August 6th, 2008
David Victor Discusses Climate Change and Geo-Engineering with the BBC
In the News: BBC News on July 31, 2008In the face of pessimism about political solutions to global climate change, once marginal ideas about using geo-engineering to combat warming are gaining new attention.
July 23rd, 2008
PESD Work on the Role of Carbon Offsets in Climate Change Mitigation Attracts International Attention
Michael Wara and David Victor's recent work "A Realistic Policy on International Carbon Offsets" addresses problems with the world's largest offset program, the UN's Clean Development Mechanism. Wara and Victor argue that much of the CDM investment doesn't actually meet the UN's crucial additionality standards, and they outline ways to fix the problem.
- » A Realistic Policy on International Carbon Offsets
- » Wall Street Journal
- » Science Magazine
- » Wall Street Journal
David Victor Discusses Climate Policy, Offsets, and Incentives in the Wall Street Journal
In the News: Wall Street Journal on July 23, 2008Income from carbon offsets has become French chemical manufacturer Rhodia SA's most profitable business. The WSJ estimates payouts to the firm from projects in Brazil and South Korea could total $1 billion over seven years, raising questions about the incentive structure of the CDM. David Victor argues that carbon markets are not sending the appropriate signals to the developing world.
July 15th, 2008
PESD Releases Case Study of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
In a region popularly associated with monolithic states controlling secretive but effective national oil companies, Kuwait presents a surprising picture of bitterly divided government and a chaotic and fragmented oil sector. PESD affiliate Paul Stevens dissects the historical legacies and tangled webs of interaction with government that explain the current performance and erratic strategy of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
Michael Wara and David Victor Address the Role of Offsets in California's Cap and Trade Plan
In the News: Science MagazineCalifornia's plan to cut carbon emissions 10% by 2020 relies on offsets as a part of a cap and trade scheme. Michael Wara points out the challenges that face the state as it designs its offset program, and David Victor sheds light on difficulties faced by the world's largest offset program, the UN's CDM protocol.
July 14th, 2008
Michael Wara Discusses Coal and the CDM
In the News: Wall Street Journal on July 11, 2008The CDM Executive Board recently approved several gas-fired power plants under the UN's carbon offset scheme, opening the door for subsidizing coal generation and stoking controversy. Michael Wara questions the additionality of such projects and argues subsidies are better spent on other clean-energy development.
July 11th, 2008
David Victor Comments on G-8 Climate Talks
In the News: New York TimesLeaders of the Group of Eight nations agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions but divisions remain. David Victor was quoted in New York Times and PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer about the agreements.
July 10th, 2008
Special Issue of the Journal Energy Policy on the Current State of Africa's Energy Systems
PESD Affiliate Mark Howells, along with Joe Aldy and Leo Schrattenholzer, have edited a special issue of the journal Energy Policy on the role of energy in Africa's social and economic development. The issue includes papers that examine an African interaction with the rest of the planet's liquid fuels market, the effect of various drivers on energy and technology transitions within Africa, as well as new quantitative models for projecting aspects of those energy transitions.
- » Energy Policy
- » Determinants of electricity demand for newly electrified low-income African households
July 9th, 2008
From Acai to Access: Distributed Electrification in Rural Brazil
PESD researcher, Hisham Zerriffi, examines the success and failure in the use of small scale technologies for rural electrification.
July 8th, 2008
Another Look at Renewables on India's Sagar Island
India's Sagar Island is renowned among Hindu devotees for its pilgrimage sites and in the renewable energy community for its locally-managed solar and wind projects. Field work by PESD Researcher Sam Shrank corroborates some of the benefits of these off-grid electricity generators but suggests that the business model for running them is not as sustainable or replicable as the literature implies.
July 2nd, 2008
Newsweek International Special Reports
Op-edPESD scholars Burton Richter and David Victor have pieces in the International Edition of Newsweek. Richter explains why France's nuclear power program puts it in the catbird seat on tackling global warming. Victor laments that high food prices have created an opportunity for governments to cut harmful farm subsidies--and governments are, for the most part, doing the opposite.
July 1st, 2008
PESD Carbon Storage Project Database released
PESD researchers Varun Rai, Ngai-Chi Chung, Mark Thurber, and David Victor have released the PESD Carbon Storage Project Database, which tracks all publicly declared carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects worldwide. The database lays bare the slow pace of development of CCS projects relative to what is needed if CCS is to become an important "wedge" for fighting climate change.
June 5th, 2008
David Victor in New York Times on climate policy
In the News: New York Times on June 2, 2008Intense discussions on carbon limits are being debated in Washington. PESD director David Victor was quoted in New York Times on June 2 about these debates.
