Economists widely agree that putting a price on fossil fuels is the most effective tool for reducing carbon emissions. But what level of carbon price is needed to reduce carbon emissions fast enough to prevent catastrophic climate change?

Prof. Alexander R. Barron will present a new method he and colleagues have developed to calculate the necessary carbon price. Their work was recently published in the paper "A near-term to net zero alternative to the social cost of carbon for setting carbon prices," N. Kaufman, A. Barron, W. Krawczyk, P. Marsters and H. McJeon, Nature Climate Change. As the authors have written,

"This approach enables policymakers to use both climate science and economics to chart an effective, efficient pathway to net-zero emissions."

Dr. Barron is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at Smith College. Before joining Smith, he worked in Congress to design comprehensive climate legislation (including the American Clean Energy and Security Act), and covered international climate negotiations. He also worked in the Office of Policy at the EPA, where he advised senior EPA leadership and worked on standards to reduce carbon pollution (e.g., the Clean Power Plan), cross-state air pollution, and mercury and other toxics. He also helped guide EPA’s work on environmental economics and climate adaptation.

The presentation will be followed by time for discussion.

Sponsored by the Ann Arbor and University of Michigan chapters of Citizens' Climate Lobby.

Citizens' Climate Lobby is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.