog of state (or local) actions underway in the planning jurisdiction and other states or regions is developed. Participants expand this list with new actions specific to their jurisdiction to identify a full range of potential solutions.
• From this full list of potential actions, participants identify initial priorities for development and analysis. Through balloting/voting the participants chose an initial list of draft policy options.
• For the initial list of priority options participants develop preliminary policy design specifications that include timing, level of effort, and participation of implementing parties.
• For each draft policy option, CCS develops customized analysis of GHG reduction potential and estimated costs or cost savings of implementation. These are based on generally accepted policies and guidelines for cost-effectiveness analysis, modified as needed for each sector or action in a given location. Analysis of each draft policy action is customized to the participants’ specifications on the basis of group agreement on the best available data, methods and assumptions
• For each draft policy option, participants identify appropriate implementation mechanisms, as well as important feasibility issues and co-benefits such as public health and energy security.
• For each draft policy option, participants identify potential barriers to consensus. With assistance by CCS, the participants develop alternative policy design, implementation mechanisms, or analysis to resolve potential conflicts.
• Participants engage in an iterative process to fully develop and to reach final agreement on each policy action through a facilitated, formal voting process. Participants decide whether to accept the draft option in its current form, or modify it through further development and final voting. The final approval of any option requires support by vote – measured as unanimous, supermajority, or majority support. Without such consensus support the policy is rejected.
• For all final approved actions, CCS provides an integrated analysis of actions in all economic sectors compared with emissions baselines for the jurisdiction. At this stage participants will often recommend jurisdiction-wide GHG reduction goals.
• CCS prepares a Draft Final Report that compiles and summarizes all recommendations and analyses. It is reviewed and approved by the stakeholder participants. The approved Final Report is submitted to the convener of the process. Public review of and input to this Final Report is standard procedure.
How long does the CCS policy planning process take? Typically, a truly comprehensive climate policy development process takes a year or more to complete from the first to last meetings through publication of the Final Report. Some processes involve initial technical phases.
Do stakeholder participants vote on decisions? Yes. Decisions in each step of the process (including final recommendations) are typically made by vote of Advisory Group members. Stakeholders participate on Technical Work Group also include representatives from a variety of organizations who provide technical advice, assistance, and feedback.
How do outcomes of CCS processes compare across states and regions? Comprehensive climate action plans normally include a balanced portfolio of about 40 to 50 actions across all economic sectors. Some actions are recommended at a regional or national level in order to harmonize geographic markets or regulations. Others are highly customized to address unique local and state needs and opportunities. As a result, state plans include both common and unique elements.
Why do we need a combination of policies to solve global warming? The scale of GHG reductions needed to reduce overall emissions in any state or nation is large enough that it would be very difficult and expensive to require all of its emissions to come from one economic sector or one policy instrument. As a result, it is important to engage all economic sectors and develop a balanced portfolio of actions that focuses on the most cost effective or highest value actions in each.
Do state climate action plans include economic analyses of climate actions? Yes, typically this includes cost effectiveness as well as macroeconomic impact analyses of specific actions.
Does climate policy development require perfect information and certainty? No. Rarely, if ever, do public or private sector policy decisions have the luxury of perfect information. To guard against significant uncertainties, data limitations, or policy implementation risk, participants develop a diversified portfolio of actions to reach goals and objectives. They may also employ scenario and sensitivity analysis and other techniques to address imperfect information, much as businesses use to plan in an uncertain market environment.
Are CCS projects open to the public? Yes. Members of the public can attend all stakeholder meetings and Technical Work Group discussions to observe and provide comment. In addition, all materials and proceedings of CCS planning processes are provided on a public project website.
What position does CCS take on climate issues or legislation? CCS does not take positions on climate policy issues or legislation.
What position does CCS take on climate science? CCS accepts the findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the science and risks of climate change.
