A differentiated tolls system – an effective transport policy tool for Slovenia?

We provide an econometric model of passenger and freight transportation demand based on panel data for 10 sections of toll roads in Slovenia. Transportation demand on Slovenian motorways is price inelastic. The price elasticity of transportation demand statistically varies among different parts of the toll sections, so it would seem sensible to introduce a differentiated toll system that would allow the simultaneous achievement of multiple objectives, such as increasing the internalization of the external costs of transport, increasing transportation demand management on the basis of price and increasing cost recovery for the maintenance and development of toll roads in Slovenia. Transportation demand is even more responsive to changes in fuel price than changes in tolls, so transportation policy can manage transportation demand using differences in fuel prices. Based on estimates of demand models differentiated according to several geographical groups of road sections, we also find that growth in the price elasticity of transportation demand in Slovenia can be achieved through the expansion of the transport supply by increasing the competitiveness of rail transport and alternative transportation routes.     

Quantification of the environmental impacts of road conditions in Brazil

This study evaluates the impacts of Brazilian highway conditions on fuel consumption and, consequently, on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. For the purpose of this study, highway conditions refer to the level of highway maintenance: the incidence of large potholes, large surface cracks, uneven sections, and debris. Primary computer collected data related to the fuel consumption of three types of trucks were analyzed. The data were derived from 88 trips taken over six routes, each route representative of one of two highway conditions: better or worse. Study results are initially presented for each type of truck being monitored. The results are then aggregated to approximate the entire Brazilian highway network. In all cases, results confirmed environmental benefits resulting from travel over the better routes. There was found to be an increase in energy efficiency from traveling better roads, which resulted in lower fuel consumption and lower CO₂ emissions. Statistical analysis of the results suggests that, in general, fuel consumption data were significant at *P < 0.05, rejecting the null hypothesis that average fuel consumption from traveling the better routes is statistically equal to average fuel consumption from traveling the worse routes. Improved Brazilian road conditions would generate economic benefits, reduce dependency on and consumption of fossil fuels (due to the increase in energy efficiency), and reduce CO₂ emissions. These findings may have additional relevancy if Brazil needs to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to reach future Kyoto Protocol's emissions targets, which should take effect in January 2013.     

On the potential economic costs of cutting carbon dioxide emissions in Portugal

The objective of this paper is to estimate the impact of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion activities on economic activity in Portugal. We find that energy consumption has a significant impact on macroeconomic activity. In fact, a 1 ton of oil equivalent permanent reduction in aggregate energy consumption reduces output in the long term by €6,340. More importantly, and since carbon dioxide emissions are linearly related to the amounts of fuel consumed, our results allow us to estimate the costs of reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. We estimate that a uniform standard for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion activities would lead to a marginal abatement cost of €95.74 per ton of carbon dioxide. This is a first rough estimate of the potential economic costs of policies designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. At this level one may conclude that uniform, across the board reductions in carbon emissions would have a clear negative effect on economic activity. Hence, at the aggregate level there is clear evidence for a trade-off between economic performance and a reduction in carbon emissions. This opens the door to the investigation of the scope for policy to minimize the costs of environmental policy and regulation.     

Sustainability-oriented tax-based own resources for the European Union: a European carbon-based flight ticket tax

The failed attempts of several European countries to introduce a flight ticket tax and the pressure on those European Union Member States still levying such a tax clearly demonstrate the limits of national aviation taxation. Assigning a carbon-based flight ticket tax to the EU level would reduce the tax enforcement problems inherent to mobile tax bases and put a stop to harmful tax competition between EU Member States. By replacing a part of national contributions to the EU budget a flight ticket tax can strengthen sustainability-orientation of the EU system of own resources. Using a new data set, which assigns to approximately 75 to 90% of the respective intra and extra EU routes flown in the year 2014 the corresponding carbon emissions per passenger, the paper estimates the expected revenue from implementing a carbon-based flight ticket tax at the EU level for carbon tax levels between 25 and 35€ per ton of carbon emissions.     

