ABOUT US
The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) supports every step of climate action, from ambition to implementation.
The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) was founded four decades ago around a simple idea: meaningful climate and environmental progress requires people to work across political, institutional, and geographic divides. From the beginning, CCAP sought to provide policymakers with clear, independent, and evidence-based analysis. We create space for practical solutions that could earn support across political lines and translate ambitious goals into action.
That approach continues to define who we are today.
As the climate challenge has evolved, so has CCAP. What began as a U.S.-focused organization has grown into an international organization working directly with governments and partners around the world. Our focus has increasingly moved from identifying what needs to change to helping countries determine how to make that change happen.
We work alongside national and local governments to design policies, strengthen institutions, build technical capacity, and develop projects that can move from concept to implementation. Rather than approaching countries with predetermined solutions, we start with local priorities and conditions. We bring technical expertise, international experience, and objective analysis to help governments identify solutions that are both ambitious and achievable.
Today, CCAP's work is centered on some of the areas where practical climate action can deliver significant near-term impact, including methane mitigation, sustainable waste management, carbon markets, and climate finance. Across these areas, our role is often to connect the pieces that are necessary for implementation: policy, technical analysis, financing, institutional capacity, and the people responsible for putting solutions into practice.
A defining feature of CCAP's work is that we stay engaged beyond the initial analysis. We help governments move from identifying opportunities to developing strategies, projects, and investment pipelines that can attract financing and deliver measurable results. At the same time, the lessons we learn from implementation on the ground inform broader national policies and international climate discussions.
This creates a continuous cycle between policy and practice: local experience demonstrates what works, national policy creates the conditions for successful approaches to scale, and international cooperation brings additional knowledge, resources, and financing. CCAP works across these levels to connect lessons from implementation with the policies and partnerships needed to accelerate broader action.
Throughout our history, our mission has remained rooted in the principles on which the organization was founded: independence, collaboration, rigorous analysis, and a commitment to practical solutions. Climate policy is most valuable when it leads to action. Our work is therefore ultimately about helping countries turn climate ambition into solutions that can be implemented, financed, replicated, and sustained.
For more information on CCAP’s current work, please see our program pages or contact us at info@ccap.org.
Get to know CCAP by exploring our work over the years.
1990
CLEAN AIR ACT
CCAP worked to usher in a new era in environmental policy by helping design and push for the inclusion of a market-based acid rain control program in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Building an effective coalition, CCAP played a major role in the passage of SO2 emissions trading programs in the Clean Air Act amendments. The Acid Rain Trading Program was one of the first federal environmental programs to allow companies to comply with pollution limits through emissions trading. The legislation remains one of the most effective, most popular, and lowest cost environmental programs still active today.
1997
KYOTO PROTOCOL
CCAP played an important role in designing the flexibility mechanisms (including the Clean Development Mechanism and international emissions trading) of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement that spanned more than 15 years until its replacement by the 2015 Paris Agreement. These provisions spurred the development of a multi-billion dollar carbon market which has provided cost-effective greenhouse gas reduction options. Market-based approaches continue to be an important element of efforts to solve the climate change problem.
U.S. FEDERAL NITROGEN OXIDE REGIONAL EMISSIONS CONTROL PROGRAM
CCAP played a central role in the 37-state Ozone Transport Assessment Group (OTAG) through a CCAP-led NOx Strategy Group which provided a series of economic analyses of different NOx control options. CCAP’s coalition developed a stringent compromise control strategy that won the support of key Midwestern and Northeastern state commissioners and paved the way to OTAG’s agreement on a rigorous regional NOx control program.
1999
EUROPEAN UNION EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEM
CCAP worked with stakeholders on Minnesota's Mercury Contamination Reduction Initiative Advisory Council to develop a cost-effective program that included emissions banking as a way to encourage voluntary and early reduction of mercury emissions. These efforts contributed to Minnesota passing a state-wide mercury reduction goal.
2003
EUROPEAN UNION EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEM
After hosting a successful dialogue between European leaders and U.S. and other experts on emissions trading, CCAP was chosen by the European Commission as the lead designer on an international, multidisciplinary team that put together the first greenhouse gas emissions trading system for the Environment Directorate General of the European Commission. CCAP later helped the Commission convince Member European States to adopt the new system. CCAP also led an international team that developed the monitoring, reporting, and verification guidelines for the new trading system.
2006
U.S. STATE CLIMATE PROGRAM
CCAP’s highly successful policy and technical assistance program for U.S. states to develop and implement comprehensive GHG reduction programs across multiple sectors assisted New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, and Oregon in conducting policy analyses and designing sector-specific policies and market-based programs. The comprehensive Task Force report to Governor Pataki of New York led directly to his implementing a renewable portfolio standard, restructuring transportation finance, and forming the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the first U.S. multistate CO2 emissions trading program.
CALIFORNIA CLIMATE LEGISLATION
CCAP developed a major study on policy options in the electric power, industry, transportation, agriculture and forestry sectors, including the potential for each sector to participate in market-based compliance approaches, which supported establishment of a state-wide mitigation goal and helped shape AB-32, California’s landmark climate legislation. CCAP also provided expert advice on emissions trading to California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols (long-time CCAP board member) and her staff which integrated our recommendations into California’s multi-sector GHG trading GHG system.
