An experimental analysis of grandfathering vs dynamic auctioning in the EU ETS

This study constitutes a first attempt to experimentally test the performance of a 100% auction versus a 100% free allocation of CO2 permits under the rules and parameters that mimic the EU ETS (imperfect competition, uncertainty in emissions’ control, and allowing banking). It also incorporates a first attempt to include in the analysis measures of the risk preferences of subjects participating in emission permits experiments. Another distinctive feature of this study is the implementation of a theoretically appropriate auction format for the primary allocation of emission permits. Our experimental results indicate that the EU ETS has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions, achieving targets considerably more restrictive than the current ones at high efficiency levels, both with auctioned and free emission permits. Auctioning, however, reveals a clear potential to do better than grandfathering the initial allocation of permits. In addition, the results reveal that concerns about undue scarcity, and corresponding high prices, in secondary markets generated by a primary auction market are not warranted under the proposed dynamic auction format.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) - POCTI/ECO/45435/0

A Gestão de Informação de I&D e o Acesso Aberto na Universidade do Porto

A Universidade do Porto dispõe de um sistema de informação integrado de suporteàs várias vertentes da sua atividade, de administração e gestão, de ensino,de investigação e desenvolvimento, e de extensão universitária. O registoda produção científica da comunidade académica neste sistema de informaçãoiniciou-se em 1996, na Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto. Esteregisto generalizou-se às catorze faculdades da Universidade em 2003. Em 2007,reconhecendo os benefícios do acesso aberto à literatura científica e a sua importânciapara potenciar a visibilidade e o impacto da investigação, a Universidadedecidiu criar um repositório aberto, que evoluiu para um repositório institucional.Para além da vertente de repositório aberto, o repositório institucionalinclui uma vertente temática e uma vertente de suporte a dados científicos. Osistema de informação e o repositório institucional estão interligados constituindo-se como os principais suportes da gestão de informação de I&D na Universidadedo Porto.The University of Porto has an integrated information system that supportsdifferent aspects of its activity, such as administration and management, education,research and development and university extension. It was in 1996, inthe Faculty of Engineering, that began the registration of the scientific productionof the academic community in this information system. In 2003, the registrationwas generalized to the fourteen faculties of the University. In 2007,recognizing the benefits of open access to scientific literature and its importanceto enhance the visibility and impact of research, the University decided tocreate an open repository, which evolved into an institutional repository. Besidesthe open repository, the institutional repository includes two other components,one of thematic nature, other to support scientific data. The informationsystem and the institutional repository are interconnected, being themain support of the R&D information management at the University of Porto

More on the dynamic Vickrey mechanism for multi-unit auctions: an experimental study on the emission permits initial auction

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the multiple-units auction literature, by testing the performance of the dynamic Vickrey auction (the Ausubel model), in an experimental setting, representing the functioning of an emission permits market with an Ausubel auction for the initial allocation of permits. Other features of the experiment include the possibility of banking and the inclusion of uncertainty, and the parameters were set so as to replicate an environment similar to the EU-ETS market. Our results reveal that emission permits are not exactly allocated as theoretically predicted in the Ausubel auction although the differences are not statistically significant. Comparison of our results with previous experimental studies on the same auction mechanism, although under very different conditions, indicate no relevant differences exist on the Ausubel auction performance, which is an important policy indication when decisions are being taken on the implementation of several auctions for multiple units, namely in the context of the EU-ETS.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)We thank FCT for research support under grant POCTI/ECO/45435/02. Financial support from NIMA is also appretiated

The influence of urban form on facades noise levels

The urban form affects directly the natural habitats, ecosystems and the different species. Indirectly the urban form influences the behavior of the trajectory, which in turn affects the air quality, the global climate and of course the noise propagation. This paper seeks to address the problems of the urban environment as an area of interaction between urban forms and urban noise. This interaction is intended to be monitored by urban indicators, comparing the effects of noise propagation in model of urban forms. The model of noise prediction (NMPB96), allowed to develop studies about noise in facades (Ld, level of noise during the day), resulting in colors associated to noise categories. The study will allow the creation of different scenarios and foresee still in the draft fase, the facades exposed to a higher noise level. The effects of noise in facades can be then minimized in advance, by adjusting the layout of their typology.(undefined

