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Issues of the Day provides an easy way for students, academics,
journalists, policymakers, and the public to learn about a diverse
range of policy issues affecting the environment, energy,
transportation, and public health. Each commentary gives a short
assessment of a topic, summarizing in a non-technical way the
current state of analysis or evidence on the issue, along with
selected recommendations for further reading. The essays are
written by world renowned scholars, mostly economists, and provide
useful insights on policy problems that are often complex and
poorly understood. Some of the topics covered include air
pollution, hazardous waste, voluntary environmental programs,
domestic (U.S.) and global climate policy design, fishery
management, water quality, endangered species, forest fires, oil
security, solar power, road and airport, fuel taxes and fuel
economy standards, alternative fuel vehicles, health and longevity,
smoking, malaria, tuberculosis, and the environment and
development. The objective is to disseminate the findings of sound,
objective research on the costs, benefits, and appropriate reform
of public policies. The book provides a useful supplement for
undergraduate- and graduate-level course reading, a reference guide
for professionals, and a way for the general reader to quickly
develop an informed perspective on the most important policy
problems of the day. Issues of the Day is available to download as
a PDF from the Resources for the Future website:
www.rff.org/weeklycommentary
Issues of the Day provides an easy way for students, academics,
journalists, policymakers, and the public to learn about a diverse
range of policy issues affecting the environment, energy,
transportation, and public health. Each commentary gives a short
assessment of a topic, summarizing in a non-technical way the
current state of analysis or evidence on the issue, along with
selected recommendations for further reading. The essays are
written by world renowned scholars, mostly economists, and provide
useful insights on policy problems that are often complex and
poorly understood. Some of the topics covered include air
pollution, hazardous waste, voluntary environmental programs,
domestic (U.S.) and global climate policy design, fishery
management, water quality, endangered species, forest fires, oil
security, solar power, road and airport, fuel taxes and fuel
economy standards, alternative fuel vehicles, health and longevity,
smoking, malaria, tuberculosis, and the environment and
development. The objective is to disseminate the findings of sound,
objective research on the costs, benefits, and appropriate reform
of public policies. The book provides a useful supplement for
undergraduate- and graduate-level course reading, a reference guide
for professionals, and a way for the general reader to quickly
develop an informed perspective on the most important policy
problems of the day. Issues of the Day is available to download as
a PDF from the Resources for the Future website:
www.rff.org/weeklycommentary
Energy taxes can produce substantial environmental and revenue
benefits and are an important component of countries' fiscal
systems. Although the principle that these taxes should reflect
global warming, air pollution, road congestion, and other adverse
environmental impacts of energy use is well established, there has
been little previous work providing guidance on how countries can
put this principle into practice. This book develops a practical
methodology, and associated tools, to show how the major
environmental damages from energy can be quantified for different
countries and used to design the efficient set of energy taxes. The
results, which are illustrated for more than 150 countries, suggest
there is pervasive mispricing of energy across developed and
developing countries alike with much at stake in policy reform. At
a global level, implementing efficient energy prices would reduce
carbon emissions by an estimated 23 percent and fossil-fuel air
pollution deaths by 63 percent, while raising revenues (badly
needed for fiscal consolidation and reducing other burdensome
taxes) averaging 2.6 percent of GDP.
Efforts to control atmospheric accumulations of greenhouse gases
that threaten to heat up the planet are in their infancy. Although
the IMF is not an environmental organisation, environmental issues
matter for the organisation's mission when they have major
implications for macroeconomic performance and fiscal policy.
Climate change clearly passes both these tests. This volume
provides practical guidelines for the design of fiscal policies
(carbon taxes and emissions trading systems with allowance
auctions) to reduce greenhouse gases. Not only are these
instruments potentially the most effective at exploiting emission
reduction opportunities in the near and longer term, but they can
also generate for many countries a valuable new source of
government revenue. The chapters, written by leading experts,
explain the case for fiscal policies over other approaches; how
these policies can be implemented; reasonable levels for emissions
prices; policies for the forest sector; appropriate policy for
developing countries; the most promising fiscal instruments for
climate finance; and lessons to be drawn from prior policy
experience. This is essential reading for policymakers in finance
and environment ministries in developed and developing countries
alike, and others grappling with balancing environmental and
development concerns.
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