2011
NATIONALLY APPROPRIATE MITIGATION ACTIONS
Through regional dialogues with middle income developing countries, CCAP supported the design, implementation and financing of innovative policy actions that catalyze private sector investment. These policy packages (known as Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, or NAMAs) form the basis for individual national commitments under the “Paris Agreement” and serve as strong program proposals to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other donors. CCAP's dialogues and on-the-ground capacity support resulted in participating developing countries defining more than two dozen NAMAs. Four have won financing from the UK-German NAMA Facility (NF) (transit-oriented development in Colombia, low emission coffee production in Costa Rica, and CFC/refrigeration policy in Colombia), while others received host-country financing. NAMAs served as building blocks for country commitments in the lead-up to the Paris Agreement and continue to play a central role in NDC conversion.
2012
STRONG CRITERIA FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION
CCAP provides advice to Green Climate Fund (GCF) and NAMA Facility (NF) board members, secretariats, and key stakeholders on strong competitive criteria to select mitigation actions for financing. Criteria emphasize policy ambition, country buy-in, GHG and sustainable development benefits, and private sector investment leverage. Through policy dinners for board members, targeted submissions to the GCF, policy papers, and concrete on-the-ground CCAP-inspired project examples, CCAP encourages the GCF and other donors to support transformative climate policy packages.
2013
COLOMBIAN TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT NAMA
The Colombia Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) NAMA was awarded funding by the NAMA Facility, making it the world’s first internationally funded transportation NAMA.
CCAP is partnering with Colombian Development bank FINDETER to deliver $20 million (USD) in technical and financial resources to catalyze the building of TOD neighborhoods in five cities across Colombia.
2015
COP21 IN PARIS
CCAP’s work with developing countries in advancing sector-scale mitigation actions contributed to the ability of developing countries to adopt meaningful climate commitments—a cornerstone of the Paris Agreement. CCAP was also a leader in assessing how developing country INDCs—intended nationally determined contributions--can make strategic use of international financial support in converting proposed mitigation elements into implementable policies and measures and finance-ready investment plans. CCAP participated actively on the sidelines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC), in Paris, France to support adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement. Thanks to CCAP’s work, the Agreement included language on support to developing countries to help formulate INDC-related policies and investments plans.
2017
CALIFORNIA PASSES A NEW LAW ESTABLISHING COMMUNITY-SCALE EMISSION ABATEMENT PROGRAMS
CCAP supported a statewide policy dialogue identifying solutions that were enacted in California’s landmark legislation to establish community-scale and community-led emission abatement programs. This new law, which passed alongside AB 398 extending California’s cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, has the potential to make meaningful progress in reducing criteria air pollutants and toxic air contaminants impacting disadvantaged communities and improving health outcomes.
2018
MEXICO REGULATIONS TO COMPREHENSIVELY CONTROL METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE HYDROCARBON SECTOR
Following a series of capacity support workshops and technical input, Mexican government officially published regulations expected to reduce methane emissions from the national oil and gas sector by 40-45% by 2025. These regulations require companies to adopt technologies and practices to reduce fugitive emissions and almost eliminate routine flaring and venting. These strong regulatory measures will reduce the emission of “super pollutants” that have an impact that is 28 times greater than CO2 on a 100-year timescale.
2021
GCF COUNTRY PROGRAM
CCAP supported the development of the GCF Country Programme in six targeted countries (Chile, Ghana, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Uzbekistan) through finance mapping, policy assessment, and stakeholder engagement services. The finance mapping services contribute to strengthening the understanding of each country’s financial sector of climate-related risks and opportunities at the portfolio as well as project level, and they support the National Designated Authority (NDA) and relevant stakeholders in understanding the range of available sources of climate finance, and financial instruments with a view to tapping into the GCF. strategically.
2023
RECYCLE ORGANICS PROGRAM
In partnership with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Global Methane Hub (GMH) and LEDS LAC, the Recycle Organics Program supports over 20 countries around the world to reduce methane emissions within the waste sector. The Program has a particular focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), since they historically contribute the least to climate change but are typically hit the hardest by its cascading effects. The Program aims to build on the success of the Global Methane Pledge and accelerate participating countries’ progress towards achieving a circular and carbon-neutral waste sector. CCAP and its partner ImplementaSur provide technical assistance and develop a pipeline of the projects within the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sector, while helping countries overcome regulatory barriers and creating enabling frameworks for project execution. The goal is to facilitate conditions for a sustained expansion of organic waste management technologies and accelerate methane mitigation projects.
Launch the Observatory of Taxonomies in Latin America and the Caribbean
CCAP and the Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (GFLAC) launched of the Observatory of Taxonomies in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) during the 2023 LAC Climate Week in Panama City.
The Observatory seeks to encourage the design of sustainable finance taxonomies to be compatible at the international, regional and national levels, aligned with sustainable development and promoting regulated adoption based on environmental, social and climate safeguards. It serves as an information system that disseminates and provides knowledge on sustainable finance taxonomies.
The Observatory is comprised of technical specialists and regional stakeholders who wish to advance the dialogue on taxonomies. All are welcome to join the Observatory, as members include academic institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), sectoral associations, local communities and any individual or organization interested in the mission and vision of the Observatory.
