Arbeitspapier
Optimal Learning on Climate Change: Why Climate Skeptics should reduce Emissions
Climate skeptics argue that the possibility that global warming is exogenous implies that we should not take additional action towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions until we know more. However this paper shows that even climate skeptics have an incentive to reduce emissions: such a change of direction facilitates their learning process on the causes of global warming. Since the optimal policy action depends on these causes, they are valuable to know. Although an increase in emissions would also ease learning, that option is shown to be inferior because emitting greenhouse gases is irreversible. Consequently the policy implications of the different positions in the global warming debate turn out to coincide - thereby diminishing the relevance of this debate from a policy perspective. Uncertainty is no reason for inaction.
- Language
-
Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
-
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper ; No. 12-085/2
- Classification
-
Wirtschaft
Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
Climate; Natural Disasters and Their Management; Global Warming
Environmental Economics: Government Policy
- Subject
-
climate policy
global warming
climate skepticism
active learning
irreversibilities
Klimawandel
Luftverschmutzung
Umweltschutz
Öffentliche Meinung
Lernen
Wohlfahrtstheorie
- Event
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
-
van Wijnbergen, Sweder
Willems, Tim
- Event
-
Veröffentlichung
- (who)
-
Tinbergen Institute
- (where)
-
Amsterdam and Rotterdam
- (when)
-
2012
- Handle
- URN
-
urn:nbn:nl:ui:29-442084
- Last update
-
10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET
Data provider
This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- van Wijnbergen, Sweder
- Willems, Tim
- Tinbergen Institute
Time of origin
- 2012
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