The Impact of Climate Change on the United States Economy

by Edited by Robert Mendelsohn , James E. Neumann

• ISBN13: 9780521607698
• ISBN10: 0521607698
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-19
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Understanding the impacts of climate change on economic behaviour is an important aspect of deciding when to take policy actions to prevent or mitigate its consequences. This book applies advanced new economics methodologies to assess impacts on potentially vulnerable aspects of the US economy: agriculture, timber, coastal resources, energy expenditure, fishing, outdoor recreation. It is intended to provide improved understanding of key issues raised in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. It concludes that some climate change may produce economic gains in the agriculture and forestry sectors, whereas energy, coastal structures, and water sectors may be harmed. The book will serve as an important reference for the scientific, economic, and policy community, and will also be of interest to natural resource/environmental economists as an example of economic valuation techniques. The volume will clearly be of main importance to researchers and policymakers in the US, but will also be influential as a model for assessment of impacts on economies worldwide.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	ix
Acknowledgements	x
Introduction	1	(17)
R. Mendelsohn
J.B. Smith
J.E. Neumann
Economic effects of climate change on US agriculture	18	(37)
R.M. Adams
B.A. McCarl
K. Segerson
C. Rosenzweig
K.J. Bryant
B.L. Dixon
R. Conner
R.E. Evenson
D. Ojima
The impact of climate variation on US agriculture	55	(20)
R. Mendelsohn
W. Nordhaus
D. Shaw
Climate change and agriculture: the role of farmer adaptation	75	(19)
K. Segerson
B.L. Dixon
The impacts of climate change on the US timber market	94	(39)
B.L. Sohngen
R. Mendelsohn
Economic effects of climate change on US water resources	133	(45)
B. Hurd
J. M. Callaway
J.B. Smith
P. Kirshen
The economic damage induced by sea level rise in the United States	178	(31)
G. Yohe
J.E. Neumann
P. Marshall
The impact of global warming on US energy expenditures	209	(28)
W.N. Morrison
R. Mendelsohn
The economic impact of climate change on the US commercial fishing industry	237	(30)
M. Markowski
A. Knapp
J.E. Neumann
J. Gates
Introduction to recreation	265	(2)
The impact of climate change on outdoor recreation	267	(22)
R. Mendelsohn
M. Markowski
Estimated effects of climate change on selected outdoor recreation activities in the United States	289	(26)
J. Loomis
J. Crespi
Synthesis and conclusions	315
R. Mendelsohn
J.E. Neumann