Tax Policies for Low-carbon Technologies

Tax Policies for Low-carbon Technologies
Author: Gilbert E. Metcalf
Publisher:
Total Pages: 27
Release: 2009
Genre: Carbon taxes
ISBN:

The U.S. tax code provides a number of subsidies for low-carbon technologies. I discuss the difficulties of achieving key policy goals with subsidies as opposed to using taxes to raise the price of pollution-related activities. In particular, subsidies lower the cost of energy (on average) rather than raising it. Thus consumer demand responses work at cross purposes to the goal of reducing emissions (especially as average cost pricing is used for electricity). Second, it is difficult to achieve technology neutrality with subsidies - here defined as an equal subsidy cost per ton of CO2 avoided. Third, many subsidies are inframarginal. Finally, subsidies often suffer from unintended interactions with other policies. I conclude with some observations on the use of price-based instruments. In particular I discuss how a carbon tax could be designed to achieve environmental goals of emission caps over a control period.

Trade in Low Carbon Technologies: The Role of Climate and Trade Policies

Trade in Low Carbon Technologies: The Role of Climate and Trade Policies
Author: Samuel Pienknagura
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2024-03-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Curbing carbon emissions to meet the targets set in the Paris Agreement requires the deployment of low carbon technologies (LCTs) at a global scale. This paper assesses the role of climate and trade policies in fostering LCT diffusion through trade. Leveraging a comprehensive database of climate policies and a new database identifying trade in low carbon technologies and the tariffs applied to these goods, this paper shows that the introduction of new climate policies has a positive and significant impact on LCT imports. Zooming into specific climate policies, the paper finds that, except for non-binding ones, all climate policies stimulate LCT imports. The paper also highlights the role of trade policies as an engine of LCT diffusion—reductions in tariffs applied on LCT goods have a sizeable impact on LCT imports. On the flip side, results suggest that more protectionist measures would impede the spread of low-carbon technologies.

Aligning Policies for a Low-carbon Economy

Aligning Policies for a Low-carbon Economy
Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2015-07-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9264233296

This report produced in co-operation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) identifies the misalignments between climate change objectives and policy and regulatory frameworks across a range of policy domains.

Globalization of Low-Carbon Technologies

Globalization of Low-Carbon Technologies
Author: Venkatachalam Anbumozhi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 618
Release: 2017-10-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9811049017

This book explores the opportunities and barriers within the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) framework of the Paris Agreement for low-carbon technology diffusion. Further, it proposes appropriate and feasible mechanisms required at local, national and regional levels to achieve the INDC targets. The book employs both meta policy analysis and scenario building to examine, whether the diffusion of low-carbon energy future by 2030 is economically viable under the INDC framework and how international technology cooperation could accelerate investments on the scale required for achieving the INDC targets. Further, this book provides new perspectives on market and non-market mechanisms for the globalization of low-carbon technologies, within the framework conditions of the Paris Agreement, which will be of significant value to senior policy makers, multi-disciplinary academia, and investing communities.

Tax Policy Issues in Designing a Carbon Tax

Tax Policy Issues in Designing a Carbon Tax
Author: Donald B. Marron
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

A carbon tax is a promising tool for discouraging the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. In principle, a well-designed tax could reduce the risk of climate change, minimize the cost of emissions reductions, encourage innovation in low-carbon technologies, and raise new public revenue. But designing a real-world carbon tax poses significant challenges. We analyze those challenges from a public finance perspective, emphasizing three tax policy design issues: setting the tax rate, collecting the tax, and using the resulting revenue. The benefits of a carbon tax will depend on how policymakers address those issues.

