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Greenhouse gas taxes on animal food products: rationale, tax scheme and climate mitigation effects

Wirsenius, S ; Hedenus, F and Mohlin, K (2011) In Climatic Change 108(02-jan). p.159-184
Abstract
Agriculture is responsible for 25-30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but has thus far been largely exempted from climate policies. Because of high monitoring costs and comparatively low technical potential for emission reductions in the agricultural sector, output taxes on emission-intensive agricultural goods may be an efficient policy instrument to deal with agricultural GHG emissions. In this study we assess the emission mitigation potential of GHG weighted consumption taxes on animal food products in the EU. We also estimate the decrease in agricultural land area through the related changes in food production and the additional mitigation potential in devoting this land to bioenergy production. Estimates are... (More)
Agriculture is responsible for 25-30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but has thus far been largely exempted from climate policies. Because of high monitoring costs and comparatively low technical potential for emission reductions in the agricultural sector, output taxes on emission-intensive agricultural goods may be an efficient policy instrument to deal with agricultural GHG emissions. In this study we assess the emission mitigation potential of GHG weighted consumption taxes on animal food products in the EU. We also estimate the decrease in agricultural land area through the related changes in food production and the additional mitigation potential in devoting this land to bioenergy production. Estimates are based on a model of food consumption and the related land use and GHG emissions in the EU. Results indicate that agricultural emissions in the EU27 can be reduced by approximately 32 million tons of CO2-eq with a GHG weighted tax on animal food products corresponding to a,not sign60 per ton CO2-eq. The effect of the tax is estimated to be six times higher if lignocellulosic crops are grown on the land made available and used to substitute for coal in power generation. Most of the effect of a GHG weighted tax on animal food can be captured by taxing the consumption of ruminant meat alone. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Climatic Change
volume
108
issue
02-jan
pages
159 - 184
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:80052271823
ISSN
0165-0009
DOI
10.1007/s10584-010-9971-x
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
1d801742-18a1-4f58-8ee8-5af8648a4cfd (old id 4448583)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:05:41
date last changed
2022-04-19 22:28:21
@article{1d801742-18a1-4f58-8ee8-5af8648a4cfd,
  abstract     = {{Agriculture is responsible for 25-30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but has thus far been largely exempted from climate policies. Because of high monitoring costs and comparatively low technical potential for emission reductions in the agricultural sector, output taxes on emission-intensive agricultural goods may be an efficient policy instrument to deal with agricultural GHG emissions. In this study we assess the emission mitigation potential of GHG weighted consumption taxes on animal food products in the EU. We also estimate the decrease in agricultural land area through the related changes in food production and the additional mitigation potential in devoting this land to bioenergy production. Estimates are based on a model of food consumption and the related land use and GHG emissions in the EU. Results indicate that agricultural emissions in the EU27 can be reduced by approximately 32 million tons of CO2-eq with a GHG weighted tax on animal food products corresponding to a,not sign60 per ton CO2-eq. The effect of the tax is estimated to be six times higher if lignocellulosic crops are grown on the land made available and used to substitute for coal in power generation. Most of the effect of a GHG weighted tax on animal food can be captured by taxing the consumption of ruminant meat alone.}},
  author       = {{Wirsenius, S and Hedenus, F and Mohlin, K}},
  issn         = {{0165-0009}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{02-jan}},
  pages        = {{159--184}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Climatic Change}},
  title        = {{Greenhouse gas taxes on animal food products: rationale, tax scheme and climate mitigation effects}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-010-9971-x}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10584-010-9971-x}},
  volume       = {{108}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}