Klimapolitik, Zinssätze und Eigentumsrechte

Abstract

The Stern Review about the Economics of Climate Change once again launched a debate about the correct discount rate, particularly in the very long run. The present article proposes to strictly unravel the two aspects of efficiency and justice that are often mingled in the discount rate debate. Following Coase, it is suggested to first distribute the property rights of a natural climate between the generations. In a second step, compensating schemes to achieve efficiency are analysed. With such an approach, the discount rate boils down to the rate of the marginal product of capital and does not need to include normative claims. ; Der Stern Report über die Folgen des Klimawandels hat einmal mehr eine Debatte über die richtige Höhe der Diskonrate in der sehr langen Frist ausgelöst. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird gezeigt, wie bei dieser Diskussion der Gerechtigkeits- vom Effizienzaspekt klar getrennt werden kann. Im Sinne von Coase werden in einem ersten Schritt die Eigentumsrechte an einem naturbelassenen Klima zwischen den Generationen verteilt. In einem zweiten Schritt lassen sich dann Kompensationszahlungen zur Erreichung des Effizienzzieles analysieren. Damit reduziert sich die Frage der richtigen Diskontrate auf die Höhe des Grenzprodukts des Kapitals. ; The Stern Review about the Economics of Climate Change once again launched a debate about the correct discount rate, particularly in the very long run. The present article proposes to strictly unravel the two aspects of efficiency and justice that are often mingled in the discount rate debate. Following Coase, it is suggested to first distribute the property rights of a natural climate between the generations. In a second step, compensating schemes to achieve efficiency are analysed. With such an approach, the discount rate boils down to the rate of the marginal product of capital and does not need to include normative claims.