Long-Term Mitigation Strategies and Marginal Abatement Cost Curves : A Case Study on Brazil

Decision makers facing abatement targets need to decide which abatement measures to implement, and in which order. This paper investigates the ability of marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves to inform this decision, reanalysing a MAC curve developed by the World Bank on Brazil. Misinterpreting MAC curves and focusing on short-term targets (e.g., for 2020) would lead to under-invest in expensive, long-to-implement and large-potential options, such as clean transportation infrastructure. Meeting short-term targets with marginal energy-efficiency improvements would lead to carbon-intensive lock-ins that make longer-term targets (e.g., for 2030 and beyond) impossible or too expensive to reach. Improvements to existing MAC curves are proposed, based on (1) enhanced data collection and reporting; (2) a simple optimization tool that accounts for constraints on implementation speeds; and (3) new graphical representations of MAC curves. Designing climate mitigation policies can be done through a pragmatic combination of two approaches. The synergy approach is based on MAC curves to identify the cheapest mitigation options and maximize co-benefits. The urgency approach considers the long-term objective (e.g., halving emissions by 2050) and works backward to identify actions that need to be implemented early, such as public support to clean infrastructure and zero-carbon technologies.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	de Gouvello, Christophe, Vogt-Schilb, Adrien, Hallegatte, Stephane
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2014-03
Subjects:	ABATEMENT COSTS, ABATEMENT MEASURES, ABATEMENT POTENTIAL, AIR, ALLOWABLE CARBON EMISSIONS, AMOUNT OF EMISSIONS, APPROACH, AVAILABILITY, BIOMASS, CARBON, CARBON BUDGET, CARBON ECONOMY, CARBON INTENSITY, CARBON NEUTRAL, CARBON PRICE, CARBON TAX, CARBON TECHNOLOGIES, CLIMATE, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, CLIMATE POLICY, CLIMATE PROBLEM, CLIMATIC CHANGE, CO, CO2, COMBUSTION, COST OF ABATEMENT, CUMULATIVE EMISSIONS, DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY, DIESEL, DIFFUSION, DISCOUNT RATE, ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EFFICIENCY GAINS, EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ELECTRICITY, ELECTRICITY DEMAND, ELECTRICITY DEMAND GROWTH, ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, EMISSION, EMISSION ABATEMENT, EMISSION BASELINE, EMISSION REDUCTION, EMISSION REDUCTION MEASURES, EMISSION SCENARIO, EMISSION SCENARIOS, EMISSION TARGET, EMISSION-REDUCTION, EMISSIONS, EMISSIONS ABATEMENT, EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION, ENERGY ECONOMICS, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS, ENERGY POLICY, ENERGY SAVINGS, ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, ETHANOL, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOREST, FOREST MANAGEMENT, FOSSIL, FOSSIL FUEL, FOSSIL FUELS, FUEL TYPE, GASOLINE, GASOLINE USE, GHG, GLOBAL GREENHOUSE, GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS, GLOBAL WARMING, GREENHOUSE, GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS ABATEMENT, GREENHOUSE GAS ABATEMENT COST, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION, HEAT, HEAT RECOVERY, HYDRO POWER, IMPORTS, LIGHTNING, LOW-CARBON, LOW-COST EMISSION REDUCTIONS, MARGINAL ABATEMENT, MARGINAL ABATEMENT COST, MARGINAL COST, MARGINAL ENERGY, MAXIMUM PENETRATION, MAXIMUM PENETRATION RATE, NATURAL GAS, NATURAL RESOURCES, NUCLEAR POWER, OIL, OIL IMPORTS, PASTURE LAND, PEAK POWER, PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POLICY MAKERS, POWER GENERATION, POWER SECTOR, PP, PRICE SIGNAL, RECOVERY FURNACE, REFINERIES, RENEWABLE POWER, RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, RESOURCE ECONOMICS, SAND, SUPPLY CURVE, SUPPLY CURVES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TAX REVENUE, UNCERTAINTIES, WASTE, WASTE RECYCLING, WASTE REDUCTION, WIND, WIND POWER, ZERO EMISSIONS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/03/19258772/long-term-mitigation-strategies-marginal-abatement-cost-curves-case-study-brazil https://hdl.handle.net/10986/17284
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!