Who Killed Cap-and-Trade?

In this article Robert Stavins discussed the rapid decline in popularity of cap and trade policy:

In a recent article in the New York Times, John Broder asks “Why did cap-and-trade die?” and responds that “it was done in by the weak economy, the Wall Street meltdown, determined industry opposition and its own complexity.”  Mr. Broder’s analysis is concise and insightful, and I recommend it to readers.  But I think there’s one factor that is more important than all those mentioned above in causing cap-and-trade to have changed from politically correct to politically anathema in just nine months.  Before turning to that, however, I would like to question the premise of my own essay.

Read the full essay here.


If you are unfamiliar with the details of cap and trade you may read a good primer here.