Climate Change Policy

Begun in 1989, the Institute's program involves a critical examination of the scientific basis for global climate change policy. The intent is to promote a clear understanding of the state of climate science and assess the implications for public policy. A major component of this effort is communicating the findings to policy makers, the media and the public policy community.

For about a decade, there has been an ongoing debate about the contribution of human activities to the global warming of the past century and how they may contribute to warming that may occur during the 21^st century. Too often this debate has been contentious. International efforts to reach agreement on inferences about human influence on the climate system that can be drawn from science and policy prescriptions for addressing the climate change risk have been controversial as well.

Wise, effective climate policy flows from a sound scientific foundation and a clear understanding of what science does and does not tell us about human influence and about courses of action to manage risk. Many of the temperature data and computer models used to predict climate change are themselves uncertain. Reducing these many uncertainties requires a significant shift in the way climate change research is carried out in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Are calls about the uncertainty in the state of scientific knowledge a call for no action? Nothing could be further from the truth. The message to policy makers is not to delay actions until uncertainties are reduced. Rather, actions should flow from the state of knowledge, should be related to a long-term strategy and objectives and should be capable of being adjusted ? one way or the other ? as the understanding of human influence improves. There is a sufficient basis for action because the climate change risk is real. Yet it is equally true that actions must not be predicated on speculative images of an apocalyptic vision of life in the near future.

Excessive Economic and National Security Costs to Result From Low Carbon Fuel Standards New Studies Highlight Consequences of Proposed Federal and State Actions

