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Carbon Emissions Trading and Environmental Protection: International Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Jennie Bai

    (Georgetown University and NBER, Washington, District of Columbia 20057)

  • Hong Ru

    (Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore 639798)

Abstract

We study how the implementation of emissions trading systems (ETSs) impacts emissions reductions and the usage of renewable energy using a panel sample of the largest 100 countries worldwide. Exploiting cross-country variations in ETS implementations, we show that ETS adoption materially reduced greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) emissions by 12.1% (18.1%). Moreover, ETSs reduced overall emissions by cutting the usage of fossil fuels such as coal by 23.70% while boosting the usage of renewable energy by 61.59%, on average. In contrast, introducing carbon taxes has a less effective impact on emissions reduction. It fails to boost the usage of renewable energy, though elevating tax rates and expanding tax coverage may help enhance the efficacy of carbon taxes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennie Bai & Hong Ru, 2024. "Carbon Emissions Trading and Environmental Protection: International Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 70(7), pages 4593-4603, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:70:y:2024:i:7:p:4593-4603
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2023.03143
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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