Social cost of CO 2 abatement from energy efficiency and solar power in the United States

Darwin Hall

Environmental & Resource Economics, 1992, vol. 2, issue 5, 512 pages

Abstract: Frequently cited empirical analyses ask whether we should make the transition from reliance on fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and conclude that the transition is too costly so we should, instead, focus policy on how to adapt to global warming. This paper makes two improvements in the analysis. First, this empirical analysis accounts for existing low-cost alternatives that are substitutes for fossil fuels. Second, this empirical analysis incorporates existing estimates of externalities from fossil fuels. These two basic improvements in the analysis alter the conclusion; policy should focus on how rapidly and extensively to make the transition from reliance on fossil fuels to the alternatives. The corollary is that we should focus on the efficacy and cost of policy options that are designed to accomplish the transition. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1992

Keywords: Economics of global warming and greenhouse gases; externalities from energy use; conservation and energy efficiency; solar power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1992
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DOI: 10.1007/BF00376831

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