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The Incremental Impact of China's Carbon

Author

Listed:
  • Lu
  • Pollitt, M. G.
  • Wang, K.
  • Wei, Y-M.

Abstract

China has adopted the carbon emissions trading system (ETS) due to its advantages on efficiency and cost grounds. Prior to the national carbon market, China operated seven ETS pilots as experiments for eight years in addition to the existing Energy Conservation and Carbon Abatement Target Responsibility System (ECCA-TRS) in order to accumulate experience with carbon markets. However, the incremental effects of these pilots are unclear so far. Here, we show that the ETS pilots have produced no additional carbon abatement effect or abatement cost-saving effect, while ECCA-TRS contributed primarily to the relative decline in CO2 emissions and absolute decline in CO2 intensity of covered industries in pilot regions. A binding target is necessary to permit ETS to act as the backstop emissions constraint. Adjusting local governments' abatement achievement using the buy-in and sell-out of carbon allowances can allow the ECCA-TRS and ETS to act as well-integrated instruments.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu & Pollitt, M. G. & Wang, K. & Wei, Y-M., 2023. "The Incremental Impact of China's Carbon," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2349, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cam:camdae:2349
    Note: ml2112, mgp20
    as

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme; Target responsibility system; Policy evaluation; Triple difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities

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