Publication: Decarbonizing Development: Getting Carbon Prices and Policies Right
Loading...
Date
2015-05-11
ISSN
Published
2015-05-11
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Stabilizing climate change entails bringing net emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to zero. CO2 stays in the atmosphere for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. As long as one emit more than captured or offset through carbon sinks (such as forests), concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere will keep rising, and the climate will keep warming. Countries can follow three principles in their efforts to create a zero-carbon future: (a) planning ahead for a future with zero emissions, (b) getting carbon prices and policies right, and (c) smoothing the transition and protecting the poor. In this context, the report presents getting prices right - good economic and fiscal policy; and de-carbonization requires a broader package of climate policies.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2015. Decarbonizing Development: Getting Carbon Prices and Policies Right. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21888 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Report on Possible Improvements on Management of Revenues from Auctioning of EU ETS Allowances and Use of Flexibility Mechanisms in Romania(Washington, DC, 2015-11)This report is on possible improvements on management of revenues from auctioning of European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) allowances and use of flexibility mechanisms in Romania. The principal objective of this report is to propose improvements on management of revenue from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances, as well as describe possible use of flexibility mechanisms in Romania, in order to mobilize and enable both public and private actors to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from economic activities in non EU ETS sectors in line with EU targets. The report focuses on possible actions in the timeframe 2016-2020, aligned with EU ETS phase and EU target for 2020 and 2030. The report is positioned amid the wider context of a vision for Romania to become a climate resilient, low-carbon economy, which has mainstreamed its climate policies and actions into smart, green, and inclusive growth, described in the National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy for Romania 2016-2030 and 2015-2020 Climate Action Plan prepared by the World Bank for Romania. The report found that until now, there had been no clear and effective procedure for the administration of ETS auctioning revenue, and no selection and prioritization criteria. The lack of selection and prioritization criteria and guidance for using ETS auctioning revenue to finance GHG emission reduction projects allowed for the selection of projects without proper assessment in terms of their reduction of GHG emissions, as well as cost effectiveness and other important factors. In order to maximize the environmental, social, and economic impact of possible sectoral climate investment programs, and based on international experience, the World Bank’s expert team proposes to use the following criteria for prioritizing and selecting non-EU ETS sectoral programs to be financed with EU ETS auctioning revenue: (i) cost efficiency of Emissions Reduction; (ii) leverage of public money to private finance; (iii) possibility for rapid development and scale up; (iv) lack of other financing mechanisms; and (v)support for job creation. Based on these criteria, the report recommends supporting the following climate investment programs for the years 2016-2020:(a) replacing household light bulbs, air conditioning units, individual heating systems, refrigerators, and washing machines with more performant ones; (b) upgrading household buildings insulation; (iii) implementing local, small- and household-scale renewable energy production; and (iv) forestry and biomass production, and land use improvements. It was concluded that the proposed improvements on managing revenue from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances laid out in this report could be used by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, as a responsible body for climate policy, for internal discussions with other Romanian ministries and agencies to reach consensus on the next steps.Publication State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2011(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-06)After five consecutive years of robust growth, the total value of the global carbon market stalled at $142 billion. Suffering from the lack of post-2012 regulatory clarity, the value of the primary Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) market fell by double-digits for the third year in a row, ending lower than it was in 2005, the first year of the Kyoto protocol. The Assigned Amount Unit (AAU) and the United States Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) markets shrank as well. As these segments declined, the dominance of the European Union Allowances (EUAs) market became more pronounced than ever and the share of the carbon market primarily driven by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) rose to 97 percent, dwarfing the remaining segments of the market. The carbon market growth halted at a particularly inopportune time: 2010 proved to be the hottest on record, while emission levels continued their seemingly inexorable rise. In the end, however, the year may be remembered most for the political opportunities that arose, yet were ultimately failed to materialize in the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Republic of Korea. While the international regulatory environment remains uncertain, national and local initiatives have noticeably picked up and may offer the potential to collectively overcome the international regulatory gap. These initiatives signal that, one way or another, solutions that address the climate challenge will emerge.Publication Climate Change and Economic Policies in APEC Economies : Synthesis Report(World Bank, 2010-11-17)Drawing on several studies on APEC economies, this report discusses economic policy choices for mitigating and adapting to climate change effects. It highlights that APEC economies will have a central role in both sides of climate change. These economies include some of the largest emitters and also those among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The report suggests that action on climate change will require a wide range of economic policy interventions, including most importantly fiscal policies. These will include setting carbon prices that cost emissions properly, liberalizing and strengthening markets so that prices and costs can be passed- through, offsetting other biases towards capital and emissions intensive economic growth