IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/aeapps/aea-01-2024-0021.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The welfare effects of degrowth as a decarbonization strategy

Author

Listed:
  • Javier Andrés
  • José E. Boscá
  • Rafael Doménech
  • Javier Ferri

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to asses the welfare and macroeconomic implications of three distinct degrowth strategies designed to reduce carbon emissions: penalizing fossil fuel demand, substituting aggregate consumption with leisure and disincentivizing total factor productivity (TFP) growth. Design/methodology/approach - Using an environmental dynamic general equilibrium (eDGE) model that incorporates both green renewable technologies and fossil fuels in the production process, this study sets an emissions reduction target aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2050. Findings - The results reveal that the conventional degrowth strategy, wherein a reduction in the consumption of goods and services is compensated with an increase in leisure, may entail significant economic consequences, leading to a notable decline in welfare. In particular, a degrowth scenario resulting from a decline in TFP yields the most pronounced reduction in welfare. Conversely, inducing a reduction in fossil fuel demand by fiscally inflating the price of the imported commodity, despite potential social backlash, exhibits noticeably less detrimental welfare effects compared to other degrowth policies. Furthermore, under this degrowth strategy, the findings suggest that a globally coordinated strategy could result in long-term welfare gain. Originality/value - To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first contribution that uses an eDGE model to evaluate the welfare implications of an additional degrowth strategy amidst the ongoing inertial reduction of carbon emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Javier Andrés & José E. Boscá & Rafael Doménech & Javier Ferri, 2024. "The welfare effects of degrowth as a decarbonization strategy," Applied Economic Analysis, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(95), pages 112-140, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:aeapps:aea-01-2024-0021
    DOI: 10.1108/AEA-01-2024-0021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/AEA-01-2024-0021/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/AEA-01-2024-0021/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/AEA-01-2024-0021?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
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nordhaus, William D, 1991. "To Slow or Not to Slow: The Economics of the Greenhouse Effect," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(407), pages 920-937, July.
    2. Michael Jakob & Ottmar Edenhofer, 2014. "Green growth, degrowth, and the commons," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 30(3), pages 447-468.
    3. repec:sae:envval:v:22:y:2013:i:2:p:191-215 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2011. "Environment versus growth -- A criticism of "degrowth" and a plea for "a-growth"," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(5), pages 881-890, March.
    5. Fabra, Natalia & Lacuesta, Aitor & Souza, Mateus, 2022. "The implicit cost of carbon abatement during the COVID-19 pandemic," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    6. Warlenius, Rikard Hjorth, 2023. "The limits to degrowth: Economic and climatic consequences of pessimist assumptions on decoupling," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    7. Weiss, Martin & Cattaneo, Claudio, 2017. "Degrowth – Taking Stock and Reviewing an Emerging Academic Paradigm," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 220-230.
    8. Simon Dietz & Nicholas Stern, 2015. "Endogenous Growth, Convexity of Damage and Climate Risk: How Nordhaus' Framework Supports Deep Cuts in Carbon Emissions," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 0(583), pages 574-620, March.
    9. Mikhail Golosov & John Hassler & Per Krusell & Aleh Tsyvinski, 2014. "Optimal Taxes on Fossil Fuel in General Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 82(1), pages 41-88, January.
    10. Barbara Annicchiarico & Stefano Carattini & Carolyn Fischer & Garth Heutel, 2021. "Business Cycles and Environmental Policy: Literature Review and Policy Implications," NBER Working Papers 29032, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. J. Andrés & J.E. Boscá & R. Doménech & J. Ferri, 2024. "Transitioning to Net-Zero: Macroeconomic Implications and Welfare Assessment," Studies on the Spanish Economy eee2024-01, FEDEA.
    2. Frederick Ploeg & Armon Rezai, 2019. "Simple Rules for Climate Policy and Integrated Assessment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(1), pages 77-108, January.
    3. Armon Rezai & Frederick Van der Ploeg, 2016. "Intergenerational Inequality Aversion, Growth, and the Role of Damages: Occam's Rule for the Global Carbon Tax," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(2), pages 493-522.
    4. Richard S J Tol, 2018. "The Economic Impacts of Climate Change," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 12(1), pages 4-25.
    5. Richard S.J. Tol, 2021. "Estimates of the social cost of carbon have not changed over time," Working Paper Series 0821, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    6. Hjort, Ingrid, 2016. "Potential Climate Risks in Financial Markets: A Literature Overview," Memorandum 01/2016, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    7. Frederick Ploeg, 2018. "The safe carbon budget," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 47-59, March.
    8. Mariana Conte Grand, 2017. "Beyond the Question “Is there Decoupling?” A Decoupling Ranking," CEMA Working Papers: Serie Documentos de Trabajo. 622, Universidad del CEMA.
    9. Frederick Ploeg, 2023. "Fiscal Costs of Climate Policies: Role of Tax, Political, and Behavioural Distortions," De Economist, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 119-137, June.
    10. van der Ploeg, Frederick & ,, 2018. "Pricing Carbon Under Economic and Climactic Risks: Leading-Order Results from Asymptotic Analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 12642, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    11. Armon Rezai & Frederick Van der Ploeg, 2016. "Intergenerational Inequality Aversion, Growth, and the Role of Damages: Occam's Rule for the Global Carbon Tax," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 3(2), pages 493-522.
    12. Richard S. J. Tol, 2021. "Estimates of the social cost of carbon have increased over time," Papers 2105.03656, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2022.
    13. Frederick Ploeg & Aart Zeeuw, 2019. "Pricing Carbon and Adjusting Capital to Fend Off Climate Catastrophes," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(1), pages 29-50, January.
    14. Alessandro Moro, 2021. "Can capital controls promote green investments in developing countries?," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1348, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    15. Ferrari Minesso, Massimo & Pagliari, Maria Sole, 2023. "No country is an island. International cooperation and climate change," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    16. Dietz, Simon & Gollier, Christian & Kessler, Louise, 2018. "The climate beta," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 258-274.
    17. van der Ploeg, Frederick & Rezai, Armon, 2017. "Cumulative emissions, unburnable fossil fuel, and the optimal carbon tax," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 216-222.
    18. Lange, Steffen & Pohl, Johanna & Santarius, Tilman, 2020. "Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    19. Patrick Gruning, 2022. "Fiscal, Environmental, and Bank Regulation Policies in a Small Open Economy for the Green Transition," Working Papers 2022/06, Latvijas Banka.
    20. Arbex, Marcelo & Batu, Michael, 2020. "What if people value nature? Climate change and welfare costs," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Degrowth; Carbon emissions; Green energy; Brown energy; Welfare; Q43; Q58;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    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:eme:aeapps:aea-01-2024-0021. 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: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.