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Effective Climate Policy Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

Author

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  • Klaus Gugler

    (Research Institute for Regulatory Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business)

  • Adhurim Haxhimusa

    (Institute for Quantitative Economics, Research Institute for Regulatory Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business)

  • Mario Liebensteiner

    (Institute for Resource and Energy Economics, TU Kaiserslautern)

Abstract

We compare the effectiveness of different climate policies in terms of emissions abatement and costs in the British and German electricity markets. The two countries follow different climate policies, allowing us to compare the effectiveness of a relatively low EU ETS carbon price in Germany with a significantly higher carbon price due to a unilateral top-up tax (the Carbon Price Support) in the UK. We first estimate the emissions offsetting effects of carbon pricing and of subsidized wind and solar feed-in, and then derive the abatement costs of one tonne of CO2 for the different policies. We find that a reasonably high price for emissions is the most cost-effective climate policy, while subsidizing wind is preferable to subsidizing solar power. A carbon price of around EURO 35 is enough in the UK to induce vast short-run fuel switching between coal- and gas-fired power plants, leading to significant emissions abatement at low costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Klaus Gugler & Adhurim Haxhimusa & Mario Liebensteiner, 2019. "Effective Climate Policy Doesn’t Have to be Expensive," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp293, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwwuw:wuwp293
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change policy; Carbon price; EU ETS; UK Carbon Price Floor; UK Carbon Price Support; Subsidization of renewables;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • L98 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Government Policy
    • Q35 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Hydrocarbon Resources
    • Q38 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Government Policy (includes OPEC Policy)
    • 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

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