Distinguish between a carbon-tax and a cap-and-trade strategy for reducing carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases (that are believed by many scientists to be causing global warming).
According to the case, the carbon-tax and a cap-and-trade system are the best economic tool to employ to reduce emissions. As we know, taxes are the most important expense for a company or firm, if they would emit much more carbon dioxide and other gases, they need to pay more taxes on using carbon recourses. It is stated (Bubna-Litic & Chalifour 2012) that ‘One of the defining features of carbon taxes is that they generate a relatively clear and predictable stream of revenue’. The revenue can be used in many different ways and a key issue is how
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Discharging taxes is the most effective way to limit the emission although it is difficult to monitor the volume of emission (Jayanthakumaran 2012, p.369). It is demonstrated (Rabe & Borick 2012) that carbon taxation might belong on a long list of worthy policy ideas that cannot be expected to survive translation on to real policy through political examine. Secondly, from the analysis of case study, carbon taxes system is the most efficient way to undertake the emission reduction. Because, under the cap-and-trade system, it is very difficult for regulators to check whether firms are obeying the systems effectively and regulators need to monitor large number of factories, this would lead to free permits.
2. Describe the idea behind the cap-and-trade program for improving environmental quality.
It is said that (Revelle 2009) ‘A cap-and-trade system emissions by limiting the quantity of a pollutant (carbon dioxide [CO2]) that can be emitted and then allocating a corresponding number of tradable emissions permits to sources covered by the program’. The total allowed emissions are separated into individual permits which are allocated to the sources covered by the program; each presents the right to emit a certain quantity of the pollutant. At the end of the year, the emissions of each regulated source must be reported to be retired from the system. It is also mentioned that
One major objection many economists have to the question of carbon tax effectiveness is whether the taxes on carbon are high enough to create any change in
The “Cap-and-Tax” program will be a mixture of carbon taxing and a cap-and-tax system. At the start of the year, the government will put a cap on the carbon emissions a company can produce for the year, then space can be auctioned around. Then, throughout the year, the government will tax the company on their emissions, but not as severely as a solely carbon tax system.
Replace Cap & Trade Carbon Tax with environmentally responsible initiatives which reinvest revenue in Northern Ontario, a Carbon Tax placed on imports from excessive carbon producing countries of 10%.
The issue of carbon emissions is an important one not only from an environmental perspective but also an economic one. While reducing carbon emissions is an important one for the health of human beings as well as that of the environment, the larger question is what type of policy strategy is best for both reducing such emissions which might have an impact on efforts to mitigate the effects of pollution on climate change. While ther are options to consider which does not rely on economics-- technological or output standards achieved by command and control regulations--they are often fraught with political resistance by industry because they do not allow industry to make any choices or play a role in solving the problem of
Carbon taxing coal-based products, in a revenue-neutral way, will help discourage overuse of fossil fuels. The United States needs to reduce carbon emissions in order to avoid the costs that pollution and climate change inflict on the general economy and individuals. Carbon, unlike other commodities exchanged and consumed in the free market, bears unique costs to the general economy that its market price does not encompass. The pollution we create when we consume carbon contaminates our air, raises temperatures, and makes severe weather events more frequent. A carbon tax is an economic mechanism that forces actors in a free market to come face-to-face with the social cost of
A cap-and-trade program sets a maximum level of pollution, and distributes emission permits among firms that produce emissions (Carbon Tax, 2013). The purpose of which is regulation of specific emissions by stationary and mobile sources, and setting a specific level which all emitters are re-quired to meet. Cap-and-trade possibly has less of a direct economic component to it than the other alternatives to reducing emissions described due to the ability to trade permits versus the expendi-ture of resources improving technology, with some arguing it is to the detriment of the environment. As stated in the article found in Reclaiming the Environmental Agenda, by Ashford, N. et al., 2008, “being a market-based instrument, ‘the cap-and-trade option suggests that at least this form of MBI may be more environmentally effective than the usual command-and-control alternatives, in addition to being more economically efficient.” (Ashford, N. and Caldart, C., 2008, p. 908).
The cap on the market is set on carbon emissions, creating scarcity within the market. At the end of each year businesses within the scheme are required to ensure they have enough allowances to account for their installation’s actual emissions. Those firms that do not comply and pollute without sufficient permits are hit with heavy fines. (Euro 100 per ton). The aim of carbon trading is to create a market in pollution permits and put a price on carbon. In this way, policy can help internalise external costs of firms’ production and encourage lower emissions to tackle climate change. In a cap and trade system, the volume permits would gradually decline and total emissions, in theory, will diminish. The model of such can be shown as
Cap and trade is a system aimed at diminishing the rate at which carbon is emitted into the atmosphere by creating an economic system based on meeting a certain minimal threshold or paying low-emitting companies for the right to emit in their place. For example, if company A only emits half of the emissions cap, that company can sell (or trade) the remaining credits to company B, should company B choose to emit one-and-a-half times the cap. A main objection to the cap and trade system is that it is not a strong enough means by which to curb emissions of fossil fuels and is inferior to specifically stronger carbon taxes. While initially appealing, the notion of simply strengthening carbon taxes fails to properly stifle carbon emissions and to adequately incentivize “green” development in comparison to the cap and trade system, preventing carbon taxes from occupying a central role to mitigate carbon emissions.
