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on Environmental Economics |
| By: | Choi, Pak-Sing (Washington State University); Espinola-Arredondo, Ana (Washington State University); Munoz, Felix (Washington State University) |
| Abstract: | This paper considers firms’ incentives to merge under duopoly, where we allow for product differentiation, cost asymmetries, and pollution intensities (green and brown goods). We first analyze mergers in the absence of environmental regulation, showing that mergers induce an output shift towards the lowest cost firm. When emission fees are introduced, however, firms also consider their relative pollution intensities, potentially reverting the above output shift. We show that firms have stronger incentives to merge when goods are more differentiated, costs are more symmetric, and products generate similar environmental damages. However, socially excessive mergers can arise when firms shift output to the more cost-efficient firm after the merger, which may cause more pollution. In contrast, socially insufficient mergers can arise if output shifts after the merger would have reduced pollution. |
| Keywords: | socially excessive/insufficient mergers; product differentiation; cost asymmetry; pollution intensity; emission fees; antitrust authorities; environmental regulation losses; Policy uncertainty. |
| JEL: | G34 H23 L41 Q50 |
| Date: | 2020–02–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:wsuwpa:2020_001&r=all |
| By: | Adamou, Pr. Rabani; Ibrahim, Boubacar; Bonkaney, Abdou Latif; Seyni, Abdoul Aziz; Idrissa, Mamoudou |
| Abstract: | The Sahel is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world. Located in the central part, Niger is facing many complex and interconnected challenges which strongly hinder the achievement of the key sustainable development goals (SDGs). The high population growth rate (3.8% per year), weak infrastructure capacity, shortage of essential resources (including water, energy, food) coupled with the adverse impacts of variability and climate change threaten the population and reduce the country’s economic growth efforts. With more than 77% of landmass area receiving less than 150 mm of precipitation yearly, and about 80% of the population depending on rainfed agriculture, water scarcity and dryness constitute serious constraints for the agriculture and livestock sectors. In addition, the unequal distribution of agricultural land and livestock worsens the poverty incidence among households, which is characterized by a GINI coefficient of 0.46 and 0.68 for land and livestock respectively. Access to drinking water remains very poor with high disparities between urban (64%) and rural areas (48%). Water sanitation amounting to only 2% in rural and 38% in urban areas, respectively, also remains a great issue. Elsewhere, several drought and flood episodes have negatively impacted agricultural productivity, causing recurrent famines and livestock losses. The situation is exacerbated by the impacts of land degradation, the advancement of desertification and also by climate change and variability threats, which are projected to increase in magnitude, intensity, duration and number over the country under all climate change scenarios. The country’s high potential of renewable and non-renewable groundwater resources can be used for residential, agricultural and industrial purposes to overcome negative climate change impacts. Regarding the energy sector, the country is currently in an undesirable state, with very limited modern energy services (2% of the population), low electricity access (average rate of 18%, with around 10% in rural areas) and high dependency on traditional biomass (77% of primary energy consumption). However, the country is fortunate to have a tremendous amount of energy resources, including fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) and renewables (solar, hydropower, and wind), that can be used to overcome many of the observed challenges and thereby contribute significantly in the achievement of various SDGs, including those related to affordable and clean energy, no poverty, and zero hunger. Indeed, in addition to resources for electricity production, Niger has a large surface water potential in the Niger River, with an average discharge of 6000 m3/s and length of about 550 km, which can be mobilized for irrigation to enable food security. Therefore, socioeconomic development requires an integrated approach that brings all the key sectors into a common framework in order to solve the aforementioned challenges. Hence, in key development areas, several development policies and strategies from government, NGOs, and technical and financial partners have been initiated and implemented for inequality and poverty reduction to improve livelihoods in the country. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308806&r=all |
| By: | Tommaso Ciarli (Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex.); Karolina Safarzynska (Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.) |
| Abstract: | A transition to a low-carbon economy requires moving to the production of goods that are less energy- and material-intensive than current practices. This may prove difficult, as producer objectives may not align with reducing pollution, unless this is a consumer priority, or is imposed by regulations. It has been argued that changing lifestyles and consumer preferences can drive technological change towards sustainability. In this paper we use the model by Windrum et al. (2009b) to show that the interactions between the populations of consumers, producers and technologies, when product components are interdependent, generate complexity, as a result of which changing consumer preferences may be insufficient to achieve sustainability objectives. Complexity may influence negatively the rate and direction of innovations towards the production of greener goods, causing a vicious cycle. Firms tend to remain stuck in local optima of the existing technological landscape, if most consumers are satisfied with the non-green characteristics of goods. As a result, firms are less likely to explore innovation possibilities to improve environmental performance of their products, which in turn reduces consumer expectations with respect to the environmental quality of future goods. As pro-environment consumers also imitate the higher preferences for non-green characteristics, firms have even higher incentives to improve those characteristics in the current technological paradigm than to explore new greener paradigms. The toy model proposed in this paper can be applied to study diffusion of ‘green’ products in a number of industries and to study environmental policies that can reduce complexity. The paper also offers a selected review of micro and industry level models of sustainable transitions. |
| Keywords: | Sustainable transition; industry-demand co-evolution; interactions; complexity |
| Date: | 2020–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sru:ssewps:2020-18&r=all |
| By: | Ben Henderson (OECD); Stefan Frank (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis); Petr Havlik (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis); Hugo Valin (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) |
| Abstract: | This study uses GLOBIOM ‒ the most detailed global economic model of agriculture, land use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ‒ to assess the effectiveness of different policies in cutting net emissions from the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, with a view to helping limit long-term global temperature increases to 1.5°C and 2°C. Trade-offs between emission reductions and impacts on food producers, consumers and government budgets are also evaluated for each policy package. A full complement of policy options is deployed globally across AFOLU, comprising emission taxes for emitting AFOLU activities and subsidies rewarding carbon sequestration. Using a carbon price consistent with the 2°C target (1.5°C target), this is projected to mitigate 8 GtCO2 eq/yr (12 GtCO2 eq/yr) in 2050, representing 89% (129%) reduction in net AFOLU emissions, and 12% (21%) of total anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nearly two-thirds of the net emission reductions are from the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) component of AFOLU, mostly from reduced deforestation. A global carbon tax on AFOLU is found to be twice as effective in lowering emissions as an equivalently priced emission abatement subsidy because the latter keeps high emitting producers in business. However, a tax has trade-offs in terms of lower agricultural production and food consumption, which a subsidy avoids. A shift to lower emission diets by consumers has a much smaller impact on reducing agricultural emissions than any of the policy packages involving taxes on emissions. |
| Keywords: | Abatement subsidy, GHG emission tax, Paris Agreement |
| JEL: | C61 F18 Q11 Q18 Q54 Q56 Q58 |
| Date: | 2021–01–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:agraaa:149-en&r=all |
| By: | Admassie, Assefa; Abebaw, Degnet |
| Abstract: | Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa with a population of more than 110 million. With over 10 percent growth rate, the Ethiopian economy has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world over the last one and half decades. By any measure agriculture is the dominant economic sector in the country accounting for a sizeable portion of the GDP growth, generating most of the export earnings and employing most of the labour force. The country has diverse agro-ecological conditions which are suitable for growing both temperate and tropical food and industrial crops. This study has tried to review the trends in environment conditions such as energy use, land cover and land use changes as well as the impact of climate change and the policy responses of the Government of Ethiopia. The review clearly shows that Ethiopia is still a poor country with more than one fifth of the population living below the national poverty line. Food insecurity continues to be a big challenge for millions of Ethiopians. Despite being the dominant economic sector, agricultural production is characterized as a low-input-low productivity sector. Land degradation is a very serious problem in Ethiopia due to the fact that many parts of the Ethiopian highlands are mountainous and rugged. Even though Ethiopia has huge potential for generating renewable energy, the majority of the Ethiopian population still relies on biomass energy sources such as wood, animal dung and crop residues. These environmental challenges are also exacerbated due to the effect of climate change. To mitigate the impact of land degradation, deforestation, and climate change, the Government of Ethiopia has formulated and implemented several policies. The Agricultural Growth Program (AGP), the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), the Sustainable Land Management Program (SLM) and the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy are the major programs being implemented to address these environmental challenges. Indeed, these interventions have made noticeable contributions to curb the challenges. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308804&r=all |
| By: | Angela Köppl; Margit Schratzenstaller |
| Abstract: | In view of the challenges posed by climate change and the increase in climate targets by 2030 in the EU, as well as Austria's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2040, the question of effective climate policy instruments is gaining in importance. The pricing of CO2, for instance in the form of a carbon tax, and the question of its effects are therefore attracting increasing attention in the academic as well as economic and environmental policy debate. The paper provides a detailed overview of the theoretical and empirical literature on the effects of carbon taxes. The focus is on the most important impact dimensions of carbon taxes: environmental effectiveness, effects on important macroeconomic variables (especially growth and employment), effects on innovation and competitiveness, distributional effects, and public acceptance. |
| Keywords: | Carbon Tax, Environmental Taxation, Double Dividend Hypothesis, Distributional Effects, Climate Policy, Price-based Instruments |
| Date: | 2021–01–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wfo:wpaper:y:2021:i:619&r=all |
| By: | Sylla, Mouhamadou Bamba; Dimobe, Kangbéni; Sanfo, Safietou |
| Abstract: | In this working paper, the biophysical factors and socio-economic conditions that led to Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULC) and land degradation in Burkina Faso are reviewed. It is found that the country is densely populated and population continues to rise at a rate of more than 3% a year. However, nearly half of the population still lives below the poverty line. The electrification relies heavily on fossil fuels as the country has limited hydropower potential and solar energy received little investment. The rate of electrification is still very low, triggering the use of other sources of energy derived from firewood in rural areas. In addition, Burkina Faso has experienced land degradation in the North as a consequence of the 1970s and 1980s droughts that struck all the Sahel. Subsequently, migration took place from the degraded areas to the central, western and southern regions of the country causing further LULC changes. Furthermore, the country suffers from the effects of climate change and climate variability through increasing temperature trends, highly variable precipitation regimes and intensification of extreme events. Projected changes reveal prevailing conditions that indicate an increased risk of disasters in the agriculture, water and health sectors, among others. Due to this situation, some technological responses and policy actions have been developed for sustainable land management and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The adopted technological approaches include, among others, irrigation expansion and efficiency, rainwater harvesting, crop diversification, adoption of drought-tolerant crop varieties and rotational grazing. Some policies have been put in place to facilitate the adoption of these technologies. They consist of carbon trading, land-use zoning and integrated landscape planning, payment for ecosystem services, providing access to markets and agricultural advisory services, securing land tenure and empowering women. These actions are part of broader programs and investment plans that include, but not limited to, the Strategic Framework for Poverty Reduction (SFPR), the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (SCADD), the National Rural Sector Program (PNSR), the Resilience and Support Plan for Vulnerable Population (RSPVP) and the Cereals Price Stabilization Program (CPSP) among others. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308803&r=all |
