Seminar: Michael Mastrandrea, Danny Cullenward, and Mason Inman

Climate policy implementation is a technically, economically, and legally complex process that involves decision-making under uncertainty and political tradeoffs in the face of diverse stakeholder pressures. Reality often diverges from expectations, and opacity can lead to gaps between policy aspirations and what is actually achieved. Drawing on our work in California, we illustrate the role science and scientific oversight can play to help governments, the media, and the public monitor and improve climate policy implementation. In particular, we will discuss the state's cap-and-trade system, which is expected to be a key driver of emissions reductions and a cornerstone of the state's plan for achieving ambitious emissions cuts required by law. Our work has highlighted key inconsistencies between these expectations and the performance to date and current design of the program