Market-Based Solutions for Mitigating Climate Change
Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations|Published on: January 27, 2026|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Economics
Authors: Council on Foreign Relations
Location: North America > United States
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article from the Council on Foreign Relations explains how effective financial incentives can be in changing behavior, focusing on solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Students will learn how carbon taxes, subsidies, and cap-and-trade systems can be used to curb greenhouse gas emissions, as well as some policies in the United States that have implemented these market-based solutions.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This resource contains several graphics and visual aides that help students connect to ideas throughout the text.
- The article does a great job of explaining these three approaches in a way that is easy to comprehend, even for students relatively new to economics.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on health and climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading about carbon taxes, teachers can have students pair up to prepare for and act in a mock-debate. One half of students can be climate-conscious politicians arguing for a higher carbon tax, while the other half can act as a politician backed by industry leaders.
- Students can research and discuss how policies have changed since the article was last updated.
- Students can use evidence from this article to write letters to their representatives, urging them to support fiscal policies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This resource explores several economic approaches to mitigate climate change. All key terms are clearly defined, and a wealth of sources are linked in the text. A thoughtful discussion explores tradeoffs and addresses common criticisms. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
