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A Tax-Based Approach to Slowing Global Climate Change

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  • Aldy, Joseph E.
  • Ley, Eduardo
  • Parry, Ian W.H.

    (Resources for the Future)

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the design of carbon dioxide (CO2) taxes at the domestic and international level and the choice of taxes versus a cap-and-trade system. A strong case can be made for taxes on uncertainty, fiscal, and distributional grounds, though this critically hinges on policy specifics and how revenues are used. The efficient near-term tax is at least $5–$20 per ton of CO2 and the tax should be imposed upstream with incentives for downstream sequestration and abatement of other greenhouse gases. At the international level, a key challenge is the possibility that emissions taxes might be undermined through offsetting changes in other energy policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Aldy, Joseph E. & Ley, Eduardo & Parry, Ian W.H., 2008. "A Tax-Based Approach to Slowing Global Climate Change," RFF Working Paper Series dp-08-26, Resources for the Future.
    • Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-08-26
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    1. repec:wbk:wboper:3022 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Homma, Takashi & Akimoto, Keigo & Tomoda, Toshimasa, 2009. "Evaluation of CO2 emissions based on the consumption-based measurement under CO2 reduction scenarios of different reduction levels," Conference papers 331871, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
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    4. Wojciech Kopczuk & Justin Marion & Erich Muehlegger & Joel Slemrod, 2016. "Does Tax-Collection Invariance Hold? Evasion and the Pass-Through of State Diesel Taxes," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 251-286, May.
    5. Charitou, Andreas, 2015. "Discussion of “The Association Between Energy Taxation, Participation in an Emissions Trading System, and the Intensity of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the European Union”," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 418-426.
    6. Andrew, Jane & Kaidonis, Mary A. & Andrew, Brian, 2010. "Carbon tax: Challenging neoliberal solutions to climate change," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(7), pages 611-618.
    7. Carol McAusland & Nouri Najjar, 2015. "Carbon Footprint Taxes," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 61(1), pages 37-70, May.
    8. Jeffrey, Cynthia & Perkins, Jon D., 2014. "The Relationship between Energy Taxation and Business Environmental Protection Expenditures in the European Union," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 403-425.
    9. Rohling, Moritz & Ohndorf, Markus, 2012. "Prices vs. Quantities with fiscal cushioning," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 169-187.
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    11. Augusto de la Torre & Pablo Fajnzylber & John Nash, 2009. "Low Carbon, High Growth : Latin American Responses to Climate Change - An Overview," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 3022, December.
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    13. Pope, Jeff & Owen, Anthony D., 2009. "Emission trading schemes: potential revenue effects, compliance costs and overall tax policy issues," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4595-4603, November.
    14. Eduardo, Ley & Jessica, Boccardo, 2009. "The Taxation of Motor Fuel: International Comparison," MPRA Paper 19461, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Lawrence Rothenberg, 2012. "The Political Economy of Climate Change," Chapters, in: Chin Hee Hahn & Sang-Hyop Lee & Kyoung-Soo Yoon (ed.), Responding to Climate Change, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    16. Devarajan, Shantayanan & Go, Delfin S. & Robinson, Sherman & Thierfelder, Karen, 2009. "Tax policy to reduce carbon emissions in south Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4933, The World Bank.
    17. Jeffrey, Cynthia & Perkins, Jon D., 2015. "The association between energy taxation, participation in an emissions trading system, and the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions in the European Union," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 397-417.
    18. Lian-Biao Cui & Ma-Lin Song, 2017. "Designing and Forecasting the Differentiated Carbon Tax Scheme Based on the Principle of Ability to Pay," Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research (APJOR), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 34(01), pages 1-25, February.
    19. Santos, Georgina & Behrendt, Hannah & Maconi, Laura & Shirvani, Tara & Teytelboym, Alexander, 2010. "Part I: Externalities and economic policies in road transport," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 2-45.
    20. Michael Goldblatt, 2010. "Comparison of emissions trading and carbon taxation in South Africa," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(5), pages 511-526, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Global climate change; CO2 tax; cap-and-trade; policy design;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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