Thinking Through the Climate Change Challenge

CLIMATE CHANGE AND COMMON SENSE: ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF TOM SCHELLING, Robert Hahn, Alistair Ulph, eds., Oxford University Press, 2011

15 Pages Posted: 4 Jul 2011

See all articles by Robert W. Hahn

Robert W. Hahn

Technology Policy Institute; University of Oxford, Smith School

Alistair Ulph

The University of Manchester - Faculty of Humanities

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Date Written: June 2011

Abstract

There is common agreement that climate change presents a serious threat to the planet. In this chapter, we provide an introduction to the climate change problem and summarize the main findings of the other chapters of the book. In addition we present 10 consensus principles on climate change policy developed by participants at a conference in honor of Tom Schelling.

We argue that there is a need to go beyond many economists’ preferred solution of doing no more than pricing pollution appropriately to also include consideration of alternatives such as geo-engineering and R&D subsidies. In addition, there is a growing realization that unless the cost of containing carbon emissions can be reduced substantially through innovation, not much mitigation is likely to occur. Finally, the authors of the Schelling consensus believe that a new approach is needed to climate change negotiations, which focuses on enforceable, realistic targets.

Keywords: climate change, consensus principles, Tom Schelling, negotiations, targets

Suggested Citation

Hahn, Robert W. and Ulph, Alistair M., Thinking Through the Climate Change Challenge (June 2011). CLIMATE CHANGE AND COMMON SENSE: ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF TOM SCHELLING, Robert Hahn, Alistair Ulph, eds., Oxford University Press, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1878484 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1878484

Robert W. Hahn (Contact Author)

Technology Policy Institute ( email )

1401 Eye St. NW
Suite 505
Washington, DC 20005
United States

University of Oxford, Smith School ( email )

Oxford
United Kingdom

Alistair M. Ulph

The University of Manchester - Faculty of Humanities ( email )

Manchester, M13 9PL
United Kingdom

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