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On interactions of optimal climate policy and international trade. An assessment of border carbon measures

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  • Schenker, Oliver
  • Bucher, Raphael

Abstract

Not only after the failure of the Copenhagen climate conference 2009, border carbon adjustment (BCA) has received growing attention in the climate policy debate as a measure to combat "carbon leakage" and force non-abating countries to tighter climate policies. In this paper, we study the strategic interactions between international trade and climate policy with a focus on the effectiveness of border measures. First, we analyze the main principles of unilateral climate policy with international trade in a small analytical model. Second, we examine welfare effects of WTO compatible carbon import tariffs in a stylized numerical integrated assessment model with explicit trade in commodities and analyze if BCA is a credible threat to force non-abating countries to implement stricter climate policies. We show that the terms of trade effects can, depending on trade patterns, ease or boost the prisoners dilemma of mitigating greenhouse gases. We further demonstrate that WTO conform BCA increases the effectiveness of climate policy and forces trading partners to reduce emissions. But as the results of the numerical model illustrate, welfare effects are depended on trade flows and are negative for realistic parameter values.

Suggested Citation

  • Schenker, Oliver & Bucher, Raphael, 2010. "On interactions of optimal climate policy and international trade. An assessment of border carbon measures," MPRA Paper 25820, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:25820
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2018. "Endogenous Climate Coalitions and Free Trade - Building the Missing Link," Chemnitz Economic Papers 018, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology.
    2. Leslie Shiell, 2014. "Who Cares About Carbon Leakage? The Economics Of Border Tax Adjustments Under Incomplete Climate Treaties," Working Papers 1403E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    3. Hemous, David, 2013. "Environmental Policy and Directed Technical Change in a Global Economy: The Dynamic Impact of Unilateral Environmental Policies," CEPR Discussion Papers 9733, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Alessandro Antimiani & Valeria Costantini & Chiara Martini & Luca Salvatici, 2011. "Cooperative and non-cooperative solutions to carbon leakage," Departmental Working Papers of Economics - University 'Roma Tre' 0136, Department of Economics - University Roma Tre.
    5. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2019. "Building Climate Coalitions on Preferential Free Trade Agreements," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(2), pages 539-569, October.
    6. Thomas Kuhn & Radomir Pestow & Anja Zenker, 2017. "Building Climate Coalitions on Preferential Free Trade Agreements," Chemnitz Economic Papers 011, Department of Economics, Chemnitz University of Technology, revised Jul 2017.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Trade; Environmental Policy; Border Tax Adjustment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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