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Essays on the Economics of Environmental Regulation.

紀錄類型:	書目-電子資源 : Monograph/item
正題名/作者:	Essays on the Economics of Environmental Regulation./
作者:	Wilner, Tomas.
出版者:	Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, : 2024,
面頁冊數:	185 p.
附註:	Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 85-11, Section: B.
Contained By:	Dissertations Abstracts International85-11B.
標題:	Alternative energy. -
電子資源:	https://pqdd.sinica.edu.tw/twdaoapp/servlet/advanced?query=31292506
ISBN:	9798382763026

Essays on the Economics of Environmental Regulation.
Wilner, Tomas.

Essays on the Economics of Environmental Regulation. - Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2024 - 185 p.

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 85-11, Section: B.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2024.

This dissertation studies the economic impacts that environmental regulation can bring on three different markets. Chapter 1 (which is joint with Jingyuan Wang) studies the effect environmental regulation on natural gas in the electricity market can have on renewable energy entry. Natural gas has become pivotal in the energy transition, as it can complement renewable energy at a lower emission rate compared to alternative fossil fuels. In countries with scarce natural gas reserves, firms might exhibit insufficient import levels relative to governmental preferences. In this chapter, we study several policies designed to incentivize larger natural gas orders and examine their impact on long-term solar entry. Our research is conducted in Chile, a notable solar energy adopter, which implemented a policy to encourage natural gas procurement. We find that while the policy displaces coal usage, it simultaneously increases natural gas imports to an extent that counterbalances its positive effects one missions, incurring a net pollution cost of $20 million per year. Removing this policy would not only result in a short-term reduction in emissions but also stimulate increased solar energy adoption in the long run by 10%. Among the policies we examined, implementing a carbon price proves most effective, as it raises natural gas imports, lowers emissions in the short run by $191 million annually, and enhances solar energy entry in the long term by 54%. Chapter 2 studies the effect that environmental regulation can have on the demand for meat. The effect of meat consumption on the environment is well-documented, yet little is known about the effect of policies targeting environmentally harmful food choices. I build a structural model of the demand for meat, which allows me to study three different policies: a 50% reduction of beef products on retail shelves, an environmental tax reflecting the environmental costs of food products, and advertisements for plant-based products that increase consumers' valuation of them. I also analyze the supply side to estimate how prices would change in equilibrium under these policies. I find that limiting beef products alone does not reduce emissions significantly; its benefits can be easily matched with a small tax on beef, and the consumer welfare loss outweighs the environmental gains. Conversely, the other policies prove to be more effective in reducing emissions. However, I find that the burden of the tax is born disproportionately by underprivileged consumers, and its environmental benefits come mainly from consumers switching to poultry and pork products. Subsidizing these meat products while taxing beef might achieve more progressive results.Finally, Chapter 3 studies the effect of environmental regulation on firm competitiveness in the manufacturing and mining sectors of a developing country. Efforts to lower emissions might entail economic costs, such as reduced productivity or a decline in employment. Therefore, the extent to which developing countries should contribute to emission reduction efforts remains unclear. I analyze the impacts of two green taxes imposed simultaneously in Chile in 2017 on turbines and boilers from plants with a combined thermal power of 50 MW or higher. I study the manufacturing and mining sectors and find that manufacturing plants re-optimize their production, reallocating machinery usage towards untreated machines to minimize tax expenses while maintaining output. In the mining sector, green taxes have no discernible impact on emissions or productivity since the cost of reducing output may outweigh the cost of paying emissions taxes, rendering adjustments financially unviable. These findings suggest that if environmental regulations are indulgent to avoid significant impactson productivity, the outcomes may be minimal or even counterproductive. While it is essential not to severely hinder productivity in a developing country, the design of environmental policies proves to be critical.

ISBN: 9798382763026Subjects--Topical Terms:

3436775
Alternative energy.
Subjects--Index Terms:

Environmental regulation

Essays on the Economics of Environmental Regulation.
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520 $a This dissertation studies the economic impacts that environmental regulation can bring on three different markets. Chapter 1 (which is joint with Jingyuan Wang) studies the effect environmental regulation on natural gas in the electricity market can have on renewable energy entry. Natural gas has become pivotal in the energy transition, as it can complement renewable energy at a lower emission rate compared to alternative fossil fuels. In countries with scarce natural gas reserves, firms might exhibit insufficient import levels relative to governmental preferences. In this chapter, we study several policies designed to incentivize larger natural gas orders and examine their impact on long-term solar entry. Our research is conducted in Chile, a notable solar energy adopter, which implemented a policy to encourage natural gas procurement. We find that while the policy displaces coal usage, it simultaneously increases natural gas imports to an extent that counterbalances its positive effects one missions, incurring a net pollution cost of $20 million per year. Removing this policy would not only result in a short-term reduction in emissions but also stimulate increased solar energy adoption in the long run by 10%. Among the policies we examined, implementing a carbon price proves most effective, as it raises natural gas imports, lowers emissions in the short run by $191 million annually, and enhances solar energy entry in the long term by 54%. Chapter 2 studies the effect that environmental regulation can have on the demand for meat. The effect of meat consumption on the environment is well-documented, yet little is known about the effect of policies targeting environmentally harmful food choices. I build a structural model of the demand for meat, which allows me to study three different policies: a 50% reduction of beef products on retail shelves, an environmental tax reflecting the environmental costs of food products, and advertisements for plant-based products that increase consumers' valuation of them. I also analyze the supply side to estimate how prices would change in equilibrium under these policies. I find that limiting beef products alone does not reduce emissions significantly; its benefits can be easily matched with a small tax on beef, and the consumer welfare loss outweighs the environmental gains. Conversely, the other policies prove to be more effective in reducing emissions. However, I find that the burden of the tax is born disproportionately by underprivileged consumers, and its environmental benefits come mainly from consumers switching to poultry and pork products. Subsidizing these meat products while taxing beef might achieve more progressive results.Finally, Chapter 3 studies the effect of environmental regulation on firm competitiveness in the manufacturing and mining sectors of a developing country. Efforts to lower emissions might entail economic costs, such as reduced productivity or a decline in employment. Therefore, the extent to which developing countries should contribute to emission reduction efforts remains unclear. I analyze the impacts of two green taxes imposed simultaneously in Chile in 2017 on turbines and boilers from plants with a combined thermal power of 50 MW or higher. I study the manufacturing and mining sectors and find that manufacturing plants re-optimize their production, reallocating machinery usage towards untreated machines to minimize tax expenses while maintaining output. In the mining sector, green taxes have no discernible impact on emissions or productivity since the cost of reducing output may outweigh the cost of paying emissions taxes, rendering adjustments financially unviable. These findings suggest that if environmental regulations are indulgent to avoid significant impactson productivity, the outcomes may be minimal or even counterproductive. While it is essential not to severely hinder productivity in a developing country, the design of environmental policies proves to be critical.
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