But based on the previous analysis, for Canada, the method that can impact carbon dioxide emissions the most is the carbon tax system. A proper carbon tax will deter fossil fuels and encourage clean energy (Carbon Tax or Cap-and-Trade?, 2014). The carbon tax will provide a predictable price for carbon dioxide emissions for Canadians. As well, with the carbon tax system, there is more motivation to adhere to regulations because it will become a standard. The revenue generated from the taxation will also assist Canadians by ultimately facilitating greener practices by subsidization and funding environmentally conscious research. Finally, the practicality of reducing emissions under a carbon taxation system is much more functional than the cap-and-trade program. The carbon tax system has been cited to both grow the economy while reducing emissions. That is why a carbon tax system is a superior approach to the experimental cap-and-trade program for reducing emissions and growing the economy (Brander,
Government enacted solutions are probably the most effective ways to reduce carbon emissions and to control pollution since unfortunately the majority of individuals mainly act to their own self-interest and are not concerned with the future of the planet. This is a prime example of the tragedy of the commons, which is the exploitation of a common resource. In this case the common resource is the atmosphere. The first method proposed is the carbon cap trade system. The term cap means the limit or the maximum of the amount of pollutant to be emitted. A trade refers to the transfer of permits that have to be bought by firms that need to increase their volume of emissions from firms that require fewer permits 1. The carbon tax method is a tax on the carbon content of fuels — effectively a tax on the carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels 2. So, which system would be best for the government to enact to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere?
In February 2011, the Australian federal government declared a scheme to implement a Carbon Tax from July 1, 2012. Implementing this scheme has generated a controversial debate between Australians. The term “Carbon tax” refers to an environmental tax forcing polluters to pay per ton of carbon which they release into the atmosphere. This essay will provide the economical, social and political implication of carbon taxes, also with its introduction who will benefit and who would suffer.
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution machinery and surface temperatures have been on the rise. Some may argue that the increasing temperatures are strictly due to the rise of machinery and less strict efficiency standards. The U.S has been debating what methods are efficient for combating increasing emissions some argue that a carbon tax has many positive impacts some say if one were to be adopted they would need reforms. This paper will dive deep into the the effects of climate of change and whether or not a carbon tax can fully help to decrease these emissions.
Beyond environmental issues related to poverty are those that can increase from economic growth itself as countries become more industrialized, rise their agricultural production, and spend greater amounts of fossil fuels, the environment often suffers. The challenge facing policymakers worldwide is to control economic growth in a way that increases its benefits and reduces its costs, in terms of harm to both the environment and to the free market system. (Dahlberg,2012). This essay will argue that either an emissions tax or a tradable permit policy can achieve the best solution for the environment. Booth tax and tradable permits have benefits and drawbacks. Taxes leave businesses and consumers with flexibility to determine the lower cost to reduce the environmental harm. Nevertheless, Pollution permits give the incentive to develop new technologies aimed at inexpensively reducing pollution and it is more effectively than taxes.
Pollution, specifically global warming, is of growing concern to people and governments. It is a controversial issue whose validity is still being debated by scientists. The Kyoto Protocol is an international attempt to address global warming through emissions controls. Traditional neoclassical economic models do not incorporate pollution in rudimentary theories of supply, demand, or pricing, as a result, firms do not consider pollution as a cost of production, which leaves government regulation as the primary method for controlling these externalities. The goal of emissions trading is to allow one business, which can make greenhouse gas emission reductions for a relatively low cost, to sell
It may sound very sad, but according to World Health Organisation approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year will be caused due to negative effects on people’s health from climate changes. Today in developed countries one of the main objectives of governments is to maintain sustainable growth of the economies, without causing any environmental damage. It could be very stressful for the governments to find the best way of achieving the result. Government should intervene because firms generally have almost no incentives to reduce pollution since there is no direct cost that they must pay. There are variety of control instruments that could be used by the government, in this essay will be discussed: environmental taxes, subsidies, standards and market of tradable permits. Today economist try to give monetary value to the environmental damage. Each policy is designed to reduce the level of pollution, by creating economic incentive for the polluters to reduce the pollution by either cutting production or changing production process. Sometimes it is difficult to choose which policy is the most efficient, by introducing following criteria we can examine the strengths and weaknesses of each policy.