November 14, 2007
Purdue climate change researchers create primer to help policy-makers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Members of the Purdue University Climate Change Research Center have created a policy brief to aid decision makers in weighing the options and consequences of different approaches to deal with climate change issues.Numerous proposals have been drafted promoting policies to limit emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, a primary contributor to climate change, said Leigh Raymond, the center's associate director.
"Carbon dioxide emissions have increased 18 percent nationally since 1990 and 13 percent in Indiana," said Raymond, who also is co-author of the brief and an associate professor of political science. "In order to have the widest set of tools available to deal with emerging policy challenges like climate change, it is important to be clear about the advantages and disadvantages of both a potential cap and trade program, as well as carbon taxes, and to consider them as part of a larger portfolio of policy strategies in this area."
Raymond said it was important to create the primer to give policy-makers a clear understanding of the strategies being proposed, the history of such strategies and some of their potential outcomes.
The brief explains the basic features of "market-based" approaches to limiting such emissions. It describes methods of carbon taxation and carbon-based emissions trading and the possible impacts of different approaches.
Carbon-based emissions trading involves putting a limit on the amount of emissions each region or industry is allowed and giving credits for emission amounts less than the limit. The credits could then be sold or traded to other regions or industries that exceed the limit. Carbon taxation approaches involve a specific tax on carbon-based energy use.
Gerald Shively, a member of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center executive committee and a professor of agricultural economics co-authored the policy brief with Raymond.
The brief is available online on the center's Web site at https://www.purdue.edu/climate/.
Writer: Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu
Source: Leigh Raymond, (765) 494-4182, leigh@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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