The Use of Economic Instruments in Environmental Policy: Opportunities and Challenges

This report aims to provide policy makers, especially in developing countries, with practical guidance on deciding which types of economic instruments (EIs) are likely to work in addressing specific environmental problems. It describes how EIs modify incentives to pollute, the process of introducing EIs into the existing policy regime, the supporting conditions needed for them to work, and the potential effects of EIs on important societal factors such as poverty and sustainable development. The paper also introduces a number of template-based tools to assist policy makers assemble disparate data in a more efficient and structured way. These tools will enable policy makers to refine their understanding of a particular environmental challenge, to more quickly identify appropriate policy options, and to more effectively tailor these solutions to local conditions

Why fossil fuel producer subsidies matter

Around the globe, governments have pledged to remove support for coal, oil and gas, noting that such fossil fuel subsidies “undermine efforts to deal with climate change” by keeping greenhouse gas emissions higher than they otherwise would be. Jewell et al. used results of integrated assessment models to infer that eliminating subsidies would yield “limited emission reductions…except in energy-exporting regions”, and described the emission reduction benefits as “small”. This characterization is potentially misleading, and here we use a simple, sector-specific model to show how the emission reductions from producer subsidy reform could be more material than Jewell et al. suggest. Fossil fuel producer subsidies delay a low-carbon transition in ways both material and political, and they deserve greater attention and transparency in global modelling analyses, as well as in policy-making

2009 world nuclear industry status report

Although some countries plan to build new nuclear power plants in the near future, in aggregate the data indicates that nuclear power's influence will continue to dwindle across the globe in coming decades

The world nuclear industry status report 2009: with particular emphasis on economic issues

A detailed review of the status of the world nuclear industry with particular emphasis on economic aspects