| By: | Olayide, Olawale Emmanuel |
| Abstract: | This review report involves the analysis and synthesis of literatures on climate change, land use, energy, livelihoods and sustainable development in Nigeria. The methodology employed in the review involves searching keywords related to the study objectives on relevant literature search engines and platforms, including Google Scholar and Cross Referencing through triangulation of search results. The articles were screened and validated for inclusion or exclusion based on relevance, content and context. The review process follows the sustainable livelihoods framework. The search returns are complimented with published reports. The report provides information on the current status and guidance on appropriate interventions and innovative investments in Nigeria. Specifically, this report provides a systematic literature review on: 1) situation and trends in energy and land use changes, 2) observed and projected impacts of climate change, 3) technological, socioeconomic and policy actions for sustainable land management and climate change adaptation and mitigation, 4) evaluation of existing major policies and investments, and 5) conclusion and policy implications. Based on the assessment of literature in this study, the key trends and problems include inadequate attention to the agricultural sector over the years, which has caused a major setback in food security and productivity. Climate change has further exacerbated the problem through desertification, drought and flooding across the country. The literature further revealed inadequate energy supply, distribution and low per capita consumption in Nigeria. The use of fuel wood for heating and cooking has significantly contributed to deforestation by worsening land degradation. Resulting implications are that food security is threatened and economic growth is hampered. Land degradation negatively impacts the environment and the rural poor whose livelihoods depend on it. Opportunities in agriculture and renewable energy should be further harnessed and forest and land use policies should be enforced to ensure sustainable livelihoods. In Nigeria, policies and investment plans on land use, energy/electricity and agricultural livelihoods are not coherent and lack consistency in implementation. Thus, lack of strong institutions has resulted in the weak performance witnessed in programme and policy implementation on climate change mitigation, land use, energy and sustainable development in Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need for productive, viable, sustainable policy and programmes that support climate change mitigation, land use, energy and sustainable development in Nigeria. Another important suggestion is the need for provision of renewable energy mix (off-grid) in forms that are easily accessible and affordable by households. Adequate attention should be paid to the provision of bio-energy and the wider bio-economy framework, including the transformation of solid waste, wood waste and agricultural waste into bio-gas and energy. Overall, the investment landscape in Nigeria is improving, and various opportunities for investment in agricultural livelihoods and value chains, renewable energy, carbon trading and green bonds should be harnessed through public-private partnerships. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308807&r=all |
| By: | Laetitia Tufféry (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - FRE2010 - UM - Université de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Hendrik Davi (URFM - Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Noelia Lopez Garcia (Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre - SLU - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences); Eric Rigolot (URFM - Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Florence Jean (URFM - Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Anne Stenger (BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - UL - Université de Lorraine - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Francois Lefevre (URFM - Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | Climate change (CC) and land use and land cover change (LULCC) threaten Mediterranean forests and the ecosystem services (ES) they provide. In complex socio-ecological systems and under high uncertainties, the resilience of ES has become the target objective for adaptive management strategies driven by decision-makers and local stakeholders. This work develops an integrative and territorial approach to combining biophysical modeling and local managers' assessments to elaborate scenarios of LULCC in response to climate and socioeconomic changes. It also evaluates the impacts of forest ecosystem changes on coupled ES for different time horizons for a case study of the mountain Mediterranean forests of Mont-Ventoux Natural Regional Park. The results demonstrate first that the future ES provisions predicted by biophysical modeling in this area are less affected by CC than expected by local managers. Furthermore, LULCC increases the changes in ES provision and accentuates the difference between climate scenarios. These results originate from a combination of two effects: (1) pessimistic predictions by local managers and, as a consequence, and (2) anticipatory actions that tend to reinforce or even accelerate the expected changes in the mountain Mediterranean forest area. |
| Keywords: | Mountain Mediterranean forests,Ecosystem services,Climate change,Adaptive scenarios,Socio-ecological approach,mountain Mediterranean forests,ecosystem services,climate change,adaptive scenarios,socio-ecological approach |
| Date: | 2020–12–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03050650&r=all |
| By: | Faye, Amy; Dièye, Mohamadou; Diakhaté, Pape Bilal; Bèye, Assane; Sall, Moussa; Diop, Mbaye |
| Abstract: | Located in West Africa, Senegal is classified as a least-developed country that has historically had political stability and slow economic growth compared to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, from 2012 onward, a new government has adopted new policies (infrastructure investments, liberalization of the groundnut sector and opening of the energy sector) to enhance economic growth and governance. Senegal thus experienced significant improvements in the period from 2012 to 2015. Future economic growth in Senegal can be significantly shaped by the energy sector regarding the recent oil and gas discoveries if the common resource curse can be avoided. The country is characterized by a poverty rate of 38 percent and fairly stable food security, with only 7.2 percent of the population being food insecure. However, some localized pockets of acute food needs remain. This is in part linked to agricultural production (the main source of income and labor), which depends highly on climatic hazards. Moreover, production resources such as land are highly vulnerable to climatic and anthropogenic factors. The country has a good access rate to electricity and safe water. However, access to electricity is unequal, with rural lagging behind urban areas. The country thus faces many challenges that threaten its economic growth: climate change and ensuring the accessibility and affordability of energy and land, which are key inputs to the main sectors of the economy such as agriculture. This report aims at investigating these interlinked challenges through a critical literature review. Results show that concerning land, its use and cover have hardly evolved over the past, except for agricultural land, which has significantly evolved from 1975 to 2013. However, the land has degraded a lot in the past several decades with up to 63-67 percent of the arable land being subject to land degradation due to climate hazards and its uses (e.g. population growth, Agro-sylvo-pastoral practices, wind and water erosion, salinization, bush fires...). Land degradation has multiple consequences, as it impacts livelihoods by limiting the availability of vital ecosystem services, increases the risk of poverty and translates into economic losses. Land degradation is estimated to cost 9 percent of the GDP annually (996 million USD). Concerning climate change, Senegal’s climate is of the Sudano-Sahelian type, marked by the alternation of a rainy season and a dry season, whose duration varies according to the region. Rainfall and its characteristics (onset and duration) and air temperature are two factors that have changed significantly since the early 1950s and 1970s. Decreased rainfall, delayed onset of rains, reduced duration of wintering and higher temperatures have adversely affected agricultural production systems and have put some risks on food security, health and livelihoods. Projections in 2035 and 2050 will accentuate the negative impacts already observed. In the face of such challenges, several strategies have been undertaken at different levels (household, community, policy, research, etc.) to reduce the negative effects of climate shocks and land degradations. At the household level, strategies have mostly consisted of diversifying revenue sources through remittances and non-agricultural activities. At the community level, organizational dynamics have been strengthened and enabled to reduce the vulnerability of women and children, to increase access to climate information, and so on. Finally, policy responses have mainly consisted of Senegal’s efforts to develop climate change adaptation and mitigation plans and strategies to protect the vulnerable key sectors from climate change and to contribute to emission reduction at the global level. The evaluation of key policies, the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for climate governance, the PRACAS (for agriculture and food security) and land-use policies highlights the main factors for success and failure and identifies key challenges that the government of Senegal needs to pay close attention to in order to ensure greater policy design and implementation success in the future. The main challenges are related to governance, funding and monitoring and evaluation. In terms of governance, it is important to ensure the participatory design and implementation of the policies to foster stakeholders' ownership and thus facilitate their implication. As for funding, the key is to avoid building policy objectives based on unsecured funding by making realistic plans based on already secured funding (if possible, from the national budget). Finally, in terms of monitoring and evaluation, it is key to ensure the sustained availability of good-quality statistical data to allow better targeting of areas in which to intervene, better allocation of financial resources and better assessment of gaps, progress, and impact. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308808&r=all |
| By: | Osman, Abdelrahman Khidir; Ali, Adil M. |
| Abstract: | Sudan is situated in Sub-Saharan Africa, covering an area of about 1.9 million km2 and has a population of 43 million. It is regarded as one of the countries in the world where human development is least advanced with a poverty rate of about 46%. Sudan’s economy is based on agriculture, which contributes about one-third of the (GDP). Sudan’s agriculture has three distinct crop and three distinct livestock production systems. The Crop production systems are: irrigated, traditional and mechanized rain-fed farming. The livestock production systems are: nomadic, transhumant and sedentary systems. The annual cultivated land is around 20 million hectares, more than 85% of which are rain-fed. The livestock population is estimated at 105 million heads concentrated in nomadic and transhumant production systems. Water resources in Sudan are: river Nile and its tributaries, seasonal streams, underground water and surface water. Sources of energy are: biomass; electricity (hydro and fossil fuels) and petroleum products, accounting for about 78,8% and 14%, respectively, of the total energy balance. Sudan has significant renewable energy resources. Particularly solar energy is well distributed all over the country thus having the potential to facilitate the provision of energy services to rural settlements. Sudanese land cover classes indicated that 51% of the country area is bare rocks and soil, agriculture land is 13%, and tree cover and herbaceous vegetation cover 36% of the total Sudan area. The annual crop cultivated area is around 20 million ha and the main crops occupying more than 90% of the cultivated area are sorghum, millet, wheat, sesame and groundnut. Rangelands are the backbone of the livelihood of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists producing annually about 73% of the total feed required for national herds. The forest area is about 22 million ha thus comprising three different classes: federal, state, and community/private forests. Sudan is one of the most seriously affected countries by desertification in Africa. Recent GIS and remote sensing results indicated that between 1958 and 2017 the desert boundary was moved more to the south pushing the country into a historical desertification disaster. Several attempts were made to formulate regulations and legislations to combat soil degradation and desertification. However, desertification in Sudan remains a major environmental threat. Sudan is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, ranking 175th out of 181 countries. Analyses of rainfall and temperature have demonstrated a high rainfall variability and a clear rise in maximum and minimum temperature. Key climate change impacts include: reduced crops and livestock productivity, reduction in the duration of the growing season and socioeconomic impact such as conflict over resources and migration to urban centres. Sudan has implemented several plans and policies which directly relate to climate change adaptation and development priorities. The focus of these plans and policies is: food security and raising productivity, reducing poverty and enhancing adaptation and resilience to climate change, protecting and developing natural resources, land tenure problems and strengthening governance and institutional capacity. These interventions had limited success in achieving their objectives. The main reasons are: a lack of political stability and fluctuating economic and financial policies as well as weak administrative and implementation capacity of the government institutions. The main lessons learnt are: agricultural-development programmes require increased and more effective public and private partnerships involving the main stakeholders. The low flow of finance to the agricultural sector remains one of the obstacles of agricultural growth. In addition to the poor rural infrastructure, the ongoing conflicts and social unrest in many parts of the country are strongly impacting the performance of the economy and constraining the development plans and policies. