About the Author
Robert N. Stavins is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government, Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, and Chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Group.
Tag Archives: Kyoto Protocol
On the Origins of Research
In response to my last essay at this web site, “On Becoming an Environmental Economist,” several readers suggested that someday I should write about the origins of my various research initiatives over the past 25 years. Today, I’m doing that … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Policy, Economic Stimulus Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Fisheries Policy, Forest Policy, Health Policy, Natural Resource Economics, Natural Resource Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy, Water Policy, Wine Economics
Tagged benefit-cost analysis, cap-and-trade, common property resources, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, economic valuation, efficiency, environmental politics, externalities, free rider problem, global climate policy, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market failure, market-based environmental policies, regulation, revenue-neutral taxes
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On Becoming an Environmental Economist
My essay this month represents a departure from my standard blog posts about a contemporary environmental policy issue. Rather, it is of a more personal nature, and stems from the fact that the second volume of my collected papers has … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Policy, Economic Stimulus Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Fisheries Policy, Forest Policy, Health Policy, Natural Resource Economics, Natural Resource Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy, Water Policy, Wine Economics
Tagged benefit-cost analysis, cap-and-trade, common property resources, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, economic valuation, efficiency, environmental politics, free rider problem, global climate policy, information problems, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market failure, market-based environmental policies, public goods, regulation, revenue-neutral taxes
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Reflections from Cambridge on the Climate Talks in Doha
Ever since I returned – some two weeks ago – from Doha, Qatar, the site of the Eighteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-18) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), I have planned to offer some commentary … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Economic Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged California, cap-and-trade, China, COP-18, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, Doha, Doha Gateway, India, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, Major Economies Forum, market failure, market-based environmental policies, Mexico, New Zealand, Obama Administration, Qatar, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Waxman-Markley legislation
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Cap-and-Trade, Carbon Taxes, and My Neighbor’s Lovely Lawn
The recent demise of serious political consideration of an economy-wide U.S. CO2 cap-and-trade system and the even more recent resurgence in interest among policy wonks in a U.S. carbon tax should prompt reflection on where we’ve been, where we are, … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Economic Policy, Economic Stimulus Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Forest Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged cap-and-trade, carbon tax, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, efficiency, environmental politics, global climate policy, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market-based environmental policies, Mitt Romney, Obama Administration, revenue-neutral taxes, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Waxman-Markey legislation
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A Challenge for Climate Negotiators, and an Opportunity for Scholars
As I have written in many previous essays at this blog, the challenges standing in the way of an effective international climate change agreement are numerous and severe. It is also true that the prospects for a truly meaningful deal … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Natural Resource Policy, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Cancun Agreements, COP-15, COP-16, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Accord, Durban Platform, environmental politics, global climate policy, Harvard Kennedy School, Joseph Aldy, Kyoto Protocol, Major Economies Forum, UNFCCC
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Two Notable Events Prompt Examination of an Important Property of Cap-and-Trade
In December of 2010, a group of economists and legal scholars gathered at the University of Chicago to celebrate two notable events. One was the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Ronald Coase’s “The Problem of Social Cost” (Coase 1960). … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Economic Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Arrow and Debreu, cap-and-trade, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Coase Theorem, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, efficiency, environmental politics, EU ETS, European Union, global climate policy, Independence Property, Journal of Law and Economics, Kyoto Protocol, market-based environmental policies, Montreal Protocol, Regional Clean Air Incentives Market, regulation, Robert Hahn, Ronald Coase, sulfur dioxide, University of Chicago, Waxman-Markey legislation
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If the Durban Platform Opened a Window, Will India and China Close It?
In my December 12th essay – following the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which adjourned on December 11, 2011 – I offered my assessment of the Durban climate negotiations … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged berlin mandate, China, COP-15, COP-16, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Accord, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, Durban Platform, environmental politics, global climate policy, India, international climate agreement, Kyoto Protocol, market-based environmental policies, National Commission on Energy Policy, Obama Administration, South Africa
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Economics of the Environment
The Sixth Edition of Economics of the Environment: Selected Readings has just been published by W. W. Norton & Company of New York and London. Through five previous editions, Economics of the Environment has served as a valuable supplement to … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Policy, Economic Stimulus Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Fisheries Policy, Forest Policy, Natural Resource Economics, Natural Resource Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy, Water Policy
Tagged Australia, benefit-cost analysis, Brazil, California, cap-and-trade, China, common property resources, cost-effectiveness, distributional analysis, distributional equity, economic valuation, efficiency, environmental politics, European Union, externalities, free rider problem, global climate policy, import allowance requirement, India, information problems, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market failure, market-based environmental policies, Mexico, Obama Administration, Office of Management and Budget, public goods, regulation, revenue-neutral taxes, sulfur dioxide
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The Platform Opens a Window: An Unambiguous Consequence of the Durban Climate Talks
In my previous essay – following the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which adjourned on December 11, 2011 – I offered my assessment of the Durban climate negotiations, addressing … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Natural Resource Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Brazil, Cancun Agreements, China, common but differentiated responsibilities, COP-15, COP-16, COP-17, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Accord, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, Durban, Durban Platform, environmental politics, global climate policy, India, Kyoto Protocol, Mexico, Obama Administration, South Africa
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Assessing the Climate Talks — Did Durban Succeed?
