The Nicholas Institute has launched a series of briefs that assesses how best to use offsets to incorporate greenhouse gas mitigation from sectors and actors outside a regulatory policy. Written by Lydia Olander, senior associate director for ecosystem services, and Brian Murray, director for economic analysis, the series provides concise, in-depth examinations of issues such as "Treatment of Early Agricultural and Forestry Actors in a Federal Cap-and-Trade" and "Addressing Impermanence Risk and Liability in Agriculture, Land Use Change, and Forest Carbon Projects." Olander says, "The potential economic benefits of offsets in a cap-and-trade policy may be critical for the success of a robust climate policy in the United States, but questions remain. The goal of this series is to provide analysis that helps policymakers, business leaders and landowners address these questions." The initial three briefs in the series are now online here.

A new paper by the Climate Change Policy Partnership at Duke addresses a key question facing forest managers and policymakers hoping to employ forests to store carbon: What are the key differences among the various approaches to forest carbon accounting?  "We conducted side-by-side virtual field trials of seven existing forest management offset protocols and identified significant differences," says Christopher Galik, research coordinator at CCPP.  "Our findings allow us to highlight potential best practices, providing an example of how lessons learned in state, regional and voluntary markets can be drawn upon in the creation of a single, optimal standard." Experts from the CCPP, the Nicholas Institute and the Nicholas School of the Environment collaborated on the paper, which is online here. 

The Nicholas Institute has joined with partners in the academic and advocacy worlds to establish the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum. Its mission, says Rafe Sagarin, associate director for ocean and coastal policy, is to assist current and future members of the Regional Fisheries Management Councils by increasing their understanding of fisheries and ocean science, economics and policy; facilitate networking between council members, and provide ongoing research support. The forum convenes workshops for council members twice a year, and provides them with ongoing educational support throughout the year. The first workshop was held Sept. 22-24 in Palo Alto, Calif; the next will take place May 11-14, 2009, at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, N.C. In addition to the Nicholas Institute, the forum's partners include the Nicholas School, the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, and Environmental Defense Fund. For more information, go to www.fisheriesforum.org. 

The Nicholas Institute and the World Resources Institute hosted a two-day meeting in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29 and 30, on states' potential roles in future U.S. climate policy. Officials from 18 states participated. Tim Profeta, director of the Nicholas Institute, and Jonas Monast, co-director of the Climate Change Policy Partnership, represented the Institute. 

Amy Pickle, former senior attorney and clean water program leader at the Southern Environmental Law Center, has joined the Nicholas Institute as its new senior attorney for state policy. "Amy is one of the most respected environmental attorneys in North Carolina," says Bill Holman, director of state policy. "She has worked tirelessly with legislators, environmental groups, industry and community leaders to enforce the laws protecting our state's natural resources. We're thrilled to have her on board." Before joining the Southern Environmental Law Center, Pickle was assistant attorney general in the Environmental Division of the N.C. Attorney General's office.