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The Efficiency Cost of Protective Measures in Climate Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph Böhringer

    (University of Oldenburg)

  • Xaquín Garcia-Muros

    (Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Students)

  • Ignacio Cazcarro

    (Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3))

  • Iñaki Arto

    (Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3))

Abstract

Despite recent achievements towards a global climate agreement, climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions remains quite heterogeneous across countries. Energy-intensive and trade-exposed (EITE) industries in industrialized countries are particularly concerned on stringent domestic emission pricing that may put them at a competitive disadvantage with respect to producers of similar goods in other countries without or only quite lenient emission regulation. This paper focuses on climate policy analysis for the United States of America (US) and compares the economic implications of four alternative protective measures for US EITE industries: (i) output-based rebates, (ii) exemptions from emission pricing, (iii) energy intensity standards, and (iv) carbon intensity standards. Based on simulations with a large-scale computable general equilibrium model for the global economy we quantify how these protective measures affect competitiveness of US EITE industries. We find that while protective measures can attenuate adverse competitiveness impacts measured in terms of common sector-specific competitiveness indicators, they run the risk of making US emission reduction much more costly than uniform emission pricing stand-alone. In fact, the cost increase is associated with negative income effects such that the gains of protective measures for EITE exports may be more than compensated through losses in domestic EITE demand.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Böhringer & Xaquín Garcia-Muros & Ignacio Cazcarro & Iñaki Arto, 2016. "The Efficiency Cost of Protective Measures in Climate Policy," ZenTra Working Papers in Transnational Studies 67 / 2016, ZenTra - Center for Transnational Studies, revised Oct 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:zen:wpaper:67
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    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Quirion, 2022. "Output-based allocation and output-based rebates: a survey," Chapters, in: Handbook on Trade Policy and Climate Change, chapter 7, pages 94-107, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Perdana, Sigit & Vielle, Marc, 2022. "Making the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism acceptable and climate friendly for least developed countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    3. Bellora, Cecilia & Fontagné, Lionel, 2023. "EU in search of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    4. Lin, Boqiang & Jia, Zhijie, 2019. "What will China's carbon emission trading market affect with only electricity sector involvement? A CGE based study," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 301-311.
    5. Lin, Boqiang & Jia, Zhijie, 2018. "The energy, environmental and economic impacts of carbon tax rate and taxation industry: A CGE based study in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 558-568.
    6. Bellora, Cecilia & Fontagné, Lionel, 2021. "EU Carbon Border Adjustment with the US rejoining Paris: A bit of a game changer," Conference papers 330216, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    7. Lin, Boqiang & Jia, Zhijie, 2019. "Impacts of carbon price level in carbon emission trading market," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 157-170.
    8. Shuai, Jing & Zhao, Yujia & Wang, Yilan & Cheng, Jinhua, 2022. "Renewable energy product competitiveness: Evidence from the United States, China and India," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    9. Bellora, Cecilia, 2020. "Carbon Border Adjustment and Alternatives," Conference papers 333210, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    10. Martin Grančay & Tomáš Dudáš, 2019. "Bilateral trade flows and comparative advantage: does the size matter?," Society and Economy, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 41(4), pages 397-413, December.
    11. Zhang, Lirong & Li, Yakun & Jia, Zhijie, 2018. "Impact of carbon allowance allocation on power industry in China’s carbon trading market: Computable general equilibrium based analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 814-827.
    12. Fleance George Cocker, 2025. "Mixes of Policy Instruments for the Full Decarbonisation of Energy Systems: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-64, January.
    13. Kengo Suzuki & Ryohei Ishiwata, 2022. "Impact of a Carbon Tax on Energy Transition in a Deregulated Market: A Game-Based Experimental Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, October.
    14. Nicolas Piluso, 2023. "Why should the carbon tax be floating ?," Post-Print hal-04125654, HAL.
    15. Cecilia Bellora & Lionel Fontagné, 2022. "EU in Search of a WTO-Compatible Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism," Working Papers 2022-01, CEPII research center.
    16. Martin Grančay & Tomáš Dudáš & Ladislav Mura, 2022. "Revealed comparative advantages in academic publishing of “old” and “new” European Union Member States 1998–2018," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(3), pages 1247-1271, March.
    17. Vandyck, Toon & Weitzel, Matthias & Wojtowicz, Krzysztof & Rey Los Santos, Luis & Maftei, Anamaria & Riscado, Sara, 2021. "Climate policy design, competitiveness and income distribution: A macro-micro assessment for 11 EU countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    18. Lin, Boqiang & Jia, Zhijie, 2018. "Impact of quota decline scheme of emission trading in China: A dynamic recursive CGE model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 190-203.
    19. Weitzel, Matthias & Vandyck, Toon & Rey Los Santos, Luis & Tamba, Marie & Temursho, Umed & Wojtowicz, Krzysztof, 2023. "A comprehensive socio-economic assessment of EU climate policy pathways," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).

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    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models

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