----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Tobis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Newsgroups: gmane.science.general.global-change
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 9:11 PM
Subject: [Global Change: 1554] Re: How was acid rain and CFC reduction
successful?
> Regarding acid rain, this is handled on a continental scale, which in
> North America just involves two similar countries, so it's much more
> tractable. I believe that this problem has *not* been solved on a
> global scale.
>
> It's the coal, not the oil interests here, that are crucial. In
> practice we will likely have to settle for coal fired plants with deep
> sequestration even if renewables plus hydrogen or hydraulics for
> energy storage would be cheaper and cleaner.
>
> mt
Nobody has mentioned in this thread the role that a policy innovation played
in lowering opposition to sulfur emissions regulation: "cap and trade" was
implemented in the clean air act to allow industry to adjust to a new
emission reduction regime at least cost.
That is a good lesson from history, and is gradually gaining acceptance as a
mechanism for carbon emissions regulation. So far, carbon emission markets,
like sulfur emission markets before them, are regional rather than global.
There is room for improvement.
The sulfur emission control regime implemented in the clean air act of 1990
pitted high-sulfur coal interests against low-sulfur coal interests. There
may be lessons to learn there as well about negotiating and managing the
impacts of new regs on particular industry sectors (i.e. high-carbon fuel
interests v. low-carbon fuel interests).
-dl
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