The economics of changing course: Implications of adaptability and inertia for optimal climate policy

• Published in: Energy policy 1995-04, Vol.23 (4), p.417-431
• Main Authors: Grubb, Michael, Chapuis, Thierry, Duong, Minh Ha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adaptive responses; Applied sciences; Climate; Climate policy; Economic models; Economics; Economics and Finance; Energy; Energy economics; Energy policy; Environmental economics; Environmental policy; Exact sciences and technology; General, economic and professional studies; Global warming; Greenhouse effect; Humanities and Social Sciences; Pollution control costs; Public policy; Studies; Technological change; Technology
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/0301-4215(95)90167-6

This paper reviews evidence that energy technologies and systems adapt over time to accommodate external pressures: that technical innovation and systemic change in the energy sector is largely induced by need, and restrained by potentially large transitional costs. A simple integrated model of optimal greenhouse gas abatement over time is presented, in which the abatement cost depends on both fixed and transitional elements. It is shown that the optimal current response and long-run prospects differ radically between the classical economic case — in which the cost of a given cutback in emissions is fixed exogenously — and the adaptive case — in which the response is ultimately adaptive but heavily constrained by inertia (ie low fixed but high transitional cost). If energy systems are indeed to a large degree adaptive, the results demonstrate that as compared with the classical non-adaptive case: long-run stabilization of atmospheric CO 2 may be optimal even with moderate damages from climate change; greater near-term abatement efforts are justified; and the cost of a given delay in response may be several times higher. Neglect of the issue of induced technical change and other adaptive responses may invalidate the policy implications drawn from most integrated assessment models developed to date.