Special Series
Economic Turnaround
In a Series
Financing Retrofits for All
In Retrofits for All, I described an ingenious plan for extending retrofits to whole neighborhoods of energy-wasting buildings. Today, I want to take another look at one piece of that puzzle: financing.
Energy conservation loans sound eminently reasonable: the loans pay for energy upgrades and, as long as the energy savings are bigger than the loan payments, property owners come out ahead (as do the climate and the local job market). In principle, this model could invest federal, state, or local stimulus dollars well; generate green-collar jobs in the construction trades; trim energy bills for property owners and renters; buttress sagging real-estate values; slash greenhouse gas emissions; and unlock a critical door to economic recovery.
But the challenges to successful conservation loans are daunting.
Climate Change Economics
Alright, this website -- Climate Change Economics -- is basically my dream come true. (Sad, isn't it?) It's a growing collection of resources on, er, the economics of climate change, and specifically on climate policy. Even better, the site is explicitly designed for state legislators, state agencies, and governor's staff.
Timely, no?
I haven't waded through even a small fraction of the material yet, but it looks to be a handy tool. Enjoy.
Oh, I do have one criticism. The website's tagline -- "lowering carbon intensities, not standards of living" -- has got to be eligible for a prize of some kind. Now we need another website called "Climate Change Framing and Messaging."
Credit to Ross MacFarlane, Climate Solutions.
