Ökonomische Analyse der Auswirkungen kurz- und langfristiger Klimapolitik

“Greening” economic growth or the economy is increasingly replacing the well-worn catchword of sustainable development within national and international policy circles, and amongst those involved or hoping to influence decision-making processes at different levels. The core of the argument is that the growth of modern economies may be sustained or even augmented, whilst policy intervention and government led action ensure sustained environmental stewardship. But how well are these claims scientifically grounded or supported by evidence, economic theory and applied economic modelling? Our study analyzes the prospects for climate policy and assesses the economic impacts of current and future climate policy in Austria as the reference case of a small OECD country that has signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. We critically investigate the interrelation between climate policy and the economy, and address this question with reference to climate change mitigation and macro-level climate-economy modeling.