CLE Speaker Series: The Promise and Problems of Border Carbon Adjustments: Findings from California and Europe

Stefan Pauer, PhD candidate, Allard School of Law

Border carbon adjustments, also known as carbon tariffs, would support carbon pricing policy by protecting domestic carbon-constrained producers against competition from greenhouse gas-intensive imports and by preventing leakage of greenhouse gas emissions to jurisdictions with less demanding carbon regulation. But governments are loath to use them. Join us on Tuesday, October 15 for the next event in the CLE Speaker Series, when sustainability expert and Allard PhD candidate Stefan Pauer explains why. Stefan will discuss the findings of his doctoral research into the checkered experiences with carbon tariffs in California and the European Union.

Mr. Pauer describes his talk as follows. A growing number of scholars, environmentalists, politicians and business leaders have recommended “border carbon adjustments” (BCAs – also called carbon tariffs), a type of government policy that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In theory, BCAs offer the promise of environmental, economic, and political benefits. However, they are conspicuously absent in practice. Mr. Pauer seeks to explain this puzzle. His research compares experiences with BCAs in California and the European Union and is based on information from 43 expert interviews, a wide range of published materials from various disciplines, and quantitative data. In this talk, Mr. Pauer describes what BCAs are, outlines his research methods, and discusses his findings to explain why most governments do not apply these tools.

Stefan Pauer is a sustainability expert with experience in policy analysis and development. Currently, he is finishing his Ph.D. in Law at UBC where he investigated the challenges of adopting and implementing carbon tariffs. He also led a project at the UBC Sustainability Initiative to improve sustainability partnerships between cities and universities in Metro Vancouver. Before coming to Vancouver, he worked on climate policy as a Policy Officer at the European Commission. The talk is based on Mr. Pauer’s PhD dissertation, which he defended successfully in September.

All are welcome. Light lunch will be served. RSVP to events@allard.ubc.ca.

Eligible for 1 hour CPD credit (Tax law).

See you there!