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308810&r=all |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Environment - Air Quality & Clean Air Environment - Climate Change Impacts Environment - Environmental Economics & Policies Environment - Environmental Management Environment - Pollution Management & Control Environment - Water Resources Management Water Supply and Sanitation - Urban Solid Waste Management |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:33935&r=all |
| By: | Mathieu Lambotte (CESAER - Centre d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales Appliquées à l'Agriculture et aux Espaces Ruraux - AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Stéphane de Cara (ECO-PUB - Economie Publique - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Valentin Bellassen (CESAER - Centre d'Economie et de Sociologie Rurales Appliquées à l'Agriculture et aux Espaces Ruraux - AgroSup Dijon - Institut National Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, de l'Alimentation et de l'Environnement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Catherine Brocas (IDELE - Institut de l'élevage) |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and economic performances for a sample of dairy farms Protected Designation of Origin dairy farms in France. Investigating caeteris paribus drivers of performance, we conclude that synergies are rare. Investing in farming equipment, optimizing fuel use or suppressing manure composting can however improve environmental performance by 5 to 13% without impairing profits. In parallel, increasing labor productivity and reducing the share of protein in the diet enhances the economic performance by 7 to 21% without increasing GHG emissions. On the debated merit of intensiveness, our analysis leans towards a negative influence of concentrates, especially protein-rich ones such as soybean cakes, both on economic and environmental performances. This result, consistent with previous studies on extensive systems, could be conditioned by a good know-how and management of grass. |
| Keywords: | dairy farms,gross margin,greenhouse gas emissions,Protected Designation of Origin,Appelation d'origine,AOC,Emissions de gaz à effet de serre,Marge brute,Exploitation laitière |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03021963&r=all |
| By: | Joseph S. Shapiro; Reed Walker |
| Abstract: | This paper describes a novel approach to estimating the marginal cost of air pollution regulation, then applies it to assess whether a large set of existing U.S. air pollution regulations have marginal costs exceeding their marginal benefits. The approach utilizes an important yet underexplored provision of the Clean Air Act requiring new or expanding plants to pay incumbents in the same or neighboring counties to reduce their pollution emissions. These “offset” regulations create several hundred decentralized, local markets for pollution that differ by pollutant and location. We describe conditions under which offset transaction prices can be interpreted as measures of the marginal cost of pollution abatement, and we compare estimates of the marginal benefit of abatement from leading air quality models to offset prices. We find that for most regions and pollutants, the marginal benefits of pollution abatement exceed mean offset prices more than ten-fold. In at least one market, however, estimated marginal benefits are below offset prices. Marginal abatement costs are increasing rapidly in real terms. Notably, our revealed preference estimates of marginal abatement costs differ enormously from typical engineering estimates. Some evidence suggests that using price rather than existing quantity regulation in these markets may increase social welfare. |
| JEL: | H23 Q52 Q53 R11 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28199&r=all |
| By: | Eckstein, Johannes; Ordonez, Jose Antonio; Wachsmuth, Jakob |
| Abstract: | The unconditional target of Indonesia's NDC foresees a reduction of GHG emissions of 29% relative to a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, to reach 2034 MtCO2eq in 2030. It further specifies that the energy sector shall take a share of 37.6% of this mitigation effort to reduce emissions by 18.8% relative to BAU, reaching 1355 MtCO2eq emissions in 2030. This study analyses how falling cost projections of renewable energy technologies (solar PV and wind energy) could inform energy sector and climate change mitigation plans of Indonesia.We show that cost projections valid for Indonesia for renewable energies have dramatically fallen over the past years. Costs projected for 2030 a couple of years ago are well undercut by more recent projections for 2030. Recent cost projections for 2030 for wind energy are 31% lower than projections dating from 2015, solar PV cost projections have fallen by 49% on average. If falling costs for renewables are considered, the renewable capacities given in RUEN (the National Energy Master Plan) could be revised at constant investments. The overall renewable energy capacity given in RUEN for 2030 could be increased from 70 GW to 85 GW. Solar PV would become the dominant source of renewable energy, wind energy would slightly surpass geothermal power generation. This increase in renewable capacities could inform the revision of Indonesia's NDC. If falling cost projections of renewables are considered, the unconditional target could be reduced from 2034 MtCO2eq to 2005 MtCO2eq at constant costs. This corresponds an increase from 29% to 30.1% reduction and presents a 9.1% increase in the ambition of the energy sector. |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s132020&r=all |
| By: | Mirzabaev, Alisher; Sakketa, Tekalign Gutu; Sylla, Mouhamadou Bamba; Dimobe, Kangbéni; Sanfo, Safietou; Admassie, Assefa; Abebaw, Degnet; Coulibaly, Ousmane Nafolo; Rabani, Adamou; Ibrahim, Boubacar; Bonkaney, Abdou Latif; Seyni, Abdoul Aziz; Idrissa, Mamoudou; Olayide, Olawale Emmanuel; Faye, Amy; Dièye, Mohamadou; Diakhaté, Pape Bilal; Bèye, Assane; Sall, Moussa; Diop, Mbaye; Osman, Abdelrahman Khidir; Ali, Adil M.; Garba, Issa; Baumüller, Heike; Ouedraogo, Souleymane; von Braun, Joachim |
| Abstract: | This paper synthesizes a set of national case studies conducted in the Sahelian countries during 2019-2020 as a collaboration between national universities and research institutes, and the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, with contributions from the Agrhymet Regional Centre, Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). These case studies provide up-to-date knowledge and critical insights on the nexus of land degradation, climate change and energy in the Sahel. The current synthesis paper highlights their major findings and provides crosscutting and cross-regional analytical conclusions. First, the synthesis paper explores current trends in the Sahel region on land use and land degradation, energy use and supply, climate change projections and impacts, as well as their interactions and links to agricultural growth, food security, poverty reduction, and peace in the region. Second, technological, socio-economic and policy solutions at the nexus of land, water, energy and climate challenges that enable environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive rural development in the Sahel are discussed, including their interactions and implications for peace and stability in the region. The findings show that such socio-economic solutions as improving access to markets, strengthening social safety nets, increasing investments to transport and energy infrastructures, promoting land tenure security, expanding off-farm employment opportunities can greatly contribute to rural development in the Sahel, particularly by aiding climate change resilience and sustainable land management. Key technological innovations highlighted across the case studies include expanding irrigation and adopting water use efficient irrigation techniques, crop diversification, expanding agricultural mechanization, investing into restoring and rehabilitating degraded lands through reforestation, afforestation and agroforestry practices. The key lessons learnt from ongoing national policy initiatives for sustainable development highlight the importance of active stakeholder consultation and participation in policy formulation, institution of effective policy monitoring and assessment mechanisms, and avoiding of excessive reliance on external sources of funding for the successful implementation of sustainable development policies and programs. Based on these findings, the synthesis paper proposes an agenda for applied research to provide guidance to and accompany promising development strategies in and for the region. |
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics and Policy, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308811&r=all |
| By: | Eckstein, Johannes; Ordonez, Jose Antonio; Wachsmuth, Jakob |
| Abstract: | The unconditional target of Mexico's NDC foresees a reduction of GHG emissions of 22% relative to a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, to reach 762 MtCO2eq in 2030. It further specifies that specifies that electricity generation shall take a share of 30% of this mitigation effort to reduce emissions by 31.4% relative to BAU, reaching 139 MtCO2eq in 2030. This study analyses how falling cost projections of renewable energy technologies (solar PV and wind energy) could inform energy sector and climate change mitigation plans of Indonesia. We show that cost projections valid for Mexico for renewables have dramatically fallen over the past years. Costs projected for 2030 a couple of years ago are well undercut by more recent projections for 2030. Recent cost projections for 2030 for wind energy are 77% lower than projections dating from 2015, solar PV cost projections have fallen by 74% on average. If falling costs for renewables are considered, the renewable capacities given in PRODESEN (the national power sector plan) could be revised at constant investments. The overall renewable energy capacity given in PRODESEN for 2030 could be increased from 37 GW to 52 GW. This increase in renewable capacities could inform the revision of Mexico's NDC. If falling cost projections of renewable energies are considered, the unconditional target could be reduced from 762 MtCO2eq to 747 MtCO2eq at constant costs. This corresponds an increase from 22% to 23.5% reduction and presents a 23.4% increase in the ambition of the power sector. Further Reading In a companion paper, Eckstein et al. (2020a) discuss the processes and assumptions underlying the current revision of the NDC in Mexico. Based on Interviews, they discuss the roles of the different institutions responsible for energy and climate mitigation plans, their policy and planning instruments and the relationship between these. Within the same project, the team of authors has written two more studies of the same structure for Indonesia (Eckstein et al. 2020b, Ordonez and Eckstein 2020) and Argentina (Nascimento et al.2020, Kurdziel et al.2020). |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s152020&r=all |
| By: | World Bank Group; U.K. Department of International Development |
| Keywords: | Agriculture - Climate Change and Agriculture Agriculture - Livestock & Animal Husbandry Environment - Adaptation to Climate Change Environment - Climate Change Impacts Environment - Climate Change and Environment Environment - Sustainable Land Management Poverty Reduction - Poverty, Environment and Development |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:33422&r=all |
| By: | Thornton Matheson |
| Abstract: | This paper provides an overview of global solid waste generation, its environmental costs, and fiscal instruments that can be used to encourage waste reduction and finance proper disposal. Countries—especially island nations--struggle to manage an ever-increasing volume of solid waste, generation of which is projected to exceed 2 billion tons a year by 2025. Although solid waste management is usually relegated to subnational governments, externalities from inadequate management, which include greenhouse gas emissions and ocean plastic pollution, reach global scale. National governments thus play a critical role in creating incentives for waste minimization and ensuring adequate resources for proper waste management. This paper evaluates potential fiscal instruments to achieve these goals, particularly in developing country policy environments. |
