Market-Based Policies

A growing number of jurisdictions are adopting market-based climate policies. By putting a price on carbon, these policies give businesses the incentive to innovate so they can cut emissions at the lowest possible cost.

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State-Level Economic Impacts of a National Climate Change Policy

In response to environmental impacts associated with climate change, policies are being crafted to curb the growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. European nations are already engaged in reducing emissions through the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) as a …

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Designing A Cap-and-Trade Program for the Midwest

The Greenhouse Gas Accord announced by ten Midwestern governors in November 2007 involves nearly one fourth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in a regional agreement to improve energy security and design a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction program. Among the strategies …

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The Cost of U.S. Forest-based Carbon Sequestration

Most analyses to date of options for mitigating the risk of global climate change have focused on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). Much less attention has been given to the potential for storing (or “sequestering”) …

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Induced Technological Change and Climate Policy

Over the upcoming decades, large-scale reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) will be required to reduce the risks of global climate change.  In order to achieve this transformation, the development and diffusion of new …

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Emissions Trading in the U.S.: Experience, Lessons, and Considerations for Greenhouse Gases

In recent years, emissions trading has become an important element of programs to control air pollution. Experience indicates that an emissions trading program, if designed and implemented effectively, can achieve environmental goals faster and at lower costs than traditional command-and-control …

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The Emerging International Greenhouse Gas Market

As businesses, policy-makers, and other stakeholders around the world have become familiar with greenhouse gas emissions trading, it has emerged as the policy of choice to address climate change. Now—with the recent agreements in Bonn and Marrakech, with new carbon …

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Discounting the Benefits of Climate Change Mitigation: How Much Do Uncertain Rates Increase Valuations?

How do we compare the costs of greenhouse gas mitigation measures taken today with the benefits produced by these actions in the future? How do we calculate the value of an investment when benefits will continue to accrue over centuries? …

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New Directions in the Economics and Integrated Assessment of Global Climate Change

This report elaborates on four issues – technological innovation, the behavior of firms, intergenerational equity, and climate “surprises” – that have profound implications for the modelers and makers of climate policy. Computer models that integrate climate science, policy, and economic …

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The Role of Substitution in Understanding the Costs of Climate Change Policy

The U.S. economy has proven both resilient and adaptive over the past century. From the “bust” of the Great Depression to the current “boom” associated with information technology, the economy’s ability to adapt stems largely from the substitution possibilities within …

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Publication
An Introduction to the Economics of Climate Change Policy

What are the potential costs of cutting greenhouse gas emissions? Can such reductions be achieved without sacrificing economic growth or the standard of living we have come to enjoy? These are important questions, and they come up again and again …

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