Applying engineering and fleet detail to represent passenger vehicle transport in a computable general equilibrium model

A well-known challenge in computable general equilibrium (CGE) models is to maintain correspondence between the forecasted economic and physical quantities over time. Maintaining such a correspondence is necessary to understand how economic forecasts reflect, and are constrained by, relationships within the underlying physical system. This work develops a method for projecting global demand for passenger vehicle transport, retaining supplemental physical accounting for vehicle stock, fuel use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This method is implemented in the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis Version 5 (EPPA5) model and includes several advances over previous approaches. First, the relationship between per-capita income and demand for passenger vehicle transport services (in vehicle-miles traveled, or VMT) is based on econometric estimates and modeled using quasi-homothetic preferences. Second, the passenger vehicle transport sector is structured to capture opportunities to reduce fleet-level gasoline use through the application of vehicle efficiency or alternative fuel vehicle technologies, introduction of alternative fuels, or reduction in demand for VMT. Third, alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are represented in the EPPA model. Fixed costs as well as learning effects that could influence the rate of AFV introduction are captured explicitly. This model development lays the foundation for assessing policies that differentiate based on vehicle age and efficiency, alter the relative prices of fuels, or focus on promoting specific advanced vehicle or fuel technologies.     

CONSERVED ENERGY SUPPLY CURVES FOR U.S. BUILDINGS

Comparison of nine conservation supply curves for electricity shows that fully implementing a series of energy efficiency measures will result in annual saving of 734 billion kWh (BkWh). This is 45 percent of 1989 U.S. building sector electricity use of 1627 BkWh and represents a $29 billion saving. When translated to units of conserved carbon dioxide (CC CO₂), this annual saving is 514 megatonnes, which is 10 percent of the total 1989 U.S. carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from all sources. Implementing additional fuel efficiency measures would result in further potential saving of 5·2 quads of fuel (natural gas and oil) per year, or another 300 megatonnes of CO₂, at a net savings of $20 billion. Fuel switching (replacing electric resistance heat with on-site natural gas combustion) would produce annual saving of another 74 megatonnes of CO₂ at a net saving of $6·8 billion. Thus, total CO₂ saving from these combined efficiency measures are 890 megatonnes at a net saving of $56 billion per year.     

气候变暖的第一影响因素及我国的应对

全球气候变暖已是人们逐渐接受的事实,由于大气中二氧化碳等气体含量的升高引起的温室效应是导致全球气温变暖的显著原因。经过统计分析发现,大气中碳含量的增加与全球森林面积减少、化石能源燃烧增加的碳排放高度相关,但年均0.4%增速的大气中的碳含量是与按年均0.2%速度递减的全球森林面积存在显著的统计上的因果关系,乱砍滥伐、开发耕地等导致的全球森林面积的减少是大气中二氧化碳含量增加的格兰杰因果关系原因,从而构成全球变暖的第一影响因素。二氧化碳排放量的增加一直比较平稳,年增速在2.2%左右,它与大气中的碳含量的增加虽然相关,但因果关系统计上并不显著,也不是其格兰杰因果关系原因,这一结论与IPCC的报告中二氧化碳排放量是全球变暖的主要原因的结论并不完全一致。据此,我们提出中国应对全球变暖时谨防陷入"碳排放陷阱"。     

THE ECONOMICS OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL USE: SUBSTITUTING METHANOL FOR GASOLINE

Alternative fuel advocates recommend substituting methanol for gasoline since methanol cars potentially pollute less. However, because the substitution is costly and the reduction of ozone precursor emissions is relatively small, using methanol raises questions about cost effectiveness.
This study demonstrates that the air quality benefits would be very expensive: The cost effectiveness usually would exceed tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per ton of reduced volatile organic compound emissions. Only if all the cost and emissions assumptions lined up favorably would methanol substitution be desirable. Even then, it would be attractive only if the energy-adjusted price difference between gasoline and methanol were just a few cents a gallon.     

广东省化石燃料碳排放的地域差异

碳排放的研究是认识和发展低碳经济的基础。采用2000—2009年广东省化石燃料消费和人口、经济产出等数据,对广东省10年来化石燃料消费所产生的碳排放进行了估算,分析碳排放量在时间和空间变化上的地域差异,并采用因素分解法对碳排放的影响因素进行了定量分析。结果表明：①2000—2009年间广东省碳排放总量变化大、增长速度快,时序内表现出快速、平稳和稳定增长三个阶段性特征;工业部门是广东碳排放的主要力量,且行业差异性特征明显。②通过对广东省各地级市碳排放量的聚类分析得知,广州、深圳、东莞、佛山4城市和多年GDP变化类似,聚类于碳排放量最高的等级,和其他城市差距较大;广东省碳排放的变化在空间上呈现出＂中心—外围＂结构,表现出由集聚向扩散的演变规律。③能源结构、能源消耗强度、经济发展状况以及人口因素等是影响广东碳排放地域差异的主要因素。     

RENAISSANCE OR REQUIEM: IS NUCLEAR ENERGY COST EFFECTIVE IN A POST‐FUKUSHIMA WORLD?

