Impact of carbon markets on industrial competitiveness: An analysis of selected industries in Beijing

Abstract

Although the booming carbon markets provide additional incentives to reduce greenhouse gases, their impacts on the society and economy have attracted increasing attention. Based on 2014–2016 daily carbon market trading price data, this study estimates the direct and indirect carbon emissions cost incurred by Beijing carbon market and explores its impact on industrial competitiveness via an evaluation model. Our results show that the impact of the carbon emissions cost is negligible, and the proportion of the three most affected industries’ added values to Beijing’s gross domestic product is only 10%, indicating that the economic impact is limited. However, the impact on the production and supply of power, gas and water industry could reach as high as 3.02% in three years. Compared with the European carbon market, the trading price of Beijing’s carbon market is relatively low, and the price cap could possibly increase to 100 Yuan per ton. However, each 10-Yuan increment in the carbon price will increase the impact on industry competitiveness by 1.68%. This study provides a scientific basis for exploring the impact of China’s carbon market on industry competitiveness and will be of significant value to policy makers.