The sharp decline in fossil fuel demand related to the Covid-19 pandemic put in evidence some of the impacts that can be created by the energy transition. By putting into conversation the literature on economic decline in extractive regions and debates on stranded fossil fuel assets, this paper presents the case of the region of…
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Lessons learned from China’s regional carbon market pilots
This paper gives an overview of the performance of China’s seven regional carbon market pilots and the range of approaches they have used. We assessed the outcomes of these pilots using publicly available secondary market trading data. The differences in market performance are explained by the design of key market elements such as emission allowances,…
Key issues in designing China’s national carbon emissions trading system
The design of China’s national carbon emissions trading system (ETS) has been shaped by major considerations including the significant disparities that exist between the different regions of the country, concerns about possible impacts of the ETS on the economy, the continuously evolving policy environment, and the need to divide responsibilities appropriately among relevant authorities. To…
Incentivizing firm compliance with China’s national emissions trading system
When it launches in 2017, China’s CO2 emissions trading system (ETS) will cover the largest CO2 emissions volume of any system to date and be among the very first to launch in a developing country. We evaluate the potential of an ETS to alter the emitting behavior of covered firms and to support the achievement…
Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Prosumage and the future regulation of utilities: An introduction
The objective of this EEEP symposium is to assess recent developments in prosumage- including technical and economic trends, the impacts of different regulatory settings, and their relationships to utility strategy and regulation in the light of recent trends-and to sketch out potential future pathways. The symposium brings together in-depth analyses of the prosumage phenomenon and…
How Incumbent Cultural and Cognitive Path Dependencies Constrain the ‘Scenario Cone’: Reliance on Carbon Dioxide Removal due to Techno-bias
Scenario analysis is widely used to assess long-term development necessary to reach climate targets. Mitigation measures in these scenarios concentrate on supply-side technology solutions, while little attention has been paid to demand side solutions. One suite of included technologies are carbon dioxide removal technologies (CDR). Most scenarios rely heavily on CDR to limit global warming…
Sustainable and Socially Resilient Minigrid Franchise Model for an Urban Informal Settlement in Kenya
Kibera is a large informal settlement, in Nairobi, Kenya where electricity access is presently expensive, intermittent, and dirty. The context of Kibera also speaks to larger global dynamics of rapid urbanization, the creation of an urban poor, the transitory experience of informal settlements, and the role of non-governmental actors; each of which provides challenges to…
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for Appliances: Old and New Economic Rationales
We revisit Hausman and Joskow (1982)’s economic rationales for appliance minimum energy efficiency standards. In addition to the four market failures they argued could justify appliance standards – energy prices below marginal social cost, consumers underestimating energy prices, consumer discount rates above social discount rates, and principal-agent problems – we discuss two additional market failures…