The Economics of Energy and Climate Change

10 th conference on the Economics of Energy by Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) and the Institut D’Économie Industrielle (IDEI) in Toulouse on September 8-9, 2015.

This year’s conference features a special focus on climate change issues, in preparation for the United Nations “COP 21” talks this winter (Paris, November 30 to December 11, 2015). Indeed, we aim to provide academic contributions to th is landmark climate change summit, and the scientific committee hence foresees the following topics (non-exhaustive list):

• Energy and development. Over the next 20 years, a significant number of individuals and firms in developing countries will gain reliable access to electric power. What will be the mix of centralized vs. decentralized energy provision? What will be the share of renewables? What will be the impact on climate change?

• Evolution of power industry structure. The last ten years have seen the collapse of the historic utility model in Europe (less so in America, although the model seems to be under threat). Yet, reports of the demise of centralized production may have been greatly exaggerated. What likely evolution scenarii are supported by academic research? What is the role of regulation? What is the political economy of this transformation?

• Housing and transport. Drastic decreases in GHG emissions are expected to arise from more electricity being used in terrestrial transport and in dwelling heating. Should we expect the entry of newcomers in the power industry, in particular oil importers trying to compensate the fall of their market shares?

• Environmental policy for climate change mitigation and adaptation. What regulatory instruments should we implement to mitigate climate change at the world level? Should we go for taxes, cap-and-trade, or/and nudges? Which policy would help us to cope with a warmer and more variable climate? What are the impacts on the energy sector? What role do private strategies such as corporate social responsibility initiatives and socially responsible investment funds have to play ?

• International environmental agreements. The transboundary nature of greenhouse gas dif fusion adds new challenges to the design of policies to limit global warming . How can we deal with the international dimension of the problem? In the last two decades, many countries or states have launched their own carbon tax or CO2 emissions allowance markets. Should we follow these local initiatives? What is the impact of those initiatives on the negotiation at the global level?

• Equity issues in climate change. Climate change involves intra and intergeneration distributional issues. How can we better spread the responsibility of climate change mitigation across generations and countries? Which welfare criteria should we use to evaluate climate mitigation policies?

• Unconventional fossil fuels. The unconventional oil and natural gas revolution has introduced significant dislocations across fuels and regions in the global Call for papers Conference on “ The Economics of Energy and Climate Change ” Toulouse, September 8-9, 2015 energy landscape. In the US there has been a high level of coal to natural gas switching and oil to natural gas switching in the transportation sector. The resulting decline in the US of coal prices has increased the attractiveness of coal in Europe, which has led to increased use of coal here. What are the market and regulatory responses to the unconventional oil and natural gas revolution ? Does the European ban on fracking leave Western Europe at the mercy of Russia for much of its natural gas ? With the coal to natural gas switching in the electricity sector , in the past seven years the US has seen the greatest reductions in GHG emissions of any country in the world. Would the net environmental effect of ending the fracking ban be positive for the environment? The scientific committee includes Severin Borenstein (University of California, Berkeley), Lucas Bretschger (ETH Zurich), Dallas Burtraw (Resources for the Future), Christian Gollier (TSE and IDEI), Richard Green (Imperial College London), William Hogan (Harvard University), Paul Joskow (Alfred P. Sloane Foundation), Andreas Lange (Hamburg), Thomas Sterner (Gotenburg & Collège de France), Jean Tirole (TSE and IDEI), Frank Wolak (Stanford University), Catherine Wolfram (University of California, Berkeley).

The program and list of speakers will be confirmed to all concerned by May 22, 2015.

Registration fees : 200 € (include lunches, conference dinner and coffee breaks). Waived for speakers and discussants, special rates for certain other attendees.

Yours sincerely, The organizers: Stefan Ambec, Claude Crampes, Thomas – Olivier Léautier and Jean Tirole Submission deadline : April 30, 2015

Contact: Christelle Fauchié, elecconf@tse-fr.eu TSE – IDEI, Manufacture des Tabacs, 21 Allée de Brienne 31015 Toulouse Cedex 6

http://idei.fr/ Fax : +33 (0)5 61 12 86 37 Check if applicable: ( ) I plan to attend the conference on « The Economics of Energy and Climate Change » (Toulouse, September 8-9, 2015)