Addressing the Risks of Climate Change:
The Environmental Effectiveness and Economic Efficiency of Emissions Caps and Tradable Permits, Compared to Carbon Taxes
 
 
An ACI study sponsored in February 2007 and authored by esteemed national economist and former Undersecretary of Commerce Dr. Robert Shapiro found that carbon taxes are a better alternative to emissions caps and tradable permits (commonly referred [...]

Subsidy Could Harm Consumers and May Not Save Energy
 
President Obama has signed into a law a program to stimulate new car purchases and take old gas guzzlers off the road.  The program, referred to as Cash for Clunkers, would give new car buyers a rebate worth thousands per vehicle, when they trade in an old fuel [...]

We can all understand and appreciate the importance of conserving energy, saving gasoline and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  One suggestion has been to increase the use of hybrids.  However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, hybrids can cost a lot more than they save in gasoline.
We developed a “calculator” that looks at all major vehicles sold in the U.S. and found that [...]

Over the last couple of weeks, we asked our readers whether they supported the Pickens Plan to achieve energy independence. And, here are the final results:

95% YES (902 votes)
<1% NO (8 votes)
4% Partially Support (34 votes)
<1% Undecided (2 votes)

Based on these results, our readers overwhelmingly support the Pickens Plan.

Downloading music, software applications and video has become commonplace, reducing the need for consumers to drive their cars to buy DVDs, CDs and the like.  This ConsumerGram focuses on the positive environmental impact of buying online and finds that just downloading music has resulted in 6.5 billion fewer miles driven each year.  Less driving benefits [...]

Policymakers are in desperate need to develop a sound and comprehensive energy policy.  However, the steps being considered – investing in more expensive alternative fuels, carbon taxes, cap-and-trade schemes, conservation and so on – all require consumers to make sacrifices.  This ConsumerGram looks at the evidence and finds that increased investment and use in information [...]