Emissions Trading Systems with Cap Adjustments
27 Pages Posted: 25 May 2015 Last revised: 21 Jan 2017
There are 2 versions of this paper
Emissions Trading Systems with Cap Adjustments
The European Union Emissions Trading System and the Market Stability Reserve: Optimal Dynamic Supply Adjustment
Date Written: January 20, 2017
Abstract
Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs) with fixed caps lack provisions to address systematic imbalances in the supply and demand of permits due to changes in the state of the regulated economy. We propose a mechanism which adjusts the allocation of permits based on the current bank of permits. The mechanism spans the spectrum between a pure quantity instrument and a pure price instrument. We solve the firms’ emissions control problem and obtain an explicit dependency between the key policy stringency parameter – the adjustment rate – and the firms’ abatement and trading strategies. We present an analytical tool for selecting the optimal adjustment rate under both risk-neutrality and risk-aversion, which provides an analytical basis for the regulator’s choice of a responsive ETS policy.
Keywords: EU ETS Reform, Dynamic Allocation, Policy Design, Responsiveness, Resilience, Supply Management Mechanism, Risk-Aversion
JEL Classification: H23, E63, Q52, Q58
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation