IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeeman/v118y2023ics0095069623000116.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Adjustable emissions caps and the price of pollution

Author

Listed:
  • Heijmans, Roweno J.R.K.

Abstract

Cap and trade schemes often use a policy of adjustable allowance supply with the intention to stabilize the market for allowances. We investigate whether these policies deliver with a focus on allowance prices. Motivated by existing policies, we study schemes that rely on either the allowance price (price measures) or the surplus of unused allowances (quantity measures) to adjust supply in a dynamic cap and trade market. Compared to emissions trading under a fixed cap, we find that price measures stabilize allowance prices. Quantity measures can be destabilizing. Though phrased in the context of changing interest rates, our results warn more generally against the belief that quantity measures are a suitable instrument to promote a stable cap and trade market.

Suggested Citation

  • Heijmans, Roweno J.R.K., 2023. "Adjustable emissions caps and the price of pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:118:y:2023:i:c:s0095069623000116
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102793
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069623000116
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102793?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. 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.
    2. Reyer Gerlagh & Roweno J. R. K. Heijmans & Knut Einar Rosendahl, 2020. "COVID-19 Tests the Market Stability Reserve," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 855-865, August.
    3. Martin L. Weitzman, 1974. "Prices vs. Quantities," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(4), pages 477-491.
    4. Abrell, Jan & Rausch, Sebastian, 2017. "Combining price and quantity controls under partitioned environmental regulation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 226-242.
    5. Kollenberg, Sascha & Taschini, Luca, 2019. "Dynamic supply adjustment and banking under uncertainty in an emission trading scheme: The market stability reserve," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 213-226.
    6. Lintunen, Jussi & Kuusela, Olli-Pekka, 2018. "Business cycles and emission trading with banking," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 397-417.
    7. Kollenberg, Sascha & Taschini, Luca, 2016. "Emissions trading systems with cap adjustments," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 20-36.
    8. Grischa Perino, 2018. "New EU ETS Phase 4 rules temporarily puncture waterbed," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 262-264, April.
    9. Severin Borenstein & James Bushnell & Frank A. Wolak & Matthew Zaragoza-Watkins, 2019. "Expecting the Unexpected: Emissions Uncertainty and Environmental Market Design," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(11), pages 3953-3977, November.
    10. Friesen, Lana & Gangadharan, Lata & Khezr, Peyman & MacKenzie, Ian A., 2022. "Mind your Ps and Qs! Variable allowance supply in the US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    11. Aatola, Piia & Ollikainen, Markku & Toppinen, Anne, 2013. "Price determination in the EU ETS market: Theory and econometric analysis with market fundamentals," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 380-395.
    12. William A. Pizer & Brian C. Prest, 2020. "Prices versus Quantities with Policy Updating," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(3), pages 483-518.
    13. Grischa Perino & Maximilian Willner & Simon Quemin & Michael Pahle, 2022. "The European Union Emissions Trading System Market Stability Reserve: Does It Stabilize or Destabilize the Market?," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(2), pages 338-345.
    14. Timothy N. Cason & John K. Stranlund & Frans P. de Vries, 2022. "Investment Incentives in Tradable Emissions Markets with Price Floors Approach," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1331, Purdue University, Department of Economics.
    15. Marcel Gorenflo, 2013. "Futures price dynamics of CO 2 emission allowances," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 1025-1047, December.
    16. Fell, Harrison & Burtraw, Dallas & Morgenstern, Richard D. & Palmer, Karen L., 2012. "Soft and hard price collars in a cap-and-trade system: A comparative analysis," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 183-198.
    17. Pizer, William A., 2002. "Combining price and quantity controls to mitigate global climate change," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 409-434, September.
    18. Reyer Gerlagh & Roweno J. R. K. Heijmans, 2019. "Climate-conscious consumers and the buy, bank, burn program," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(6), pages 431-433, June.
    19. Kenneth Bruninx & Marten Ovaere, 2022. "COVID-19, Green Deal and recovery plan permanently change emissions and prices in EU ETS Phase IV," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    20. Daskalakis, George & Psychoyios, Dimitris & Markellos, Raphael N., 2009. "Modeling CO2 emission allowance prices and derivatives: Evidence from the European trading scheme," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1230-1241, July.
