Abstract

ABSTRACT : An integrated assessment model of climate and the economy (IAM) has been a standard tool for the economic analysis of climate change and policy recommendations. Since policy measures to address climate change take places at a national level, a regional integrated assessment model of climate and the economy (RIAM) is gaining more importance. A RIAM is a useful tool for the assessment of regional (or national) impacts of climate change. This paper investigates the main features of the currently available RIAMs. The focus is social welfare functions and the regional aspects of climate change. The comparative analysis shows that there is a huge gap between the economics of climate change and its applications to RIAMs. As an application, this paper examines the effect of social welfare functions on optimal solutions of the RICE (Regional Integrated model of Climate and the Economy) model. It is found that optimal climate policy such as carbon tax or emissions control rate is very sensitive to the assumptions on social welfare functions of RIAMs. It is better for each country to have their own RIAM as a basic tool for national climate policy-making and for international bargaining in greenhouse-gas mitigation. This is because a country’s own preferences such as efficiency, equity, and sustainable development as well as national circumstances can be reflected in RIAM. The Republic of Korea has not developed its own RIAM yet. The comparative analysis and the numerical model in this paper can be a stepping stone for the development of such a national model.Keywords : Climate change, Climate policy, Integrated assessment, Regional assessment model, RICE

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