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Climate engineering under deep uncertainty

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  • Manoussi, Vassiliki
  • Xepapadeas, Anastasios
  • Emmerling, Johannes

Abstract

Climate engineering, and in particular solar radiation management (SRM), is attracting increasing attention as a climate policy option. However, its potentially strategic nature and unforeseen side effects provide major policy and scientific challenges. We study the role of SRM in a two-country model with the notable feature of deep uncertainty modeled as model misspecification of SRM side effects. We find that deep uncertainty leads to a reduction in SRM deployment under both global cooperation and strategic Nash behavior, and that the effect is larger if countries act strategically. Furthermore, we demonstrate that if countries have different model confidence about SRM impacts, then the more confident country will engage more strongly in using SRM, leading this country to “free drive”.

Suggested Citation

  • Manoussi, Vassiliki & Xepapadeas, Anastasios & Emmerling, Johannes, 2018. "Climate engineering under deep uncertainty," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 207-224.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:94:y:2018:i:c:p:207-224
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2018.06.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Dietz & Frederick van der Ploeg & Armon Rezai & Frank Venmans, 2021. "Are Economists Getting Climate Dynamics Right and Does It Matter?," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(5), pages 895-921.
    2. Traeger, Christian P. & Meier, Felix D., 2023. "Uncertain Remedies to Fight Uncertain Consequences: The Case of Solar Geoengineering," RFF Working Paper Series 23-37, Resources for the Future.
    3. Lucas Bretschger & Karen Pittel, 2020. "Twenty Key Challenges in Environmental and Resource Economics," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(4), pages 725-750, December.
    4. Heyen, Daniel & Horton, Joshua & Moreno-Cruz, Juan, 2019. "Strategic implications of counter-geoengineering: Clash or cooperation?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 153-177.
    5. Agliardi, Elettra & Xepapadeas, Anastasios, 2022. "Temperature targets, deep uncertainty and extreme events in the design of optimal climate policy," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    6. Irina Bakalova & Mariia Belaia, 2023. "Stability of Efficient International Agreements on Solar Geoengineering," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 86(3), pages 673-712, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change; Solar radiation management; Uncertainty; Robust control; Differential game;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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