Edward Elgar Publishing Instruments for Climate Policy: Limited versus Unlimited Flexibility (New Horizons in Environmental Economics series)

The Kyoto Protocol introduced international flexible mechanisms into climate policy and since then, the design and most effective use of flexible instruments have become key areas for climate policy research. Instruments for Climate Policy focuses on economic and political aspects related to the recent proposals and the debate on limits in flexibility, and discusses EU and US perspectives on climate policy instruments and strategies. This is followed by chapters on economic efficiency and the use of flexible instruments as well as contributions to the debate on 'when flexibility', on the arguments behind the EU ceilings proposal and on voluntary approaches to climate policy. One of the main conclusions reached with respect to proposals for limiting flexibility is the need to evaluate simultaneously their economic, ecological and international political consequences. The authors include both important policymakers and leading academics in the area. Academics, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and journalists interested in environmental economics will all find this an illuminating volume, as will political scientists.