Chris Busch

Director, Transportation and Senior Economist

Chris Busch is Director, Transportation and Senior Economist at Energy Innovation, where he leads the firm’s Transportation Program and provides evidenced-based reasons for optimism in the battle against climate change.

Chris works to illuminate the growing economic upsides from policies accelerating transportation decarbonization as one reason to aim for 100 percent all-electric new car sales as quickly as possible. Motor vehicle emissions, which account for about 75 percent of all transport sector emissions, are an attractive policy target due to battery innovation and fast-falling prices. As Senior Economist, he leads the firm’s carbon market analysis for regions including California and China.

Chris previously served as Energy Innovation’s California lead, analyzing causes of the state’s success in pioneering decarbonized prosperity and providing insights from its policy leadership to replicate this success in other states and around the globe. His 2017 and 2018 research on California’s cap-and-trade program accurately predicted the buildup of excess tradeable permits. More recently, Chris led development of the California Energy Policy Simulator to strengthen policies in all major sectors, accelerating decarbonization while delivering social and economic benefits worth tens of billions.

Before EI, Chris was Policy Director for the BlueGreen Alliance, where he testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Power and Energy Subcommittee. He also served as Climate Economist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he was appointed to California’s Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee. Prior to that, Chris worked as a Senior Research Associate in the International Energy Studies Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Chris holds a Ph.D. in environmental economics and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley; he has been quoted in major publications such as the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, and he has published in peer-reviewed journals such as Energy Policy, Land Economics, and the Electricity Journal.

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Works from Chris Busch

Article

Electric Trucks Will Be Cheaper Than Diesel – Decades Faster Than Expected

Publication

Fast-Falling Battery Prices Boost Economic Benefits Expected from Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification

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Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent

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­Modeling Climate, Health, and Economic Benefits of Faster New Energy Vehicle Deployment in China

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Why The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Is Biden’s Other Climate Bill

Presentation

A Sectoral Approach To Climate Mitigation: Transportation And Buildings

Article

To Meet Climate Goals, China Needs To Phase In Electric Vehicles Much Faster

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Zero-Emission Vehicle Sales Standards: California And China's Secret Weapon On Transportation Electrification

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Closing The Emissions Gap Between The IRA And 2030 NDC: Policies To Meet The Moment

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Electric Vehicles Will Soon Lead Global Auto Markets, But Too Slow To Hit Climate Goals Without New Policy

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Policies To Reach 55 Percent Reductions by 2030 in California using the Energy Policy Simulator

Presentation

Reaffirming California's Climate Leadership: Insights From The Energy Policy Simulator

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California Needs To Triple Historical Decarbonization Rates To Meet 2030 Carbon Targets, Report Finds

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California Energy Policy Simulator Update: Earlier Action Delivers Social and Economic Benefits

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California's $19 Billion Carbon Market Falls Short In Fight To Curb Emissions

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China's Emission Trading System Will Be The World's Biggest Climate Policy. Here's What Comes Next

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China’s Emission Trading System Report Series

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Hedge Funds Seek Riches In California's Carbon Market

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The Era Of Polluting The Atmosphere For Free Is Coming To A Close

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Retaking The Lead In Electric Vehicle Exports And Recharging Manufacturing Jobs Requires The Full American Jobs Plan

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China Carbon Market A Milestone In Global Climate Effort

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The Surprising Affordability Of Used Electric Vehicles Shows How California Climate Policies Can Fight Inequity

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Tackling The Electric Vehicle Buyer Gap

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Used Electric Vehicles Deliver Consumer Savings Over Gas Cars

Presentation

China's Carbon Neutrality Plans: Game Changer for Climate Change?

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China's Carbon Neutral Opportunity

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State At Risk Of Missing Its Climate Goals, Experts Warn

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State Climate Action Unlikely After Democrats Fail to Flip Statehouses

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Why Electric Vehicles Will Likely Emerge As California’s Top Manufacturing Export In 2020

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Electrifying California Cars Could Crush the Grid, Or Save It

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California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Climate Change Fight Could Be Costly

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Trump Administration Fails in Challenge of California-Quebec Cap-and-Trade Pact

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California Ushers In An Electrifying New Era In Trucks

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California Passes Historic Clean Truck Rule

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California Accelerates Clean Transportation Policy, Targeting 500,000 Electric Trucks By 2040

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Build Electric Truck Infrastructure, And They Will Come, Advocates Say

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Clean Trucks, Big Bucks

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Clean Truck Rule Would Avoid 17.6M Tons Of CO2 — Report

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Sizing Up California's Electric Trucking Plan

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Cleaner Air Is Actually Hobbling California's Climate Fight

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California Is A Climate Leader. But Here’s Why It Needs To Move Even Faster

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California’s A Climate Leader? These Six Proposals Show How Much More We Have To Do

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Cuomo’s New Climate Change Plan Is Ambitious But Short On Money

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Electric Vehicles Can Help California Hit 2030 Emissions Reduction Target

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How Even Stronger California Climate Policies Could Spark A $7 Billion Economic Opportunity

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California Energy Policy Simulator Insights: Current Emissions Trajectory, Policy Opportunities To Reach 2030 Emissions Reduction Goal

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Clean Up Cars And Cement Industry To Reach California’s Climate Goals, Report Says

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State Unlikely To Meet 2030 Emissions Goal — Report

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California Could Meet Its 2030 Climate Goals — But It Would Mean Saving Money

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California’s Behind On Its 2030 Climate Goals. What’s At Stake If It Doesn’t Catch Up?