May 28th, 2008
Carbon markets need reform, say Wara and Victor
In the NewsA new PESD working paper, "A Realistic Policy on International Carbon Offsets" by Michael Wara and David Victor, argues that a substantial fraction of the international carbon market does not actually represent real reductions in emissions. They also argue that these international credits, which are part of the Kyoto Protocol's "Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)," will not offer companies reliable ways to contain the cost of complying with limits on emissions. Links below to the original paper and reporting in many sources, including the Economist, Guardian, Le Monde, National Public Radio, and BBC Radio.
- » A Realistic Policy on International Carbon Offsets
- » Guardian (UK)
- » Le Monde (France)
- » Economist
- » Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
May 27th, 2008
Book chapter on global politics of energy
The book chapter by David Victor "Sources of Alternative Energy and Energy Market Innovations" was featured in the recent book The Global Politics of Energy published by the Aspen Strategy Group, Aspen Institute.
May 12th, 2008
New PESD working paper assesses energy, India's foreign policy
PESD researchers Jeremy Carl, Varun Rai, and David Victor analyze the role of energy in India's foreign policy, examining a cross-section of India's energy system. They find that fickle domestic political coalitions dominate energy policymaking in India and that these unstable coalitions, when combined with the weak administrative capacity of the Indian state, leave India's foreign policy apparatus incapable of making credible commitments in the energy sector.
BusinessWeek cites Pemex study, quotes Victor
In the News: BusinessWeek on April 28, 2008Recent PESD working paper on Pemex, Mexico's national oil company, is cited in BusinessWeek. PESD Director David Victor is also quoted.
May 2nd, 2008
Does the president really matter on greenery?
Op-ed: Newsweek on May 1, 2008David Victor takes on that question in his latest column for Newsweek.com, arguing that the president's powers are much more constrained than is widely thought in the rest of the world. Presidents matter, but don't expect the next president alone to turn around America's foreign environmental policy. 
Read more »
April 20th, 2008
Substantial part of carbon offset market doesn't mean reduction, Wara and Victor say
PESD scholars Michael Wara and David Victor suggest that a substantial fraction of the $12b market for international carbon offsets does not represent real reductions and that the market is unlikely to provide reliable cost-control for a domestic carbon market. Instead, they suggest that a broader array of strategies will be needed to make a real dent in developing world emissions and that more explicit cost control mechanisms be considered for a U.S. cap-and- trade market for greenhouse gases.
April 18th, 2008
Newsweek: Victor looks at problems with Mexico's national oil company, effect on oil markets
Op-ed: Newsweek on April 17, 2008What to do about Mexico's oil company, Pemex, may seem like a parochial issue of interest only to Mexicans and a few oil industry executives. But the matter should be of concern to anybody who is wondering when oil will come down off its near-record highs. Read more »
April 17th, 2008
.jpg){kind=icon}
PESD releases case study of Pemex, Mexico's national oil company
PESD has just released an 87-page case study of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico's national oil company. In "The Void of Governance: An Assessment of Pemex's Performance and Strategy," researcher Ognen Stojanovski examines how the state-owned company functions and details some of the profound challenges faced by reformers. 
Read more »
April 16th, 2008
Bush's climate change plan significant, but will need to outline specific steps, Victor tells New York Times
In the News: New York Times on April 16, 2008President Bush's willingness to set goals for greenhouse gases is "significant, because it's moving in the right direction," PESD Director David Victor told the New York Times on April 16, in advance of the president's announcement of new climate change policies. "If he's not going to outline how you actually get to the goals," Victor said, 'it's hard to see that this is going to have much credibility."
- » New York Times: Bush to give goals for greenhouse gases
- » International Herald Tribune: Bush to lay out goals on global warming
- » White House: President Bush discusses global climate change
March 27th, 2008
Working paper: Jojarth develops empirical model for oil production costs
FSI Stanford, CDDRL NewsWhat does it cost to produce a barrel of oil? CDDRL research associate and PESD affiliate Christine Jojarth provides a systematic answer to this question, taking into account geography, the "difficulty" of the oil field, and other factors. The results help quantify how much extra revenue is flowing to oil producers worldwide. Read more »
March 3rd, 2008
The Energy Trap: Why the United States is doomed to be an energy outlaw
Op-ed: Newsweek on March 3, 2008Democrats voting in Ohio and Texas may well decide the shape of the U.S. presidential election. Regardless of who they choose to run against Sen. John McCain, the all but certain Republican candidate, it is likely that energy issues will figure more prominently in the election than at any time in the last generation. Read more »
February 28th, 2008
Asia's Achilles Heel
Op-ed: Newsweek on February 29, 2008As China and India lose control of their economies, they are failing to provide reliable power to their citizens. How will they manage to curb carbon emissions? Read more »
RSS/XML Feeds