| Keywords: | Income;Consumption;Public expenditure review;Greenhouse gas emissions;Environment;WP,waste disposal,property tax,disposal cost,generation rate,government waste management plan,local government |
| Date: | 2019–12–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2019/283&r=all |
| By: | Samson Afewerki; Asbjørn Karlsen |
| Abstract: | Just sustainable regional development has become an all-important policy agenda in regions overspecialized in carbon-intensive industries. Just sustainable regional development requires coherent innovation policies and legitimacy to simultaneously address long-term and short-term climate, social and economic goals. We argue that an evolutionary perspective emphasizing institutional legacies (and the concept of institutional layering) is productive for analysing and designing just and sustainable policies. Drawing on a longitudinal case study of two Norwegian oil and gas-dependent regions, we shed light on the multi-scalar policy mixes and underlying political dynamics designed to shape the process. We reveal that, underpinned by the Norwegian tripartite cooperation model, the focus of the multi-scalar policy mixes in the regions has been primarily on the decarburization of the sector, rather than on its active phase-out, along with the development of the renewable energy sector, mainly through technology-push instruments. While supporting business as usual in the short term, this approach may facilitate the growth of the emerging renewable technologies and thereby meet the long-term ‘life-after-oil’ ambitions, reducing the negative impacts of transitions. In light of the urgency for a sustainability transition, we make policy recommendations that can contribute to rapid regional low-carbon transitions while ensuring long-term job security. |
| Keywords: | Just sustainable transition, tripartite collaboration, coordinated market economy, evolutionary approach, institutional layering |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwpeg:geo-disc-2021_02&r=all |
| By: | Ralf Martin; John Van Reenen |
| Abstract: | Ralf Martin and John Van Reenen explain how taxing emissions could help to meet the costs of the crisis and encourage investment in clean innovation. |
| Keywords: | covid-19,climate change,carbon tax |
| Date: | 2020–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepcnp:577&r=all |
| By: | Chimere O. Iheonu (Abuja, Nigeria); Ogochukwu C. Anyanwu (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria); Obinna K. Odo (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria); Solomon Prince Nathaniel (University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria) |
| Abstract: | International trade and urbanization are increasing at an unprecedented rate in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The region has also witnessed a fair share of economic growth, with minimal investment and consumption of renewables. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of economic growth, international trade, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in SSA. The current study enriches the existing literature by employing the panel quantile regression analysis to account for existing levels of CO2 emissions in the region. Empirical findings reveal that GDP increases CO2 emissions across quantiles, especially in countries where the existing level of CO2 emissions is low. International trade improves environmental sustainability in countries where the existing levels of CO2 emissions are at their lowest and highest levels but exacts a reversed impact on CO2 emissions at the median. Further findings suggest that urbanization increases CO2 emissions across the observed quantiles with a more pronounced effect in countries where the existing levels of CO2 emissions are at its lowest level. The study also reveals a bi-directional causality between economic growth, international trade, urbanization, and the emissions of CO2. The limitations of the study and possible direction for future research have been highlighted. Policy directions are discussed. |
| Keywords: | Economic Growth, International Trade, Urbanization, CO2 Emission, sub-Saharan Africa, Quantile Regression |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:agd:wpaper:21/003&r=all |
| By: | Eckstein, Johannes; Kurdziel, Marie-Jeanne; Ordonez, Jose Antonio |
| Abstract: | Mexico is signatory to the Paris Agreement. As such, the country submitted its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2014 in the run-up to the Paris agreement. In the past years, renewable energy systems have seen a massive cost reduction, which should be considered energy sector and climate change mitigation plans (also see Eckstein et al. (2020)). In view of these developments, this study analyses the process underlying the development of Mexico's NDC and its revision in 2020 with a particular focus on the energy sector and renewable energy systems. The assumptions underlying the related energy sector planning document (PRODESEN) and the relationships to the NDC are assessed. The study is completed by giving a snapshot of political constraints under the current administration of President López Obrador. The study builds on literature review and insights gained from interviews with pertinent Mexican stakeholders. In Mexico's NDC, emissions are estimated to increase by roughly 50% between 2013 and 2030 in the business as usual (BAU) scenario. The unconditional mitigation target of Mexico's NDC foresees a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction by 22% by 2030 relative to BAU. In the electricity sector, the NDC aims at a 31% GHG emissions reduction. The target setting process remains publicly undisclosed and highly politicized. The main responsibility for the NDC revision is with the Environment Ministry of Mexico (SEMARNAT). SEMARNAT is supported by the National Institute for Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), a body created under the climate change law. The highest level administrative body in the energy sector in Mexico is the Energy Ministry (SENER), responsible for the establishment of targets and strategic transmission investments for renewable energy. The 2020 NDC revision considers only enhanced energy efficiency measures and to a large extent disregards renewable energies in the power sector. Energy sector planning is described to align to political interests and not to follow cost optimization, despite the fact that cost optimization modelling exercises have been carried out by SENER and supported by international organizations. [...] |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s162020&r=all |
| By: | Amir Lebdioui |
| Abstract: | Underlying the management of revenues from natural resource extraction is a set of assumptions about how abundant and how valuable these resources are. Nevertheless, existing approaches to measuring the value of extractive resources are seriously flawed. This paper proposes two avenues for improving them. It explains how a multidimensional approach to measuring resource wealth can be used to identify the policy challenges that a country might face as it sets out its strategy for managing extractive revenues. |
| Keywords: | Natural resources, Valuation, environmental impact, Extractives, Climate change, Environmental impact assessments |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2021-18&r=all |
| By: | Koh, Sin Yee; Zhao, Yimin; Shin, Hyun Bang |
| Abstract: | There is an established urban studies literature on the discursive politics of green urbanism, especially with regards to eco-cities and (mega) greenfield developments. However, less attention has been paid to the micropolitics of cross-border transplantation of green urbanism ideas and practices, especially within Asia. This paper examines the case of Forest City, a mainland Chinese developer-led mega greenfield project in the Iskandar Malaysia special economic corridor, to be built on four reclaimed islands. Based on observations, in-depths interviews with local stakeholders and document analysis, we analyse the different ways in which green urbanism has been used by the local state and the developer as an apparatus for speculative city-making. On the one hand, the state seeks to position Iskandar Malaysia as greener than its global competitors through the development of a homegrown "low carbon society" green accreditation system. On the other hand, the (selectively) "green and smart" Forest city consolidates the developer's corporate brand image and marketing aesthetics at the cost of local residents' living environment. Attention to such entangled micropolitics of speculative green urbanism contextualises different stakeholders' rationales and practices and contributes to critical reflections on the entanglement of green urbanism and speculative urbanisation. |
| Keywords: | green urbanism; speculative urbanization; property development; micropolitcs; Iskandar Malaysia; global China; IC3/100155 |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2021–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:108216&r=all |
| By: | Peter Eisenberger |
| Abstract: | A Renewable Energy and Materials Economy (REME) is proposed as the solution to the climate change threat. REME mimics nature to produce carbon neutral liquid fuels and chemicals as well as carbon negative materials by using water, CO$_2$ from the atmosphere and renewable energy as inputs. By being in harmony with nature REME has a positive feedback between economic development and climate change protection. In REME the feedback driven accelerated rate of economic growth enables the climate change threat to be addressed in a timely manner. It is also cost-effective protection because it sequesters by monetizing the carbon removed from the air in carbon-based building materials. Thus, addressing the climate change threat is not a cost to the economy but a result of REME driven prosperity. |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2012.14976&r=all |
| By: | Vesa-Pekka Parkatti (University of Helsinki); Olli Tahvonen (University of Helsinki) |
| Abstract: | We study forestry in the Sámi people homeland region to understand an ongoing conflict between conventional forest logging and maintaining forests as reindeer pastures for indigenous people. We use a detailed model that simultaneously includes timber production, carbon storage in living biomass, deadwood and wood products, negative effects on reindeer husbandry, and a flexible optimization between rotation forestry (cf. clearcuts) and forestry that maintains continuous forestcover. We show that the profitability of conventional forestry is based on utilizing existing forest stands, an outcome that can be understood as forest capital mining. By varying the carbon price between €0 tCO2 and €40 tCO2, we show that the optimal solutions based on a 3% interest rate are always continuous cover forestry. A carbon price of €60 - €100tCO2 implies that it is optimal to give up timber production and utilize forests for carbon storage and reindeer pasture only. Given the present forest management practices and an old-growth forest as the initial state, the carbon choke price decreases to €14–€20 CO2. The optimal choice between timber production and utilizing forests purely for carbon storage and reindeer husbandry may depend on the initial forest state. The choice between maintaining old-growth forest and converting land to timber production, as determined by dynamic economic analysis, is incompatible with the frequently applied approach based on carbon debt and the carbon payback period. |
| Keywords: | Arctic Forestry, Indigenous Peoples, Sámi, Continuous Cover Forestry, Uneven†Aged Forestry, Carbon Sequestration, Reindeer Husbandry, Carbon Debt, Payback Period |
| JEL: | Q2 Q23 Q24 Q28 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.25&r=all |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Agriculture - Climate Change and Agriculture Environment - Climate Change Impacts Environment - Climate Change and Environment Environment - Water Resources Management Water Resources - Drought Management Water Resources - Hydrology |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:33805&r=all |
| By: | World Bank Group |
| Keywords: | Environment - Environmental Economics & Policies Environment - Pollution Management & Control Water Supply and Sanitation - Urban Solid Waste Management Water Supply and Sanitation - Waste Disposal & Utilization |
| Date: | 2019–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:33838&r=all |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Agriculture - Climate Change and Agriculture Agriculture - Commodity Risk Management Conflict and Development - Disaster Management Environment - Climate Change Impacts Environment - Natural Disasters |
| Date: | 2019–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:33471&r=all |
| By: | Cevik, Serhan; Ghazanchyan, Manuk |
| Abstract: | While the world’s attention is on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change remains a greater existential threat to vulnerable countries that are highly dependent on a weather-sensitive sector like tourism. Using a novel multidimensional index, this study investigates the long-term impact of climate change vulnerability on international tourism in a panel of 15 Caribbean countries over the period 1995–2017. Empirical results show that climate vulnerability already has a statistically and economically significant negative effect on international tourism revenues across the region. As extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe over time, our findings indicate that the Caribbean countries need to pursue comprehensive adaptation policies to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change. |
