IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v9y2016i4p227-d66299.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Methodology for Constructing Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Climate Action in Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Nadine Ibrahim

    (Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Christopher Kennedy

    (Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4, Canada
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

As drivers of climate action, cities are taking measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which if left unabated pose a challenge to meeting long-term climate targets. The economics of climate action needs to be at the forefront of climate dialogue to prioritize investments among competing mitigation measures. A marginal abatement cost (MAC) curve is an effective visualization of climate action that initiates a technical and economic discussion of the cost-effectiveness and abatement potential of such actions among local leaders, policy makers, and climate experts. More commonly demonstrated for countries, MAC curves need to be developed for cities because of their heterogeneity, which vary in their urban activities, energy supply, infrastructure stock, and commuting patterns. The methodology for constructing bottom-up MAC curves for cities is presented for technologies that offer fuel switching and/or energy efficiencies, while considering technology lifetimes, city-specific electricity and fuel prices, and emission intensities. Resulting MAC curves are unique to every city, and chart the pathway towards low-carbon growth by prioritizing measures based on cost-effectiveness. A case study of Toronto’s climate targets demonstrates the prioritization of select technologies. Leveraging MAC curves to support climate programs enables cities to strategically invest in financing climate action and designing incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Nadine Ibrahim & Christopher Kennedy, 2016. "A Methodology for Constructing Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Climate Action in Cities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:9:y:2016:i:4:p:227-:d:66299
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/4/227/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/4/227/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rentz, O. & Haasis, H.-D. & Jattke, A. & Ruβ, P. & Wietschel, M. & Amann, M., 1994. "Influence of energy-supply structure on emission-reduction costs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 641-651.
    2. World Bank, 2010. "World Development Report 2010," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 4387, December.
    3. Jackson, Tim, 1991. "Least-cost greenhouse planning supply curves for global warming abatement," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 35-46.
    4. Blok, Kornelis & Worrell, Ernst & Cuelenaere, Rob & Turkenburg, Wim, 1993. "The cost effectiveness of CO2 emission reduction achieved by energy conservation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 656-667, June.
    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. Karin Sjöstrand & Andreas Lindhe & Tore Söderqvist & Peter Dahlqvist & Lars Rosén, 2019. "Marginal Abatement Cost Curves for Water Scarcity Mitigation under Uncertainty," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(12), pages 4335-4349, September.
    2. Ahn, Young-Hwan & Jeon, Wooyoung, 2019. "Power sector reform and CO2 abatement costs in Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 202-214.
    3. Espinosa Valderrama, Mónica & Cadena Monroy, Ángela Inés & Behrentz Valencia, Eduardo, 2019. "Challenges in greenhouse gas mitigation in developing countries: A case study of the Colombian transport sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 111-122.
    4. Lurdes Jesus Ferreira & Luís Pereira Dias & Jieling Liu, 2022. "Adopting Carbon Pricing Tools at the Local Level: A City Case Study in Portugal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, February.
    5. Jenny Gabriela Peña Balderrama & Thomas Alfstad & Constantinos Taliotis & Mohammad Reza Hesamzadeh & Mark Howells, 2018. "A Sketch of Bolivia’s Potential Low-Carbon Power System Configurations. The Case of Applying Carbon Taxation and Lowering Financing Costs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, October.
    6. John F. Raffensperger, 2020. "A price on warming with a supply chain directed market," Papers 2003.05114, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2021.
    7. Flower, Jack & Hawker, Graeme & Bell, Keith, 2020. "Heterogeneity of UK residential heat demand and its impact on the value case for heat pumps," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(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. Taylor, Simon, 2012. "The ranking of negative-cost emissions reduction measures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 430-438.
    2. Chappin, E.J.L. & Soana, M. & Arensman, C.E.C. & Swart, F., 2020. "The Y factor for Climate Change abatement – A method to rank options beyond abatement costs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    3. Das Gupta, Monica & Bongaarts, John & Cleland, John, 2011. "Population, poverty, and sustainable development : a review of the evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5719, The World Bank.
    4. van de Walle, Dominique, 2011. "Lasting welfare effects of widowhood in a poor country," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5734, The World Bank.
    5. Newburry, William & Gardberg, Naomi A. & Sanchez, Juan I., 2014. "Employer Attractiveness in Latin America: The Association Among Foreignness, Internationalization and Talent Recruitment," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 327-344.
    6. Meltem Dayioğlu & Sirma Demir Şeker, 2016. "Social Policy and the Dynamics of Early Childhood Poverty in Turkey," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 540-557, October.
    7. Mahtta, Richa & Joshi, P.K. & Jindal, Alok Kumar, 2014. "Solar power potential mapping in India using remote sensing inputs and environmental parameters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 255-262.
    8. Onder, Harun, 2012. "Trade and Climate Change: An Analytical Review of Key Issues," World Bank - Economic Premise, The World Bank, issue 86, pages 1-8, August.
    9. Andrew Zeitlin & Stefano Caria & Richman Dzene & Petr Janský & Emmanuel Opoku & Francis Teal, 2010. "Heterogeneous returns and the persistence of agricultural technology adoption," CSAE Working Paper Series 2010-37, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    10. Du, Limin & Hanley, Aoife & Wei, Chu, 2015. "Estimating the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve of CO2 Emissions in China: Provincial Panel Data Analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 217-229.
    11. Simone Borghesi & Giorgia Giovannetti & Gianluca Iannucci & Paolo Russu, 2019. "The Dynamics of Foreign Direct Investments in Land and Pollution Accumulation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 72(1), pages 135-154, January.
    12. NGUYEN Anh Tuan, 2015. "Neutralising the Advantages of State-Owned Enterprises for a Fair Playing Field," Working Papers DP-2015-79, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    13. Alkire, Sabina & Santos, Maria Emma, 2014. "Measuring Acute Poverty in the Developing World: Robustness and Scope of the Multidimensional Poverty Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 251-274.
    14. Anne T. Kuriakose & Rasmus Heltberg & William Wiseman & Cecilia Costella & Rachel Cipryk & Sabine Cornelius, 2013. "Climate-Responsive Social Protection," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 31, pages 19-34, November.
    15. Nguyen, Huy, 2014. "The effect of land fragmentation on labor allocation and the economic diversity of farm households: The case of Vietnam," MPRA Paper 57521, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Jennie Moore, 2015. "Ecological Footprints and Lifestyle Archetypes: Exploring Dimensions of Consumption and the Transformation Needed to Achieve Urban Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-17, April.
    17. Michael Hübler, 2017. "The Future of Foreign Aid in a Globalizing World with Climate Change," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8(1), pages 41-51, February.
    18. Nathan Sunday & Rehema Kahunde & Blessing Atwine & Adesoji Adelaja & Justin George, 2023. "How specific resilience pillars mitigate the impact of drought on food security: Evidence from Uganda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(1), pages 111-131, February.
    19. Uzma Hanif & Shabib Haider Syed & Rafique Ahmad & Kauser Abdullah Malik, 2010. "Economic Impact of Climate Change on the Agricultural Sector of Punjab," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 49(4), pages 771-798.
    20. Jacopo Bonan & Stefano Pareglio & Massimo Tavoni, 2014. "Access to Modern Energy: a Review of Impact Evaluations," Working Papers 2014.96, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.

    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:gam:jeners:v:9:y:2016:i:4:p:227-:d:66299. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.