Chapter 26 Environmental implications of non environmental policies This chapter seeks to understand the linkages between non environmental polices and the environment with a particular focus on taxation and subsidies. In order to understand the quite complex literature on this subject we draw on the theory of the second best and the theory of optimal taxation. The thrust of the chapter is that there are multiple objectives and interactions among the various policies employed to meet them. In retrospect one can always ‘do better’ in say improving efficiency and environmental quality without worsening the income distribution. What is interesting is to understand what the environmental impacts of the non environmental policies have been and what lessons one can learn about the formulation of similar policies in the future. That is the central purpose of the chapter. Section 2 examines subsidies in agriculture and transport as well as policies relating to trade liberalization privatization and public infrastructure investment. Section 3 is devoted specifically to energy subsidies. It reviews the results of partial and general equilibrium studies on energy subsidies including environmental impacts (in particular carbon emissions). Section 4 presents a general equilibrium model in which energy subsidies and other taxes in the economy are reduced in a revenue neutral fashion. Two important general equilibrium effects the revenue recycling effect and the tax interaction effect are introduced in this section. Sections 5 and 6 continue the discussion of revenue neutral fiscal policy changes focusing on the substitution of environmental taxes for other taxes in particular taxes on labor. This is the “double dividend” debate. Section 5 presents the theory while Section 6 presents empirical evidence for the European Union. The latter section focuses primarily on employment effects not welfare effects (the “employment double dividend” vs. “gross welfare dividend”). Section 7 summarizes the main points of the chapter.