IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v138y2020ics0301421520300070.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do carbon abatement opportunities become less profitable over time? A global firm-level perspective using CDP data

Author

Listed:
  • Blanco, Christian C.
  • Caro, Felipe
  • Corbett, Charles J.

Abstract

Firms around the world need to find ways to continuously reduce their carbon footprint, preferably in ways that are profitable or cost-effective. The opportunities available to them will change over time, as they implement the most profitable ones first and as technology changes. When designing and adjusting their carbon policies, policy-makers need to understand the abatement opportunities firms are facing. We explore this using data collected by CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) on 20,920 carbon abatement projects implemented by more than 1400 firms worldwide over 7 years. Using fixed effects regression with energy price controls by country, our results show that the average payback period of implemented carbon emissions reduction projects remained relatively constant from 2010-2016, although there is tentative evidence that the projects are becoming smaller over time. We provide a novel firm-level perspective on carbon emissions reduction activities using data on projects implemented and reported by large, global firms, and discuss how the insights from such firm-level analysis can help inform the design and revision of carbon emissions policies over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Blanco, Christian C. & Caro, Felipe & Corbett, Charles J., 2020. "Do carbon abatement opportunities become less profitable over time? A global firm-level perspective using CDP data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:138:y:2020:i:c:s0301421520300070
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111252
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421520300070
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111252?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dieter Helm & Cameron Hepburn & Richard Mash, 2003. "Credible Carbon Policy," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 19(3), pages 438-450.
    2. Fankhauser, Samuel & Hepburn, Cameron, 2010. "Designing carbon markets. Part I: Carbon markets in time," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4363-4370, August.
    3. Yu, Yu & Wang, Derek D. & Li, Shanling & Shi, Qinfen, 2016. "Assessment of U.S. firm-level climate change performance and strategy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 432-443.
    4. Martin L. Weitzman, 1974. "Prices vs. Quantities," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(4), pages 477-491.
    5. Anderson, Soren T. & Newell, Richard G., 2004. "Information programs for technology adoption: the case of energy-efficiency audits," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 27-50, March.
    6. Stephen J. Decanio & William E. Watkins, 1998. "Investment In Energy Efficiency: Do The Characteristics Of Firms Matter?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(1), pages 95-107, February.
    7. Abeelen, Christiaan & Harmsen, Robert & Worrell, Ernst, 2013. "Implementation of energy efficiency projects by Dutch industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 408-418.
    8. Sato, Misato & Singer, Gregor & Dussaux, Damien & Lovo, Stefania, 2019. "International and sectoral variation in industrial energy prices 1995–2015," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 235-258.
    9. Joseph E. Aldy & Alan J. Krupnick & Richard G. Newell & Ian W. H. Parry & William A. Pizer, 2010. "Designing Climate Mitigation Policy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(4), pages 903-934, December.
    10. Taylor, Simon, 2012. "The ranking of negative-cost emissions reduction measures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 430-438.
    11. Frederik Dahlmann & Layla Branicki & Stephen Brammer, 2017. "‘Carrots for Corporate Sustainability’: Impacts of Incentive Inclusiveness and Variety on Environmental Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1110-1131, December.
    12. Fleiter, Tobias & Hirzel, Simon & Worrell, Ernst, 2012. "The characteristics of energy-efficiency measures – a neglected dimension," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 502-513.
    13. Brännlund, Runar & Lundgren, Tommy & Marklund, Per-Olov, 2014. "Carbon intensity in production and the effects of climate policy—Evidence from Swedish industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 844-857.
    14. Okereke, Chukwumerije, 2007. "An Exploration of Motivations, Drivers and Barriers to Carbon Management:: The UK FTSE 100," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 475-486, December.
    15. Fankhauser, Samuel & Hepburn, Cameron, 2010. "Designing carbon markets, Part II: Carbon markets in space," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4381-4387, August.
    16. Pardo, Nicolás & Moya, José Antonio & Mercier, Arnaud, 2011. "Prospective on the energy efficiency and CO2 emissions in the EU cement industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 3244-3254.
    17. Harris, Jane & Anderson, Jane & Shafron, Walter, 2000. "Investment in energy efficiency: a survey of Australian firms," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 867-876, October.
    18. Adam G. Bumpus, 2015. "Firm responses to a carbon price: corporate decision making under British Columbia's carbon tax," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 475-493, July.
    19. Robert N. Stavins, 2020. "The Future of US Carbon-Pricing Policy," Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 8-64.
    20. Antonietti, Roberto & Fontini, Fulvio, 2019. "Does energy price affect energy efficiency? Cross-country panel evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 896-906.
    21. Erin M. Reid & Michael W. Toffel, 2009. "Responding to public and private politics: corporate disclosure of climate change strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(11), pages 1157-1178, November.
    22. Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & Isabel M. García‐Sánchez & Cléber da Silva Vieira, 2014. "Climate Change and Financial Performance in Times of Crisis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(6), pages 361-374, September.
    23. Jackson, Jerry, 2010. "Promoting energy efficiency investments with risk management decision tools," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 3865-3873, August.
    24. Erin Marie Reid & Michael W. Toffel, 2008. "Responding to Public and Private Politics: Corporate Disclosure of Climate Change Strategies," Harvard Business School Working Papers 09-019, Harvard Business School, revised Jun 2009.
