Spillover benefits of carbon dioxide cap and trade: Evidence from the Toxics Release Inventory
研究发现美国区域二氧化碳总量控制与交易计划使燃煤电厂有毒物质排放减少78%，有害金属（如铅、汞）排放下降54%，且未产生跨区域溢出效应，表明碳交易政策具有协同减排效益。
Abstract Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is necessary to meet climate goals, but these emissions are not the only harmful bi‐products of fossil‐fuel combustion. This paper shows how a regional cap‐and‐trade program designed to regulate CO 2 emissions affects the release of federally‐regulated toxins in the Toxics Release Inventory. We find that the program reduces toxic releases from coal‐fired electric plants by 78%, and that harmful metal releases (e.g., lead, mercury) have fallen by 54%. There is no evidence of spillovers into non‐adopting areas. This unintended beneficial effect of the carbon dioxide cap‐and‐trade policy provides compelling evidence of the co‐abatement of harmful compounds alongside greenhouse gas emissions.