IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/osfxxx/t2bzw_v1.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Characterizing Optimal Decarbonization Policies and Evaluating Variability

Author

Listed:
  • Fikru, Mahelet G

    (Missouri University of Science and Technology)

  • Ahmed, Bruktawit

    (Missouri University of Science and Technology)

  • Daher, Wassim

Abstract

This study uses a two-stage game theoretic approach to derive and characterize optimal decarbonization policies, focusing on emission taxes and carbon capture and storage (CCS) subsidies. By maximizing a welfare function, the government first selects policy instruments, while carbon-intensive firms subsequently determine production levels and abatement efforts to maximize profit. The derived optimal policies are then analyzed through Monte Carlo simulations to assess their variability and sensitivity under different scenarios. Key findings are: (1) Emission tax and CCS subsidies are strategic substitutes where pollution damage governs this relationship, (2) The optimal policy mix could be a tax-only regime if carbon intensity exceeds a given threshold, otherwise the optimal policy mix either includes both instruments (if pollution damage is large enough) or is a subsidy-only regime (if pollution damage is not very large), (3) Optimal subsidies are relatively more variable than optimal emission taxes, and (4) Certainty in production and market parameters does not reduce optimal policy variability, but shifts the focus towards subsidies rather than taxes. These results highlight the need for flexible and adaptable decarbonization policies in dynamic markets with evolving technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Fikru, Mahelet G & Ahmed, Bruktawit & Daher, Wassim, 2025. "Characterizing Optimal Decarbonization Policies and Evaluating Variability," OSF Preprints t2bzw_v1, Center for Open Science.
  • Handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:t2bzw_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/t2bzw_v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/67e490238d82edaefc6b3db5/
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/t2bzw_v1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krahé, Max & Heidug, Wolf & Ward, John & Smale, Robin, 2013. "From demonstration to deployment: An economic analysis of support policies for carbon capture and storage," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 753-763.
    2. Waxman, Andrew R. & Corcoran, Sean & Robison, Andrew & Leibowicz, Benjamin D. & Olmstead, Sheila, 2021. "Leveraging scale economies and policy incentives: Carbon capture, utilization & storage in Gulf clusters," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Fujiwara, Kenji, 2009. "Environmental policies in a differentiated oligopoly revisited," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 239-247, August.
    4. Requate, Till, 2005. "Environmental Policy under Imperfect Competition: A Survey," Economics Working Papers 2005-12, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
    5. Csereklyei, Zsuzsanna, 2020. "Price and income elasticities of residential and industrial electricity demand in the European Union," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    6. Luis Gautier, 2015. "Horizontal product differentiation and policy adjustment in the presence of abatement subsidies and emission taxes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 64-81, March.
    7. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2024. "Handbook of Merger Control and Environmental Policy," Natural Resource Management and Policy, Springer, number 978-3-031-63549-6, March.
    8. Yang, Lin & Xu, Mao & Yang, Yuantao & Fan, Jingli & Zhang, Xian, 2019. "Comparison of subsidy schemes for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) investment based on real option approach: Evidence from China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    9. Sajal Lahiri & George Symeonidis, 2017. "Environmental protection without loss of international competitiveness," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 19(5), pages 921-936, October.
    10. Gautier, Luis, 2022. "The role of nonzero conjectural variation in pollution abatement and output in the design of emission taxes," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(2), pages 184-207, April.
    11. Finn Roar Aune & Simen Gaure & Rolf Golombek & Mads Greaker & Sverre A.C. Kittelsen & Lin Ma, 2022. "Promoting CCS in Europe: A Case for Green Strategic Trade Policy?," The Energy Journal, , vol. 43(6), pages 71-102, November.
    12. Amiri-Pebdani, Sima & Alinaghian, Mahdi & Khosroshahi, Hossein, 2023. "Pricing in competitive energy supply chains considering government interventions to support CCS under cap-and-trade regulations: A game-theoretic approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Owebor, K. & Diemuodeke, E.O. & Briggs, T.A., 2022. "Thermo-economic and environmental analysis of integrated power plant with carbon capture and storage technology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    14. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Belaïd, Fateh & Ma, Hongyan, 2024. "Carbon capture and renewable energy policies: Could policy harmonization be a puzzle piece to solve the electricity crisis?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2024. "Merger Control and Environmental Policy," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Handbook of Merger Control and Environmental Policy, chapter 0, pages 177-184, Springer.
