How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions

How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions PDF Author: Robert Shackleton
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437922511
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
As part of its mandate to provide the Congress with the objective, timely, and nonpartisan analysis needed to make informed economic and budgetary decisions, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) prepares cost estimates for legislation under consideration by the Congress. In recent years, a number of legislative proposals have involved efforts to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. To estimate the budgetary impact of such proposals, CBO must first estimate the incremental costs to firms and households of mitigating greenhouse gases. This report briefly describes the methodology that CBO uses to estimate those incremental costs, the data sources and models used to develop that methodology, and the rationale for using it.

How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions

How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions PDF Author: Robert Shackleton
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437922511
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
As part of its mandate to provide the Congress with the objective, timely, and nonpartisan analysis needed to make informed economic and budgetary decisions, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) prepares cost estimates for legislation under consideration by the Congress. In recent years, a number of legislative proposals have involved efforts to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. To estimate the budgetary impact of such proposals, CBO must first estimate the incremental costs to firms and households of mitigating greenhouse gases. This report briefly describes the methodology that CBO uses to estimate those incremental costs, the data sources and models used to develop that methodology, and the rationale for using it.

How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-gas Emissions

How CBO Estimates the Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-gas Emissions PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Greenhouse gas mitigation
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description


Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions

Costs of Reducing Greenhouse-Gas Emissions PDF Author: Robert Shackleton
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437926215
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 12

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Book Description
Human activities around the world are producing increasingly large quantities of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) resulting from the consumption of fossil fuels and deforestation. A comprehensive response to that problem would include a collection of strategies: research to better understand the scientific processes at work and to develop technologies to address them; measures to help the economy and society adapt to the projected warming and other expected changes; and efforts to reduce emissions. This report discusses the economic costs of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S., describing the main determinants of costs, how analysts estimate those costs, and the magnitude of estimated costs. Illustrations.

Economic Effects of Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions

Economic Effects of Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions PDF Author: Barry Leonard
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437922627
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
This report discusses one option for reducing emissions in a cost-effective manner: to establish a carefully designed cap-and-trade program. Under such a program, the government would set gradually tightening limits on emissions, issue rights (or allowances) consistent with those limits, and then let firms trade the allowances among themselves. Such a cap-and-trade program would lead to higher prices for energy from fossil fuels and for energy-intensive goods, which would in turn provide incentives for households and businesses to use less carbon-based energy and to develop energy sources that emit smaller amounts of CO2. Charts and tables.

Use of Agricultural Offsets to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Use of Agricultural Offsets to Reduce Greenhouse Gases PDF Author: Joseph Kile
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437926495
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description
Discusses the use of agricultural offsets as part of a cap-and-trade program for reducing greenhouse gases. H.R. 2454 would set an annual limit, or cap, on greenhouse-gas emissions for each year between 2012 and 2050 and would distribute ¿allowances,¿ or rights to produce those emissions. After the allowances were distributed, regulated entities -- those that generate elec. or refine petroleum products, for ex. -- would be free to trade them, so entities that could reduce their emissions at lower costs would sell allowances to others facing higher costs. The difficulty of verifying offsets raises concerns about whether the overall limit would actually be met. Such concerns are acute when offsets include actions taken outside the U.S. Illus.

Policy Options for Reducing CO2 Emissions

Policy Options for Reducing CO2 Emissions PDF Author: Terry Dinan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Carbon dioxide mitigation
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description


Distribution of Revenues from a Cap-and-Trade Program for CO2 Emissions

Distribution of Revenues from a Cap-and-Trade Program for CO2 Emissions PDF Author: Douglas W. Elmendorf
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1437922481
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
Testimony on the distribution of revenues that could be generated by a cap-and-trade program for reducing U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide. The potential cost of reducing the effect of climate change may be significant because it would entail substantial reductions in global emissions over the coming decades. One option for reducing emissions in a cost-effective manner is to establish a carefully designed cap-and-trade program. Under such a program, the government would set gradually tightening limits on emissions, issue rights (or allowances) consistent with those limits, and then let firms trade the allowances among themselves. Charts and tables.

