The Economics and Politics of Climate Change

The international framework for a climate change agreement is up for review as the initial Kyoto period comes to an end in 2012. Although there has been much enthusiasm from political and environmental groups, the underlying economics and politics remain highly controversial. This book takes a cool headed look at the critical roadblocks to agreement. It examines the economics of climate change and the incentives of the main players (the US, EU, and China), and considers the policies that governments can put in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately shift our economies onto a low carbon path.

Dieter Helm is Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of New College. Cameron Hepburn is a Senior Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics and a Research Fellow at New College, Oxford.