Environmental Economics

Where's my carbon dividend check!? Semi-coherent thoughts on the Inflation Reduction Act

While teaching emissions control policies this last week to my undergraduates, I revisited my signature of the Economists’ Statement on Carbon Dividends (now signed by over 3600 economists). It’s been four years since the origin of the s...

"New Group, With Conservative Credentials, Plans Push for a Carbon Tax"

Let the demogoguery begin: Proponents of a market-oriented plan to fight climate change by taxing greenhouse gas emissions and giving the revenue to American taxpayers are starting a campaign to run advertisements as early as thi...

YIMBY in the JEP

In the latest issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives, the journal has gone all-in on YIMBY with a three-paper symposium on housing. The second paper is about changes in rates of homeownership and benefits and costs of homeownersh...

New book: The Shale Dilemma A Global Perspective on Fracking and Shale Development

The Shale Dilemma: A Global Perspective on Fracking and Shale Development by Gamper-Rabindran, Shanti University of Pittsburgh Press, February 2018, 472 pages The US shale boom and efforts by other countries to exploit their shale ...

On my reading list: "The Economic Impacts of Climate Change"

Abstract: This article reviews the economic impacts of climate change and the policy implications of the results. Current estimates indicate that climate change will likely have a limited impact on the economy and human welfare in the ...

CO2 emissions: Looks like it's time to look in the mirror

If you want to blame U.S. power generation for climate change, you're probably living in the past. It look like U.S. transportation has passed power generation for 1st place in the CO2 emissions race: Some of the most common avatars ...

"What is the relevant uncertainty for climate change policy?"

Tyler Cowen on May 3:A number of people have climbed onto Twitter and outlined (correctly) how increased uncertainty about the impact of climate change increases the value of doing something about it. There is downside risk, and of cour...

...or we could just increase the gas tax

Interesting results, but the policy recommendations seem like killing an ant with a sledgehammer. In the first study of its kind, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researcher Alan Meier, working with Yuche Chen of t...

Enjoy it while it lasts?

In evaluating benefits and costs, preferences matter. For the most part, people like milder weather. That's why people move to Florida and Arizona during the winter (that and tax breaks, but let's stick with the weather for now). As ...

"A Look at Six State Proposals to Tax Carbon"

Dallas Burtraw: As the political likelihood of passing comprehensive national climate policy has remained low, many states have taken up the mantle. This devolution of climate policy has been further reinforced by the US Environmental...