New data and technologies for the design of economic policy responses

Please consider the following questions for this topic:

a. How can data and smart technologies improve or enable economic policies that ensure a just transition to a low carbon economy? For example, how can we design feebate programs or compensation mechanisms that automatically nudge behaviors in the desired direction at low cost (e.g., by using sensors to measure carbon emissions in cars)?

b. How can policymakers use new data sources (e.g., satellite images, mobile phone data) and novel methods (e.g., prediction algorithms) to get timely and granular information on how climate change and environmental degradation affects economic outcomes? For example, how can we improve food security by tracking climate-induced trends in agricultural productivity and assessing food security risks? How can we evaluate the contribution of climate change to within-country inequality and use this information to better target social safety nets?

c. How can novel methods and data help us evaluate the impact of economic policies on climate and the environment? Similarly, how can we use innovative data to measure the economic impact of climate-related regulations and interventions (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions and energy economy standards)?

Resources

IMF Climate Change Indicators Dashboard

Jiaxiong Yao (2021). Electricity Consumption and Temperature: Evidence from Satellite Data 

Adapting to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chapter 2 in Regional Economic Outlook, April 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa

https://resourcewatch.org/

https://www.climatewatchdata.org/