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Although economists prefer a unique, economy-wide carbon price, climate policies are likely to continue to combine technology- and sector-specific regulations with, at best, some degree of carbon pricing. A hybrid energy-economy model that combines technological details with partial macro-economic feedbacks offers a means of estimating the likely effects of this kind of policy mix, especially under different scenarios of technological innovation. We applied such a model, called CIMS-US, in a model comparison project directed by the Energy Modeling Forum at Stanford University (EMF 24) and present here the interrelated effects of policies focused separately on electricity and transportation. We find that technological innovation encouraged by transportation regulation can inadvertently increase emissions from electricity generation and ethanol production to the extent that abatement from the regulation itself is effectively neutralized. When, however, regulation of electricity generation is combined with transportation policy or there is economy-wide carbon pricing, substantial abatement occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores how to design public policy mechanisms to stimulate rather than impede pollution-preventing technological innovation. Role of the government in technological innovation for a minimal waste society; Design criteria for policy for `green' technological innovation; Assessment of the United States environmental policy as a stimulus for `green' innovation.

The New York City Department of Sanitation operates the world's largest refuse marine transport system. Waste trucks unload their cargo at land-based transfer stations where refuse is placed in barges and then towed by tugboats to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island. In the early 1980s, the city commissioned the development of a computer-based model for use in fleet sizing and operations planning. As a result of the complexities introduced by environmental regulation and technological innovation, the marine transport system operations changed and the existing model became obsolete. Based on the success achieved with the first model in 1993, the city commissioned the development of a new model. In this paper, we present a PG-based model developed to meet the increased complexity of the system. Analysis performed for validation and calibration of the model demonstrates that it tracks well the operations of the real system. We illustrate through a detailed design exercise how to use the model to configure the system in a way that meets the requirements of the refuse marine transport system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]