Climate Change Policy and Economics

Climate change policy economics examines how societies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions at manageable cost, and what the broader economic consequences of both action and inaction are likely to be. Researchers use tools from econometrics and economic modeling to evaluate instruments like carbon taxes and cap-and-trade schemes, tracing how price signals ripple through energy systems, labor markets, and public finances. A central concern is distributional fairness: who bears the cost of the energy transition, and how can policy design protect lower-income households and carbon-dependent regions without undermining emissions targets. Open debates continue around the appropriate social cost of carbon, the pace at which clean energy investment can realistically scale, and how global cooperation might be structured when countries face sharply different socioeconomic starting points.

Works

116,921

Total citations

1,473,978

Keywords

Climate ChangeEconomic ImpactsGreenhouse Gas EmissionsPolicy InstrumentsCarbon PricingSocioeconomic Pathways