Climate Mitigation Policies

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 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:

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation
• Clean, Advanced, and Renewable Energy Supply
• Transportation and Land Use Improvements
• Forest and Farm Conservation
• Waste Management
• Industrial Processes Improvements

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.