Past Event
Distributional effects of climate policies
How do we design climate policies to minimize adverse distributional effects?
VIDEO RECORDING
SUMMARY
To limit the global temperature increase to well below 2°C, mankind needs to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by the middle of the century. That is, industry and agriculture cannot emit more CO2 and other greenhouse gases than what will be absorbed. This will require a massive shift in our economies. Heating, transport, electricity and industry will have to transition to a world without fossil fuels. Agriculture and industry will have to find new ways to reduce emissions.
Consequently, climate policy will play a substantial role in this deep transformation. Given the challenge, policies need to be quite intrusive. Such intrusive policies are likely to have substantial side-effects. One important aspect are distributional effects. Depending on (1) the policy tool, (2) the addressed sector and (3) the design of the policy, individual climate policy measures can have very different distributional effects.
However, non-action cannot be the answer. Non-action would not only make everybody worse off – it would actually also affect the poor more than the rich. There is hence no trade-off between climate and equity, but the question is: how do we design climate policies to minimize adverse distributional effects?
Schedule
11:00-11:10
Welcome Remarks
Elena Jachia, Director of Environment Area, Fondazione Cariplo
11:10-11:30
Presentation: Distributional effects of climate policies
Georg Zachmann, Senior Fellow
11:30-11:50
Comments
Elena Verdolini, Senior Scientist, European Institute on Economics and the Environment (EIEE)
11:50-12:20
Panel Discussion
Chair: Gustav Fredriksson, PhD Candidate at ETH Zürich in Energy & Environmental Economics
Elena Verdolini, Senior Scientist, European Institute on Economics and the Environment (EIEE)
Georg Zachmann, Senior Fellow
12:20-13:00
Q&A
13:00-13:45
Lunch
13:45
End
Speakers

Elena Jachia
Director of Environment Area, Fondazione Cariplo

Elena Verdolini
Senior Scientist, European Institute on Economics and the Environment (EIEE)

Georg Zachmann
Senior Fellow
Location & Contact
Katja Knezevic
[email protected]