The Economics of Climate Change / Lawrence H. Goulder, William A. Pizer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goulder, Lawrence H.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Pizer, William A.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w11923.

NBER working paper series no. w11923

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2006.

Summary:

Global climate change poses a threat to the well-being of humans and other living things through impacts on ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, capital productivity, and human health. This paper briefly surveys recent research on the economics of climate change, including theoretical insights and empirical findings that offer guidance to policy makers. Section 1 frames the climate change problem and indicates the ways that economic research can address it. Section 2 describes approaches to measuring the benefits and costs associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In Section 3 we discuss the implications of uncertainty for the timing and stringency of policies to address possible climate change. We then present issues related to policy design, including instrument choice (Section 4), flexibility (Section 5), and international coordination (Section 6). The final section offers general conclusions.

Notes:

Print version record

January 2006.