Publications of the Research Unit Environmental and Climate Economics

  1. #ZEWPodcast // 2026

    (Concise) EARIE Exclusive: Why Steelworks Can't Simply Go Green

    The steel industry is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. In the United States, a lower-emission steelmaking technology has spread widely over the past four decades – yet established steelworks rarely…

  2. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 26-037 // 2026

    Market Creation Without Market Authority: Ex-Ante Evidence from European Emissions Trading

    By extending carbon pricing to buildings and road transport through ETS2, the European Union is undertaking a major policy experiment in market creation. ETS2 overlaps national emissions budgets and technology…

  3. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 26-036 // 2026

    Critical Peak Rebates for Residential Gas: Effectiveness and Selection During the European Energy Crisis

    The abrupt shortage of natural gas imports during the 2022/2023 energy crisis following Russia’s war against Ukraine forced European countries to rapidly cut consumption. In response, governments and energy…

  4. Refereed Journal // 2026

    Regulated Correlations — Climate Policy and Investment Risks

    Investments in energy technologies are substantially governed by climate policy. We demonstrate analytically that price-based instruments, such as carbon-taxes, and quantity-based regulations, like emission…

  5. ZEW policy brief No. 26-10 // 2026

    Environmental Ambition and Economic Protectionism: Why the Design of Border Carbon Adjustments Matters

    Border carbon adjustments (BCAs) are becoming a central instrument in climate-trade policy to limit carbon leakage while protecting domestic industry. Their effectiveness, however, depends fundamentally on how…

  6. ZEW Monthly // 2026

    04/2026 – Climate Policy and Competition

    Climate policy is increasingly caught between ambitious emission targets and international competitiveness. Rising energy prices, new carbon pricing regimes and industrial policy interventions raise the question…

  7. ZEW policy brief No. 26-06 // 2026

    Bezahlbarkeit, Fairness, Vertrauen: Wie die Energiewende gelingen kann

    Die Energiewende tritt in eine Phase, in der Verbraucher/innen selbst zu zentralen Akteuren werden, da Klimapolitik nun direkt in deren Entscheidungen hineinwirkt. Aus ökonomischer Sicht gilt die Bepreisung von…