The Winter 2010 GEC3 Seminar Series Schedule is now available

Seminar Series

An Analysis of a Technology-led

Climate Policy as a

Response to Climate Change

Isabel Galiana

&

Chris Green

Department of Economics, McGill University

Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3)

We analyze a technology-led approach to mitigating CO₂ emissions and stabilizing climate over the course of the 21^st century. A technology-led climate policy would focus effort and commitments on researching and developing effective, scalable, and competitive carbon emission-free energy technologies to displace carbon–emitting ones. Carbon pricing would play two ancillary roles. A low carbon charge ($5.00/tCO₂) would be used to finance long-term commitments to energy R&D. Over time, the charge (tax) would slowly rise, doubling every decade, thereby sending a forward price signal to deploy and diffuse technologies as they “reach the shelf”. The rationales for a technology-led approach to climate policy rest on: (a) the huge energy technology challenge to stabilizing climate; (b) the lack of readiness of current carbon-emission free energy technologies; (c) the limits of the market in inducing fundamental technological change; (d) the energy intensive nature of growth in populous developing countries, especially in Asia; (e) the economic and political limitations of a carbon pricing-led policy; and (f) the large economic cost of “brute force” mitigation policies. We use three different benefit-cost approaches to evaluate the economic value of our technology-led proposal. Each approach shows different relative advantages of a technology-led approach, including the issue of whether there is a chance of limiting global temperature increase to 2°C.

Friday, February 12

3:30 p.m.

Room 426, Burnside Hall

McGill University

All are welcome to attend.

McGill University

Abstract

The Arctic’s climate is changing rapidly, to the extent that ‘dangerous’ climate change as defined by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change might already be occurring. These changes are having implications for Canada’s Inuit population and are being exacerbated by the dependence of Inuit on biophysical resources for livelihoods and the low socio-economic–health status of many northern communities. In the context of projections of a rapidly changing climate in the future, this paper asks the question: Can we adapt to climate change in the Canadian Arctic? Drawing upon community-based vulnerability assessments in all Inuit regions of Canada and extensive interviews with policy makers at multiple levels, it is argued that many of the determinants of Inuit vulnerability represent barriers to adaptation which can be addressed with the right policy support mechanisms. Nevertheless, limits to adaptation are also evident for which there few policies beyond slowing down climate change through mitigation that can help moderate impacts.

The Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3) 2009-10 Seminar Speaker Series presents:

Dr. Laxmi Sushama
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, UQAM
Global Environmental and Climate Change Centre (GEC3)

Abstract:
Interactions between the atmosphere and the underlying surface are important and determine the evolution of many simulated near-surface variables. Efforts are underway within the Canadian Regional Climate Modelling and Diagnostics (CRCMD) network to increase the range and physical realism of land surface processes represented in the Canadian RCM (CRCM). In particular, a number of key feedback processes known to play important role in the Canadian high-latitude will now be included in the CRCM. This implies modelling in unison various interacting components of the climate environment that have been traditionally modelled in isolation, such as near-surface permafrost. This talk will provide an overview of the evolution of land surface schemes, and in particular the ongoing activities related to improving representation of land surface processes and thus land-climate interactions in CRCM.

Friday, November 6, 3:30 p.m.
Room 426, Burnside Hall
McGill University

All are welcome to attend.