COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF EMISSIONS TRADING SYSTEMS AND CARBON TAXES: IMPLEMENTATIONS IN CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION THROUGH CARBON PRICING

Year 2024, Issue: Sustainability and Green Economics Special Issue, 18 - 35, 13.06.2024

Sefa Öztürk

https://doi.org/10.14780/muiibd.1413634

Abstract

Climate change, driven by human activities, results in global warming, sea level rise, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem damage. To combat these issues, carbon pricing is being utilized. This policy strategy assigns costs to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, considering their negative impact on society and the environment, thus encouraging reduction of emissions. Two main methods of implementing carbon pricing are emissions trading systems (ETS), where the carbon price is market-determined, and carbon tax, where the carbon price is pre-established. This study compares carbon taxes and ETSs as regulatory measures for mitigating climate change. Focusing on aspects of policy design and implementation— efficiency, political durability, policy consistency, flexibility and adaptability, predictability, and environmental certainty—the main argument of the study hinges on the distinct nature of price formation in these mechanisms - carbon taxes define prices directly, whereas ETSs rely on market dynamics for price determination. This fundamental divergence significantly shapes the operational dynamics of climate mitigation policies. The study highlights the unique strengths and limitations inherent in ETSs and carbon taxes, underscoring the necessity of viewing these mechanisms not as alternatives but as synergistic strategies for a policy design in combating climate change.

Keywords

International Environmental Politics, Policy Design, Climate Change, Emission Trading Systems, Carbon Taxes

EMİSYON TİCARET SİSTEMLERİ VE KARBON VERGİLERİNİN KARŞILAŞTIRMALI DEĞERLENDİRMESİ: KARBON FİYATLANDIRMASI YOLUYLA İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİNİN AZALTILMASINA İLİŞKİN UYGULAMALAR

Abstract

İnsan kaynaklı iklim değişikliği, küresel ısınmaya, deniz seviyesinin yükselmesine, aşırı hava olaylarına yol açmakta, biyoçeşitlilik kaybına ve ekosistemlere zarar vermektedir. Bu sorunlarla mücadele etmek için bir politika stratejisi olarak karbon fiyatlandırması kullanılmaktadır. Bu strateji, sera gazı emisyonlarına maliyet atfeder ve bu emisyonların toplum ve çevre üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerini göz önünde bulundurarak emisyon azaltımını teşvik eder. Karbon fiyatlandırmasının uygulanmasında iki ana yöntem, karbon fiyatının piyasa tarafından belirlendiği emisyon ticaret sistemleri (ETS) ve karbon fiyatının önceden belirlendiği karbon vergisidir. Bu çalışma, iklim değişikliğine dönük düzenleyici önlemler olarak karbon vergilerini ve ETS'leri karşılaştırmaktadır. Politika tasarımı ve uygulamasının yönleri üzerine odaklanarak - verimlilik, politik dayanıklılık, politika tutarlılığı, esneklik ve uyum kabiliyeti, öngörülebilirlik ve çevresel kesinlik - çalışmanın ana argümanı, bu mekanizmalardaki fiyat oluşumunun farklı doğasına dayanır - karbon vergileri doğrudan fiyat belirlerken, ETS'ler fiyat belirleme için piyasa dinamiklerine bağlıdır. Bu temel farklılık, iklim değişikliğiyle mücadele politikalarının operasyonel dinamiklerini önemli ölçüde şekillendirir. Çalışma, ETS'lerin ve karbon vergilerinin kendine has güçlü ve zayıf yönlerini vurgularken, bu mekanizmaların alternatifler olarak değil, iklim değişikliğiyle mücadelede politika tasarımında sinerjik stratejiler olarak ele alınması gerektiğini ortaya koyar.

Keywords

Uluslararası Çevre Politikası, Siyasa Tasarımı, İklim Değişikliği, Emisyon Ticaret Sistemleri, Karbon Vergisi

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