IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eecrev/v99y2017icp77-92.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Buy coal and act strategically on the fuel market

Author

Listed:
  • Eichner, Thomas
  • Pethig, Rüdiger

Abstract

A coalition of given size fights climate change by a policy of purchasing fossil fuel deposits, and it seeks to manipulate the fuel price in its favor. Assuming that non-signatories are price takers in the fuel market, Harstad (2012) designs a policy of trading deposits that attains efficiency despite the coalition’s option to act strategically in the fuel market. The deposit transactions constituting that policy include the trade of deposits which the non-signatories would have exploited and the coalition will exploit. The present paper shows that in a proper subset of economies a simpler policy is (also) efficient that consists of deposit purchases for preservation only. In these economies the coalition is unable to raise its welfare above the level in the benchmark case of fuel price taking. In the economies, where the efficient policy requires deposit transactions for exploitation, the coalition is better off and the non-signatories are worse off than in case of price taking.

Suggested Citation

  • Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2017. "Buy coal and act strategically on the fuel market," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 77-92.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:99:y:2017:i:c:p:77-92
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.04.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292117300661
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.04.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2013. "Self-enforcing environmental agreements and international trade," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 37-50.
    2. Kazuharu Kiyono & Jota Ishikawa, 2013. "Environmental Management Policy Under International Carbon Leakage," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 54, pages 1057-1083, August.
    3. Barrett, Scott, 1994. "Self-Enforcing International Environmental Agreements," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 46(0), pages 878-894, Supplemen.
    4. Rodney D. Ludema & Ian Wooton, 1994. "Cross-Border Externalities and Trade Liberalization: The Strategic Control of Pollution," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 27(4), pages 950-966, November.
    5. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2017. "Trade in fossil fuel deposits for preservation and strategic action," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 50-61.
    6. Santiago J. Rubio & Alistair Ulph, 2006. "Self-enforcing international environmental agreements revisited," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(2), pages 233-263, April.
    7. James R. MARKUSEN, 2021. "International Externalities And Optimal Tax Structures," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: BROADENING TRADE THEORY Incorporating Market Realities into Traditional Models, chapter 16, pages 341-355, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    8. Hoel Michael, 1994. "Efficient Climate Policy in the Presence of Free Riders," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 259-274, November.
    9. Geir Asheim, 2013. "A Distributional Argument for Supply-Side Climate Policies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 56(2), pages 239-254, October.
    10. Copeland, Brian R & Taylor, M Scott, 1995. "Trade and Transboundary Pollution," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(4), pages 716-737, September.
    11. Usher, Dan, 1998. "The Coase theorem is tautological, incoherent or wrong," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 3-11, October.
    12. Bård Harstad, 2012. "Buy Coal! A Case for Supply-Side Environmental Policy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 120(1), pages 77-115.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dulong, Angelika von & Hagen, Achim & Mendelevitch, Roman & Eisenack, Klaus, 2023. "Buy coal and gas? Interfuel carbon leakage on deposit markets with market power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Nyambuu, Unurjargal & Semmler, Willi, 2020. "Climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy – Carbon targets and the carbon budget," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 367-376.
    3. Hassan Benchekroun & Gerard C. van der Meijden & Cees A. Withagen, 2017. "OPEC, Shale Oil, and Global Warming - On the Importance of the Order of Extraction," CESifo Working Paper Series 6746, CESifo.
    4. Vogt, Angelika & Hagen, Achim & Eisenack, Klaus, 2020. "Buy coal, cap gas! Markets for fossil fuel deposits when fuel emission intensities differ," Working Paper Series 304708, Humboldt University Berlin, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    5. Benchekroun, Hassan & van der Meijden, Gerard & Withagen, Cees, 2020. "OPEC, unconventional oil and climate change - On the importance of the order of extraction," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    6. Thomas Eichner & Gilbert Kollenbach & Mark Schopf, 2023. "Demand- Versus Supply-Side Climate Policies with a Carbon Dioxide Ceiling," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(652), pages 1371-1406.