How urban noise can be influenced by the urban form

The noise propagation is influenced by the behavior of the sound trajectory. The temperatures, the wind, the type of soil are other elements that influence the noise propagation. But the mainly causer of trajectory alterations are the barriers or the urban obstacles. Therefore the study will allow monitoring the interaction of noise propagation effects in the studied urban forms. Using urban indicators and a noise prediction model is possible to associated noise categories to urban façades forms. The effects of noise in façades can be minimized in advance with the creation of different scenarios and foresee in a preliminary phase the most exposed façade to a higher noise level

Urban form as environmental noise indicators

The urban form affects all systems and all species in an urban context and influences their behavior from the emission of noise, through its course until reaching the receiver, affecting the global climate. This paper seeks to address the problems of the urban environment as an area of interaction between urban forms and urban noise. This interaction is intended to be monitored by urban indicators, comparing the effects of noise propagation in an urban form model. The model of noise prediction (NMPB96), allows the development of studies about noise in facades (Ld, level of noise during the day), resulting in colors associated to noise categories. This study will allow the creation of different scenarios and to foresee, still in the draft phase, the facades exposed to a higher noise level. The effects of noise in facades can be, then, minimized in advance, by adjusting the layout of their typology. In order to validate the model and its results, we compared the values obtained at selected locations by modeling them. The validation of the theoretical curves was done in two phases. The first validation involved the measurement and the modeling of the selected real forms by comparing their receptor points. The second validation was done by calculating the average noise level on the facade of the modeled real forms, and then validated by comparing the calculation results of the indicators of form and behavior of the theoretical forms in order to correspond to its homonymous removed and measured in its real context. The study allowed the creation of different scenarios and anticipates, from its conception stage, the facades which have higher exposure to noise. Therefore, it is possible to minimize, in advance, the effects of noise on the facades, using the adjustment of the layout and configuration of the building form. The results showed that the physical characteristics of urban form influence sound propagation in a certain area. The urban parameters are important for determining sound of urban environment and, therefore, cannot be disregarded.(undefined

European Union's CO2 emission permits market : an experimental study

Global warming is a major issue on international political agendas regardless of the uncertainties and divergences still remaining on the real dimension of the problem. Scientific community disagreement on its true consequences for human life is even bigger but public opinion urges for action. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions became the target and its mitigation compulsory, as they are pointed as key responsible for the sudden and severe global climate change we are facing. Therefore, to choose the best policy instrument to achieve this environmental goal while minimizing the consequences for economies competitiveness is a crucial task (...)info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

The Ausubel auction in the EU ETS

Comunicação apresentada no ESA – Economic Science Association Regional Meeting Europe, Innsbruck, Austria, 2009.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

A influência da forma urbana na propagação do ruído urbano

A forma urbana afecta directamente os habitats naturais, os ecossistemas e as diferentes espécies. Indirectamente a forma urbana, influencia o comportamento do trajecto, que por sua vez, afecta a qualidade do ar, o clima global e naturalmente a propagação do ruído. O presente trabalho pretende, abordar a problemática do ambiente urbano, enquanto espaço de interacção de formas urbanas e ruído urbano. Essa interacção, pretende ser monitorizada por indicadores urbanos, comparando os efeitos da propagação de ruído, nas formas urbanas tipo. O modelo de previsão de ruído (NMPB96), permitiu desenvolver estudos de ruído em fachadas (Ld, Nível de ruído do período diurno), que resulta em cores associadas a classes de ruído. O estudo poderá permitir com a criação de diferentes cenários antever já em fase de projecto, as fachadas expostas a um nível de ruído mais elevado, podendo minimizar assim antecipadamente, os efeitos do ruído nas fachadas, ajustando a disposição da sua tipologia