| Keywords: | Climate change; global warming; tourism; adaptation; resilience; Caribbean |
| JEL: | O44 Q51 Q54 |
| Date: | 2020–11–13 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:104190&r=all |
| By: | Marco A. Marini (Sapienza Università di Roma); Ornella Tarola (Sapienza Università di Roma); Jacques-François Thisse (CORE-UCLouvain, HSE University and CEPR) |
| Abstract: | We study how the supply of environmentalism, which is de…ned by psychic bene…ts (costs) associated with the purchase of high-environmental (low-environmental) qualities, a¤ects the way …rms choose their products and the ensuing consequences for the global level of pollution. Contrary to general belief, a high supply of environmentalism does not give rise to a better environmental outcome because it endows …rms with more market power which they use to maximize pro…ts. By contrast, standard policy instruments such as a minimum quality standard or the use of greener technologies leads to a better ecological footprint. |
| Keywords: | Environmentalism, Psychic Costs and BenefiÂ…ts, Vertical Product Differentiation, Environmental Policy |
| JEL: | D11 L13 Q50 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.31&r=all |
| By: | Akshaya Jha; Stephen A. Karolyi; Nicholas Z. Muller |
| Abstract: | We present three findings on the effects of environmental regulation on the municipal bond market. First, yields increase (decrease) after a new standard is proposed (finalized), consistent with the resolution of regulatory uncertainty. Second, around annual compliance announcements, yields fall for counties that remain in compliance but increase for newly noncompliant counties. Third, yields are substantially higher for bonds from counties just above the pollution threshold relative to counties just below the threshold. Our findings suggest that increases in regulatory stringency or uncertainty over future environmental policy increase the cost of municipal debt raised to fund critical infrastructure. |
| JEL: | G12 G14 Q52 Q53 Q58 R51 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28210&r=all |
| By: | Federica Cappelli (Roma Tre University) |
| Abstract: | The paper traces the evolution the concept of socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change has followed in the academic and scientific debate. The recent recognition of vulnerability as a social construction has shifted the focus of the analysis on the dimension of adaptive capacity, i.e. the human response to environmental stresses and climate hazards. Depending on the social and institutional factors in place in a society, this human response can either mitigate or exacerbate harm. In particular, the paper focuses on the role of both vertical and horizontal inequalities in determining differentiated vulnerabilities across individuals and population groups. Inequality in the distribution of income and relevant resources is primarily a question of access to tangible and intangible assets and capabilities that can enable individuals or population groups to prevent and cope with impacts from extreme weather events. |
| Keywords: | Climate Change, Vulnerability, Inequality |
| JEL: | Q54 D63 O15 |
| Date: | 2020–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.21&r=all |
| By: | Shuhei Nishitateno (School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University); Paul J. Burke (Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University) |
| Abstract: | This paper documents the effect of diesel vehicle registration restrictions introduced in Japan in 2001 in reducing suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations. The focus is on Aichi and Mie prefectures, home to a number of municipalities that were required to implement these restrictions in 2001. The paper then uses this intervention to estimate the causal effect of air pollution on land values. We obtain estimates of the elasticity of residential land prices with respect to SPM concentration of between –0.4 and –1.0. The revealed willingness to pay for the improvements in air quality induced by the intervention in Aichi and Mie is estimated at about US$7 billion. We also find evidence that net in-migration appears to be a key mechanism via which clean air was capitalized into higher land values. The results are robust to a number of estimation approaches and sample restrictions. |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:ccepwp:2101&r=all |
| By: | Darío Serrano-Puente (Banco de España) |
| Abstract: | Spain is on a path towards the decarbonization of the economy. This is mainly due to structural changes in the economy, where less energy-intensive sectors are gaining more relevance, and due to a higher use of less carbon-intensive primary energy products. This decarbonization trend is in fact more accentuated than that observed in the EU28, but there is still much to be done in order to reverse the huge increases in emissions that occurred in Spain prior to the 2007 crisis. The technical energy efficiency is improving in the Spanish economy at a higher rate than in the EU28, although all these gains are offset by the losses that the country suffers due to the inefficient use of the energy equipment. There is an installed energy infrastructure (in the energy-consumer side) in the Spanish economy that is not working at its maximum rated capacity, but which has very high fixed energy costs that reduce the observed energy efficiency and puts at risk the achievement of the emissions and energy consumption targets set by the European institutions. We arrive to these findings by developing a hybrid decomposition approach called «input-output logarithmic mean Divisia index» (IO-LMDI) decomposition method. With this methodological approach, we can provide an allocation diagram scheme for assigning the responsibility of primary energy requirements and carbon-dioxide emissions to the end-use sectors, including both economic and non-productive sectors. In addition, we analyze more potential influencing factors than those typically examined, we proceed in a way that reconciles energy intensity and energy efficiency metrics, and we are able to distinguish between technical and observed end-use energy efficiency taking into account potential rebound effects and other factors. |
| Keywords: | CO2 emissions, energy efficiency, decomposition analysis, input-output, LMDI |
| JEL: | C67 O13 Q4 Q5 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bde:wpaper:2104&r=all |
| By: | Mésonnier Jean-Stéphane; Nguyen Benoît |
| Abstract: | We investigate the real effects of mandatory climate-related disclosure by financial institutions on the funding of carbon-intensive industries. Our impact metric is the amount invested into securities, bonds and stocks, issued by fossil fuel companies. A French law, which came into force in January 2016 in the aftermath of the Paris Agreement on climate change, provides us with a quasi-natural experiment. The new regulation, unique in Europe at that time, requires institutional investors (i.e., insurers, pension funds and asset management firms), but not banks, to report annually on both their climate-related exposure and climate change mitigation policy. Using a unique dataset of security-level portfolio holdings by each institutional sector in each euro area country, we compare the portfolio choices of French institutional investors with those of French banks and all financial institutions located in other EA countries. We find that investors subject to the new disclosure requirements curtailed their financing of fossil energy companies by some 40% compared to investors in the control group. |
| Keywords: | Bilan carbone, investisseurs institutionnels, énergie fossile, désenvestissement. |
| JEL: | G11 G15 G23 H55 Q54 Q56 |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfr:banfra:800&r=all |
| By: | Frohmann, Alicia; Mulder, Nanno; Olmos, Ximena |
| Abstract: | En esta publicación se revisan conceptos, herramientas y prácticas relacionadas con la manera en que el comercio internacional puede aumentar su contribución al logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Se presentan algunas buenas prácticas de políticas públicas e iniciativas privadas que potencian el aporte del comercio a los ODS. A través del comercio, es posible vincular la producción y el consumo sostenibles. Los intercambios de bienes y servicios entre los países no están al margen del equilibrio entre lo económico, lo social y lo ambiental, sino que tienen el potencial de mitigar los aspectos menos sostenibles de esta tríada e impulsar aquellos que fortalecen dicha sostenibilidad. |
| Keywords: | COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL, ASPECTOS AMBIENTALES, DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE, PEQUEÑAS EMPRESAS, EMPRESAS MEDIANAS, CARBONO, ASPECTOS SOCIALES, EMPLEO, IGUALDAD DE GENERO, POLITICA COMERCIAL, DESARROLLO SOCIAL, CERTIFICACION (MEDIO AMBIENTAL), ASOCIACIONES DE PRODUCTORES, ESTUDIOS DE CASOS, PROMOCION DE LAS EXPORTACIONES, COOPERACION INTERNACIONAL, COMERCIO AGRICOLA, CAFE, COOPERACION REGIONAL, LIBRE COMERCIO, CONVENIOS COMERCIALES, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SMALL ENTERPRISES, MEDIUM ENTERPRISES, CARBON, SOCIAL ASPECTS, EMPLOYMENT, GENDER EQUALITY, TRADE POLICY, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, CERTIFICATION (ENVIRONMENT), PRODUCERS ASSOCIATIONS, CASE STUDIES, EXPORT PROMOTION, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, AGRICULTURAL TRADE, COFFEE, REGIONAL COOPERATION, FREE TRADE, TRADE AGREEMENTS |
| Date: | 2021–01–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecr:col022:46604&r=all |
| By: | Eckstein, Johannes; Kurdziel, Marie-Jeanne; Castro, Leonardo Nascimento; Ordonez, Jose Antonio |
| Abstract: | This study builds on three case studies in Argentina, Indonesia and Mexico which analyse the implications of falling costs for renewable energy systems on the countries' energy sector planning and climate policy. Each case study consists of two country specific reports. The first report analyses how falling costs of renewable energy could impact country specific power sector development. The second report analyses the process of climate and renewable energy target setting, as well as the prevalent narrative around renewable energy integration. Finally, the present report provides a cross-country synthesis of all case studies, providing insights into the question of how falling costs of renewable energy systems might support the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Globally falling cost figures for solar PV and wind energy do not naturally translate into increased ambition in planning. The integration of these technologies to the energy system still face substantial barriers in our case study countries: The integration of higher shares of renewable energy goes along with investments into transmission and distribution network modernisation, network expansion and interconnections between power grids. Though an important element, falling costs for renewable energy projects alone do not necessarily translate into overall reduced power system costs. While globally falling costs for wind and solar PV are indicative for learning curve effects in the manufacturing of these technologies, the LCOE of renewable projects is highly sensitive to financing costs. These are largely determined by the local political and regulatory framework and remain high in our case countries, representing a barrier. We find that a number of regulatory and administrative barriers hinder higher integration of solar PV and wind. Frequently changing regulations and ill-designed support schemes often prevail over welldesigned renewable energy auction schemes that are followed over several years. We find the political economy fossil fuels to be pivotal in the energy sector and climate planning and target setting processes. Fossil fuel endowments and a long history of natural resource exploitation lead to strong vested interests towards sustaining the use of fossil fuels to satisfy a growing electricity demand. [...] |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s172020&r=all |
| By: | Ordonez, Jose Antonio; Eckstein, Johannes |
| Abstract: | This study analyses the processes and assumptions underlying the development of Indonesia's NDC and its revision in 2020. The assumptions underlying the related energy sector documents (KEN, RUEN, RUKN, RUPTL) and their relationships are also assessed. The study is completed by giving a snapshot of the current state of discussion around constraints related to renewable energy. The unconditional target of Indonesia's NDC foresees a reduction of GHG emissions of 29% relative to a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario (41% conditional to international support). It specifies that electricity generation shall reduce emissions by 18.8% relative to BAU. The overall target of a 29% and 41% have been set by a non-public process. The sectoral shares of GHG reductions are determined by the responsible ministries (ESDM in case of the energy sector), with modelling performed by academic institutions (e.g. BTI for energy). This modelling is partly based on existing plans of the energy sector. Data underlying this modelling is not public, but underlying socio-economic assumptions suggest that the BAU scenario overestimates emissions. The NDC has no influence on planning in the energy sector but should be considered a by-product of existing planning documents. The process underlying the current revision is repeated for the current revision of the NDC and likely also for creation of the LTS. The ambition under the revised NDC will not be increased. The share of renewable energy in the NDC follows from a cascade of energy planning documents (KEN, RUEN, RUKN, RUPTL), which pass the target from the most overarching energy plans to the NDC. Arguably the most important target related to renewable energy planning in Indonesia set down by the countries' energy strategy KEN, to reach 23% renewable energy in each sector in total primary energy supply in 2025. The assumptions underlying this target are not known and can therefore not be contested. The national energy plan RUEN makes this target more specific in terms of technology. The power sector plan by the ministry of energy RUKN and the power sector plan by the utility RUPTL all consider 23% renewable energy target. Besides that, these plans remain largely disconnected from each other. [...] |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s142020&r=all |
