scholarly journals The Institutional Sources of Economic Transformation: Energy Policy from the Oil Crises to Climate Change

Author(s):  
Jared Finnegan ◽  
Phillip Lipscy ◽  
Jonas Meckling ◽  
Florence Metz

Why are some governments more effective in promoting economic change than others? We develop a theory of the institutional sources of economic transformation. Domestic institutions condition the ability of policymakers to impose costs on consumers and producers. We argue that institutions can enable transformation through two central mechanisms: insulation and compensation. The institutional sources of transformation vary across policy types—whether policies impose costs primarily on consumers (demand-side policies) or on producers (supply-side policies). Proportional electoral rules and strong welfare states facilitate demand-side policies, whereas autonomous bureaucracies and corporatist interest intermediation facilitate supply-side policies. We test our theory by leveraging the 1973 oil crisis, an exogenous shock that compelled policymakers to simultaneously pursue transformational change across OECD countries. Panel analysis, case studies, and discourse network analysis support our hypotheses. The findings offer important lessons for contemporary climate change policy and low-carbon transitions.

Author(s):  
José María Valenzuela ◽  
Isabel Studer

Mexico’s low-carbon technology perspectives show lack of coherence with the rising ambition in climate change commitments, for which Mexico is internationally praised. The comparison of two recent energy reforms, corresponding to two administrations, explains this lack of coherence by, on the one hand, the permanence of a strong climate institutional framework devised as a means to increase energy security and, on the other hand, the political commitment to reduce electricity tariffs through the access to low-priced gas in North America. The chapter underscores the political economy trade-offs between the need for a strong climate commitment that provides a stable long-term energy transition pathway and the political and economic short-term benefits derived from low electricity tariffs.


Author(s):  
Karen Alvarenga Oliveira

This chapter examines the climate change policy of Brazil. In 2010 at the Sixteenth Conference of Parties in Cancún, Brazil announced its voluntary national target of significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 36.1 per cent and 38.9 per cent of projected emissions by 2020. These targets were defined in the Brazilian National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC). The PNMC establishes principles, guidelines, and economic instruments for reaching the national voluntary targets. It relies on sectoral plans for mitigation and adaptation to climate change in order to facilitate the move towards a low-carbon economy. The PNMC defined various aspects related to the measurement of goals, formulation of sectoral plans and of action plans for the prevention and control of deforestation in all Brazilian biomes, and governance structure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 163 (2) ◽  
pp. 1107-1108
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Steinberg ◽  
Bryan K. Mignone ◽  
Jordan Macknick ◽  
Yinong Sun ◽  
Kelly Eurek ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (02) ◽  
pp. 349-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhao ◽  
Shuang Lyu ◽  
Zhu Wang

AbstractWhile legal scholarship seeks mainly to assess the impact of climate change litigation (CCL) on the regulatory state and on climate change policy in common law countries, the potential influence of government climate policy on the judicial practices of jurisdictions with different legal traditions attracts much less attention. This article fills the gaps by exploring how courts in China, an authoritarian country with a civil law tradition, react to government climate policies and how this judicial response might affect relevant legal rules and eventually contribute to climate regulation. An empirical analysis of 177 Chinese judicial cases reveals that CCL in China consists mostly of contract-based civil actions steered by the government's low-carbon policies. Moreover, although the prospects of CCL against public authorities in China remain very bleak, there is scope for the emergence of tort-based CCL, backed by government policies. In this respect, recent tort-based public interest litigation on air pollution in China may serve as a substitute or, more promisingly, a gateway to the emergence of a tort-based branch of Chinese CCL.


Author(s):  
Xavier Mayes

A global shift away from diets dominated by meat, dairy and eggs to mainly plant-based diets is as necessary in mitigating anthropogenic climate change as the shift away from fossil fuels. Yet a large awareness gap exists about animal agriculture's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies in Australia and the United States show this issue is represented in less than 1 percent of all newspaper articles about climate change. This chapter examines the opportunities and barriers in addressing the livestock sector's impact on climate change. Policy recommendations in the literature are compared with the responses of governments, industry and the NGO sector. Australia's unique socioeconomic and cultural ties to livestock production and the consumption of animal products represent a significant barrier to demand-side mitigation. An analysis of newspaper articles mentioning animal agriculture's link to climate change in The Sydney Morning Herald between 2006 and 2014 provides insights into the facilitation and shaping of public awareness on the issue to date. The findings can inform strategies to increase future media coverage and encourage a more engaged discourse on demand-side mitigation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofía Viguri ◽  
Sandra López Tovar ◽  
Mariel Juárez Olvera ◽  
Gloria Visconti

In response to the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the IDB Group Board of Governors endorsed the target of increasing climate-related financing in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) from 15% in 2015 to 30% of the IDB Groups combined total approvals by 2020. Currently, the IDB Group is on track to meet this commitment, as in 2018, it financed nearly US$5 billion in climate-change-related activities benefiting LAC, which accounted for 27% of total IDB Groups annual approvals. In 2019, the overall volume and proportion of climate finance in new IDBG approvals have increased to 29%. As the IDB continues to strive towards this goal by using its funds to ramp-up climate action, it also acknowledges that tackling climate change is an objective shared with the rest of the international community. For the past ten years, strategic partnerships have been forged with external sources of finance that are also looking to invest in low-carbon and climate-resilient development. Doing this has contributed to the Banks objective of mobilizing additional resources for climate action while also strengthening its position as a leading partner to accelerate climate innovation in many fields. From climate-smart technologies and resilient infrastructure to institutional reform and financial mechanisms, IDB's use of external sources of finance is helping countries in LAC advance toward meeting their international climate change commitments. This report collects a series of insights and lessons learned by the IDB in the preparation and implementation of projects with climate finance from four external sources: the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It includes a systematic revision of their design and their progress on delivery, an assessment of broader impacts (scale-up, replication, and contributions to transformational change/paradigm shift), and a set of recommendations to optimize the access and use of these funds in future rounds of climate investment. The insights and lessons learned collected in this publication can inform the design of short and medium-term actions that support “green recovery” through the mobilization of investments that promote decarbonization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 1380-1398
Author(s):  
Tuomas Ylä-Anttila ◽  
Antti Gronow ◽  
Aasa Karimo ◽  
James Goodman ◽  
Francesca da Rimini

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 450
Author(s):  
Stephen Martin ◽  
Nathan Taylor

Policy uncertainty is a significant issue for all companies in the energy sector. It is particularly problematic when policy decisions are made to change the nature of the energy sector, both now and during the coming decades. Government climate change policy has the potential to reshape the exploration and development of both oil and gas reserves.The energy sector requires policy certainty to undertake long-term decisions. This can occur only when government makes socially sustainable, robust, and well-reasoned climate change policy. The core challenge is determining the merit of different choices given the magnitude of uncertainty that needs to be dealt with. Quantifying the uncertainty of technological innovation, future greenhouse gas emission costs, and capital and operating costs over time allows for the comparison of alternative policies to encourage the deployment of low-carbon technologies. A reliable and affordable supply of energy is a fundamental component to a vibrant economy. CEDA’s research project, Australia’s energy options, has sought to provide objective evidence for informed decision making. It has involved three policy perspectives examining Australia’s nuclear options: renewables and efficiency; unconventional energy options; and, a reform agenda that would enhance the energy sector’s efficiency, security, and effectiveness. This extended abstract builds on this extensive research and discusses how governments at all levels can deal with the uncertainty of climate change and make long-term decisions that will underpin investment decisions across the energy sector.


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