Market Instruments and CO2 Mitigation: A General Equilibrium Analysis for Spain

Market instruments are a core element of policies to mitigate climate change. Choosing and designing the right instruments can help to minimise mitigation costs. This paper seeks to analyse various market instruments for CO2 mitigation from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness, using an AGE (applied general equilibrium) model for the case of Spain. A distinction is drawn between (1) quantity instruments, which represent different extents of a market for emission permits; and (2) price instruments, which represent different types of tax. The analysis quantifies the importance of making the right choice as to which sectors are excluded from the permit market, and of targeting taxes correctly.Environmental policy instruments, general equilibrium analysis, Spain

Massless Spectra and Gauge Couplings at One-Loop on Non-Factorisable Toroidal Orientifolds

So-called `non-factorisable' toroidal orbifolds can be rewritten in a factorised form as a product of three two-tori by imposing an additional shift symmetry. This finding of Blaszczyk et al., arXiv:1111.5852, provides a new avenue to Conformal Field Theory methods, by which the vector-like massless matter spectrum - and thereby the type of gauge group enhancement on orientifold invariant fractional D6-branes - and the one-loop corrections to the gauge couplings in Type IIA orientifold theories can be computed in addition to the well-established chiral matter spectrum derived from topological intersection numbers among three-cycles. We demonstrate this framework for the $\mathbb{Z}_4 \times \Omega\mathcal{R}$ orientifolds on the $A_3 \times A_1 \times B_2$-type torus. As observed before for factorisable backgrounds, also here the one-loop correction can drive the gauge groups to stronger coupling as demonstrated by means of a four-generation Pati-Salam example.Comment: 65 pages, 10 figures; v3: matches published version (ref + explanatory remarks added

Antisymmetric tensor Z_p gauge symmetries in field theory and string theory

We consider discrete gauge symmetries in D dimensions arising as remnants of broken continuous gauge symmetries carried by general antisymmetric tensor fields, rather than by standard 1-forms. The lagrangian for such a general ${\bf Z}_p$ gauge theory can be described in terms of a $r$-form gauge field made massive by a $(r-1)$-form, or other dual realizations, that we also discuss. The theory contains charged topological defects of different dimensionalities, generalizing the familiar charged particles and strings in D=4. We describe realizations in string theory compactifications with torsion cycles, or with background field strength fluxes. We also provide examples of non-abelian discrete groups, for which the group elements are associated with charged objects of different dimensionality.Comment: 16 pages; v2: references added and typos fixe

Molde para inyección de piezas de plástico

Diseño de un molde de inyección para la fabricación en serie de piezas de plástico en el sector de la automoción, validando el conjunto final por medio de un análisis reológico.Design of an injection mold for mass production of plastic parts in the automotive sector, certifying the final assembly through a rheological analysis.Automobilgintza sektorean plastikozko pieza masa ekoizpenarentzako injekzio moldearen diseinua, azken produktua analisi reologikoaren bidez baieztatzen

The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing human kind. Urgent policy action is needed. Climate change policies are mainly being discussed at international level by means of the United Nations Conventions and the Kyoto Protocol. However, the bulk of the impact will be felt at regional and local level. And these levels of governance hold many of the competences for implementing policy actions. Regional governments are important agents and should, therefore, be incorporated into the negotiation rounds so that their voices can be heard. This paper illustrates the important role of regions in climate policies and considers many of the policy instruments being designed and implemented. More than 20 major regions are showcased here. Finally, the case of Basque climate policy is described to shed some light as to what regions could do.Climate change, regional policy

Evaluating the Role of Energy Efficiency Labels: the Case of Dish Washers

This article uses the hedonic approach to estimate how much is paid for the energy efficiency label on the dishwasher market in Spain. The estimated figure is 15.6% of the final price. This accounts for about 80€ of the average price. We use this estimate combined with a demand systems to obtain own and cross price elasticities of demand, vital for policy designing and analysis. This is done by combining the use of the estimate with the Quantity Based Demand System (QBDS) model to completely determine the demand function for different dishwashers. Finally, the elasticity results are compared with the figure calculated using the Linear Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS). The comparison of the results confirms that the QBDS model is easier to handle and less data demanding than the LA/AIDS model but provide reliable estimates of demand elasticities.demand systems, hedonic method, energy efficiency labelling, household appliances (dishwashers)

Market Instruments and CO2 Mitigation: A General Equilibrium Analysis for Spain

25 p.Market instruments are a core element of policies to mitigate climate change. Choosing and designing the right instruments can help to minimise mitigation costs. This paper seeks to analyse various market instruments for CO2 mitigation from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness, using an AGE (applied general equilibrium) model for the case of Spain. A distinction is drawn between (1) quantity instruments, which represent different extents of a market for emission permits; and (2) price instruments, which represent different types of tax. The analysis quantifies the importance of making the right choice as to which sectors are excluded from the permit market, and of targeting taxes correctly

Carbon leakage and the future of Old Industrial Regions after Copenhagen

CO2 prices will continue to differ from one country to another for a long time, even if a global post-Kyoto agreement is achieved in the near future. The non-homogeneous nature of climate policies may decrease the competitiveness of some industries with the risk of relocation of activities due to carbon leakage. One of most exposed industries in Europe is iron and steel, as it is highly CO2-intensive and relatively open to international trade. Most studies estimate a leakage of up to 20% as a consequence of all the industrial production activities that are expected to be relocated, and a level of relocation ranging from 1.5% to 35% specifically for the iron and steel sector. This might seem a relatively small macroeconomic impact if measured at country or EU level. However, the picture may be quite different if the analysis is conducted at sub-national level. Therefore, one could argue that there is an important gap in the literature as the relevant studies are applied to a large geographical scale when the fact is that in Europe this industry is highly concentrated in certain specific regions, i.e. the so-called Old Industrial Regions (OIR). This paper seeks to analyse the impact that different levels of relocation of the iron and steel industry in the OIRs will have as a consequence of climate policy. This is done using an AGE (Applied General Equilibrium) model. The results show that although these effects may be diluted from a national perspective, the impact for incumbent regions may be very large, and may in fact significantly reduce their GDPs. Another important outcome emerges when the costs of CO2 reduction derived from industry relocation and from cost-effective policies are compared. Although relocation of industrial activity (i.e. forced output change) can reduce CO2, the cost is very high compared with other options (e.g. induced input substitution). These results can help national and regional policy makers understand the necessary linkages between their environmental and industrial policies.Climate Policy, Regional Economics