| By: | Coulibaly, Ousmane Nafolo |
| Abstract: | Mali is a Sub-Saharan African country with 19.1 million people. Almost half of this population lives in poverty, due to the dysfunction of activity sectors (agriculture, energy, education, employment, services, etc.). Natural resource management especially land and water together with corollaries remain one of the greatest challenges for this dryland region to sustainably face climate change, meet food demand and improve its economy. The social crisis (especially in the northern region) is significantly affecting development and human security as well. This study had been carried out to review the current state of affairs, key trends, problems, solutions and their implications for sustainable development of Mali under changing climate and the impacts of land degradation. Likewise, investment opportunities in the priority areas are highlighted in this report. |
| Keywords: | Labor and Human Capital, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy |
| Date: | 2021–01–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ubonwp:308805&r=all |
| By: | Wolfgang Buchholz (University of Regensburg and CESifo); Dirk Rübbelke (Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg) |
| Abstract: | Expectations concerning international climate finance have increased considerably. In par-ticular, provisions for international transfer schemes are an important element in the Paris Agreement. Yet, climate finance is not only seen as a tool to efficiently combat global warm-ing, but also to solve development problems in the recipient countries. Thereby, conflicts between distributive and allocative objectives arise, which threaten overall performance of such transfer schemes. Given the severity of the climate change problem, we raise concerns whether the world can afford climate transfer schemes that do not focus on prevention of (and adaptation to) climate change, but are considered as a vehicle of rent-seeking by many agents. In line with the famous Tinbergen rule we argue that other sustainability problems and issues of global fairness should not be primarily addressed by climate finance but should be mainly tackled by other means. Future designs of international transfer schemes within the framework of the Paris Agree-ment are to be based on experience gained from existing mechanisms. Therefore, we con-sider different existing schemes using a graphical technique first proposed by David Pearce and describe the conflicts between allocative and distributional goals that arise. |
| Keywords: | Ancillary Benefits, CDM, Climate Finance, Co-benefits, Global Environment Facility, Incremental Cost, International Transfers, Paris Agreement, Premium Prices |
| JEL: | H41 H87 Q54 Q56 |
| Date: | 2020–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.17&r=all |
| By: | Franz Sinabell; Julia Grübler; Oliver Reiter |
| Abstract: | This study presents quantitative and qualitative assessments of potential consequences of the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur countries. It is embedded in a wider Association Agreement and was made public in summer 2019. The focus is on Austria. One objective of the agreement is to liberalise trade and to improve conditions for making investments in order to create jobs and value added and to give consumers in both regions better access to a wide range of products and services. A gravity model analysis shows that average income gains per person are remarkably similar in both regions. However, the economies in Mercosur countries will benefit more than EU Member States economies in relative terms. A second objective of the agreement is to meet targets that go beyond immediate economic benefits, such as to further sustainable development, to prevent environmental deterioration, to avoid social frictions and to smooth adaptation processes. A qualitative comparison shows the advancements compared to other trade agreements and the limitations of trade agreements to address social and environmental concerns. An in depth-appraisal of the provisions for agriculture shows potential benefits and costs for consumers and farmers in both regions. |
| Keywords: | trade liberalisation, EU, MERCOSUR, gravity model, environment, agriculture |
| JEL: | F13 F15 F17 F18 Q17 |
| Date: | 2020–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wsr:ecbook:2020:i:vii-003&r=all |
| By: | Monica Billio; Roberto Casarin; Enrica De Cian; Malcolm Mistry; Anthony Osuntuyi |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of climate shocks on 13 European economies analysing jointly business and financial cycles, in different phases and disentangling the effects for different sector channels. A Bayesian Panel Markov-switching framework is proposed to jointly estimate the impact of extreme weather events on the economies as well as the interaction between business and financial cycles. Results from the empirical analysis suggest that extreme weather events impact asymmetrically across the different phases of the economy and heterogeneously across the EU countries. Moreover, we highlight how the manufacturing output, a component of the industrial production index, constitutes the main channel through which climate shocks impact the EU economies. |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2012.14693&r=all |
| By: | Deborah Cotton (University of Technology Sydney) |
| Abstract: | The increased focus and agreement on the requirement for the planet to be more sustainable has led to an array of new research and financial products. The new buzz phrase is transition financing which is being seen as the path to achieving a sustainable world. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2019) has the main objective of transition finance is to optimise access to finance for sustainable development to avoid financing gaps or socio-economic setbacks. This chapter examines some of the products and markets in current use by financial institutions and investors. It describes their use and recent research in this area as well as some gaps in this research. |
| Keywords: | Transition finance; Green bonds; Environmental markets |
| Date: | 2020–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uts:ppaper:2020-4&r=all |
| By: | Lyons-White, Joss; Yobo, Christian Mikolo; Ewers, Robert M.; Knight, Andrew T. |
| Abstract: | “Zero deforestation” commitments are pledges by companies to avoid deforestation when producing palm oil. Zero deforestation can be implemented using the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), a tool that distinguishes forests from degraded land which can be developed. In highly forested countries like Gabon, zero deforestation may conflict with national economic goals involving palm oil and other agricultural commodities. We investigated perspectives of stakeholders in Gabon about zero deforestation and the HCSA using Critical Systems Heuristics, a systems thinking methodology. In 25 interviews with government, NGOs, companies, and research institutions, and two focus groups with rural communities, we identified three contrasting perspectives on forest conservation and agro-industrial development: international, national, and local. Zero deforestation represents an international perspective that marginalises issues from a national perspective. This may produce unintended consequences that undermine the legitimacy of zero deforestation, including conversion of Gabon’s savannahs and disincentives for sustainable business development. From a local perspective, zero deforestation is embedded in an agro-industrial vision that marginalises value judgments concerning forests and traditional livelihoods. Gabon’s National Land Use Plan could help reconcile the three perspectives but requires recognition by international standards. Adapting the HCSA should also be considered. Research is required to ensure proposed institutional arrangements deliver equitable multi-stakeholder participation in land-use planning. Gabon’s case shows the applicability of zero deforestation to all highly forested countries cannot be assumed. Improved international understanding of national contexts, and flexibility in applying “zero deforestation”, is important for designing effective and equitable international standards for sustainable agricultural production. |
| Date: | 2021–01–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:n9dhz&r=all |
| By: | Pagliari, Maria Sole |
| Abstract: | This paper proposes an approach to estimate the impact of adverse climatic events on the profitability of small European banks (LSIs). By considering river flooding phenomena, we construct a unique database matching the information on location, frequency and severity of floods with the location and balance sheet data of institutions mainly operating in the areas where they are headquartered (territorial LSIs). We compare the performance of territorial LSIs across regions at low and high flooding risk and test for the “core lending channel” hypothesis, whereby lending to the real economy is a catalyst of physical risks. Results show that an adverse event dropping loans to households and non-financial corporations by one percentage point (pp) of total assets entails a decrease in the Return on Assets (ROA) of territorial LSIs in riskier areas by 0.01pps (~3.1%). Moreover, if all territorial LSIs were located in riskier areas, one bank out of two would report an average ROA between 0.0001 and 0.52 percentage points lower than what observed. JEL Classification: C33, G21, Q54 |
| Keywords: | climate change, core lending, dynamic panel regressions, LSIs, profitability |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20212517&r=all |
| By: | Rickels, Wilfried; Quaas, Martin F.; Ricke, Katharine; Quaas, Johannes; Moreno-Cruz, Juan; Smulders, Sjak |
| Abstract: | Increasing attention is being given to the option of engineering the climate via Solar Radiation Management (SRM) as a potential component in future climate policies. We set up a quantitative model to analyze efficient levels of SRM deployment against the climatic and economic background conditions projected by the various Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) baseline scenarios for the year 2050. The model combines three features of the data: i) SRM deployment is regionally uneven in the way it affects grid-cell temperature and precipitation, ii) temperature and precipitation affect Gross Value Added (GVA) at the grid-cell level and the effect for both takes the form of an inverted U-shape relationship, implying that optimal temperature and precipitation levels with respect to output do exist, and iii) different assumptions about economic growth and its distribution over regions, as projected by the SSPs, increase the relative share of global GVA for currently rather poor countries with high average temperatures. We find that in global terms, economically efficient levels of SRM are affected more by region-specific economic growth projections than by regional climate-change impacts. Globally, the economically efficient SRM level is proportional to the (global) GVA-weighted mean temperature increase, which varies considerably according to the various growth projections (for equal climatic background conditions). Achieving the optimal temperature in each scenario is constrained by the influence of SRM on precipitation. |
| Keywords: | Climate engineering,Solar radiation management,Governance,Climate-change winners and losers |
| JEL: | Q54 O44 |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:228647&r=all |
| By: | Jane da Mosto (We are Venice, Cambridge University); Camilla Bertolini (Ca' Foscari University); Anil Markandya (University of the Basque Country); Paulo A.L.D. Nunes (FAO); Tom Spencer (Cambridge University); Arnas Palaima (Cambridge University); Laura Onofri (University of Padua) |
| Abstract: | Safeguarding the future of Venice is a globally recognised challenge of urban sustainability. We propose a sustainable management model, alternative to the current strategy, that primarily focuses on the built heritage and which interprets the city together with its encircling lagoon as a matrix of interlinked natural, cultural and social capital. In particular, Venetian natural capital can be valued as a stock of wealth that produces a flow of income, its ecosystem services. Such values can be measured in economic, including monetary, terms. Using the examples of salt marsh and seagrass carbon sequestration, together with sediment retention, water purification and artisanal fishery and aquaculture, we show that it is economically viable to develop and reorientate the nearfuture trajectory of Venice and its lagoon with reference to a more sustainable pathway, where the natural capital is a driver of future economic development and, as such, is comparable with the value of currently dominant economic activities (port and mass tourism). |
| Keywords: | Natural Capital, Ecosystem Services,Eecosystem Services Economic Valuation, Sustainability, Venice Lagoon, Alternative Management Strategies |
| JEL: | Q56 Q57 R58 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.23&r=all |
| By: | Grzegorz Peszko; Simon Black; Alexandrina Platonova-Oquab; Dirk Heine; Govinda Timilsina |
| Keywords: | Public Sector Development - Public Sector Expenditure Policy Energy - Energy Policies & Economics Energy - Energy and Environment Environment - Air Quality & Clean Air Environment - Brown Issues and Health Environment - Pollution Management & Control Macroeconomics and Economic Growth - Taxation & Subsidies |
| Date: | 2019–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:34030&r=all |
