The major objective of this project is the further development and elaboration of a multisectoral, intertemporal, nonlinear programming model to analyze the effects on the Indian economy of restrictions on the emission of greenhouse gases. This project will also advance a secondary objective of constructing prototype models for other developing counties. This study is motivated by the presumption that the developing countries may become important emitters of greenhouse gases and by the conviction that policy formation with respect to greenhouse gas emissions requires country level analyses. Unique features of this model include: the tracking of greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide, the formulation of the greenhouse gas restrictions in terms of their total radiative forcing effect rather than in terms of current emissions rates, the identification of emissions that create ground-level air pollution, and allowance for retrofitting of capital equipment. This research is important because it will provide a much needed framework for being able to begin analyzing the economic and social consequences of greenhouse-gas abatement on an international scale.
