The Cost Of Climate Policy

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major environmental challenge facing the world. We all want to reduce the risks of global warming, but how much will this cost? What will it mean on a personal, business, or community level? And what policy responses should we expect from our governments? The Cost of Climate Policy sheds light on these pressing issues. The authors look at the challenges of estimating the costs of greenhouse gas emission reduction to help readers understand how different definitions of costs and different assumptions about technological and economic evolution affect the estimates that are so hotly debated today. Using Canada as their focal point, the authors look specifically at the impact of emission reduction policies on energy prices, technology options, and lifestyle choices. The book concludes with concrete proposals for overcoming the constraints of environmental policy making and the high initial costs of action. Policy makers need to know as much as possible about the costs of taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As indispensable as this book will be to policy analysts, it is also an important primer for a wider range of readers interested in the economic implications of climate change.

The New York Times-bestselling "skeptical environmentalist" argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good Hurricanes batter our coasts. Wildfires rage across the American West. Glaciers collapse in the Artic. Politicians, activists, and the media espouse a common message: climate change is destroying the planet, and we must take drastic action immediately to stop it. Children panic about their future, and adults wonder if it is even ethical to bring new life into the world. Enough, argues bestselling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. False Alarm will convince you that everything you think about climate change is wrong -- and points the way toward making the world a vastly better, if slightly warmer, place for us all.

Against the background of a projected doubling of world greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, this book explores feasible ways to abate them at least cost.

This thoroughly revised third edition offers comprehensive coverage of the economics of climate change and climate policy, and is a suitable guide for advanced undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students. Topics discussed include the costs and benefits of adaptation and mitigation, discounting, uncertainty, equity, policy instruments, the second best, and international agreements.

The Price of Climate Change: Sustainable Financial Mechanisms presents a summary of the effects of global warming with specific emphasis on what these phenomena will cost and the price we must pay for trying to mitigate these processes. Some of these mitigation strategies include reducing our use of carbon by converting to non-carbon energy sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear, or lower-carbon sources such as natural gas. The book examines the financial implications of society adapting to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and desertification. Further, it addresses the costs to make buildings more resilient to climate change, such as flood considerations, improving durability against severe weather, bolstering insulation, and more. Sources of funding for any type of environmental projects, including those for climate change mitigation, are also examined. These include governmental budgets at the federal, state, and local levels, international development banks, international capital markets, and private funds. Features: Addresses global climate change issues from the standpoints of mitigation, adaptation, and resilience and the funding mechanisms for each. Describes different types of energy sources as well as their respective costs, including nuclear, solar, natural gas, and more. Examines the effects of agriculture on climate change as well as the potential ways it can be used to help mitigate the issue. The book’s straightforward approach will serve as a useful guide and reference for practicing professionals and can also be appreciated by the general public interested in climate change issues and mitigation strategies.

This unique and erudite second edition can be used at three different levels – advanced undergraduate, post-graduate and doctoral. It comprehensively covers the critical issues on the economics of climate change and climate policy features and clearly identifies the specific sections each level of reader should explore. Topics include the costs and benefits of adaptation and mitigation, discounting, uncertainty, policy instruments, and international agreements. Lectures can be combined with exercises, guided reading, or the building and application of an integrated assessment model. The book is accompanied by a website with background material, data, opinion pieces and videos. Although primarily intended for use in the classroom, anyone with an interest in climate policy can use this text as a reference.

There is a large and growing literature focusing on economic issues related to climate change and climate policies. This report presents a discussion of some of the recent studies. The focus is on various numerical analyses and not on the purely theoretical studies. The following questions are discussed in the report: What will the development of greenhouse gas emissions be and what climate changes will follow if no new policies are introduced? What can economic analyses tell us about climate policy goals? What are the costs of reducing emissions? What types of policies should be used to reduce emissions? Knowledge about these issues is important for governments when evaluating their own climate policies as well as climate policies of other countries. It is also important for evaluating potential future climate agreements. This report has been commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers.