Swiss energy taxation options to curb CO2 emissions

✍ Scribed by Bahn, Olivier ;Fragnière, Emmanuel ;Kypreos, Socrates

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 207 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0961-0405
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0976(199805/06)8:3<94::aid-eet154>3.0.co;2-y

✦ Synopsis

This study offers insights into the design of economically efficient policies to curb carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in Switzerland and in other European countries. The method uses a model of the energy system to investigate various options for taxation to reduce CO 2 emissions. This study proposes as a first option the introduction of a 'hedging tax', that balances the risks of delaying measures to reduce CO 2 emissions against those of premature reduction measures. It then assesses multinational policy options and considers as a second alternative international co-operation to curb joint CO 2 emissions by means of a uniform tax applied in different countries. The simulation of such a strategy among three European countries (Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium) suggests that there may be significant benefits to be gained when CO 2 reduction takes place in the countries where it is relatively cheap to do so. 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.