A CBO STUDY: The Economic Costs of Fuel Economy Standards Versus a Gasoline Tax

A CBO STUDY: The Economic Costs of Fuel Economy Standards Versus a Gasoline Tax PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Some Members of Congress and public interest groups have recently proposed raising the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for automobiles. Proponents of CAFE standards see them as a way to decrease the United States' dependence on oil and its emissions of carbon dioxide (the predominant greenhouse gas). In this study, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the costs that raising CAFE standards would impose on automobile producers and consumers. This study also extends previous research by examining the potential cost savings from instituting a system in which producers could trade "fuel economy credits." Under that system, producers with high costs of complying with CAFE standards could meet the new standards by applying credits bought from producers that exceeded the standards. CBO also compares the costs of CAFE standards with those of a higher gasoline tax, an alternative policy for reducing gasoline consumption. Finally, CBO examines the available evidence on whether changing CAFE standards or the gasoline tax could improve social welfare, a general measure of society's well-being that includes not only the value derived from the goods and services that people consume but also factors that diminish the quality of life, such as pollution and traffic congestion.

Sense of the Congress Regarding Management of Forests to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Sense of the Congress Regarding Management of Forests to Reduce Greenhouse Gases PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Resources
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Atmospheric carbon dioxide
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description


Carbon Tax

Carbon Tax PDF Author: Jonathan L. Ramseur
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781480151727
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The federal budget deficit has exceeded $1 trillion annually in each fiscal year since 2009, and deficits are projected to continue. Over time, unsustainable deficits can lead to reduced savings for investment, higher interest rates, and higher levels of inflation. Restoring fiscal balance would require spending reductions, revenue increases, or some combination of the two. Policymakers have considered a number of options for raising additional federal revenues, including a carbon tax. A carbon tax could apply directly to carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, or to the inputs (e.g., fossil fuels) that lead to the emissions. Unlike a tax on the energy content of each fuel (e.g., Btu tax), a carbon tax would vary with a fuel's carbon content, as there is a direct correlation between a fuel's carbon content and its CO2 emissions. Carbon taxes have been proposed for many years by economists and some Members of Congress, including in the 112th Congress. If Congress were to establish a carbon tax, policymakers would face several implementation decisions, including the point and rate of taxation. Although the point of taxation does not necessarily reveal who bears the cost of the tax, this decision involves trade-offs, such as comprehensiveness versus administrative complexity. Several economic approaches could inform the debate over the tax rate. Congress could set a tax rate designed to accrue a specific amount of revenues. Some would recommend setting the tax rate based on estimated benefits associated with avoiding climate change impacts. Alternatively, Congress could set a tax rate based on the carbon prices estimated to meet a specific GHG emissions target. Carbon tax revenues would vary greatly depending on the design features of the tax, as well as market factors that are difficult to predict. One study estimated that a tax rate of $20 per metric ton of CO2 would generate approximately $88 billion in 2012, rising to $144 billion by 2020. The impact such an amount would have on budget deficits depends on which budget deficit projection is used. For example, this estimated revenue source would reduce the 10-year budget deficit by 50%, using the 2012 baseline projection of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). However, under CBO's alternative fiscal scenario, the same carbon tax would reduce the 10-year budget deficit by about 12%. When deciding how to allocate revenues, policymakers would encounter key trade-offs: minimizing the costs of the carbon tax to “society” overall versus alleviating the costs borne by subgroups in the U.S. population or specific domestic industries. Economic studies indicate that using carbon tax revenues to offset reductions in existing taxes—labor, income, and investment—could yield the greatest benefit to the economy overall. However, the approaches that yield the largest overall benefit often impose disproportionate costs on lower-income households. In addition, carbon-intensive, trade-exposed industries may face a disproportionate impact within a unilateral carbon tax system. Policymakers could alleviate this burden through carbon tax revenue distribution or through a border adjustment mechanism. Both approaches may entail trade concerns.