    25. Fleiter, Tobias & Fehrenbach, Daniel & Worrell, Ernst & Eichhammer, Wolfgang, 2012. "Energy efficiency in the German pulp and paper industry – A model-based assessment of saving potentials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 84-99.
    26. Ward, D.J., 2014. "The failure of marginal abatement cost curves in optimising a transition to a low carbon energy supply," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 820-822.
    27. Finnerty, Noel & Sterling, Raymond & Contreras, Sergio & Coakley, Daniel & Keane, Marcus M., 2018. "Defining corporate energy policy and strategy to achieve carbon emissions reduction targets via energy management in non-energy intensive multi-site manufacturing organisations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 913-929.
    28. Ans Kolk & David Levy & Jonatan Pinkse, 2008. "Corporate Responses in an Emerging Climate Regime: The Institutionalization and Commensuration of Carbon Disclosure," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 719-745.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. NingShan Hao & Voicu D. Dragomir & Oana Marina Radu, 2023. "Effects on Corporate Stakeholders and Limitations of The Implementation of The Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014/95/EU)," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 609-630, December.
    2. Benkraiem, Ramzi & Shuwaikh, Fatima & Lakhal, Faten & Guizani, Assil, 2022. "Carbon performance and firm value of the World's most sustainable companies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    3. Christian C. Blanco, 2021. "Supply Chain Carbon Footprinting and Climate Change Disclosures of Global Firms," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(9), pages 3143-3160, September.
    4. Wang, Xinyu & Sethi, Suresh P. & Chang, Shuhua, 2022. "Pollution abatement using cap-and-trade in a dynamic supply chain and its coordination," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aida Sa & Patrik Thollander & Majid Rafiee, 2018. "Industrial Energy Management Systems and Energy-Related Decision-Making," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Michaela Rankin & Carolyn Windsor & Dina Wahyuni, 2011. "An investigation of voluntary corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting in a market governance system," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(8), pages 1037-1070, October.
    3. Zahra Borghei, 2021. "Carbon disclosure: a systematic literature review," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5255-5280, December.
    4. Julián Andres Díaz Tautiva & Joana Huaman & Roberto D. Ponce Oliva, 2024. "Trends in research on climate change and organizations: a bibliometric analysis (1999–2021)," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 227-261, February.
    5. Herrera, Bernardo & Amell, Andrés & Chejne, Farid & Cacua, Karen & Manrique, Raiza & Henao, Wilson & Vallejo, Gabriel, 2017. "Use of thermal energy and analysis of barriers to the implementation of thermal efficiency measures in cement production: Exploratory study in Colombia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1047-1058.
    6. Lily Hsueh, 2019. "Opening up the firm: What explains participation and effort in voluntary carbon disclosure by global businesses? An analysis of internal firm factors and dynamics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1302-1322, November.
    7. Mohammed Bouaddi & Mohamed A. K. Basuony & Neveen Noureldin, 2023. "The Heterogenous Effects of Carbon Emissions and Board Gender Diversity on a Firm’s Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Qingliang Tang & Le Luo, 2014. "Carbon Management Systems and Carbon Mitigation," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 24(1), pages 84-98, March.
    9. David Talbot & Olivier Boiral, 2015. "Strategies for Climate Change and Impression Management: A Case Study Among Canada’s Large Industrial Emitters," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 329-346, December.
    10. Ángeles Longarela-Ares & Anxo Calvo-Silvosa & José-Benito Pérez-López, 2020. "The Influence of Economic Barriers and Drivers on Energy Efficiency Investments in Maritime Shipping, from the Perspective of the Principal-Agent Problem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-42, September.
    11. Bento, Nuno & Gianfrate, Gianfranco, 2020. "Determinants of internal carbon pricing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    12. Fleiter, Tobias & Hirzel, Simon & Worrell, Ernst, 2012. "The characteristics of energy-efficiency measures – a neglected dimension," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 502-513.
    13. Chaiyapa, Warathida & Esteban, Miguel & Kameyama, Yasuko, 2016. "Sectoral approaches establishment for climate change mitigation in Thailand upstream oil and gas industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 204-213.
    14. Apriani Soepardi & Pratikto Pratikto & Purnomo Budi Santoso & Ishardita Pambudi Tama & Patrik Thollander, 2018. "Linking of Barriers to Energy Efficiency Improvement in Indonesia’s Steel Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, January.
    15. Olivier Boiral & Marie‐Christine Brotherton & Léo Rivaud & David Talbot, 2022. "Comparing the uncomparable? An investigation of car manufacturers' climate performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2213-2229, July.
    16. Binh Hoang Duc & Khang Do Ba, 2017. "Business responses to climate change: strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(4), pages 596-620, August.
    17. Olsthoorn, Mark & Schleich, Joachim & Hirzel, Simon, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures for Non-residential Buildings: Technological and Organizational Heterogeneity in the Trade, Commerce and Services Sector," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 240-254.
    18. Yuchen Shen & Mohammad Tazul Islam & Michiyuki Yagi & Katsuhiko Kokubu, 2015. "How do firms' climate-related management and strategy affect climate change risks and opportunities awareness?," Discussion Papers 2015-26, Kobe University, Graduate School of Business Administration.
    19. Frank Hartmann & Paolo Perego & Anna Young, 2013. "Carbon Accounting: Challenges for Research in Management Control and Performance Measurement," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 49(4), pages 539-563, December.
    20. Holt, Charles A. & Shobe, William M., 2016. "Reprint of: Price and quantity collars for stabilizing emission allowance prices: Laboratory experiments on the EU ETS market stability reserve," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 69-86.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:138:y:2020:i:c:s0301421520300070. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.