and supporting technology based policies. On the adaptation side, the report emphasizes the importance of fiscal policy and investment choice tools that incorporate the uncertainty surrounding the nature and location of climate change effects. The report discusses how emissions reduction through appropriate climate friendly technologies (CFTs) can be an important complement to more politically sensitive mitigation measures (like carbon pricing). At the same time, CFTs can provide co-benefits like rural electrification. The current status of CFTs in APEC economies - their production, use and trade - are discussed along with technology neutral and technology specific policies and trade and investment policies that can support these technologies. Financing these policy interventions - both technology based and otherwise - will require various measures, including efficient market mechanisms that create incentives to reduce mitigation costs, facilitate financing of mitigation efforts through crediting mechanism and emissions trading, and setting up the necessary institutions. This report also considers policy responses to extreme climate events and their impact on the poor at the community level. Finally, since climate change is inherently of a cross-border, regional and even global nature, there is substantial scope for regional cooperation by APEC economies to address climate change issues. This report concludes with some initial thoughts on some key areas for this cooperation.Publication State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2014(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2014-05-28)This report follows the evolution of carbon pricing around the world. Last year's report mapped the main carbon pricing initiatives. This year the report presents the status of each of these developing initiatives and explores the emerging trends of carbon pricing. The focus is on the recent highlights from around the world and on key lessons that can be drawn from the growing experience. Despite the difficult ongoing international climate negotiations, there is an increased focus on climate change policy and several economies are planning, implementing or refining domestic mitigation actions. These activities take careful note of past experiences, mirroring successes and dealing with weaknesses. About 40 national and over 20 sub-national jurisdictions are putting a price on carbon. Together these carbon pricing instruments cover almost 6 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e), or about 12 percent of the annual global GHG emissions. Cooperation remains a key feature of success The international market has been struggling for some time. However, the current spate of domestic action has been buoyed by growing cooperation among regional, national and sub-national stakeholders. Piloting and scaling up carbon pricing on an international level and increasing climate finance through market-based mechanisms is an important first step. The next challenge will be to create a product that is greater than the sum of its parts by converting fragmented initiatives into internationally integrated carbon pricing approaches.Publication How to Keep Momentum Up in Carbon Markets?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-10-31)This note examines how to maximize the benefits from the use of market instruments in support of developing countries' low-emission development priorities. First, it briefly surveys the current state and trends of the carbon market, highlighting the main achievements of carbon finance over its decade-long history. Second, it reviews updated scenarios of the scale of future carbon markets and associated financial flows, in light of developments in climate negotiations and domestic markets. Finally, it identifies the necessary steps to scale up carbon market flows in future, on both the demand and supply sides, including the reform of existing mechanisms, and innovation to broaden the scope, scale and reach of carbon markets. The most important determinant of carbon offset market flows to developing countries is clearly the level of international mitigation targets: the more ambitious the targets the greater the scope for such flows. Developed countries can also encourage flows by increasing supplementary limits, which are the proportion of mitigation targets that can be met by purchases from developing countries. Finally, there remains a considerable need for innovation, awareness-raising and capacity building in public and private institutions in developing countries, to increase their participation in the carbon market and build and enabling environment for low-emission development.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication The Journey Ahead(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31)The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Implementation Know-how Briefs to Support Countries to Prioritize, Connect and Scale for a Digital-in-Health Future(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-18)Technology and data are integral to daily life. As health systems face increasing demands to deliver new, more, better, and seamless services affordable to all people, data and technology are essential. With the potential and perils of innovations like artificial intelligence the future of health care is expected to be technology-embedded and data-linked. This shift involves expanding the focus from digitization of health data to integrating digital and health as one: Digital-in-Health. The World Bank’s report, Digital-in-Health: Unlocking the Value for Everyone, calls for a new digital-in-health approach where digital technology and data are infused into every aspect of health systems management and health service delivery for better health outcomes. The report proposes ten recommendations across three priority areas for governments to invest in: prioritize, connect and scale. The Implementation Know-How Briefs serve as practical guides for countries as they implement the ten recommendations. Every Implementation Know-How Brief provides practical information to start planning and implementing how to implement the recommendations. It also contains key terminologies for those not familiar with a particular topic, provides key questions to ask, and a general orientation as to typical issues in these sectors. Topics covered are: 1.) Digital health assessments; 2.) Telemedicine and virtual health care; 3.) Private sector involvement in digital health; 4.) Interoperability in health sector; 5.) Data governance for health data; 6.) Cybersecurity for health sector; 7.) Digital health records; 8.) Determining value of digital technology in health; 9.) Certification and regulatory sandboxes for digital technologies in health; 10.) Workflow mapping for digital technology (re)design in health systems.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.