Students Name

Environmental Studies And Forestry

Current Global Practices on How Countries Are Responding To Carbon Emissions The effect of carbon emissions to the environment are numerous and devastating. The most notable carbon emission is carbon dioxide. Nations all over the world have consequently set in motion policies that are geared towards the control of carbon emissions and protection of the environment (Jain 2009, p.59). This paper will consider some of the policies that have been set in motion by the U.S., China, India, The European Union as well as third world countries such as Saudi Arabia. These policies aim at lowering the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere in order to protect the environment. The U.S.A is one of the worlds biggest carbon emitters and as expected, it is at the forefront in implementation of carbon emission reduction policies. The federal government has initiated the provision of economic incentives to businesses and households in order to encourage and promote the reduction of emissions by these entities. This is done by the institution of a special tax on the level and amount of emission by a particular organization. The policy makers have also come up with a cap-and-trade program. This program has set a particular limit to the amount of allowable carbon emission into the atmosphere by an organization. The regulated entities will be required to have carbon allowances or rights that determine the amount of allowable emission assigned to them (Hansjrgen 2005, p.150). Additionally, the U.S government has mandated several national agencies to ensure that the emission of carbon into the atmosphere is controlled. These include such agencies as The Environmental Protection Agency. Legislations such as the Federal Clean Air Act empower EPA to regulate the any emissions into the atmosphere that is deemed dangerous to the public as well as the environment. The European Union Block of countries has instigated several policies that aim at reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The 20/20/20 policy aims at reducing green

Students Name

Environmental Studies And Forestry

house gases emission within the EU bloc by 20% by the year 2020. It further aims at increasing the renewable energy sources by 20% by the same year (Fossati & Hutton 1998, p.180). The EU members also passed the Aviation Emission Policy. This was a controversial policy which involved charging all the airlines that landed or took off within the EU bloc a fee to cater for their carbon emissions (Zachariadis 2011, p.56). China, the biggest single carbon emitter in the world has also put in place policies and practices that ensure reduction of emission of carbon into the atmosphere. The country has put in place policies that govern building of its residential and commercial buildings, ensuring that minimal trees are used in the process. The country has also initiated the Fuel Economy Standards for Vehicles, which controls the manufacture of fuel efficient automobiles within the country (Chen 2012, p. 89). The government of India has also implemented several strategies that ensure the control of amount of carbon emitted to the atmosphere To begin with, the government has enacted, the National Action Plan on Climate Change. This targets to reduce India's emission intensity within its economy between 2007/2008 and 2016/2017. This is also stipulated in the countrys eleventh Five Year Plan of 2007-2012(Shukla 2003, p.150). The government of Saudi Arabia has initiated policies that aim at developing as well as applying clean energy technologies which will reduce the countrys dependence on fossil fuels. This will enable it to conserve its oil reserves for exportation in future; this has also lowered the Saudi Arabian Carbon Footprint. In conjunction with UNDP, Saudi Arabia has developed programs that involve private oil investors to ensure that environment friendly procedures are utilized during their mining processes of fossil fuels (Toman & Future 2001, p.158).

Students Name

Environmental Studies And Forestry

REFERENCES HANSJRGENS, B. 2005. Emissions Trading For Climate Policy: US And European Perspectives, Cambridge University Press. TOMAN, M. A. & FUTURE, R. F. T. 2001. Climate Change Economics and Policy: An Rff Anthology, Resources for the Future. ZACHARIADIS, T. I. 2011. Cars and Carbon: Automobiles and European Climate Policy in a Global Context, Springer. CHEN, G. 2012. China's Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis. FOSSATI, A. & HUTTON, J. P. 1998. Policy Simulations in the European Union, Routledge. SHUKLA, P. R. 2003. Climate Change and India: Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation, Universities Press. JAIN, A. K. 2009. Low Carbon City: Policy, Planning and Practice, Discovery Publishing House.