IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v183y2022ics0040162522004279.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is the annual UNFCCC COP the only game in town?

Author

Listed:
  • Brandt, Urs Steiner
  • Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

Abstract

Is the annual United Nations framework convention on climate change meetings (UNFCCC COP) the only game in town? Are there also other possible solutions to consider? We argue that there is indeed another game, namely unilateral action facilitated by public authorities. Our theoretical model shows the conditions under which unilateral and costly technology development can be spread to other countries; that is, to an extent that makes such action of the involved parties a rational choice, paving the road for future use of such best practice model. One example could be the EEAS (European External Action Service) demonstrating that such unilateral action is feasible in practice, i.e. when facilitating technology transfers and climate partnerships between the EU and large CO2 emitters in the developing world. Well-designed unilateral actions by the EEAS and other public authorities may in this way help achieving target levels such as the Paris Agreement.

Suggested Citation

  • Brandt, Urs Steiner & Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard, 2022. "Is the annual UNFCCC COP the only game in town?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:183:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522004279
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121904
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162522004279
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121904?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. Brandt, Urs Steiner, 2004. "Unilateral actions, the case of international environmental problems," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 373-391, December.
    2. Stern,Nicholas, 2007. "The Economics of Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521700801, January.
    3. Hoel, Michael, 1991. "Global environmental problems: The effects of unilateral actions taken by one country," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 55-70, January.
    4. Torben Klarl, 2014. "Knowledge diffusion and knowledge transfer revisited: two sides of the medal," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 737-760, September.
    5. Horbach, Jens & Rammer, Christian & Rennings, Klaus, 2012. "Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact — The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 112-122.
    6. Kirchherr, Julian & Urban, Frauke, 2018. "Technology transfer and cooperation for low carbon energy technology: Analysing 30 years of scholarship and proposing a research agenda," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 600-609.
    7. Mads Greaker & Tom‐Reiel Heggedal & Knut Einar Rosendahl, 2018. "Environmental Policy and the Direction of Technical Change," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(4), pages 1100-1138, October.
    8. Wolfgang Buchholz & Michael Eichenseer, 2019. "Advantageous leadership in public good provision: the case of an endogenous contribution technology," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 1-17, January.
    9. Williams, Eric & Hittinger, Eric & Carvalho, Rexon & Williams, Ryan, 2017. "Wind power costs expected to decrease due to technological progress," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 427-435.
    10. Matthieu Glachant & Antoine Dechezleprêtre, 2017. "What role for climate negotiations on technology transfer?," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(8), pages 962-981, November.
    11. Halleck Vega, Solmaria & Mandel, Antoine, 2018. "Technology Diffusion and Climate Policy: A Network Approach and its Application to Wind Energy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 461-471.
    12. Scott Barrett, 2009. "The Coming Global Climate-Technology Revolution," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 23(2), pages 53-75, Spring.
    13. Gregor Schwerhoff & Ulrike Kornek & Kai Lessmann & Michael Pahle, 2018. "Leadership In Climate Change Mitigation: Consequences And Incentives," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 491-517, April.
    14. Santiago J. Rubio, 2017. "Sharing R&D investments in breakthrough technologies to control climate change," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 69(2), pages 496-521.
    15. Wolfgang Buchholz & Todd Sandler, 2017. "Successful Leadership in Global Public Good Provision: Incorporating Behavioural Approaches," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(3), pages 591-607, July.
    16. Stefano Barbieri, 2012. "Communication and Early Contributions," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 14(3), pages 391-421, June.
    17. Michael E. Porter & Claas van der Linde, 1995. "Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 97-118, Fall.
    18. Gregor Schwerhoff, 2016. "The economics of leadership in climate change mitigation," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 196-214, March.
    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. Amin, Nabila & Shabbir, Muhammad Salman & Song, Huaming & Farrukh, Muhammad Umar & Iqbal, Shahid & Abbass, Kashif, 2023. "A step towards environmental mitigation: Do green technological innovation and institutional quality make a difference?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(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. Wolfgang Buchholz & Michael Eichenseer, 2019. "Advantageous leadership in public good provision: the case of an endogenous contribution technology," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Gregor Schwerhoff, 2013. "Leadership and International Climate Cooperation," Working Papers 2013.97, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. Wolfgang Buchholz & Todd Sandler, 2017. "Successful Leadership in Global Public Good Provision: Incorporating Behavioural Approaches," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(3), pages 591-607, July.
    4. Botao Qin & Thorsten Janus, 2019. "Social norms and the effect of unilateral actions on climate change," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(1), pages 372-379.
    5. Marc Baudry & Alienor Cameron, 2022. "The case for a Carbon Border Adjustment: Where do economists stand?," Working Papers hal-04159819, HAL.
    6. Torben K. Mideksa, 2021. "Leadership and Climate Policy," CESifo Working Paper Series 9054, CESifo.
    7. Eskeland, Gunnar S., 2013. "Leadership in Climate Policy: Is there a case for Early Unilateral Unconditional Emission Reductions?," Discussion Papers 2013/6, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    8. Stojčić, Nebojša, 2021. "Social and private outcomes of green innovation incentives in European advancing economies," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    9. Ghisetti, Claudia, 2017. "Demand-pull and environmental innovations: Estimating the effects of innovative public procurement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 178-187.
    10. Ren, Shenggang & Hu, Yucai & Zheng, Jingjing & Wang, Yangjie, 2020. "Emissions trading and firm innovation: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    11. Gevrek, Z.Eylem & Uyduranoglu, Ayse, 2015. "Public preferences for carbon tax attributes," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 186-197.
    12. Ying, Ying & Wang, Shixiang & Liu, Yang, 2022. "Make bricks without straw: Eco-innovation for resource-constrained firms in emerging markets," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    13. Pitelis, Alkis & Vasilakos, Nicholas & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos, 2020. "Fostering innovation in renewable energy technologies: Choice of policy instruments and effectiveness," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 1163-1172.
    14. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/14g286e42n8bl9is6h16b18kes is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Hameed, Touseef & Alemayehu, Fikru Kefyalew & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2024. "Green innovation in Norwegian firms: Navigating the complexity of productivity and performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    16. Gilli, Marianna & Mancinelli, Susanna & Mazzanti, Massimiliano, 2014. "Innovation complementarity and environmental productivity effects: Reality or delusion? Evidence from the EU," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 56-67.
    17. Roger Fouquet, 2012. "Economics of Energy and Climate Change: Origins, Developments and Growth," Working Papers 2012-08, BC3.
    18. Leoncini, Riccardo & Montresor, Sandro & Rentocchini, Francesco, 2016. "CO2-reducing innovations and outsourcing: Evidence from photovoltaics and green construction in North-East Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1649-1659.
    19. Savona, Maria & Ciarli, Tommaso, 2019. "Structural Changes and Sustainability. A Selected Review of the Empirical Evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 244-260.
    20. Marin, Giovanni & Vona, Francesco, 2019. "Climate policies and skill-biased employment dynamics: Evidence from EU countries," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    21. Claudia Ghisetti & Francesco Quatraro, 2013. "Beyond the Inducement in Climate Change: Do Environmental Performances Spur Enrivornmental Technologies? A Regional Analysis of Cross-Sectoral Differences," Working Papers 2013112, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology diffusion; Developing countries; Climate partnership; UN; EU; EEAS;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • O19 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    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:tefoso:v:183:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522004279. 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.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    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.