    16. M. Kayalica & Sajal Lahiri, 2005. "Strategic Environmental Policies in the Presence of Foreign Direct Investment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 30(1), pages 1-21, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Belaïd, Fateh & Ma, Hongyan, 2024. "Carbon capture and renewable energy policies: Could policy harmonization be a puzzle piece to solve the electricity crisis?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    2. Rupayan Pal, 2012. "Delegation And Emission Tax In A Differentiated Oligopoly," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 80(6), pages 650-670, December.
    3. Adrien Nicolle & Diego Cebreros & Olivier Massol & Emma Jagu, 2023. "Modeling CO2 pipeline systems: An analytical lens for CCS regulation," Post-Print hal-04297191, HAL.
    4. Luis Gautier & Mahelet G. Fikru, 2024. "Environmental Taxation and Mergers in Oligopoly Markets with Product Differentiation," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Handbook of Merger Control and Environmental Policy, chapter 0, pages 185-206, Springer.
    5. Luisa Giallonardo & Marcella Mulino, 2024. "Green Consumerism and Firms’ Environmental Behaviour Under Monopolistic Competition: A Two-Sector Model," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 10(1), pages 347-376, March.
    6. Lu Feng & Qiuyu Ren & Giuseppe Ioppolo & Wenjie Liao, 2024. "Integrating China's carbon capture, utilization, and storage policy for sustainable development: Insights from content analysis," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5104-5119, October.
    7. Yang, Lin & Xu, Mao & Fan, Jingli & Liang, Xi & Zhang, Xian & Lv, Haodong & Wang, Dong, 2021. "Financing coal-fired power plant to demonstrate CCS (carbon capture and storage) through an innovative policy incentive in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    8. Gautier, Luis, 2024. "The design of environmental policy for the olive oil sector in the presence of eco-friendly firms," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 95-117.
    9. Rupayan Pal, 2009. "Delegation and Emission Tax in a Differentiated Oligopoly," Working Papers id:2263, eSocialSciences.
    10. Guo, Jian & Zhong, Minghao & Chen, Shuran, 2022. "Analysis and simulation of BECCS vertical integration model in China based on evolutionary game and system dynamics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    11. Wang, Yongying & Ouattara, Kadohognon Sylvain, 2020. "Employment double dividend hypothesis with the presence of a trade union," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    12. Turner, Karen & Race, Julia & Alabi, Oluwafisayo & Katris, Antonios & Swales, J. Kim, 2021. "Policy options for funding carbon capture in regional industrial clusters: What are the impacts and trade-offs involved in compensating industry competitiveness loss?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    13. Chernyavs’ka, Liliya & Gullì, Francesco, 2007. "Interaction of carbon and electricity prices under imperfect competition," MPRA Paper 5866, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Bonacina, Monica & Gulli`, Francesco, 2007. "Electricity pricing under "carbon emissions trading": A dominant firm with competitive fringe model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 4200-4220, August.
    15. David, Maia & Nimubona, Alain-Désiré & Sinclair-Desgagné, Bernard, 2011. "Emission taxes and the market for abatement goods and services," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 179-191, January.
    16. Kuang-Feng Cheng & Chien-Shu Tsai & Chu-Chuan Hsu & Szu-Chung Lin & Ting-Chung Tsai & Jen-Yao Lee, 2019. "Emission Tax and Compensation Subsidy with Cross-Industry Pollution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, February.
    17. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Gautier, Luis, 2023. "Consumption and production of cleaner energy by prosumers," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    18. Imad Moosa, 2019. "The Environmental Effects of FDI: Evidence from MENA Countries," Working Papers 1321, Economic Research Forum, revised 21 Aug 2019.
    19. Rupayan Pal & Bibhas Saha, 2010. "Does partial privatization improve the environment," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2010-018, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    20. Bossink, Bart A.G., 2017. "Demonstrating sustainable energy: A review based model of sustainable energy demonstration projects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1349-1362.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:osfxxx:t2bzw_v1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://osf.io/preprints/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.