infonet-economy

Given the USA`s refusal to ratify there is little hope for the Kyoto agreement on curbing CO2 emissions. This paper thus pledges for a national energy policy beyond Kyoto based on local external effects stemming from the combustion of fossil fuels. Due to varying external effects a national policy will differentiate energy taxes between fuels. Using Swiss estimates of external effects it is shown that a national policy would fulfill the Kyoto goal as a secondary benefit. Moreover, a nationally based fossil fuel policy would affect the scope for an international trade of CO2 emission rights, as a net-buyer of emission rights will loose from participating in such a trade.