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Timing Is Everything: How Economists Can Better Address the Urgency of Stronger Climate Policy

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  • Lawrence H. Goulder

Abstract

Building on recent consensus findings from climate scientists, this article argues that stronger policy action to address global climate change is urgent. The article indicates how economists can better address this urgency and thereby contribute more effectively to climate policy discussions. Greater effectiveness requires that economists focus their policy assessments more sharply on the timing of policy implementation and the environmental and economic costs of delayed implementation. The article also shows that focusing more on the prospects for near-term implementation can alter the cost rankings of U.S. climate policy alternatives, increasing the attractiveness of some climate policy approaches that economists might otherwise tend to dismiss.

Suggested Citation

  • Lawrence H. Goulder, 2020. "Timing Is Everything: How Economists Can Better Address the Urgency of Stronger Climate Policy," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 14(1), pages 143-156.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:renvpo:doi:10.1093/reep/rez014
    DOI: 10.1093/reep/rez014
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    Cited by:

    1. Knollenborg, Leonard & Sommer, Stephan, 2021. "Diverging beliefs on climate change and climate policy in Germany: The role of political orientations," Ruhr Economic Papers 909, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    2. Yongyang Cai, 2020. "The Role of Uncertainty in Controlling Climate Change," Papers 2003.01615, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2020.
    3. Rhodes, Ekaterina & Scott, William A. & Jaccard, Mark, 2021. "Designing flexible regulations to mitigate climate change: A cross-country comparative policy analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    4. Andrew G. Meyer, 2022. "Do economic conditions affect climate change beliefs and support for climate action? Evidence from the US in the wake of the Great Recession," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(1), pages 64-86, January.
    5. David Klenert & Franziska Funke & Linus Mattauch & Brian O’Callaghan, 2020. "Five Lessons from COVID-19 for Advancing Climate Change Mitigation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 751-778, August.
    6. Mattauch, Linus & Zhao, Jiaxin, 2021. "When standards have better distributional consequences than carbon taxes," INET Oxford Working Papers 2020-25, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    7. Böhringer, Christoph & Rosendahl, Knut Einar, 2022. "Europe beyond coal – An economic and climate impact assessment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    8. Dolphin, Geoffroy & Pahle, Michael & Burtraw, Dallas & Kosch, Mirjam, 2022. "A Net-Zero Target Compels a Backwards Induction Approach to Climate Policy," RFF Working Paper Series 22-18, Resources for the Future.
    9. Joëlle Noailly ; Laura Nowzohour; Matthias van den Heuvel, 2022. "Does Environmental Policy Uncertainty Hinder Investments Towards a Low-Carbon Economy?," CIES Research Paper series 74-2022, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    10. Behnam Zakeri & Katsia Paulavets & Leonardo Barreto-Gomez & Luis Gomez Echeverri & Shonali Pachauri & Benigna Boza-Kiss & Caroline Zimm & Joeri Rogelj & Felix Creutzig & Diana Ürge-Vorsatz & David G. , 2022. "Pandemic, War, and Global Energy Transitions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-23, August.
    11. Leonard Knollenborg & Stephan Sommer, 2023. "Diverging Beliefs on Climate Change and Climate Policy: The Role of Political Orientation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(4), pages 1031-1049, April.
    12. Volker Roeben & Rafael Emmanuel Macatangay, 2023. "Bluer Than Blue: Exit from Policy Support for Clean Marine Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Antonio Bento & Noah S. Miller & Mehreen Mookerjee & Edson R. Severnini, 2021. "Time is of the Essence: Climate Adaptation Induced by Existing Institutions," NBER Working Papers 28783, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Sommer, Stephan & Mattauch, Linus & Pahle, Michael, 2022. "Supporting carbon taxes: The role of fairness," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    15. Zhao, Jiaxin & Mattauch, Linus, 2022. "When standards have better distributional consequences than carbon taxes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    16. Multala, Brendan & Wagner, Jeffrey & Wang, Yiwei, 2022. "Durability standards and clothing libraries for strengthening sustainable clothing markets," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    17. Prest, Brian C., 2020. "Supply-Side Reforms to Oil and Gas Production on Federal Lands: Modeling the Implications for Climate Emissions, Revenues, and Production Shifts," RFF Working Paper Series 20-16, Resources for the Future.
    18. Antonio M. Bento & Noah Miller & Mehreen Mookerjee & Edson Severnini, 2023. "Incidental Adaptation: The Role of Non-climate Regulations," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 86(3), pages 305-343, November.

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