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Summary: in brief
Energy use and climate change are inextricably linked.
The majority of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions--84
percent--are in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting
almost entirely from the combustion of fossil fuels.1
Choices
made today in the current national energy policy debate
will directly impact U.S. greenhouse gas emissions far into
the future. Decision-makers face the challenge of crafting
policies that allow the United States to meet its energy needs
while acting responsibly to reduce GHG emissions.
Often, these objectives are thought of as competing
goals--that energy policy and energy security issues are in
conflict with environmental objectives and vice versa. In reality,
there is a substantial convergence between the goals of energy
policy and climate policy, and many feasible and beneficial
policies from supply and security perspectives can also reduce
future U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This brief considers
innovative policy solutions
TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGEIn Brief, Number 5
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