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The Promise and Problems of Pricing Carbon: Theory and Experience

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  • Joseph E. Aldy

    (Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Nonresident Fellow, Resources for the Future; and Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research)

  • Robert N. Stavins

    (Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School; University Fellow, Resources for the Future; and Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research)

Abstract

Because of the global commons nature of climate change, international cooperation among nations will likely be necessary for meaningful action at the global level. At the same time, it will inevitably be up to the actions of sovereign nations to put in place policies that bring about meaningful reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gases. Due to the ubiquity and diversity of emissions of greenhouse gases in most economies, as well as the variation in abatement costs among individual sources, conventional environmental policy approaches, such as uniform technology and performance standards, are unlikely to be sufficient to the task. Therefore, attention has increasingly turned to market-based instruments in the form of carbon-pricing mechanisms. We examine the opportunities and challenges associated with the major options for carbon pricing: carbon taxes, cap-and-trade, emission reduction credits, clean energy standards, and fossil fuel subsidy reductions.

Suggested Citation

  • Joseph E. Aldy & Robert N. Stavins, 2011. "The Promise and Problems of Pricing Carbon: Theory and Experience," Working Papers 2011.82, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2011.82
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Xinkuo Xu & Liyan Han, 2017. "Diverse Effects of Consumer Credit on Household Carbon Emissions at Quantiles: Evidence from Urban China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-25, September.
    2. George A. Gonzalez, 2016. "Transforming Energy: Solving Climate Change with Technology Policy . New York : Cambridge University Press . 360 pages. ISBN 9781107614970, $29.99 paperback. Anthony Patt , 2015 ," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 33(1), pages 111-113, January.
    3. Hong, Zhaofu & Chu, Chengbin & Zhang, Linda L. & Yu, Yugang, 2017. "Optimizing an emission trading scheme for local governments: A Stackelberg game model and hybrid algorithm," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 172-182.
    4. Liping Ding & Fan Zhang & Jing Shuai, 2018. "How Do Chinese Residents Expect of Government Subsidies on Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation?—A Case of Wuhan, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, January.
    5. Eun-Hee Kim & Thomas P. Lyon, 2015. "Greenwash vs. Brownwash: Exaggeration and Undue Modesty in Corporate Sustainability Disclosure," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 705-723, June.
    6. Stefan Niederhafner, 2014. "The Korean Energy and GHG Target Management System: An Alternative to Kyoto-Protocol Emissions Trading Systems?," TEMEP Discussion Papers 2014118, Seoul National University; Technology Management, Economics, and Policy Program (TEMEP), revised Sep 2014.
    7. Yoshifumi Konishi & Nori Tarui, 2013. "Intra-Industry Reallocations and Long-run Impacts of Environmental Regulations," Working Papers 201307, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics.
    8. Hassan Ali & Han Phoumin & Steven R. Weller & Beni Suryadi, 2021. "Cost–Benefit Analysis of HELE and Subcritical Coal-Fired Electricity Generation Technologies in Southeast Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    : Global Climate Change; Market-Based Instruments; Carbon Pricing; Carbon Taxes; Cap-and-Trade; Emission Reduction Credits; Energy Subsidies; Clean Energy Standards;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

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