Emission efficiency and the Swedish charge and refund system for nitrogen oxides : an empricial firm level analysis of the development of NOX emissions per unit of energy produced, 1992 - 2013
Abstract: According to the recently updated version of the framework of Planetary Boundaries, human society has crossed the sustainable level of four out of nine planetary boundaries. Two of those are beyond the zone of uncertainty and in the zone of high risk of serious impacts on the Earth System. It is an alarming situation. In prevailing economical system one way to handle emission abatement, overconsumption of natural resources and anthropogenic natural degradation is environmental policy. The purpose of this study is to empirically evaluate whether the environmental policy the charge and refund system for nitrogen oxides on large industrial combustion and energy generating production units in Sweden had an impact on emissions of nitrogen oxides per unit of energy produced at a firm level, sector aggregated as well as on a sectorial analysis. Econometric regression models are used on panel data for 272 firms in seven different sectors covered by the charge and refund system for nitrogen oxides during the period 1992 – 2013 to estimate the effect of the real charge level and the increase in the charge in 2008. The results from the study finds that in a sector aggregated analysis the estimations is a negative and statistically significant impact on NOX emissions per produced unit of energy at a firm level for both the real charge as the increase in the nominal charge in 2008. In a sectorial analysis the estimations for the real charge and the nominal increase is negative and statistically significant for the wood industry.
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