scholarly journals General Equilibrium Impacts of a Federal Clean Energy Standard

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence H. Goulder ◽  
Marc A. C. Hafstead ◽  
Roberton C. Williams

Economists have tended to view emissions pricing (e.g., cap and trade or a carbon tax) as the most cost-effective approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This paper offers a different view. Employing analytical and numerically solved general equilibrium models, it provides plausible conditions under which a more conventional form of regulation—namely, the use of a clean energy standard (CES)—is more cost-effective. The models reveal that the CES distorts factor markets less because it is a smaller implicit tax on factors of production. This advantage more than offsets the disadvantages of the CES when minor emissions reductions are involved. (JEL H23, Q42, Q48, Q54, Q58)

World ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-481
Author(s):  
Yifan Wang ◽  
Laurence A. Wright

Global maritime transportation is responsible for around 3% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and significant proportions of SOx, NOx, and PM emissions. Considering the predicted growth in shipping volumes to 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from ships must be cut by 75–85% per ton-mile to meet Paris Agreement goals. This study reviews the potential of a range of alternative fuels for decarbonisation in maritime. A systematic literature review and information synthesis method was applied to evaluate fuel characteristics, production pathways, utilization technologies, energy efficiency, lifecycle environmental performance, economic viability, and current applicable policies. Alternative fuels are essential to decarbonisation in international shipping. However, findings suggest there is no single route to deliver the required greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Emissions reductions vary widely depending on the production pathways of the fuel. Alternative fuels utilising a carbon-intensive production pathway will not provide decarbonisation, instead shifting emissions elsewhere in the supply chain. Ultimately, a system-wide perspective to creating an effective policy framework is required in order to promote the adoption of alternative propulsion technologies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 93 ◽  
pp. 102763
Author(s):  
Luciana M.B. Ventura ◽  
Yu (Jade) Jiang ◽  
Kanok Boriboonsomsin ◽  
George Scora ◽  
Kent Johnson ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sam Meng ◽  
Mahinda Siriwardana ◽  
Judith McNeill

Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are essential to reducing the rate and scale of anthropogenic climate change to levels that can sustain the planet’s biosphere. A carbon tax is a policy measure that is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the prices of the highest carbon-polluting goods and services in an economy, thus encouraging substitution towards resultant relatively cheaper and less-polluting goods where possible. When Australia introduced such a tax in 2012, there was a fear that it could threaten the resources boom, considered the engine of Australian economic growth in recent years. By employing a computable general equilibrium model and an environmentally-extended Social Accounting Matrix, this paper demonstrates the effects of a carbon tax on the resources sector. The modelled results show that, in a flexible exchange rate regime, all resources within the sector will be affected negatively but to different degrees. The brown coal sector will be the hardest hit, with a 25.74 per cent decrease in output, 52.94 per cent decrease in employment and 89.37 per cent decrease in profitability. However, other resources in the sector would be only mildly affected. From the point of view of sustainability, the most significant results are that, under the carbon tax, the resources sector contributes considerably to the carbon emission reduction target of Australia. Given that brown coal accounts for only a small portion of the resources sector, it is reasonable to suggest that a carbon tax would not significantly affect the overall performance of the sector.


2019 ◽  

Programs that encouraged investments in residential energy efficiency had limited returns in several impact evaluations in real-world settings. Relatively small impacts on energy savings coupled with low take-up meant that encouraging these investments through information campaigns and subsidies was not a cost-effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4395
Author(s):  
Andualem Telaye Mengistu ◽  
Pablo Benitez ◽  
Seneshaw Tamru ◽  
Haileselassie Medhin ◽  
Michael Toman

This study uses a Computable General Equilibrium model to analyze policy scenarios for a carbon tax on greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum fuels and kerosene in Ethiopia. The carbon tax starts at $5 per ton of carbon dioxide in 2018 and rises to $30 per ton in 2030; these rates are translated into taxes on the different energy types covered, depending on their carbon contents. Different scenarios examine the impacts with revenue recycling through a uniform sales tax reduction, reduction of labor income tax, reduction of business income tax, direct transfer back to households, and use by the government to reduce debt. Because petroleum fuels and kerosene are a relatively small part of the Ethiopian economy, the carbon tax has small impacts on overall economic activity and greenhouse gas emissions. In proportional terms, however, the impact on greenhouse gas emissions from these energy sources is notable, depending on the recycling scenario. The assumed carbon tax trajectory also can raise significant revenue—up to $800 million per year by 2030. The impacts on the poor through increased cost of living are not that large, since the share of the poor in total use of the taxed energy types is small. In terms of induced income effects through employment changes, urban households tend to experience more impacts than rural households, but the results also depend on the household skill level and the revenue recycling scenario.


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