Resource Productivity, Environmental Tax Reform and sustainable growth in Europe (PETRE)

Environmental tax reform (ETR) is a shift in the target of taxation from ‘goods’ such as labour (e.g. income taxes, social security contributions) or capital (e.g. corporation taxes) to ‘bads’ (pollution, resource depletion). The objectives of ETR are to increase the efficiency of resource use, to improve the environment, and ultimately to increase human well-being through both economic and environmental pathways. This research programme used econometric and resource flow modelling techniques, surveys, and interviews to explore the implications – for Europe and the rest of the world – of a large-scale ETR in Europe designed to achieve the EU’s greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2020. The results show that a broadly based ETR across Europe could play a very important role in meeting the EU’s emission reduction targets. However, different national political, economic, institutional and cultural contexts mean that it will not be a politically straight-forward policy instrument to introduce.

Publications
Speck, S., Wiebe, K. S., Summerton, P. & Lee, D. (2011): Environmental Taxes and ETRs in Europe: the Current Situation and a Review of the Modelling Literature. , In: Ekins, P. & Speck, S. (ed.): Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) – a Policy for Green Growth, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 99–130.
Giljum, S., Lutz, C. & Polzin, C. (2011): Global Economic and Environmental Impacts of an ETR in Europe. , In: Ekins, P. & Speck, S. [ed.]: Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) - A Policy for Green Growth, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 291-312.
Lutz, C., Bruckner, M., Giljum, S., Jungnitz, A. & Hinterberger, F. (2011): European Resource Use and Resource Productivity in a Global Context. , In: Ekins, P. & Speck, S. [ed.]: Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) - A Policy for Green Growth, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 27-45.
Barker, T., Lutz, C., Meyer, B., Pollitt, H. & Speck, S. (2011): Modelling an ETR for Europe. , In: Ekins, P. & Speck, S. [ed.]: Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) - A Policy for Green Growth, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 204-235.
Barker, T., Lutz, C., Meyer, B. & Pollitt, H. (2011): Models for Projecting the Impacts of ETR. , In: Ekins, P. & Speck, S. [ed.]: Environmental Tax Reform (ETR) - A Policy for Green Growth, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 175-203.
Lutz, C. (2011): How to increase global resource productivity? Findings from modelling in the petrE project. , In: Bleischwitz, R., Welfens, P.J.J., Zhang, Z. [ed.]: International Economics of Resource Efficiency, pp. 317-334, Heidelberg.
Giljum, S., Lutz, C. & Polzin, C. (2010): Global implications of a European environmental tax reform. , petrE Working Paper & SERI Working Paper No. 10, Vienna.
Lutz, C. & Meyer, B. (2010): Environmental Tax Reform in the European Union: Impact on CO₂ Emissions and the Economy. , Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft, 34, pp. 1-10. DOI: 10.1007/s12398-010-0009-x