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How Much Carbon Pricing is in Countries' Own Interests? The Critical Role of Co-Benefits

Author

Listed:
  • Ian Parry
  • Chandara Veung
  • Dirk Heine

Abstract

This paper calculates, for the top twenty emitting countries, how much pricing of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is in their own national interests due to domestic co-benefits. On average, nationally efficient prices are substantial, $57.5 per ton of CO2 (for year 2010), reflecting primarily health co-benefits from reduced air pollution at coal plants and, in some cases, reductions in automobile externalities (net of fuel taxes/subsidies). Pricing co-benefits reduces CO2 emissions from the top twenty emitters by 13.5 percent. However, co-benefits vary dramatically across countries (e.g., with population exposure to pollution) and differentiated pricing of CO2 emissions therefore yields higher net benefits (by 23 percent) than uniform pricing.

Suggested Citation

  • Ian Parry & Chandara Veung & Dirk Heine, 2014. "How Much Carbon Pricing is in Countries' Own Interests? The Critical Role of Co-Benefits," CESifo Working Paper Series 5015, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_5015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    carbon pricing; co-benefits; air pollution; fuel taxes; top twenty emitters;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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