Taxes and Quotas for a Stock Pollutant with Multiplicative Uncertainty
Date
01.01.1999
01.01.1999
Authors
Larry Karp, Michael Hoel
JEL Code
H21,Q28
H21,Q28
Keywords:
Pollution control,asymmetric information,taxes and quotas,stochastic control,global warming,multiplicative disturbances
Pollution control,asymmetric information,taxes and quotas,stochastic control,global warming,multiplicative disturbances
Publisher
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Editor
Carlo Carraro
Carlo Carraro
We compare taxes and quotas when firms and the regulator have asymmetric information about abatement costs. Damages are caused by a stock pollutant. Uncertainty enters multiplicatively, i.e. it affects the slope rather than the intercept of abatement costs. We calibrate the model using cost and damage estimates of greenhouse gases. As with additive uncertainty, taxes dominate quotas. The advantage of taxes is much greater with mulitiplicative, compared to additive uncertainty.