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Do technology externalities justify restrictions on emission permit trading?

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  • De Cian, Enrica
  • Tavoni, Massimo

Abstract

International emission trading is an important flexibility mechanism, but its use has been often restricted on the ground that access to international carbon credits can undermine the domestic abatement effort reducing the incentive to innovate and, eventually, lowering the pace of climate policy-induced technological change. This paper examines the economics that is behind these concerns by studying how a cap to the trade of carbon offsets influences innovation, technological change, and welfare. By using a standard game of abatement and R&D, we investigate the main mechanisms that shape these relationships. We also use a numerical integrated assessment model that features environmental and technology externalities to quantify how limits to the volume, the timing, and the regional allocation of carbon offsets affect climate policy costs and the incentive to invest in innovation and low-carbon technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • De Cian, Enrica & Tavoni, Massimo, 2012. "Do technology externalities justify restrictions on emission permit trading?," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 624-646.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:resene:v:34:y:2012:i:4:p:624-646
    DOI: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2012.05.009
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    Cited by:

    1. Jin, Wei & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2016. "On the mechanism of international technology diffusion for energy technological progress," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 39-61.
    2. Zhaoyang Zhao & Shuning Zhou & Siying Wang & Chong Ye & Tuolei Wu, 2022. "The Impact of Carbon Emissions Trading Pilot Policy on Industrial Structure Upgrading," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.
    3. Cai, Lifeng & Du, Anna Min & Du, Qunyang & Goodell, John W. & Li, Zhongyuan, 2025. "Carbon emission trading policy and energy transition: Perspective from natural gas consumption in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    4. Jørgen Juel Andersen & Mads Greaker, 2018. "Emission Trading with Fiscal Externalities: The Case for a Common Carbon Tax for the Non-ETS Emissions in the EU," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(3), pages 803-823, November.
    5. Gersbach, Hans & Riekhof, Marie-Catherine, 2021. "Permit markets, carbon prices and the creation of innovation clusters," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    6. Sferra, Fabio & Tavoni, Massimo, 2013. "Endogenous Participation in a Partial Climate Agreement with Open Entry: A Numerical Assessment," Climate Change and Sustainable Development 156486, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    7. Hof, Andries F. & Carrara, Samuel & De Cian, Enrica & Pfluger, Benjamin & van Sluisveld, Mariësse A.E. & de Boer, Harmen Sytze & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2020. "From global to national scenarios: Bridging different models to explore power generation decarbonisation based on insights from socio-technical transition case studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    8. Jin, Wei, 2016. "International technology diffusion, multilateral R&D coordination, and global climate mitigation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 357-372.
    9. Valentina Bosetti & Enrica De Cian, 2013. "A Good Opening: The Key to Make the Most of Unilateral Climate Action," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 56(2), pages 255-276, October.
    10. Thang Nguyen & Lan Nguyen & Scott Bryant & Hieu Nguyen, 2020. "What Motivates Scientists in Emerging Economies to Become Entrepreneurs? Evidence from Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, February.
    11. Enrica Cian & Samuel Carrara & Massimo Tavoni, 2014. "Innovation benefits from nuclear phase-out: can they compensate the costs?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 637-650, April.
    12. Yingxuan Zhang, 2020. "Regional Collaborative Electricity Consumption Management: an Urban Operations Research Model," SN Operations Research Forum, Springer, vol. 1(4), pages 1-28, December.
    13. Wei Jin, 2012. "International Knowledge Spillover and Technology Externality: Why Multilateral R&D Coordination Matters for Global Climate Governance," CAMA Working Papers 2012-53, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    14. Bento, Antonio M. & Kanbur, Ravi & Leard, Benjamin, 2015. "Designing efficient markets for carbon offsets with distributional constraints," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 51-71.
    15. Fan, Xiaomin & Xu, Yingzhi, 2024. "How does the opening of high-speed railway affect the regional pollution gap in China? From the perspective of knowledge spillover," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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