L24-Public Policies towards Pollution

Here are some optional readings and videos.

1. This article reports that the Pope's encyclical on climate change states, "The strategy of buying and selling emissions credits can give rise to a new form of speculation and would not serve to reduce the global emission of polluting gas. This system seems to be a quick and easy solution with the appearance of a certain commitment to the environment, which however does not imply by any means a radical change in the scale of circumstances. Thus, it may become an expedient that supports continued excessive consumption by certain countries and sectors."
2. Watch MRUniversity A Deeper Look at Tradeable Allowances. It includes a nice comparison of using taxes to reduce pollution with using cap and trade. EcoGeek on cap and trade, carbon. He discusses some of the common arguments against cap and trade.
3. Environmental defense fund on cap and trade, sulfur dioxide. It doesn't describe how the government creates the cap. It does discuss that cap and trade achieves a given reduction in pollution at a lower cost than command and control.
4. This article is a nice summary of carbon taxes around the world.
5. This article is a nice definition of a carbon tax and its effects.
6. Video: Carbon Tax from Australia,
7. Clip on cap and trade. It talks about how the UN distributes permits to emit CO2 to countries who signed the Kyoto Protocol. The US did not sign the Kyoto Protocol.
8. Annie Leonard is not a fan of cap and trade