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Global Demographic Change and Climate Policies

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  • Reyer Gerlagh
  • Richard Jaimes
  • Ali Motavasseli

Abstract

Between 1950 and 2017, world average life expectancy increased from below-50 to above-70, while the fertility rate dropped from 5 to about 2.5. We develop and calibrate an analytic climate-economy model with overlapping generations to study the effect of such demographic change on capital markets and optimal climate policies. Our model replicates findings from the OLG-demography literature, such as a rise in households’ savings, and a declining rate of return to capital. We also find that demographic change raises the social cost of carbon, at 2020, from 28 euro/tCO2 in a model that abstracts from demography, to 94 euro/tCO2 in our calibrated model.

Suggested Citation

  • Reyer Gerlagh & Richard Jaimes & Ali Motavasseli, 2017. "Global Demographic Change and Climate Policies," CESifo Working Paper Series 6617, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6617
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    Cited by:

    1. Reyer Gerlagh & Veronica Lupi & Marzio Galeotti, 2018. "Family Planning and Climate Change," CESifo Working Paper Series 7421, CESifo.
    2. Michael D. Bauer & Glenn D. Rudebusch, 2023. "The Rising Cost of Climate Change: Evidence from the Bond Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(5), pages 1255-1270, September.
    3. Richard Jaimes, 2021. "Does idiosyncratic risk matter for climate policy?," Vniversitas Económica 19276, Universidad Javeriana - Bogotá.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate change; social cost of carbon; environmental policy; demographic trends;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • 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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