    21. Mu, Xiaoyi, 2007. "Weather, storage, and natural gas price dynamics: Fundamentals and volatility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 46-63, January.
    22. Fell, Harrison, 2016. "Comparing policies to confront permit over-allocation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 53-68.
    23. Rubin, Jonathan D., 1996. "A Model of Intertemporal Emission Trading, Banking, and Borrowing," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 269-286, November.
    24. Roberts, Marc J. & Spence, Michael, 1976. "Effluent charges and licenses under uncertainty," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(3-4), pages 193-208.
    25. Reyer Gerlagh & Roweno J R K Heijmans & Knut Einar Rosendahl, 2021. "An endogenous emissions cap produces a green paradox [Combining price and quantity controls under partitioned environmental regulation]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 36(107), pages 485-522.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Quemin, Simon & Trotignon, Raphaël, 2021. "Emissions trading with rolling horizons," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    2. Heijmans, Roweno J.R.K. & Engström, Max, 2024. "Time Horizons and Emissions Trading," Discussion Papers 2024/2, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    3. Ren'e Aid & Sara Biagini, 2021. "Optimal dynamic regulation of carbon emissions market: A variational approach," Papers 2102.12423, arXiv.org.
    4. René Aïd & Sara Biagini, 2023. "Optimal dynamic regulation of carbon emissions market," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 80-115, January.
    5. Gerlagh, Reyer & Hejimans, Roweno J. R. K. & Rosendahl, Knut Einar, 2020. "Endogenous Emission Caps Always Produce a Green Paradox," Working Paper Series 4-2020, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, School of Economics and Business.
    6. Simon Quemin & Raphael Trotignon, 2018. "Competitive Permit Storage and Market Design: An Application to the EU-ETS," Working Papers 2018.19, FAERE - French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
    7. Estelle Cantillon & Aurélie Slechten, 2023. "Market Design for the Environment," NBER Chapters, in: New Directions in Market Design, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Olli-Pekka Kuusela & Jussi Lintunen, 2020. "A Cap-and-Trade Commitment Policy with Allowance Banking," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(3), pages 421-455, March.
    9. Quemin, Simon, 2022. "Raising climate ambition in emissions trading systems: The case of the EU ETS and the 2021 review," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    10. Timothy N. Cason & John K. Stranlund & Frans P. de Vries, 2022. "Investment Incentives in Tradable Emissions Markets with Price Floors Approach," Purdue University Economics Working Papers 1331, Purdue University, Department of Economics.
    11. Gerlagh, Reyer & Heijmans, Roweno J.R.K. & Rodendahl, Knut Einar, 2019. "Endogenous Emission Caps Always Induce a Green Paradox," Other publications TiSEM a629a851-9ea0-4022-aa1b-c, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    12. Lintunen, Jussi & Kuusela, Olli-Pekka, 2018. "Business cycles and emission trading with banking," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 397-417.
    13. Friesen, Lana & Gangadharan, Lata & Khezr, Peyman & MacKenzie, Ian A., 2022. "Mind your Ps and Qs! Variable allowance supply in the US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    14. Böhringer, Christoph & Fischer, Carolyn, 2023. "Tax, kill or bill: An analysis of unilateral CO2 price floor options in multilateral emissions trading systems," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    15. Simon Quemin, 2020. "Using Supply-Side Policies to Raise Ambition: The Case of the EU ETS and the 2021 Review," Working Papers 2002, Chaire Economie du climat.
    16. Reyer Gerlagh & Roweno J.R.K. Heijmans & Knut Einar Rosendahl, 2019. "Endogenous Emission Caps Always Induce a Green Paradox," CESifo Working Paper Series 7862, CESifo.
    17. Kollenberg, Sascha & Taschini, Luca, 2016. "Emissions trading systems with cap adjustments," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 20-36.
    18. Grischa Perino & Robert A. Ritz & Arthur van Benthem, 2019. "Overlapping Climate Policies," NBER Working Papers 25643, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Herweg, Fabian, 2020. "Overlapping efforts in the EU Emissions Trading System," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    20. Burtraw, Dallas & Holt, Charles & Palmer, Karen & Paul, Anthony & Shobe, William, 2018. "Quantities with Prices," RFF Working Paper Series 18-08, Resources for the Future.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Emissions trading; Climate change; Interest rate; Market-based emissions regulation; Policy design;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:jeeman:v:118:y:2023:i:c:s0095069623000116. 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/inca/622870 .

    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.