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Cap And Trade Is Supposed to Solve Climate Change, But Oil And Gas Company Emissions Are Up

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Will Fed’s Lawsuit Targeting California’s Key Climate Change Policy Cost Polluters And Taxpayers?

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Trudeau Takes Office As Trump Takes California-Quebec Climate Deal To Court

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Blunt Warning Says Californians Must Step Up To Meet Climate Goals

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California Electric Vehicle Exports, Already Valued At $3 Billion In 2018, Expected To Hit $3.4 Billion In 2019

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PG&E Bankruptcy Unlikely To Greatly Alter WCI Emissions, Experts Say

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California’s Cap-And-Trade System May Be Too Weak To Do Its Job

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Blending Taxes And Cap-And-Trade Could Improve Carbon Pricing

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A Carbon Pricing Idea: Policy Fusion

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Is A Carbon Tax Part Of The Green New Deal?

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Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy

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Comments to California’s Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee on Revisions to the State’s Cap-and-Trade Regulations

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How Your Life Might Change If California Goes 'Carbon Neutral' To Fight Climate Change

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Getting To Net Zero In California, For Everything

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California's Climate Endgame

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How Do Ambitious Climate Pledges Impact Economic Growth? For Insight, Compare Texas And California.

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CBC Interview On Ontario Carbon Market Withdrawal

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California Hits 2020 Emissions Reduction Goal Two Years Ahead Of Schedule

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California Is Cutting Greenhouse Gases, But Not From Cars. Can That Change?

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State Emissions Reach Milestone - 1990 Levels

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Huzzah! California Hits Emissions Target 4 Years Early

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California Slashes Emissions, Hits Major Greenhouse Gas Goal Years Early

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Will Ontario's Carbon Market Withdrawal Harm The Western Climate Initiative? No, Says Price Rebound.

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Ontario Ready To Pull Out Of Carbon Market, Leaving California In Limbo

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Reactions To Ontario’s Swift Exit From WCI, Cap-And-Trade

Publication

Consignment Auctioning of Carbon Allowances in Cap-and-Trade Program Design

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China's All In On Electric Vehicles: Here's How That Will Accelerate Sales In Other Nations.

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WCI Auction Sells Out Again, With Results Bucking Analyst Predictions

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Checking The Math On Cap And Trade, Some Experts Say It’s Not Adding Up

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California Braces For Potential Ontario Departure From Market

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No One Wins In A War Over Ending Clean Car Policies

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Western Climate Initiative Cap-And-Trade Auction Nets Record Sales, But Raises Long-Term Concerns

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First Tripartite WCI Auction Sells Out At Slight Premium To Floor Price

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Is Cap And Trade The Climate Solution? The Jury's Still Out

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No Longer Termed A 'Failure,' California's Cap-And-Trade Program Faces A New Critique: Is It Too Successful?

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Analyzing the Likely Impact of Oversupply on California’s Carbon Market Must Consider State’s 2030 Emissions Goal and Potential for Clean Tech Breakthroughs

Article

California’s Climate Fight Gets Harder Soon, And The Big Culprit Is Cars

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Climate Change Conundrum

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There's A Glut Of Carbon Allowances. Is That A Big Deal?

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California’s Carbon Cap Is Not In Jeopardy, Because It’s Not Really A Cap

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A Landmark California Climate Program Enjoys New Opportunities

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State Faces 'Giant' Questions About Slashing Emissions

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California Wants More Than 4.2 Million Electric Vehicles By 2030. A New Plan Charts The Road Ahead.

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Oversupply Grows In The Western Climate Initiative Carbon Market

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A Landmark California Climate Program Needs A Tuneup

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Slash WCI’s Future Emissions Caps By Market’s 2020 Allowance Surplus, Urges California Think-Tank

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Analysts Worry California Climate Change Program Is Doing Too Well

Article

The Bloomberg 50

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California Cap-And-Trade Auction Sells Out At Record Price, Most Allowances Ever Sold In One Auction

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California Cap-And-Trade Auction Sets Record Price

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Final California-Quebec Carbon Auction Of 2017 Sells Out At Huge Premium Despite Heftier Supply

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Emissions Fall Under California's Cap-And-Trade Program

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Emissions Fell Last Year. That's Good News For Gov. Brown

Presentation

Transportation And Climate Policy In California

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California Considers A Ban On Gasoline And Diesel Car Sales. Can It Work?

