14). While command-based incentives were more favored in the U.S. during the 1970s, the increasing shift to view market-based incentives in a more positive light caused a tendency to stress incentives in the Reagan era and beyond -- just when the warming of the earth's atmosphere began to increase. Today, both incentives continue to be used. One example of a control mechanism used to prevent global warming is fuel emissions caps. However, within the U.S. these have proven to be extremely unpopular. California, for example, has one of the most stringent and ambitious goals to regulate emissions but in November voters will be able to vote to suspend these goals, in a supposed effort to increase jobs if Proposition 23 is passed (Nagourney 2010). Incentive-based regulations are familiar to most consumers in the form of tax incentives to buy Energy Star-rated products, tax credits for fuel-conserving home improvements such as storm windows and doors, and special express lanes for hybrid cars. Clearly, incentive-based strategies are more popular, given that they have benefits for the consumer in the short-term as well as the long-term. Incentive-based strategies also tend to generate more positive good will about environmentalism in the public. But are they more effective? At present, the evidence is mixed regarding both strategies, although incentives continue to be more favored -- the Kyoto treaty created a 'cap and trade' program to increase incentives to meet emissions goals by enabling nations that overshot their reduction benchmarks to 'sell' credits to more polluting signature nations.

The ideal is to incentivize technological innovations that will enable nations to meet emissions standards. Stimulating the growth of new Climate change: How do we know? (2010). NASA. Retrieved October 13, 2010 at http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

Climate change. (2010) National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved October 13, 2010 at http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/materials-based-on-reports/reports-in-brief/Science-Report-Brief-final.pdf

Harrington, Winston & Richard Morganstern. (2004 Fall/Winter). Economic incentives vs. command and control. Resources for the Future. Retrieved October 13, 2010 at http://www.rff.org/rff/Documents/RFF_Resources_152_ecoincentives.pdf

Ifill, Gwen. (2005). Kyoto fallout. Online News Hour. Retrieved October 13, 2010 at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june05/kyoto_2-16.html

Nagourney, Adam. (2010, September 23). Whitman opposes ballot on emissions law.

The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2010 at http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/whitman-opposes-ballot-initiative-on-emissions-law/