Vincent Thivierge

Vincent Thivierge is a Ph.D. student in the Economics and Environmental Science (EES) emphasis at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Vincent’s research focuses on the economics of climate policy. He combines economic theory, data, and causal inference methods to contribute rigorous empirical evidence to climate policy problems. Specifically, multilateral negotiations have failed to deliver a binding solution to the climate crisis. Some countries have instead implemented varying climate policies, such as carbon trading markets. One problem with this patchwork of policies is carbon leakage, where emission reductions from regulated countries are offset by emission increases in unregulated countries. A second problem is the lack of evidence on the cost savings of carbon markets relative to other policies. As an IGCC Fellow, Vincent will explore these two problems. His first project asks whether imposing carbon tariffs on unregulated countries can reduce carbon leakage. His second project evaluates the cost savings of emission markets. This research could help solve the global climate crisis by providing evidence on policies promoted to coordinate climate change mitigation.

Proposal Title: Evaluating Climate Policies to Promote International Cooperation