    7. Kai A. Konrad & Raisa Sherif, 2022. "Climate Experts' Views on Hydrocarbon Energy Phase-Out," Working Papers tax-mpg-rps-2022-10, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance.
    8. Kollenbach, Gilbert & Schopf, Mark, 2022. "Unilaterally optimal climate policy and the green paradox," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2015. "Buy coal for preservation and act strategically on the fuel market," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 178-15, Universität Siegen, Fakultät Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik und Wirtschaftsrecht.
    2. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2019. "Bottom-up world climate policies: Preserving fossil fuel deposits vs. capping fuel consumption," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 52(3), pages 993-1035, August.
    3. Eichner, Thomas & Pethig, Rüdiger, 2017. "Trade in fossil fuel deposits for preservation and strategic action," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 50-61.
    4. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2015. "Buy coal to mitigate climate damage and benefit from strategic deposit action," Volkswirtschaftliche Diskussionsbeiträge 177-15, Universität Siegen, Fakultät Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik und Wirtschaftsrecht.
    5. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2015. "Is trade liberalization conducive to the formation of climate coalitions?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 22(6), pages 932-955, December.
    6. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2012. "Stable Climate Coalitions (Nash) and International Trade," CESifo Working Paper Series 3915, CESifo.
    7. Thomas Eichner & Rüdiger Pethig, 2019. "Supply-Side Climate Policy: On the Role of Exploration and Asymmetric Information," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(1), pages 397-420, September.
    8. Pethig, Rüdiger & Eichner, Thomas, 2015. "Unilateral mitigation of climate damage via purchase of fossil fuel deposits," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113010, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Al Khourdajie, Alaa & Finus, Michael, 2020. "Measures to enhance the effectiveness of international climate agreements: The case of border carbon adjustments," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    10. Vogt, Angelika & Hagen, Achim & Eisenack, Klaus, 2020. "Buy coal, cap gas! Markets for fossil fuel deposits when fuel emission intensities differ," Working Paper Series 304708, Humboldt University Berlin, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    11. Bård Harstad, 2012. "Buy Coal! A Case for Supply-Side Environmental Policy," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 120(1), pages 77-115.
    12. Leroux, Justin & Spiro, Daniel, 2018. "Leading the unwilling: Unilateral strategies to prevent arctic oil exploration," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 125-149.
    13. Hagen, Achim & Schopf, Mark, 2024. "Political influence on international climate agreements with border carbon adjustment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    14. Copeland, Brian R. & Taylor, M. Scott, 2005. "Free trade and global warming: a trade theory view of the Kyoto protocol," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 205-234, March.
    15. Bård Harstad, 2020. "Trade and Trees: How Trade Agreements Can Motivate Conservation Instead of Depletion," CESifo Working Paper Series 8569, CESifo.
    16. Dulong, Angelika von & Hagen, Achim & Mendelevitch, Roman & Eisenack, Klaus, 2023. "Buy coal and gas? Interfuel carbon leakage on deposit markets with market power," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    17. Ngo Van Long, 2014. "The Green Paradox in Open Economies," CESifo Working Paper Series 4639, CESifo.
    18. Effrosyni Diamantoudi & Eftichios Sartzetakis & Stefania Strantza, 2018. "International Environmental Agreements and Trading Blocks - Can issue linkage enhance cooperation?," Discussion Paper Series 2018_07, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Jun 2018.
    19. Abrego, Lisandro & Perroni, Carlo, 1999. "Free-riding, carbon treaties, and trade wars: the role of domestic environmental policies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 463-483, April.
    20. Harvey E. Lapan & Shiva Sikdar, 2011. "Strategic Environmental Policy under Free Trade with Transboundary Pollution," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate coalition; Fossil fuel; Deposits; Extraction; Fuel caps;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q31 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q38 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy (includes OPEC Policy)
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:99:y:2017:i:c:p:77-92. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eer .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.