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adjourned on Sunday, a day and a half after its scheduled close, and in the process once again pulled a rabbit out of … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Australia, Brazil, China, common property resources, COP-17, Copenhagen Accord, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, Durban, environmental politics, European Union, global climate policy, India, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, Mexico, New Zealand, Obama Administration, South Africa
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Can the Durban Climate Negotiations Succeed?
Two weeks of international climate negotiations begin today in Durban, South Africa. These are the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP-17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The key challenge at this point is to maintain … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Annex I, Australia, Bali, baseball, Cancun, cap-and-trade, COP-15, COP-16, COP-17, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Accord, cost-effectiveness, Durban, environmental politics, European Union, g-20, global climate policy, India, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, law, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, Major Economies Forum, market-based environmental policies, New Zealand, Obama Administration, Poznan, regulation, South Africa, UNFCCC, United Nations
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The Promise and Problems of Pricing Carbon
Friday, October 21st was a significant day for climate change policy worldwide and for the use of market-based approaches to environmental protection, but it went largely unnoticed across the country and around the world, outside, that is, of the State … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Economic Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Politics, Positive Political Economy
Tagged AB 32, Alberta, Australia, British Columbia, California, California Air Resources Board, cap-and-trade, carbon taxes, Clean Development, Clean Development Mechanism, Clean Energy Standards, collateral damage, common property resources, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, efficiency, emission reduction credits, environmental politics, EU ETS, European Union, externalities, fossil fuel subsidies, free rider problem, global climate policy, harmonized carbon taxes, Harvard Kennedy School, international carbon tax, international tradable permits, Japan, Joseph Aldy, Journal of Environment and Development, Kyoto Protocol, leaded gasoline, linkage, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, Maria Damon, market failure, market-based environmental policies, New York Review of Books, New Zealand, North American Climate Initiative, Obama Administration, offsets, Ontario, political polarization, public goods, Quebec, regulation, Resources for the Future, revenue-neutral taxes, sulfur dioxide, tarnishing of cap-and-trade, Thomas Sterner, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Waxman-Markey legislation, William Nordhaus
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Canada’s Step Away From the Kyoto Protocol Can Be a Constructive Step Forward
Canada confirmed this week that it will not take on a target under an extension of the Kyoto Protocol following the completion of the first commitment period, 2008-2012. Given that Canada is likely to miss by a wide margin its … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Annex I, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cancun, China, COP-15, COP-16, COP-17, Copenhagen Accord, distributional equity, Durban, environmental politics, European Union, free rider problem, global climate policy, India, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, Mexico, New Zealand, Obama Administration, Russia, South Africa
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Opportunities and Ironies: Climate Policy in Tokyo, Seoul, Brussels, and Washington
As I write this, I’m on board a flight from Seoul, South Korea, to San Francisco, California, on my way home to Boston, having spent the week of Harvard spring break meeting with senior government officials, academics, and leaders of … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Australia, cap-and-trade, Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, COP-15, COP-16, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Accord, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, environmental politics, G20, global climate policy, Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements, Japan, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, lead trading, Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008, Major Economies Forum, McCain-Lieberman legislation, Mexico, New Zealand, Obama Administration, OECD, Seoul, SO2 allowance trading, Tokyo, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Waxman-Markey legislation
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Defining Success for Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen
The fact that President Obama has decided to attend the United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen at the end of the two-week meetings on December 18th, rather than during the previous week on his way to Oslo to receive … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Energy Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy, Positive Political Economy
Tagged Australia, Boston Globe, Brazil, cap-and-trade, capital stock, China, Copenhagen, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, endogeneity, environmental politics, European Union, Financial Times, global climate policy, India, institutions, Korea, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market-based environmental policies, Mexico, Nobel Peace Prize, Obama Administration, path dependence, portfolio of domestic commitments, South Africa, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Waxman-Markey legislation
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Three Pillars of a New Climate Pact
THE climate change summit at the United Nations on Tuesday, September 22nd, is aimed to build momentum for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December, where nations will continue … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change Policy, Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy
Tagged Australia, Canada, cap-and-trade, carbon leakage, China, climate agreements, COP-15, cost-effectiveness, distributional equity, European Union, externalities, free rider problem, G20, global climate policy, growth targets, international climate policy architecture, Japan, Kyoto Protocol, linkage of cap-and-trade systems, market-based environmental policies, New Zealand, Obama Administration, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, United Nations, Waxman-Markey legislation
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