Pros and Cons of Subsidizing Electric Vehicles
Introduction At both the federal and state level, governments in the United States are using policy to increase the use of electric vehicles (EVs) over gas-powered cars. Some of these policies are subsidies in the form of tax credits for those who purchase EVs, while others take the form of mandates without an economic incentive. […]
Pros and Cons of a Residential Tax Credit for Clean Energy
Introduction The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, contained many provisions designed to curb the impact of climate change while also addressing economic issues. The main approach to achieving this involves offering residential tax credits for clean energy. These credits enable Americans to get back up to 30% of their expenditure on clean energy upgrades […]
US Response to Deforestation in the Congo Basin
The Congo Basin spans six Central African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of the Congo. The basin is home to the world’s second largest rainforest, measuring 500 million acres, and hundreds of thousands of local species. In the past decade, however, the rainforest has faced […]
Pros and Cons of Expanding Wildfire-Resistant Housing Initiatives
California Assembly Bill 38, signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2019, addresses the issue of home fire safety by enhancing the resilience of housing communities located in high fire severity zones. AB-38 requires the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to develop and administer […]
Understanding Critical Resource Extraction in the Arctic
The Arctic Region The Arctic is the northernmost region of the Earth, centered on the North Pole. Most scientists define the Arctic as the area within the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude approximately 66.5° north of the Equator. The Arctic is home to more than 4 million people, including indigenous people such as the […]
Understanding the Hazardous Air Pollution Debate
Background Hazardous air pollution (HAP) is the contamination of the air by toxic pollutants that can cause serious health effects at high levels of concentration or exposure. While some release of HAPs can occur naturally, such as from forest fires, most comes from human activity and man-made sources. The largest sources are called stationary sources. […]
Understanding the Pesticide Debate
Pesticides are chemicals that target and kill organisms which humans have deemed as harmful. Pesticide is a generalized term for many different types of chemicals including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. These chemicals must be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to be used. This process entails examining their ingredients, which crop they […]
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and US-EU Relations
The Inflation Reduction Act The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) was signed by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022. The bill was designed to reduce US dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation and manufacturing sectors. It will also create clean energy jobs, and is projected to create up to 9 million jobs […]
US Involvement in the Lithium Triangle
Lithium, also known as white gold, is an important component in rechargeable batteries. These batteries are used in portable technology such as cell phones and laptops, as well as large scale electrical components. Specifically, Lithium-ion batteries store energy for solar panels, electric vehicles, and wind turbines making the resource essential for shifting away from fossil […]
Introduction to Corporate Average Fuel (CAFE) Standards
Overview of CAFE Standards Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are government-set standards regulating how far vehicles should be able to travel on a gallon of fuel. The three different classifications of vehicles, light-, medium-, and heavy-duty, have different CAFE standards. Higher standards mean vehicles should be able to travel further on a single gallon […]