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Technology Treaties and Climate Change

Author

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  • Hans Gersbach

    (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Marie-Catherine Riekhof

    (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

We introduce an international technology treaty that couples the funding of research for a more advanced abatement technology with an international emissions permit market. Under the treaty, each country decides on the amount of permits for its domestic industries, but a fraction of these permits is auctioned on the permit market, and the revenues are used to scale up license revenues for the innovators of abatement technologies. We discuss the conditions under which such a technology treaty can slow down climate change through technological innovations and whether it creates complementary incentives for countries to tighten permit issuance. Finally, we discuss how participation in Tech Treaties can be fostered and how such treaties might be implemented.

Suggested Citation

  • Hans Gersbach & Marie-Catherine Riekhof, 2017. "Technology Treaties and Climate Change," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 17/268, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    • Handle: RePEc:eth:wpswif:17-268
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    Cited by:

    1. Gersbach, Hans & Riekhof, Marie-Catherine, 2021. "Permit markets, carbon prices and the creation of innovation clusters," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Takashima, Nobuyuki, 2023. "Self-enforcing international environmental agreements with third-party organizations: Initial payment, technological development, and refunding," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change mitigation; Technology promotion; International permit markets; International treaty; Externalities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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