The economics and policy of municipal solid waste management.

This thesis contributes to the environmental economics and policy of sustainable municipal solid waste management. Significant market and government failures are present that lead to inefficiently high levels of waste generation and distort the optimal allocation of waste to the various disposal options available. The aims of the thesis are to identify and analyse the socio-economic, policy, spatial, as well as attitudinal determinants of municipal solid waste generation, disposal and recycling, at the international macro-economic level and at the household level. The former is conducted using cross-sectional time-series data from the 30 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) over the period 1980 to 2000, whereas the latter is undertaken using original survey data collected from 188 households in London, UK. Three distinct methods have been adopted to undertake this investigation namely panel data econometrics, spatial econometrics techniques, and the stated preference choice experiment method. Conforming with previous studies, the results from the panel data econometrics indicate that waste generation is income inelastic. However, higher income levels are associated with smaller proportions of municipal solid waste disposed of at landfills and greater proportions of paper/cardboard and glass recycling. The role of urbanisation, population density and waste management policies are also examined. Moreover, spatial interaction is present in waste management and policy-making suggesting that governments may be acting strategically in their decision-making processes. Finally, the results from the choice experiment indicate that households are willing to pay for the number of 'dry' materials collected, and the collection of compost, while textile collection and the frequency of kerbside collection is less important. These insights into municipal solid waste management can assist policy-makers in designing and implementing efficient and cost-effective policies in developed countries, helping to promote sustainable municipal solid waste management

The future of the CDM: same same, but differentiated?

Policy-makers and scientists have raised concerns about the functioning of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), in particular regarding its low contribution to sustainable development, unbalanced regional and sectoral distribution of projects, and its limited contribution to global emission reductions. Differentiation between countries or project types has been proposed as a possible way forward to address these problems. An overview is provided of the different ways in which CDM differentiation could be implemented. The implications for the actors involved in the CDM are analysed, along with a quantitative assessment of the impacts on the carbon market, using bottom-up marginal abatement cost curves. The discounting of CDM credits, quota systems, or differentiated eligibility of countries could help to address several of the concerns raised. Preferential treatment may also make a limited contribution to achieving the aims of CDM differentiation by increasing opportunities for under-represented host countries. The impact on the carbon market appears to be limited for most options

Economic incentives to reduce pollution from road transport: the case for vehicle characteristics taxes

Although economists have long been advocating the use incentive-based policies to internalise the external costs of pollution from road transport, implementation of a "pigovian" tax presents considerable practical difficulties. As such, a number of "second-best" policies have been suggested, and this article presents the case for a vehicle characteristics tax. It is argued that such taxes, when used in conjunction with a fuel tax, can lead to outcomes that are more economically efficient than many of the other measures proposed or implemented. The argument is given some support by an analysis of vehicular emissions in the American vehicle stock.

A Concerted Approach to Biodiversity, Water, Food, and Trade

IIASA and OECD’s capacities to analyse the biodiversity, water, food, and trade systems are illustrated. Studies that would benefit from integration of their approaches, data, and tools are suggested. (1) Globally consistent national efforts for biodiversity. IIASA’s statistical and empirical approaches combined with OECD’s policy expertise to build scenarios of policy efforts across countries. (2) Exploring the role of trade in climate risks resilience to identify trade policy strategies combined with robust land use strategies capable of mitigating the most adverse impacts for food security and the environment. (3) National policies for SDG-compatible development pathways compatible with the Paris Agreement. Short-term/medium-term focus (OECD) and long-term modelling capacities (IIASA); ex-post policy assessments (OECD) and foresight and sustainable development pathways (IIASA); and bottom-up approaches with very detailed representation of the supply side of agricultural and forestry sectors together with related environmental impacts (IIASA) plus top-down approaches for economic impact assessment (OECD)