| By: | Marcel Nutz; Florian Stebegg |
| Abstract: | We study strategic interactions between firms with heterogeneous beliefs about future climate impacts. To that end, we propose a Cournot-type equilibrium model where firms choose mitigation efforts and production quantities such as to maximize the expected profits under their subjective beliefs. It is shown that optimal mitigation efforts are increased by the presence of uncertainty and act as substitutes; i.e., one firm's lack of mitigation incentivizes others to act more decidedly, and vice versa. |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2101.08424&r=all |
| By: | World Bank |
| Keywords: | Communities and Human Settlements - Indigenous Communities Communities and Human Settlements - Land Use and Policies Environment - Forests and Forestry Environment - Sustainable Land Management Social Development - Community Development and Empowerment |
| Date: | 2019–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:34183&r=all |
| By: | Alauddin, Mohammad; Tisdell, Clement A.; Rashid Sarkar, Md Abdur |
| Abstract: | This is the first empirical evaluation of Conway’s pioneering predictions about the effects of the Green Revolution on crop yield levels, their sustainability and variability in a long-term context using a holistic approach involving economic, environmental, and ecological factors. It analyses trends in Bangladeshi rice production and identifies changing relative contributions to variations in aggregate rice output of alterations in aggregate rice yields and in the rice area cropped. Rice yields rose substantially following the Green Revolution and have been the major contributor to increasing rice output but have become almost stationary recently. This stationarity (if sustained) could result in Bangladesh finding it increasingly difficult to feed its growing population. Because of the high dependency of Bangladesh on just a few HYVs of rice (and its shrinking gene pool) the productivity of its rice crop could be vulnerable to major ecological and environmental shocks. We found that until recently, the absolute variability of rice yields was higher after the early establishment of the Green Revolution than prior to it. The relative variations in rice yields away from their trend values were smaller after the Green Revolution was well established and continued to fall with the widespread adoption of the technologies. We highlighted the trio of general factors determining rice yields. Holistic analysis requires these all to be considered. However, non-economists often overlook economic factors explored here in assessing influences on the crop yield levels while economists often do not pay adequate attention to ecological and environmental factors. Furthermore, this study contributes to the land-saving controversy involving the intensification of agriculture. The analytical framework we have employed can be adapted to other countries with similar biophysical and demographic characteristics. |
| Keywords: | Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty |
| Date: | 2021–01–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:uqseee:308877&r=all |
| By: | Kurtis, Kimberly E.; Lolli, Francesca |
| Abstract: | Planned substantial road infrastructure investments emphasize the need for alternative materials that can reduce economic and environmental costs. Alkali-activated materials are one such alternative. These inorganic binders can be produced with fewer CO₂ emissions than asphalt and concrete binders while offering comparable mechanical properties. Alkali-activated materials also develop strength more rapidly, facilitating rapid construction and large-scale repair and maintenance operations. Existing studies suggest that alkali-activated materials would produce fewer CO₂ emissions than conventional cement. However, work to date has not considered availability of the precursors needed to produce alkali-activated materials. Limited availability of raw materials could result in significant additional emissions from transporting materials long distances to market. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology analyzed published life cycle assessment literature to understand whether alkali-activated materials can achieve the same mechanical performance as Portland cement with lower CO₂ emissions, considering the local availability of raw materials. This policy brief summarizes the findings from that analysis and provides policy implications. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Engineering, Carbon dioxide, Concrete pavements, Environmental impacts, Fly ash, Life cycle analysis, Literature reviews, Pavement performance, Paving materials, Slag |
| Date: | 2021–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt7536f823&r=all |
| By: | Fankhauser, Samuel; Kotsch, Raphaela; Srivastav, Sugandha |
| Abstract: | Many countries are committed to emerge from COVID 19 on a more sustainable environmental footing. Here we explore what such a structurally transformative recovery would mean for the manufacturing sector. We construct two indicators to assess the readiness of manufacturing in 14 countries to move toward zero-carbon products and processes post-COVID 19: the extent to which country-sectors have already started to convert to zero-carbon products and processes (measured by low-carbon innovation) and their ability to gain and maintain market share (measured by existing comparative advantages). Taken together the two indicators paint an intuitive picture of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by different sectors, which can guide countries in their recovery strategies. We find that all countries have zero-carbon growth opportunities and comparative advantages in some sectors, but industrialised countries and the East Asian economies, especially South Korea, appear best positioned, thanks a push in low- carbon innovation that predates the pandemic. |
| Keywords: | coronavirus; Covid-19; ES/R009708/1; forthcoming |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2020–10–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:106995&r=all |
| By: | Franke, Andrea; Blenckner, Thorsten; Duarte, Carlos M.; Ott, Konrad; Fleming, Lora E.; Avan, Antia; Reusch, Thorsten B.H.; Bertram, Christine; Hein, Jonas; Kronfeld-Goharani, Ulrike; Dierking, Jan; Kuhn, Annegret; Sato, Chie; van Doorn, Erik; Wall, Marlene; Schartau, Markus; Karez, Rolf; Crowder, Larry; Keller, David; Engel, Anja; Hentschel, Ute; Prigge, Enno |
| Abstract: | Protecting the ocean has become a major goal of international policy as human activities increasingly endanger the integrity of the ocean ecosystem, often summarized as “ocean health.” By and large, efforts to protect the ocean have failed because, among other things, (1) the underlying socio-ecological pathways have not been properly considered, and (2) the concept of ocean health has been ill defined. Collectively, this prevents an adequate societal response as to how ocean ecosystems and their vital functions for human societies can be protected and restored. We review the confusion surrounding the term “ocean health” and suggest an operational ocean-health framework in line with the concept of strong sustainability. Given the accelerating degeneration of marine ecosystems, the restoration of regional ocean health will be of increasing importance. Our advocated transdisciplinary and multi-actor framework can help to advance the implementation of more active measures to restore ocean health and safeguard human health and well-being. |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:228646&r=all |
| By: | Tamás Hajdu (Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán u. 4, Hungary); Gábor Hajdu (Institute for Sociology, Centre for Social Sciences, 1097 Budapest, Tóth Kálmán u. 4, Hungary) |
| Abstract: | Evidence of the relationship between temperature during pregnancy and human embryo mortality is limited. Most importantly, the literature lacks causal estimations and studies on early pregnancy losses. Here, we estimate the impact of early pregnancy temperature exposure on the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate. We use administrative data of clinically observed pregnancies from more than three decades for Hungary. We apply an empirical approach that allows us to infer the impact of temperature on the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate from the estimated effects on the clinically observed conception rate. The results show that exposure to hot temperatures during the first few weeks after the conception week increases the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate, whereas exposure to colder temperatures seems to decrease it. Importantly, the temperature-induced changes represent changes in the total number of pregnancy losses rather than a compositional change between clinically observed and clinically unobserved pregnancy losses. |
| Keywords: | pregnancy loss; early pregnancy; temperature; climate change; Hungary |
| JEL: | I10 J13 Q54 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:has:discpr:2104&r=all |
| By: | Minh Ha-Duong (VIET - Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); an Ha Truong (VIET - Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition); Hoang Anh Tran (VIET - Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition) |
| Date: | 2020–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:ciredw:hal-03059625&r=all |
| By: | Volker, Jamey; Lee, Amy; Handy, Susan |
| Abstract: | Induced travel is a well-documented effect in which expanding highway capacity increases the average travel speed on the highway, which in turn reduces the perceived “cost” of driving and thereby induces more driving. This increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increases congestion (often back to pre-expansion levels) and air pollutant emissions, reducing or eliminating the purported benefits of the expansion. Yet highway expansion projects continue to be proposed across California, often using congestion relief—and sometimes greenhouse gas reductions—as a justification for adding lanes. These rosy projections about the benefits of highway expansion projects indicate that the induced travel effect is often not fully accounted for in travel demand models or in the projects’ environmental review process. With this problem in mind, researchers at the University of California, Davis developed an online tool to help agencies estimate the VMT induced annually by adding lanes to major roadways in California’s urbanized counties. The researchers also applied the calculator to estimate the vehicle travel induced by five highway expansion projects in California that had gone through environmental review within the past 12 years. They then compared their estimates with the induced travel analysis completed for the projects’ actual environmental impact assessments. This policy brief summarizes findings from that research, along with policy implications. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Law, Highway capacity, Traffic congestion, Travel demand, Vehicle miles of travel |
| Date: | 2021–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt14b0x0nm&r=all |
| By: | Carlsson, Fredrik (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University); Kataria, Mitesh (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University); Lampi, Elina (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University) |
| Abstract: | Meat production and consumption have several negative environmental externalities and health impacts. Using a stated preference survey, this study identifies main barriers to and drivers of switching to the following meat substitutes: a plant-based veggie burger, a meat-like burger, and a lab burger. We find that price matters: given the right monetary incentives, many individuals express a willingness to switch to meatless alternatives. About a third of those who prefer meat would consider switching to a meat substitute if the price were two-thirds or less of the price of the meat option. However, almost half of the respondents would not choose a lab meat burger even if they would get it for free. Male individuals without university education and older than 30 years show a stronger resistance to substitute meat hamburgers, in particular if the substitute is a plant-based veggie burger that neither looks nor tastes like meat. Environmental and health consciousness and being familiar with the substitute are correlated with the willingness to substitute. Older individuals are less familiar with and less likely to choose meat substitutes compared with younger individuals. We also find that taste is a prominent barrier for people who prefer meat, indicating that there is room for improvements in the taste of the different meat substitutes. |
| Keywords: | meat substitutes; stated preferences |
| JEL: | Q18 Q51 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0798&r=all |
| By: | Tobias Holmsgaard Larsen (Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen); Thomas Lundhede (Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen); Søren Bøye Olsen (Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen); Brian H. Jacobsen (Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen) |
| Abstract: | Cost-benefit analyses are commonly applied to assess the net welfare effects of policies to improve surface water quality. These analyses often disregard the biophysical fact that from implementation of policy measures to resulting improvements on water quality there will typically be considerable time lags, and in many cases there is a risk that the measures will not actually lead to the expected improvement. Based on a case study, we show that explicitly accounting for such time lags and outcome uncertainty in the benefit estimation can have non-negligible impacts on cost-benefit analysis findings. Our analysis indicates that reaching the EU Water Framework Directive target for our case study will lead to large and robust welfare increases. Even if the target proves more difficult or more costly to reach than expected with known policy measures, our results suggest that attempting to do so will still lead to a net welfare gain to society. Increasing time lags and uncertainty regarding water quality improvements do decrease the benefits, but the benefits still outweigh the aggregate costs of policy measures. Only in the worst case scenario, combining a long time lag and a high level of outcome uncertainty for the water quality improvement with relatively high costs of policy measures, we are close to a break-even. Hence, we do not find evidence supporting a case for disproportional cost exemption from the WFD target being relevant for the Limfjorden case. |
