This research proposal addresses emissions reduction from three key sources of pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and India, with the objective of facilitating inclusive clean energy transitions.
Given the challenges associated with implementing carbon pricing in the short run, the project investigates the role of complementary policies such as adoption of cleaner technologies like electric vehicles and improvement in energy efficiency in residential electricity use, in curbing emissions in the SSA region and in India.
First, we examine electric vehicle (EV) adoption policies, analysing how import tariffs might influence EV uptake using cross-country trade data from over 100 countries from 2017 onwards, in the SSA region.
Second, the project investigates the potential impacts of emissions pricing policies that raise fuel prices, on biomass consumption. It aims to collect high-frequency fuel price data in key cities in two SSA countries. This high-frequency database will help researchers track how international price shocks transmit to local price changes for fossil fuels and biomass. The database can aid future research on the effectiveness of emissions pricing instruments, accounting for externalities of biomass usage in SSA.
Finally, a randomized controlled trial will be conducted to test whether information provision related to energy efficiency of household appliances such as air conditioners or refrigerators could impact the adoption of more fuel-efficient appliances in India.
