Working Paper: NBER ID: w31513
Authors: David S. Rapson; Erich Muehlegger
Abstract: A number of policy proposals call for replacing fossil fuels in the name of decarbonization, but these fuels will be difficult to replace due to to their as-yet unrivaled bundle of attributes: abundance, ubiquity, energy density, transportability and cost. There is a growing commitment to electrification as the dominant decarbonization pathway for transportation. While deep electrification is promising for road vehicles in wealthy countries, it will face steep obstacles. In other sectors and in the developing world, it’s not even in pole position. Global transportation decarbonization will require decoupling emissions from economic growth, and decoupling emissions from growth will require not only new technologies, but cooperation in governance. The menu of policy options is replete with tradeoffs, particularly as the primacy of energy security and reliability (over emissions abatement) has once again been demonstrated in Europe and elsewhere.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: Q5; R40
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Economic growth (O49) | Transportation emissions (R41) |
| Insufficient carbon mitigation (Q54) | Rising transportation emissions (R41) |
| Reliability of electricity supply (L94) | Potential for electrification to reduce emissions (L94) |
| Electrification (L94) | Reduction in transportation emissions (R41) |