1. The Timing of Benefits of Climate Policies. Reconsidering the Opportunity Cost Argument.
- Author
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Meyer, Lukas H. and Roser, Dominic
- Subjects
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GOVERNMENT policy on climate change , *CLIMATE change mitigation , *CLIMATOLOGY , *ENVIRONMENTAL protection , *CLIMATE in greenhouses , *GREENHOUSE effect , *GLOBAL warming , *GREENHOUSE gas mitigation , *POLLUTION prevention , *GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
The article discusses detailed aspects of the Opportunity Cost Argument (OCA). It provides an overview on the different understandings of discounting and claim that it is supported by the OCA and that the timing of the benefits of a policy affects whether there is a good reason to pursue the policy. It explores the roles of the timing of future benefits and harms resulting from climate policies in making a difference to the evaluation of the policies. It also offers the definition of discounting, aiming at an inventory of the OCA, and the counterpart of discounting the future.
- Published
- 2012
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