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Auctioning Greenhouse Gas Emissions Permits in Australia

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  • Betz, Regina
  • Seifert, Stefan
  • Cramton, Peter
  • Kerr, Suzi

Abstract

Allocating permits based on individual historical emissions (‘grandfathering’), or industry benchmark data, is an important design aspect of an emissions trading scheme. Free permit allocation has proven complex and inefficient (particularly in the European Union) with distribution implications also politically difficult to justify. For these reasons, auctioning emissions permits has become more popular than allocating permits. The European Union is now moving towards auctioning more than 50 per cent of all permits in 2013. In the US, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has started with auctioning 100 per cent of permits. The Australian proposal for a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) also provides for auctioning a significant share of total permits. This report discusses important theoretical and practical auction design aspects for allocating emissions permits in Australia. Particularly interesting is the proposal to simultaneously auction multiple emissions units of different vintages. The specific design details proposed have been adopted by the Australian Government in their CPRS White Paper.

Suggested Citation

  • Betz, Regina & Seifert, Stefan & Cramton, Peter & Kerr, Suzi, 2009. "Auctioning Greenhouse Gas Emissions Permits in Australia," Research Reports 94878, Australian National University, Environmental Economics Research Hub.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:eerhrr:94878
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.94878
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ancev, Tiho & Baltaduonis, Rimvydas & Immer-Bernold, Elizabeth, 2021. "Regulating greenhouse gas emissions by an inter-temporal policy mix: an experimental investigation," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 65(03), January.
    3. Tiho Ancev & Rimvydas Baltaduonis & Elizabeth Immer‐Bernold, 2021. "Regulating greenhouse gas emissions by an inter‐temporal policy mix: an experimental investigation," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 65(3), pages 512-538, July.
    4. Zhuo Hu & Dong Huang & Congjun Rao & Xiaolin Xu, 2016. "Innovative allocation mechanism design of carbon emission permits in China under the background of a low-carbon economy," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 43(2), pages 419-434, March.
    5. Haoran He & Yefeng Chen, 2021. "Auction mechanisms for allocating subsidies for carbon emissions reduction: an experimental investigation," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 57(2), pages 387-430, August.
    6. Boom, Anette, 2015. "Price Regulations in a Multi-unit Uniform Price Auction," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112998, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Corina Haita-Falah, 2016. "Uncertainty and speculators in an auction for emissions permits," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 315-343, June.
    8. Veronika Grimm & Lyuba Ilieva, 2013. "An experiment on emissions trading: the effect of different allocation mechanisms," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 308-338, December.
    9. Anping Chen & Nicolaas Groenewold & Alfred J. Hagger, 2013. "The regional economic effects of a reduction in carbon emissions," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 57(4), pages 483-500, October.
    10. Giuseppe Lopomo & Leslie M. Marx & David McAdams & Brian Murray, 2011. "Carbon Allowance Auction Design: An Assessment of Options for the United States," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 5(1), pages 25-43, Winter.
    11. David McAdams & Giuseppe Lopomo & Leslie Marx & Brian Murray, "undated". "Carbon Allowance Auction Design: An Assessment of Options for the U.S," Working Papers 10-64, Duke University, Department of Economics.
    12. Tengda Lu & Xieer Dai & Jun Chen & Ming Dai, 2018. "Pricing Industrial Discharge Quota (IDQ): A Model Reflecting Opportunity Cost of Performing Ecological Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy;

    JEL classification:

    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions

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