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California Lawmaker Aims To Ban Gasoline Car Sales

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California, Quebec, Ontario Ink Deal to Join Carbon Markets

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Carbon Market For Sustainable Growth

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California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Gets Boost From Sold-Out Auction

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California Pollution Permits Sell At Highest Price Ever

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California Cap-And-Trade Program Gets A Shot In The Arm With Strong Permit Auction Results

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California Auction Raises $640 Million for Greenhouse Gas Fund

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California Sees Strong Results From Cap-And-Trade Auction After Program Extension

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Nearly $1 Billion In Pollution Permits Fly Off Shelf In California Auction

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Last Week’s, Remaining WCI Auctions Through 2020 To Sell Out, Analyst Predicts

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California Cap-And-Trade Extension To Boost Auctions

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Brown Signs Cap And Trade Extension, Schwarzenegger Blasts Trump

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California Lawmakers Send 10-Year Carbon Trading Extension to Governor

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Will You End Up Paying More For Gas Under California’s Cap-And-Trade Extension?

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Ahead Of The Vote, The Environmental And Fiscal Impacts Of Extending CA’s Cap-And-Trade

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California Lawmakers Aim For Cap-And-Trade Vote Next Week

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California's Cap-And-Trade Compromise Is A Big Step Forward, Not A Win For Polluters

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For Experts, California Carbon Market Extension May Bring More Questions Than Answers

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Cap-and-trade key to green energy future

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Greens see oil industry fingerprints on climate legislation

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Cities: Making the smart choice for people and businesses

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Governor Brown wades into California cap-and-trade debate with new draft proposals

Article

China-California Climate Cooperation: A New Model For States, Nations In The Trump Era

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Q&A: Price floor key to California auction results

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California sees a rebound in cap-and-trade auction, bolstering key climate change program

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California climate program has struggled. Why the billion-dollar rebound?

Article

The Power Of Fundamentals: Why CA's Carbon Allowance Auction Will Rebound

Article

Brown heading to China to promote climate policies

Article

California governor wants cap-and-trade deal by June

Article

Offset providers say new carbon-pricing bill is 'horrific'

Presentation

Linking Ontario to the Western Climate Initiative

Presentation

NACW 2017 - North American Carbon Market Forecast

Article

Demand Falls In First 2017 California-Quebec Cap-and-Trade Auction, But Set To Rise Through 2020

Publication

Recalibrating California's Cap-and-Trade Program To Account For Oversupply

Article

Carbon Prices Rise In California's Cap-And-Trade Program As Legal Certainty Grows

Article

California’s power to trump climate denial

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Viewpoint: CCA market set to recover, if it survives

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Demand for carbon allowances rebounds in latest auction

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What California’s History-Making Climate Laws Mean For Emissions Policy

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What California's Ambitious Climate Bills Mean for Policy

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California’s history-making new laws and what they mean for climate policy

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5 things you need to know about California's new climate change legislation

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Future uncertain over cap-and-trade auctions

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California Cap-and-Trade: A Success in Disguise

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COMMENT: California’s cap-and-trade program – the crisis that wasn’t

Publication

Planeación Urbana Sustenable Para la Ciudad de Mexico

Publication

Climate and Energy Policy Solutions for China: Executive Summary

Publication

Climate Policy for the Real World

Article

The goal of cap-and-trade is to fight climate change, not raise tax revenue

Article

California’s Cap and Trade Law Is a Success

Article

Solutions to SF housing, transit problems may be found in Brazil

Article

Look to California for Greener Urban Growth

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Readers React: How smart growth in cities can boost public transit

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Cities: Making the smart choice for people and businesses

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How Sustainable Cities Can Drive Business Growth

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Smart Growth Can Cure California’s Congestion Crisis

Article

California’s International Model For Climate Success

Publication

The California Climate and Clean Energy Policy Story

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Moving California Forward - Full Report

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Green & Smart Urban Development Guidelines

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12 Green Guidelines

Article

A Mobility Plan in Los Angeles

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How Smart Growth Puts California on the Path to 2030 Climate Success

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Moving California Forward - Summary for Policymakers

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The Good News About Higher California Carbon Prices

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Cities for People: Insights from the Data

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Cutting California Emissions by 40 Percent: A Blueprint for Climate Leadership

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Charting California's Carbon Course

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Target 2030: Top Four Climate Policy Recommendations for California

Article

在城市规划中掘金 (The Profit Potential of Getting the Urban Fabric Right)

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Cities for People in Practice

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California Jobs Rise With Green Energy

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Natural Gas versus Coal: Is Natural Gas Better for the Climate?

Publication

The Mystery of the Missing Methane

Article

The Mystery of the Missing Methane

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Carbon-Free Prosperity in California: Policies for Success

Article

States Take National Lead in Regulating Fracking (Op-Ed)

Article

Urbanization Can Actually Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Article

China Must Avoid Overreliance on Cars

Article

Superblocks: Why China Must Embrace Mass Transit

Publication

Frack or Fiction

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Clean Air and Sustainable Cities in China

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Getting Cities Right in China

Publication

Superblocks: Why China Must Embrace Mass Transit

Article

Banner Quarter For Cap-And-Trade Program, After Lawmakers Extend It