Research

Overview

Achieving a net-zero energy transition to mitigate the impacts of climate change represents a planetary crisis and pressing public policy challenge. While economists often tout the economic efficiency of carbon pricing, in practice jurisdictions are applying a mix of policy instruments to reduce emissions, including regulations, performance standards, subsidies, and R&D funding. These “second-best” policies may be preferred by policymakers seeking to achieve additional policy objectives, such as incentivizing technological change, distributional equity, or political acceptability. However, the use of such overlapping policies can also create tradeoffs across policy goals which have been under-explored.

My research examines how alternative approaches to decarbonization manage trade-offs between environmental, economic, and social objectives. I use empirical and simulation modelling tools from economics, engineering, public policy, and environmental studies to evaluate the impact of existing policies as well as the expected impact of potential future policies across multiple objectives. 


Peer-reviewed Publications

Working Papers


Jurisdictions have implemented a variety of policy instruments to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, interactions between overlapping climate policies can lead to unintended impacts. This study examines how interactions between an incomplete emissions cap and additional climate policy impact emissions, costs, and innovation using the case of California’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) and cap-and-trade program. Simulations using a computable general equilibrium model demonstrate that interactions between an LCFS and a cap-and-trade program can result in higher emissions and higher average abatement costs relative to an emissions cap alone. Emissions increase as a result of the LCFS incentivizing greater production of alternative transportation fuels with emissions not covered by the emissions cap. Emissions leakage can be mitigated by incorporating elements of a fixed-price instrument (i.e. carbon price floor/ceiling) to improve policy complementarity or requiring an obligation for the lifecycle GHG emissions of fuels under the emissions cap.

[Working paper] 


Across jurisdictions, all orders of governments are continually expanding their implementation of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. In federations like Canada, the mix of policies employed is further complicated by overlapping regulation both within and across federal and provincial/territorial governments. Canada's climate policy landscape is marked by variation in timing, effort, and approach, and driven by differences in economic structures, political ideologies, energy resources, and emissions among provinces and territories. However, a clear picture of the wide-ranging efforts undertaken across jurisdictions remains unavailable. To address this gap, we have developed a comprehensive and dynamic inventory of climate policies in Canada. This methodology paper outlines the steps taken to establish the inventory of 334 climate policies in Canada, the coding protocol used to assess policy design elements, and a description of the inventory findings. By shedding light on the complex web of climate policies in Canada, this inventory aims to provide researchers and policymakers with a clear picture of the ongoing efforts to reduce GHG emissions. It also seeks to inform future research on the impacts and interactions between policy tools in achieving a range of societal objectives.



Select Policy Publications