In the aftermath of Fukushima, decisions to slow or stop the future use of nuclear power have not been based on rational economic analysis. We find that there are cost‐effective technologies that would greatly mitigate future natural disasters. Even if the U.S. nuclear industry adopted new safety technologies and paid the full cost of insurance and borrowing, it is more efficient to continue to use existing nuclear plants than to replace them with new fossil fuel plants. However, new nuclear plant costs can exceed fossil fuel alternatives if the price of carbon emissions is below $118/ton. (JEL Q40, Q48, Q54)     

Carbon Taxation, Fuel Substitution and Welfare in Australia

This paper examines the potential role for fuel substitution in electricity production in reducing carbon dioxide emissions over a ten-year time horizon. This is achieved by adding fuel substitution to output changes resulting from demand responses arising from a tax on carbon dioxide emissions. A time profile of adjustments is developed. The tax required for Australia to meet a 20 per cent reduction in emissions from 1993 levels is calculated and effects on inequality and social welfare are examined. The paper also examines the potential effect of a subsidy towards the use of low-emission fuels, financed from the carbon tax. A subsidy produces an improvement in emissions abatement and a lower tax required to reach the emissions target.     

成渝经济区城际轨道交通网空间布局合理性分析——基于空间经济学原理

根据中心地理论及空间经济学的基本原理,首先通过引入冰山运输成本建立了一个以重庆、川南、川东北、成都平原四个城市圈为支撑点的空间菱形经济模型,然后分析了不同的运输成本对产业集聚的影响,最后将成渝经济区城际轨道交通网的空间布局与城市圈的空间菱形模型相结合,阐释了城际轨道交通网规划的合理性。结果表明,城际轨道交通网的空间布局可降低各城市圈之间的运输成本,从而促进经济区内专业化分工和产业集聚、加快成渝城市群一体化进程。     

粤港澳大湾区都市圈高速铁路供给机制与效率评估——以深惠汕捷运为例

随着粤港澳大湾区上升为国家战略,都市圈层面交通需求日益增加。都市圈高速铁路规划建设能促进城际社会经济联系,推动空间一体化。在交通强国背景下,如何创新都市圈跨市高速铁路供给模式,实施有效的治理体制,提升运营效率成为跨政区合作的焦点。在粤港澳大湾区,通过地方政府间合作,利用国家主导投资的高速铁路基础设施新增都市圈高铁服务——深惠汕捷运,成为都市圈高速铁路供给的新模式。深惠汕捷运是在厦深铁路的基础上增设区间服务,主要服务粤港澳大湾区深莞惠都市圈的跨市交通需求。为此,以深惠汕捷运为例,系统研究这种新模式的融资过程、治理机制与运营效率,有助于理解都市圈层面高速铁路供给机制。研究表明,深惠汕捷运的本质是地方政府联合向国家购买高速铁路服务,呈现较高的融资和运营效率,其顺利实施建立在跨市交通需求增长、上级政府有效干预、地方政府间高效协商和成本共享等方面,这能为其他都市圈创新高速铁路供给提供新思路。     

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Queensland Electricity Supply Industry: Gas and Carbon Tax Scenarios

This article examines various greenhouse gas scenarios for the electricity supply industry in the coal‐rich state of Queensland. The authors use a dynamic partial equilibrium model of the Queensland electricity system to examine the effects of four alternate policy scenarios: a business‐as‐usual case, a centrally planned gas‐fired case, and two carbon tax scenarios– the first in which the merit order of coal and gas plant is reversed, and the second in which fuel switching is undertaken. The results indicate that no scenario is capable of delivering sufficient cuts in emissions to meet a ‘Kyoto equivalent’ industry target. While fuel switching brought about the greatest reduction in emissions, the high cost of this scenario indicates that a more efficient outcome for the electricity supply industry in Queensland would be a broad‐based Australia‐wide approach to emissions abatement, so that carbon reductions can be accessed from industries capable of achieving lower cost emissions abatement.     

我国碳排放量情景预测研究——基于环境规制视角

国民经济的迅速发展,碳排放问题已经成为社会关注的焦点,低碳经济发展模式成为实现可持续发展的重要途径.估算1994-2009年中国碳排放量和环境规制强度数据,将环境规制因素纳入到Kaya公式中,构建改进的人均碳排放量分解计算公式,情景预测2010-2020年中国人均碳排放量.结果表明,不同情境下我国人均碳排放量增幅有较大差异,碳排放量与经济增长之间存在着密切联系.     

