Global Warming and Endogenous Technological Change: Revisiting the Green Paradox

How to control and limit climate change caused by a growing use of fossil fuels are among the most pressing policy challenges facing the world today. The green paradox argues that carbon taxes can exacerbate global warming problem because firms have the incentive to bring forward the sale of fossil fuels. This paper shows that when technological progress allows the extraction costs of fossil fuels to be reduced over time, and a positive R&D subsidy is paid, a growing carbon tax reveals a welfare maximizing policy.