Climate Policies as a Catalyst for Green FDI

Climate Policies as a Catalyst for Green FDI
Author: Samuel Pienknagura
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2024-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

This paper assesses the role of climate policies as a catalyst of low carbon technologies deployment through foreign direct investment (FDI). Leveraging detailed cross-border project-level information, it identifies “green” FDI and finds that a higher number of active climate policies is associated with higher levels of green FDI inflows. Importantly, climate policies do not appear to be linked to lower levels of non-green projects, suggesting relatively small overall costs from the green transition. The paper also finds heterogeneity across sectors and policy instruments. The association between climate policies and green projects is particularly strong in energy and manufacturing, and when the composition of the recipient's climate portfolio is tilted towards binding policies (e.g., taxes and regulation) and expenditure measures. Finally, results point to policy spillovers, whereby larger climate policy portfolios in the source country are linked to higher green FDI outflows, but green subsidies can discourage them. This, in turn, implies that subsidies could hamper efforts to deploy low-carbon technologies across countries.

Carbon-Energy Taxation

Carbon-Energy Taxation
Author: Mikael Skou Andersen
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2009-10-29
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0191610089

When taxes are introduced on carbon and energy, and the revenue is used to reduce other taxes, will a positive effect be achieved both for the environment and for the economy? In 1990 Finland was the first country to introduce a tax on CO2. Later, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany and the UK followed suit with tax reforms that shifted taxation from labour to carbon and energy. Over the years, CO2 and energy taxes have gradually been raised, so that in Europe taxes of more than 25 billion Euros a year have been shifted. This book examines carbon-energy taxation in detail and looks at tax shifting programmes for lowering other taxes. It offers extensive analysis on the basis of historical data and seeks to answer important questions for policy-making, such as: What was the impact of tax shifting for economic performance and competitiveness? By how much were emissions of CO2 reduced? Could energy-intensive industries cut further down on their fuel demand or did they loose market shares? To what extent was there 'leakage' from Europe, so that production and CO2 emissions were shifted to other countries or regions without CO2-abatement policy? The use of unique and original data, including sector-specific energy prices and taxes, as well as the use of advanced statistical techniques, such as co-integration analysis and panel-regression techniques along with the time-series estimated macro-economic model E3ME, make this a truly comprehensive volume. On the basis of the lessons learned in Europe, this volume indicates how carbon-energy taxation could usefully be combined with emissions trading, and discusses implications for future international climate policy, including how the IPCC recommendations for a gradual escalation in carbon price could be accomplished while preventing carbon leakage.

Economic Instruments for a Low-carbon Future

Economic Instruments for a Low-carbon Future
Author: Theodoros Zachariadis
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2020-07-31
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1839109912

Critically assessing recent developments in environmental and tax legislation, and in particular low-carbon strategies, this timely book analyses the implementation of market-based instruments for achieving climate stabilisation objectives around the world.

Designing Climate Solutions

Designing Climate Solutions
Author: Hal Harvey
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1610919564

With the effects of climate change already upon us, the need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions is nothing less than urgent. It’s a daunting challenge, but the technologies and strategies to meet it exist today. A small set of energy policies, designed and implemented well, can put us on the path to a low carbon future. Energy systems are large and complex, so energy policy must be focused and cost-effective. One-size-fits-all approaches simply won’t get the job done. Policymakers need a clear, comprehensive resource that outlines the energy policies that will have the biggest impact on our climate future, and describes how to design these policies well. Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy is the first such guide, bringing together the latest research and analysis around low carbon energy solutions. Written by Hal Harvey, CEO of the policy firm Energy Innovation, with Robbie Orvis and Jeffrey Rissman of Energy Innovation, Designing Climate Solutions is an accessible resource on lowering carbon emissions for policymakers, activists, philanthropists, and others in the climate and energy community. In Part I, the authors deliver a roadmap for understanding which countries, sectors, and sources produce the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and give readers the tools to select and design efficient policies for each of these sectors. In Part II, they break down each type of policy, from renewable portfolio standards to carbon pricing, offering key design principles and case studies where each policy has been implemented successfully. We don’t need to wait for new technologies or strategies to create a low carbon future—and we can’t afford to. Designing Climate Solutions gives professionals the tools they need to select, design, and implement the policies that can put us on the path to a livable climate future.