Climate Change Policy After Kyoto: Blueprint for a Realistic Approach [Paperback]

Warwick J. McKibbin (Author), Peter J. Wilcoxen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

The Kyoto Protocol represents nearly a decade of interational effort to reduce carbon emissions, but it has not been ratified by any major greenhouse emitter and it has been rejected by the US. This text argues that the contemporary approach of international negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol is going in the wrong direction, and it offers what the authors believe is a blueprint for more effective policy. They believe that managing uncertainty - particularly the future costs of any plan - is key to realistic climate policy. They maintain that sustainable policy should meet four basic criteria: it should slow down carbon dioxide emissions where it is cost-effective to do so; compensate those who are hurt economically; require a high degree of consensus both domestically and internationally; and allow countries to enter the programme easily and continue to participate even if they drop out of the agreement at certain times. The book summarizes the contemporary state of knowledge about climate change and discusses the history of negotiations since 1992 - in the process identifying the Kyoto Protocol as the wrong approach to the problem.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter J. Wilcoxen is an associate professor in the department of economics at the University of Texas, Austin, and a nonresident senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution.

Warwick J. McKibbin is a professor of international economics and head of the Economics Division at the Australian National University’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. He also is a nonresident senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at the Brookings Institution and a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815706073
• ISBN-13: 978-0815706076
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,227,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Very readable but requires a business-as-usual approach to pollution, April 14, 2010

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Mrs. Lynette Molyneaux - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Climate Change Policy After Kyoto: Blueprint for a Realistic Approach (Paperback)

McKibbin writes clearly and illustrates his arguments well, but he proposes a business-as-usual approach to pollution until the climate science is clarified. This business-as-usual approach involves giving polluters long-term permits to pollute. Besides the fact that this implies that pollution isn't really a problem, it will create a substantial cost to society if the long-term permits need to be clawed back. This will be a particularly gritty problem internationally since there will be dispute about who will pay for the buy-back of permits from developing countries. His system also provides virtually no incentive for investment in pollution abatement, which is the real reason behind any mechanism. Well worth the read though for those interested in contesting the received opinion around emissions trading systems.