Chapter 4 Flashcards
Big debate between academia and policymakers
optimal level of emission reductions - DICE model
DICE model
Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy - economist developed model to assess costs and benefits of mitigating climate change through emissions reductions vs. physical impacts of climate change
Important questions to consider
- allocation of moral responsibility
- inherent difficulties of climate action
Allocation of moral responsibility
relationship between: 1. country’s wealth
2. country’s historic emissions
– potential trade off between emissions and economic development
Countries who have greatest share of cumulative emissions
US, EU, Russia, Japan
Countries who have sharply increased emissions in past 2 decades
China, India
Countries expected to drive future emissions reductions
Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Brazil
Current Emissions
Asia: 53%
North America: 18%
Europe: 17%
Cumulative Emissions
Asia: 29%
North America: 29%
Europe: 33%
History of Climate summits
- 1979: First World Climate Summit (organized by world meteorological organization)
-1988: IPCC created (WMO co-creator) - 1992: Earth summit in Rio
-UNFCCC creation (subsequent summits known as COP) - COP 1: 1995 - Berlin
- COP 3: 1997 - Kyoto
-Kyoto protocol - Cop 15: 2009 - Copenhagen
-failure
6.Cop 21: 2015 - Paris Agreement
- (in advance of COP 26): Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero - Cop 26: 2021 - Glasgow
-establishment of ratchet mechanism
Kyoto Protocol
Annex I (high income) countries attain 5% emissions reduction compared to 1990 level by 2008-2012
Between AI countries:
1. emission trading
2. join-implementation
3. clean development mechanism
Emissions Trading
AI countries with deeper emissions cuts could sell surplus emissions allowances to other AI countries
Joint Implementation
Between AI countries - one country could invest in emission reduction projects in another country to help meet its own emissions reduction targets
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Way for emissions cuts to be spread to developing countries - AI country could get credit for conducting emissions reduction project in non-AI country
Cop 15
Copenhagen- failure because no new binding treaty was made (after failure of Kyoto protocol)
-laid groundwork for P.A. - 2 degree limit
Paris Agreement
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC): submitted by each country to UNFCCC and periodically re-evaluated
- Keep well below 2 and aim for 1.5
- Recognition of all stakeholders
-UN Race to Net Zero
Ratcheting System
Cop 26 - Glasgow: countries are expected to tighten their NDCs every 5 years which will then be evaluated at COP meetings (NDCs at P.A were not aligned to 2 C - 2020 NDCs were more so aligned)
Carbon Pricing
- Carbon Tax
- Cap and Trade schemes
Carbon Tax
price / ton of CO2 emitted (favored by economists)
pros: raise revenue for government
cons: level of taxes are frequently tweaked which can be detrimental to investors and businesses that need certainty over multiple years to make investment decisions
Cap-and-trade scheme
(more flexible) Total amount of emissions is capped (and gradually decreased) but emission permits can be traded between parties
Pros:
1. Allow industries/sectors that are more succesful in reducing emissions to sell excess permits to those in sectors where emissions reductions are more expensive or technologically infeasible
2. Can create credible cash flows that can facilitate larger and longer-term investment decisions
Cons:
1. Can cause volatile Carbon pricing or shock (like Financial crisis) can lead to oversupply of permits and therefore decrease incentive to reduce emissions
Current amount of Carbon Pricing Initiatives
Currently 64 Carbon pricing initiatives that cover 46 countries
However, for many of them, the price / ton of CO2 emitted is <$100 (which is the assumed amount needed in order to have a significant impact)
Power Generation Sector
- Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS): A range of quota-based regulations that aim to increase the supply of renewable electricity by requirement commercial power producers to source a specific portion of supply from renewable E sources (has been deployed in 173 countries)
- Feed-in tarrifs: Offer guaranteed price/unit of electricity generated at which producers can sell their electricity for a fixed period of time (between 15-25 years) (incentive for people to invest and produce renewable E)
Transportation Sector
Fuel efficiency standards for cars
1. EU implemented CO2 emissions standards for cars and automobile manufacturers at fleet level
2. EV purchase subsidies (similar to feed-in tariffs) encourage uptake of EVs
C40
Global coalition of cities dedicated to combat climate change (helped contribute internal pressure to bring about P.A.)