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Absolute Abundance and Relative Scarcity: Announced Policy, Resource Extraction, and Carbon Emissions

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  • Di Maria, Corrado
  • Smulders, Sjak
  • van der Werf, Edwin

Abstract

We study the effectiveness of climate change policy in a model with multiple non-renewable resources that differ in their carbon content. We find that, when allowing some time between announcement and implementation of a cap on carbon dioxide emissions, emissions from non-renewable energy sources increase at the time of announcement. There are two channels behind this effect. First, since a binding constraint on emissions restricts energy use during some period of time, more must be extracted during other periods. Second, since low carbon energy sources are relatively more valuable when the policy is implemented, it is optimal to conserve them ahead of enforcement. This might induce a switch to high-carbon resources before the policy is implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Di Maria, Corrado & Smulders, Sjak & van der Werf, Edwin, 2008. "Absolute Abundance and Relative Scarcity: Announced Policy, Resource Extraction, and Carbon Emissions," Climate Change Modelling and Policy Working Papers 46626, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:feemcc:46626
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.46626
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    Cited by:

    1. Ngo Van LONG, 2014. "The Green Paradox under Imperfect Substitutability between Clean and Dirty Fuels," Cahiers de recherche 02-2014, Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en économie quantitative, CIREQ.
    2. Smulders, Sjak & Tsur, Yacov & Zemel, Amos, 2012. "Announcing climate policy: Can a green paradox arise without scarcity?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 364-376.
    3. Michielsen, T.O., 2011. "Brown Backstops versus the Green Paradox (Revision of CentER DP 2011-076)," Other publications TiSEM 7dc5a955-80bb-4069-bdbf-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Hoel, Michael & Jensen, Svenn, 2012. "Cutting costs of catching carbon—Intertemporal effects under imperfect climate policy," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 680-695.
    5. Ines Österle, 2012. "Fossil Fuel Extraction and Climate Policy: A Review of the Green Paradox with Endogenous Resource Exploration," Working Papers 2012.13, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    6. Quentin Grafton, R. & Kompas, Tom & Van Long, Ngo, 2012. "Substitution between biofuels and fossil fuels: Is there a green paradox?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 328-341.
    7. Ngo Van Long, 2014. "The Green Paradox in Open Economies," CESifo Working Paper Series 4639, CESifo.
    8. Edwin van der Werf, 2010. "Unilateral climate policy, asymmetric backstop adoption and carbon leakage in a two-region Hotelling model," Working Papers V-320-10, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2010.
    9. Edwin van der Werf & Corrado Di Maria, 2011. "Unintended Detrimental Effects of Environmental Policy: The Green Paradox and Beyond," CESifo Working Paper Series 3466, CESifo.
    10. Michielsen, Thomas O., 2014. "Brown backstops versus the green paradox," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 87-110.
    11. Reyer Gerlagh, 2011. "Too Much Oil," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 57(1), pages 79-102, March.
    12. Hart, Rob & Spiro, Daniel, 2011. "The elephant in Hotelling's room," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7834-7838.
    13. Sjak Smulders & Yacov Tsur & Amos Zemel, 2014. "Uncertain Climate Policy and the Green Paradox," Dynamic Modeling and Econometrics in Economics and Finance, in: Elke Moser & Willi Semmler & Gernot Tragler & Vladimir M. Veliov (ed.), Dynamic Optimization in Environmental Economics, edition 127, pages 155-168, Springer.
    14. Jus Darko & Meier Volker, 2015. "Announcing is Bad, Delaying is Worse: Another Pitfall in Well-intended Climate Policy," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 235(3), pages 286-297, June.
    15. Michielsen, T.O., 2011. "Brown Backstops versus the Green Paradox (Revision of CentER DP 2011-076)," Discussion Paper 2011-110, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    16. Thomas Michielsen, 2013. "Brown Backstops Versus the Green Paradox," OxCarre Working Papers 108, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies, University of Oxford.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental Economics and Policy;

    JEL classification:

    • Q31 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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