Climate Change Policy

• "Message Obama Needs for State of the Union has Mass. Roots," William O'Keefe, January 26, 2010
• "Copenhagen, Climategate, EPA and the U.S. Senate," Jeff Kueter, December 1, 2009
• "Cap-and-Trade Would Make the American Dream a Nightmare," William O'Keefe, August 18, 2009
• "The Myth of Vanishing CO2 Emissions, Part 2: Or, How the G-8 Demands the Implausible," Jeff Kueter, July 1, 2009
• "Cap and Trade is a License to Cheat and Steal," William O'Keefe, May 19, 2009
• "Economic, Environmental, and Energy Security Consequences of a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard," April 2, 2009
• "Time for a Fresh Debate Over America?s Climate Policy," William O'Keefe, February 3, 2009
• "Climate Policy: Focusing the Debate," William O'Keefe, February 1, 2009
• "Inconvenient Data: The Need for an International Climate Data Registry," Dr. Eric Loewen, January 1, 2009
• "The Future of Climate Policy: Reality versus Lessons Not Learned," William O'Keefe, December 1, 2008
• "The Myth of Vanishing CO2 Emissions," William O'Keefe and Jeff Kueter, June 1, 2008
• "Considerations for an 80% Reduction in Carbon Dioxide Emissions," M. Herlong, January 1, 2008
• "Where Will the Bali Roadmap Lead?," William O'Keefe and Jeff Kueter, December 1, 2007
• "President Bush Calls for Actions to Establish Greenhouse Gas Emission Goals," May 31, 2007
• "New Greenpeace Report Continues Campaign to Silence Debate on Climate Change," May 21, 2007
• "Assessing the Supreme Court's CO2 Ruling," William O'Keefe, May 1, 2007
• "Reply to Union of Concerned Scientists, Smoke, Mirrors and Hot Air," Jeff Kueter, January 4, 2007
• "Clean Air Theater," William O'Keefe, December 3, 2006
• "Reply to Matthew Quayle, Executive Producer of Squawk Box, on CNBC Presentation," William O'Keefe, November 2, 2006
• "Response to the Royal Society's Letter," William O'Keefe and Jeff Kueter, September 22, 2006
• "Climate Zealotry Produces Bad Policy: Observations on Al Gore's New York University Speech," William O'Keefe, September 1, 2006
• "Group Think Masquerading as Consensus," William O'Keefe, September 1, 2006
• "The Truth is Inconvenient: Evaluating Gore's Claims About the Political Dimensions of the Climate Change Debate," Jeff Kueter, July 1, 2006
• "Vanity Fair - Wrong on the Science, Disgraceful in Supporting Personal Attacks," April 13, 2006
• "Senate Climate Conference Offers One-Sided View," April 3, 2006
• "William O?Keefe Responds to Senator Bingaman's Support of a Mandatory Program," William O'Keefe, December 6, 2005
• "Climate Policy: A Reality Check," William O'Keefe, September 30, 2005
• "Evaluating the Bush Environmental Record," William O'Keefe, September 30, 2005
• "Climate Change Policy after the G-8 Summit," Roger Bate, Lee Lane and Marlo Lewis, August 2, 2005
• "Washington Post: G-8 Urges Action on Global Warming, With General Goals," July 8, 2005
• "Technology & LCDs are Proper Focus for G-8 Summit," July 6, 2005
• "General Rent Seeker," William O'Keefe, May 26, 2005
• "Climate Change and National Security," William O'Keefe, Remarks given at the World Affairs Council's conference on Climate Change & National Security, May 3, 2005
• "Lobbying & Law - Cold Cash and Global-Warming Research," The National Journal, April 2, 2005
• "Funding Flows for Climate Change Research and Related Activities," Jeff Kueter, April 1, 2005
• "Creating Technologies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Intensity: Policy Options and Opportunities," David Montgomery, March 1, 2005
• "Meteorologist Likens Fear of Global Warming to 'Religious Belief'," December 2, 2004
• "Concern, Not Over-reaction: A Response to Business Week Climate Change Cover Story," October 1, 2004
• "Much Ado About Nothing: The New York Times' Claim of "a striking shift" in the Bush Administration Portrayal of Climate Science," Jeff Kueter, September 1, 2004
• "Read With Care - Your Blood May Reach the Boiling Point," Jeff Kueter, September 1, 2004
• "Climate debate isn't about action, it's about knowledge," William O'Keefe, January 6, 2004
• "Global Warming Debate Heats Up Capitol Hill," November 19, 2003
• "Climate Change Skepticism: A Virtue or Vice?," William O'Keefe, October 1, 2003
• "Global Warming Smear Targets," Dr. David R. Legates, August 26, 2003
• "Climate Policy and Energy Use and Objective Realities," William O'Keefe, June 1, 2003
• "Improving the Value and Management of Climate Research," March 1, 2003
• "Marshall Institute Comments on the Draft Strategic Plan of the U. S. Climate Change Science Program," February 28, 2003
• "Remarks Before the Final Plenary Session of the U.S. Climate Change Program's Planning Workshop for Scientists and Stakeholders," William O'Keefe, December 5, 2002
• "Remarks Before the Resource Management Decision Support Panel of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program's Planning Workshop for Scientists and Stakeholders," William O'Keefe, December 4, 2002
• "Climate Change and Public Policy: European and American Approaches to Kyoto," Dr. Margo Thorning, September 24, 2002
• "Climate Science and Policy: Making the Connection," Dr. James Schlesinger and Dr. Robert L. Sproull, December 4, 2001
• "Supercomputers and Super Surprises," Jeffrey Marsh, July 10, 2000
• "Climate Change: A Political Assessment," William O'Keefe, June 13, 2000
• "It is Time to Move Beyond Kyoto," January 4, 1999
• "National Security and Military Policy Issues Involved in the Kyoto Treaty," Dr. Jeffrey Salmon, May 18, 1998
• "Letter to President Clinton," January 22, 1998
• "Do We Need to Act Now on CO2 Emission Limits?," October 28, 1997
• "A Bad Bill For Cap-And-Trade," William O'Keefe
• "IS MANMADE GLOBAL WARMING REAL AND DANGEROUS?,"
• "Open Letter to Matthew Quayle, Executive Producer of Squawk Box on CNBC Presentation "Fire and Ice"," William O'Keefe