Rubin quoted in MIT article on fuel economy standards, global climate policy
Jonathan Rubin, a professor of resource economics and policy at the University of Maine, was quoted in the MIT News article, “Vehicle fuel economy standards as global climate policy.” MIT researchers — led by Valerie Karplus, assistant professor of global economics and management — have compared the worldwide economic, environmental and energy effects of currently planned fuel economy standards with those of region-specific carbon prices designed to yield identical carbon dioxide emissions reductions, according to the article. “The new paper by professor Karplus and her colleagues provides important new insights into the role of efforts by nations around the world to reduce petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector,” Rubin said. “The research shows that the often-used policy of requiring fuel economy improvements, while capable of reducing petroleum use, is significantly more expensive than other, economy-wide options which are more cost-effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”