Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

  • “…a must-read for serious students of economic policy.” - Glenn Hubbard, Dean, Columbia Business School, and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “Unintended Consequences provides a provocative interpretation of the causes of the global financial crisis and the policies needed to return to rapid growth. Whether you agree or not, this analysis is well worth reading.” - Nouriel Roubini, New York University; Chairman, Roubini Global Economics
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • “Unintended Consequences represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date.” - Andrei Shleifer, 1999 John Bates Clark Medal Winner
  • “…a fresh argument for the productive value of inequality.” - David Autor, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “Unintended Consequences is far smarter and more thought-provoking than most economics written for the general public” - Greg Mankiw, Harvard University, Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors
  • “Unintended Consequences is full of substance, it is one of the must-read books of the year, and once I finish it I will be giving it a second read through right away.” - Tyler Cowen, Professor, George Mason University
  • “There are an amazing number of good ideas and interesting points made in Unintended Consequences. The thinking underlying it, and the obvious depth of understanding of the author, are very impressive.” - Steven Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics; 2004 John Bates Clark Medal
  • “Unintended Consequences offers deep and well-argued analyses on almost every issue.” - The New York Times
  • “…a fresh argument for the productive value of inequality.” - David Autor, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Upside of Inequality Oxford Unintended Consequences

AI Summary. Direct carbon pricing—carbon taxes and emissions trading systems—now covers about 30% of global emissions, with most coverage coming from emissions trading systems in China and the European Union. The EU complements its system with a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that prices carbon on certain high-emitting imports regardless of where they are produced.

Karen Karniol-Tambour, Jeremy Ng and Daniel Hochman Bridgewater Associates
Date Posted:

Bridgewater argues that carbon pricing is increasingly becoming an industrial-policy tool, with measures such as the EU’s CBAM supporting domestic producers by limiting carbon leakage, while carbon prices encourage investment in energy efficiency and industrial upgrading.

How much of global emissions does carbon pricing now cover?

Core argument: Direct carbon pricing, spanning carbon taxes and emissions trading systems, now covers roughly 30% of global emissions, with most of that coverage coming from emissions trading systems in China and the EU.

Carbon pricing schemes have continued to grow over the last few years. Some form of direct carbon pricing now covers ~30% of global emissions—spanning both carbon taxes and emissions trading systems. Most coverage comes from emissions trading systems in China and the EU, and these schemes are increasingly being adapted to fit their specific industrial policy goals. For example, as a complement to its domestic emissions trading system, the EU has started to implement a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes carbon pricing on certain high-emitting imports regardless of where they are produced. In a world of modern mercantilism, policy makers have increasingly emphasized the need for carbon pricing schemes to support—rather than constrain—industrial competitiveness.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Direct carbon pricing, spanning carbon taxes and emissions trading systems, now covers roughly 30% of global emissions, with most of that coverage coming from emissions trading systems in China and the EU.
  2. The EU has begun implementing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which imposes carbon pricing on certain high-emitting imports regardless of where they are produced, as a complement to its domestic emissions trading system.
  3. Carbon pricing schemes are increasingly being adapted to fit specific industrial policy goals, with policy makers emphasizing that such schemes should support rather than constrain industrial competitiveness.

Related Articles:

  • We Are All Mercantilists Now — The postwar free-trade system depended on American soft power and broad respect for its rules, and as countries defected to mercantilist policies each defection pushed others to respond in kind. China's economic size and its use of currency management, public procurement, state subsidies and protectionism to build leading industries in electric vehicles, solar power and batteries broke the existing order.
  • Power Politics: Energy Self-Sufficiency in a Modern Mercantilist World — China leads in adding power to the grid, with more than 30,000 miles of ultra-high-voltage transmission lines versus zero in the US and lead times for large transformers of 48 weeks against a US average of 143 weeks. This positions China to accommodate new demand sources such as artificial intelligence.
  • Fighting Words: The Energy Transition in 2026 — Estimates based on primary energy overstate how much electricity is needed to replace oil in passenger cars, since electric motors convert 80%-90% of electricity into motion versus about 18% for gasoline cars. Measuring useful final energy net of waste heat avoids this "primary energy fallacy": the US consumed 45 exajoules of useful final energy versus 95 exajoules of primary energy.
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