Chatterji, Shurojit, Ghosal, Sayantan , Walsh, Sean and Whalley, John (2012) Unilateral measures and emissions mitigation. In: The Global Development Post-Durban Of Policy Regimes To Combat Climate Change, LSE, London, 13 Mar 2012 (Unpublished)

Abstract

In this paper we discuss global climate change mitigation that builds on existing unilateral actions to deliver ever deepening emission cuts over time. A wide array of unilateral environmental measures have been documented. We discuss the rationale for such measures and argue that unilateral initiatives have the potential to generate positive spillover e¤ects both within and across countries. In a simple dynamic model of learning we show that single countries on their own may never get to the point of switching completely to low emission activities while a learning process with positive spillovers across nations is more likely to deliver a global switch to low emissions. We discuss the key features of a new global Intellectual Property (IP) regime that builds on, and strengthens, positive spillovers in unilateral initiatives and accelerates convergence to a global low emissions regime.

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