Two polluters currently emit 10-tons of pollution each for a total of 20 tons. The two firms have the following costs for reducing pollution: MC1 =8+1R1 MC2 =6+3R2 where Ri represents the units of pollution reduced by firm i. Fill in the table below. Total Cleanup MC MC (R) Firm 1 () Firm 2 ($) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The EPA has determined that the socially optimal level of pollution is a total of 10 tons. (a) If the EPA were to mandate that each firm reduce pollution by 5 tons, what would be the total cost to society? (b) Now suppose that the EPA were to adopt cap-and-trade and auctioned 10 tradable pollution permits to reach the socially optimal level. Each permit allows the owner to pollute 1 ton. How many of the permits would each firm be expected to buy? (c) What is the total cost to society of reducing pollution to 10 tons under cap-and-trade?
