R & D subsidies and climate policy
Subtitle: is there a "free lunch"?
By: David Popp.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series ;; working paper 10880; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) ;; working paper no. 10880.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Climatic changes -- Research.; Green technology -- Research.; Environmental policy.; Federal aid to research.
Other titles: R and D subsidies and climate policy; R&D subsidies and climate policy
Description: "Because of the long-term nature of the climate problem, technological advances are often seen as an important component of any solution.  However, when considering the potential for technology to help solve the climate problem, two market failures exist which lead to underinvestment in climate-friendly R & D: environmental externalities and the public goods nature of new knowledge.  As a result, government subsidies to climate-friendly R & D projects are often proposed as part of a policy solution.  Using the ENTICE model, I analyze the effectiveness of such subsidies, both with and without other climate policies, such as a carbon tax.  While R & D subsidies do lead to significant increases in climate-friendly R & D, this R & D has little impact on the climate itself.  Subsidies address the problem of knowledge as a public good, but they do not address the environmental externality, and thus offer no additional incentive to adopt new technologies.  Moreover, high opportunity costs to R & D limit the potential role that subsidies can play.  While R & D subsidies can improve efficiency, policies that directly affect the environmental externality have a much larger impact on both atmospheric temperature and economic welfare"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
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