A report just released by five DOE national laboratories finds that the United States can meet up to three-quarters of its emissions reductions goal under the Kyoto Protocol by instituting policies that encourage the use of clean energy technologies. It concludes that successful implementation of these policies, along with the appropriate technologies, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, oil dependence, and economic inefficiencies. The report finds that the overall economic benefits of such policies would be essentially equal to their costs. The benefits derive from energy savings throughout the economy. According to the report, the most important policies in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are enhanced appliance efficiency standards, a domestic carbon cap and trading system, electric industry restructuring, increased research and development, and voluntary agreements to promote energy efficiency in vehicles, buildings, and industrial processes.
Some of the policies analyzed are the policies of the current (Clinton) administration, while others are not. For more about The Kyoto Protocol, which is an international treaty to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, see the United Nations Environment Program Web site at www.unep.ch/conventions. The report, commissioned by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is posted in its entirety at www.ornl.gov/ORNL.
