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Carmen Bunzl - Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Carmen Bunzl - Universidad Pontificia Comillas

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Chapter 5. Conclusions 247<br />

The next climate change regime must stimulate technological innovation. A<br />

long-term effort to address climate change will require the development and<br />

deployment of zero-emitting technologies. To stimulate the innovation<br />

necessary to deliver these new technologies, international climate policy should<br />

create both technology push (public support for R&D) and market pull (stable<br />

economic incentives for innovation and widespread technology development)<br />

incentives.<br />

The most effective incentives to pull new technology into the market are<br />

those that put a price on greenhouse gas emissions, like a cap-and-trade system.<br />

These policy instruments would discourage the continued investment in<br />

carbon-intensive capital, and with time it is expected that they will induce<br />

technological change. Also, via their impact in energy prices, carbon prices<br />

would help in changing patterns of energy consumption. Besides, economic<br />

rents from carbon markets might be used to fund innovation efforts in new<br />

clean technologies.<br />

However, carbon prices will not suffice to promote the required deployment of<br />

low-carbon technologies. Stable and high prices would drive investments in<br />

new clean technologies; in practice, this is not achieved because of low carbon<br />

price levels, price volatility and uncertainty, among others. An alternative<br />

approach would be to subsidize investment in new, climate-friendly<br />

technologies.<br />

Technology oriented agreements (TOAs) (presented in Chapter 2, Section<br />

2.4) as complements for carbon commitments will certainly be needed; if energy and<br />

carbon markets do not provide sufficiently strong incentives, TOAs can help in<br />

promoting technological progress.<br />

Energy efficiency should be the major instrument for climate change<br />

mitigation, especially in developing countries, both due to its potential and to<br />

its low cost compared to other alternatives. Renewable energy is another low-<br />

carbon, sustainable technology; more efficient instruments should be promoted,<br />

Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería ICAI <strong>Carmen</strong> <strong>Bunzl</strong> Boulet Junio 2008

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