An Economic Model-based Analysis of Climate and Energy Policy

摘要

No one would disagree the necessity of preserving the environment while promoting economic growth. However, no informed decision on any energy and environmental policy can be made without knowing its economic costs and environmental effectiveness. Against this background, several key empirical and design issues come to mind, of both scientific interest and policy relevance. rn1. Given that emissions trading scheme has been a pillar in the EU climate policy and is going to be core in any future U.S. climate policy, how can that scheme be designed to avoid imposing unnecessarily high costs? rn2. Given that coal creates fewer energy security concerns than do oil and natural gas because of its wide distribution among developed and developing countries, how will that industry be affected by future carbon constraints? rn3. Given the crucial role that technology is playing in avoiding dangerous climate change impacts, can history shed light on the contribution of technological change to greenhouse gas emissions so that we can infer the size of the challenges ahead? rn4. Will the current impasse in international climate negotiations promote another look at alternatives to the Kyoto-style targets and timetables approach?