Books and Papers

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30 Jun

Posted at 14:31h in Selected Articles by

"Descriptive or Conceptual Models? Contributions of Economics to the Climate Policy Debate" International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics 5, 2005

Abstract

Economists have brought two distinct modeling styles to the debate on climate policy. Some attempt to forecast the effects of policy decisions by constructing models that purport to be ‘‘descriptive’’ of the global economic system. The alternative approach is a ‘‘conceptual’’ focus on key elements...

30 Jun

Posted at 14:30h in Selected Articles by

"Equity Effects of Alternative Assignments of Global Environmental Rights" (with Paul Niemann) Ecological Economics 56, 2006

Abstract

Through a thought experiment in which members of different generations trade with each other in a virtual market, we examine the effects of alternative assignments of global environmental rights on prices, interest rates, and the global distribution of income. The model is "semi-calibrated" to current and projected levels of the output...

30 Jun

Posted at 14:29h in Selected Articles by

"Economics of 'essential use exemptions' for metered-dose inhalers under the Montreal Protocol" (with Catherine S. Norman) Journal of Environmental Management 85, 2007

Abstract

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has led to rapid reductions in the use of ozone-depleting substances worldwide. However, the Protocol provides for ‘‘essential use exemptions’’ (EUEs) if there are no ‘‘technically and economically feasible’’ alternatives....

30 Jun

Posted at 14:28h in Selected Articles by

"Distribution of Emissions Allowances as an Opportunity" Climate Policy 7, 2007

Abstract

Much of the debate on climate policy in the USA focuses on the gain or loss to the macroeconomy of alternative policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the economy is made up of multiple individuals, not a single representative agent. This article reports the results of alternative ways of distributing emissions allocations across citizens. Macroeconomic...

30 Jun

Posted at 12:44h in Selected Articles by

"The Montreal Protocol at 20: Ongoing Opportunities for Integration with Climate Protection" (with Catherine S. Norman and Lin Fan) Global Environmental Change 18, 2008

Abstract

The Montreal Protocol, implemented because of the risks posed by stratospheric ozone depletion, has successfully brought about international cooperation to address a serious global environmental hazard. We show how flexibility in destruction offsets could improve efficiency and propose a simple methodology to jointly...

30 Jun

Posted at 12:42h in Selected Articles by

"The political economy of global carbon emissions reductions" Ecological Economics, 68(3) January 2009

Abstract

The discussion about what reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required and how the emissions rights might be distributed globally has fostered the belief that there is a fundamental conflict between the rich nations of the “North” and the poor but populous nations of the “South.” The argument is that grandfathering the rights will...

30 Jun

Posted at 12:25h in Selected Articles by

"Limitations of integrated assessment models of climate change" (with Frank Ackerman, Richard B. Howarth, and Kristin Sheeran) Climatic Change, 95(3-4); August 2009

Abstract

The integrated assessment models (IAMs) that economists use to analyze the expected costs and benefits of climate policies frequently suggest that the “optimal” policy is to go slowly and to do relatively little in the near term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We trace this...

30 Jun

Posted at 11:51h in Books by

It might seem that contemporary economic theory offers a scientific account of choice among alternatives.  Yet this is only superficially the case; the behavior of the agents in most economic models is completely specified by preference functions, technological possibilities, and market interactions.  'Choice' is a misnomer for solution of one or another kind of optimization problem in such models....

30 Jun

Posted at 11:42h in Books by

The climate policy debate has been dominated by economic estimates of the costs of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Yet the models used to derive those estimates are based on assumptions that have largely gone untested.  The conventional approach embodies structural features that rule out alternative market outcomes.  In addition, the distribution of "climate rights" is crucial to determining the economic affects of various policies....