AGE analysis of the impact of a carbon energy tax on the Irish economy

A computable general equilibrium model with specific detail in taxation and energy use is developed in this paper to quantify the impact of the implementation of energy taxation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Ireland. Benchmark data combining physical energy and emissions data and economic data in the form of a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) had to be compiled from various data sources, because energy and pollution accounts from the SEEA are not available for Ireland. We find that the reduction target for energy related CO₂ emissions in Ireland of 25.8% compared to 1998 levels can be achieved with a carbon energy tax of 10-15 euros per tonne of CO₂. Though fuel switching is important in meeting the target, this result is more sensitive to the possibilities for producers to substitute away from energy use. Welfare would fall but only by small percentages. Production and consumption patterns would change more significantly, with a shift in demand from fuels with a high emission factor to energy sources with a lower carbon-intensity and from energy to other commodities. This paper confirms that a carbon energy tax leads to greater emission reductions than an equivalent uniform energy tax. The latter has a stronger negative impact on the less polluting energy sectors whereas the carbon tax greatly stimulates the use of renewable energy and reduces the use of peat and coal. The new SAM, the model and the application to energy taxes contribute to a better informed debate on environmental policy in Ireland.     

Carbon mitigation costs for the commercial building sector: Discrete–continuous choice analysis of multifuel energy demand

We estimate a carbon mitigation cost curve for the U.S. commercial sector based on econometric estimation of the responsiveness of fuel demand and equipment choices to energy price changes. The model econometrically estimates fuel demand conditional on fuel choice, which is characterized by a multinomial logit model. Separate estimation of end uses (e.g., heating, cooking) using the U.S. Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey allows for exceptionally detailed estimation of price responsiveness disaggregated by end use and fuel type. We then construct aggregate long-run elasticities, by fuel type, through a series of simulations; own-price elasticities range from −0.9 for district heat services to −2.9 for fuel oil. The simulations form the basis of a marginal cost curve for carbon mitigation, which suggests that a price of $20 per ton of carbon would result in an 8% reduction in commercial carbon emissions, and a price of $100 per ton would result in a 28% reduction.     

Optimal combination of innovation and environmental policies under technology licensing

Under what conditions will a carbon tax encourage environmental innovation? Can a regulator design an optimal environmental policy to reduce emissions and to promote clean technologies? This paper studies optimal environmental policy in the situation where a monopoly innovator develops and licenses clean production technologies to downstream polluting firms. We find that (i) a higher emission tax will encourage innovation when the burden of the tax payment in the polluters' costs and/or the price-elasticity of the demand for polluting goods are small, (ii) the innovation-inducing effects of emission tax are inversely related to the emission-reduction (Pigouvian) effects of the tax, and (iii) the social optimum can be achieved by the mix of tax and subsidy. We also show that if the policy instrument is limited to the tax, the second-best tax rate would lie between the marginal damage and the first-best rate. By performing numerical simulations, we also demonstrate that the optimal mix of the emission tax and R&D subsidy can have “double dividend” benefits.     

Energy‐Related Environmental Policy and Its Impacts on Energy Use in Asia

Economic growth in Asia has increased in the past three decades and has heightened energy demand, resulting in rising greenhouse gas emissions and severe air pollution. To tackle these issues, fuel switching and the deployment of renewables are essential. In the present paper, we discuss the environmental regulations, mainly carbon pricing, implemented in Asia and discuss their achievements. Empirical studies using microdata have shown that carbon pricing in Asia can reduce carbon emissions by promoting energy efficiency. At the macro level, we observe some evidence of fuel switching from coal to natural gas among major emitters. However, more carbon pricing is necessary in Asia if we aim for the decarbonization of the economy.     

Fiscal Policy and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ Emissions of New Passenger Cars in the EU

To what extent have national fiscal policies contributed to the decarbonisation of newly sold passenger cars? We construct a simple model that generates predictions regarding the effect of fiscal policies on average \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) emissions of new cars, and then test the model empirically. Our empirical strategy combines a diverse series of data. First, we use a large database of vehicle-specific taxes in 15 EU countries over 2001–2010 to construct a measure for the vehicle registration and annual road tax levels, and separately, for the \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) sensitivity of these taxes. We find that for many countries the fiscal policies have become more sensitive to \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) emissions of new cars. We then use these constructed measures to estimate the effect of fiscal policies on the \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) emissions of the new car fleet. The increased \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\)-sensitivity of registration taxes have reduced the \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) emission intensity of the average new car by 1.3 %, partly through an induced increase of the share of diesel-fuelled cars by 6.5 percentage points. Higher fuel taxes lead to the purchase of more fuel efficient cars, but higher diesel fuel taxes also decrease the share of (more fuel efficient) diesel cars; higher annual road taxes have no or an adverse effect.