| Keywords: | Cost-benefit analysis, disproportional costs, time lags, uncertainty, water quality |
| JEL: | D61 Q25 Q51 Q53 Q58 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:foi:wpaper:2021_01&r=all |
| By: | Rose Mungai; Guy Morel Kossivi Amouzou Agbe |
| Keywords: | Agriculture - Agricultural Sector Economics Agriculture - Climate Change and Agriculture Agriculture - Commodity Risk Management Agriculture - Food Security |
| Date: | 2019–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wboper:34341&r=all |
| By: | Lobsiger, Michael; Rutzer, Christian (University of Basel) |
| Abstract: | We use a data-driven methodology to quantify the importance of different skills in performing green tasks. For Switzerland, we estimate the green potential to be 16.7% of the total of employed persons and 18.8% of full-time equivalents in 2017, respectively. Employed persons in jobs with high green potential are, on average, younger, more often men, have a higher level of educational attainment and a higher probability of having immigrated than employed persons in other occupations. Moreover, there is a shortage of skilled labour in the group of jobs with high green potential, particularly pronounced for the occupational groups managers and professionals. In light of the already tense situation for skilled workers in jobs with high green potential and the expected increase in demand for these occupations, increased efforts will be necessary, especially in the area of labour qualication (education as well as post-qualication and upgrading), to meet the demand for skilled workers for the transition to a sustainable economy. |
| Keywords: | green transition, labor market, skills shortage |
| JEL: | J23 J24 Q52 |
| Date: | 2021–01–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bsl:wpaper:2021/01&r=all |
| By: | Mulder, Nanno; Albaladejo, Manuel |
| Abstract: | La economía circular se ha introducido en las agendas de política pública y la actividad privada en varios países de América Latina y el Caribe, como en otras regiones del mundo. Sin embargo, el vínculo entre la economía circular y el comercio internacional aún ha sido poco explorado. En dicho contexto, este documento analiza las relaciones entre ambos en la región, mediante una revisión de literatura, la descripción de los flujos comerciales de residuos, y el análisis de cómo se incorpora la economía circular en la política comercial. Se enfatiza la necesidad de una mayor transversalización del comercio internacional en las estrategias nacionales de economía circular, y la importancia de la cooperación internacional y las alianzas entre sectores público y privado para la creación de escala y transferencia de conocimiento y tecnología, así como la necesidad de armonización de definiciones y normas. |
| Keywords: | COMERCIO INTERNACIONAL, DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE, ASPECTOS AMBIENTALES, POLITICA COMERCIAL, DESECHOS, RECICLAJE, DESECHOS INDUSTRIALES, UTILIZACION DE DESECHOS, PROMOCION DEL COMERCIO, OMC, UNION EUROPEA, CONVENIOS COMERCIALES, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS, TRADE POLICY, WASTES, RECYCLING, INDUSTRIAL WASTES, WASTE UTILIZATION, TRADE PROMOTION, WTO, EUROPEAN UNION, TRADE AGREEMENTS |
| Date: | 2021–01–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecr:col025:46618&r=all |
| By: | Silvia de Juan; Maria Dulce Subida; Andres Ospina-Alvarez; Ainara Aguilar; Miriam Fernandez |
| Abstract: | A substantial increase in illegal extraction of the benthic resources in central Chile is likely driven by an interplay of numerous socio-economic local factors that threatens the success of the fisheries management areas (MA) system. To assess this problem, the exploitation state of a commercially important benthic resource (i.e., keyhole limpet) in the MAs was related with socio-economic drivers of the small-scale fisheries. The potential drivers of illegal extraction included rebound effect of fishing effort displacement by MAs, level of enforcement, distance to surveillance authorities, wave exposure and land-based access to the MA, and alternative economic activities in the fishing village. The exploitation state of limpets was assessed by the proportion of the catch that is below the minimum legal size, with high proportions indicating a poor state, and by the relative median size of limpets fished within the MAs in comparison with neighbouring OA areas, with larger relative sizes in the MA indicating a good state. A Bayesian-Belief Network approach was adopted to assess the effects of potential drivers of illegal fishing on the status of the benthic resource in the MAs. Results evidenced the absence of a direct link between the level of enforcement and the status of the resource, with other socio-economic (e.g., alternative economic activities in the village) and context variables (e.g., fishing effort or distance to surveillance authorities) playing important roles. Scenario analysis explored variables that are susceptible to be managed, evidencing that BBN is a powerful approach to explore the role of multiple external drivers, and their impact on marine resources, in complex small-scale fisheries. |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2012.08970&r=all |
| By: | Carlos A. Chávez (Universidad de Talca); James J. Murphy (Department of Economics, University of Alaska Anchorage); Felipe J. Quezada (University of Massachusetts Amherst); John K. Stranlund (University of Massachusetts Amherst) |
| Abstract: | We develop a theoretical model of endogenous CPR coalition formation in which the resource is co-defended with costly monitoring by coalition members and sanctions for encroachment imposed by the government. We demonstrate that CPR coalitions can form even when monitoring is so costly that coalition members choose not to monitor for encroachment, but the coalitions will be relatively small. Larger coalitions will form if monitoring costs are low enough to yield effective deterrence. We tested the results of the model using lab-in-field experiments with fishers who were members of Chile’s territorial use rights fisheries (TURFs) and in the lab with Chilean university students. We find that fishers frequently formed CPR coalitions, even when they could not deter outsider poaching. Fishers usually formed the grand coalition when the monitoring cost was low, but they formed smaller coalitions when monitoring was more costly. Fishers invested in monitoring frequently and these investments reduced poaching. Relative to open access, when coalitions formed, total harvest effort was curtailed and earnings for coalition members generally increased. Students formed coalitions less frequently, these coalitions tended to be small, and they infrequently invested in monitoring, even when it was profitable to do so. Consequently, student coalition member earnings were not better off on average than under open access. |
| Keywords: | experimental economics, Common pool resources; enforcement; field experiments; poaching; territorial use rights fisheries; social dilemma; fisheries management; development economics; co-enforcement; coalition formation; encroachment |
| JEL: | C72 C90 C93 D70 K42 Q22 Q28 Q56 H40 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ala:wpaper:2021-01&r=all |
| By: | Aedo, Marcela |
| Abstract: | En el presente documento se hace un análisis de la situación en que se encuentran los tres sectores (agua, la energía y la producción de alimentos en la implementación de políticas públicas) y se presenta una propuesta para el fomento del riego en la agricultura familiar, determinando las posibles fuentes de agua y energía para abastecer el riego en las condiciones mencionadas. En el marco de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible definidos en la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible se busca incrementar la producción de alimentos de una manera más eficiente y sostenible, así como mejorar las condiciones de vida de la población que vive en estos territorios rurales. |
| Keywords: | RIEGO, RECURSOS HIDRICOS, AGUA, USO DE LA TIERRA, CALIDAD DEL AGUA, AGRICULTURA, PEQUEÑAS EXPLOTACIONES AGRICOLAS, DERECHOS A LA TIERRA, DERECHOS SOBRE LAS AGUAS, RECURSOS ENERGETICOS, POLITICA DE AGUA, IRRIGATION, WATER RESOURCES, WATER, LAND USE, WATER QUALITY, AGRICULTURE, SMALL FARMS, LAND RIGHTS, WATER RIGHTS, ENERGY RESOURCES, WATER POLICY |
| Date: | 2021–01–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecr:col022:46582&r=all |
| By: | Ian W. R. Martin (London School of Economics); Robert S. Pindyck (Sloan School of Management, MIT) |
| Abstract: | Most of the literature on the economics of catastrophes assumes that such events cause a reduction in the stream of consumption, as opposed to widespread fatalities. Here we show how to incorporate death in a model of catastrophe avoidance, and how a catastrophic loss of life can be expressed as a welfare-equivalent drop in consumption. We examine how potential fatalities affect the policy interdependence of catastrophic events and “willingness to pay" (WTP) to avoid them. Using estimates of the “value of a statistical life" (VSL), we find the WTP to avoid major pandemics, and show it is large (10% or more of annual consumption) and partly driven by the risk of macroeconomic contractions. Likewise, the risk of pandemics significantly increases the WTP to reduce consumption risk. Our work links the VSL and consumption disaster literatures. |
| Keywords: | Catastrophes, Catastrophic Events, Macroeconomic Contractions, Disasters, Fatalities, Value of Life, Willingness to Pay, Pandemics |
| JEL: | Q5 Q54 D81 |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.27&r=all |
| By: | Arif, Muhammad (Department of Business Administration, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Shaheed Benazirabad, Pakistan); Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr (School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand and Business Administration Department, Faculty of Management Sciences, ILMA University, Karachi, Pakistan); Farid, Saqib (School of Business and Economics, University of Management and Technology, Pakistan); Nepal, Rabindra (Faculty of Business and Law, School of Accountancy Economics and Finance, University of Wollongong, Australia); Jamasb, Tooraj (Department of Economics, Copenhagen Business School) |
| Abstract: | Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, this study explores the hedging and safe-haven potential of green bonds for conventional equity, fixed income, commodity, and forex investments. We use the cross-quantilogram approach that provides a better understanding of the dynamic relationship between assets under different market conditions. Our full sample results show that the green bond index could serve as a diversifier asset for medium- and long-term equity investors. Besides, it can also serve as a hedging and safe haven instrument for currency and commodity investments. Moreover, the sub-sample analysis of the pandemic crisis period shows a heightened short- and medium-term lead-lag association between the green bond index and conventional investment returns. However, the green bond index emerges as a significant hedging and safe-haven asset for the long-term investors of conventional financial assets. Our results offer insights for long-term investors whose portfolios comprise conventional assets such as equities, commodities, forex, and fixed income securities. Further, our findings reveal the potential role that the green bond investments could play in global financial recovery efforts without compromising the low-carbon transition targets. |
| Keywords: | Green bonds; Hedge; Safe-haven; Cross-quantilogram; COVID-19 |
| JEL: | G10 G11 G19 Q01 |
| Date: | 2020–10–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cbsnow:2021_001&r=all |
| By: | Surender Kumar (Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics); Pritika Dua (Department of Business Economics,University of Delhi,South Campus) |
| Abstract: | Large enterprises have been at forefront of environmental management with active participation in industry wide programs and adoption of ‘beyond compliance’ approach with more resources at their disposal. The present study revisits the premise of environmental-financial linkage in the Indian context with focus on large listed enterprises. We develop a comprehensive dataset of 459 large listed Indian companies covering major manufacturing and service sectors of the economy over a eleven year period from 2008-09 to 2018-19. Static and dynamic regression models are used to gauge the impact of environmental management practices adoption on firm profitability (Return on Assets and Return on Equity) and market valuation (Tobin Q, Market to Book Value Ratio and Excess Valuation to sales ratio). Empirical results suggest a positive impact of environmental management on firm profitability and market valuation in context of large listed enterprises. These results are of interest to corporate and policy makers for recognizing the financial implications of corporate environmental management. Key Words: Environmental Management Practices, Dynamic panel data models, Firm Valuation, Firm Profitability, Large Enterprises, India |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cde:cdewps:314&r=all |
| By: | Ortiz-Riomalo, Juan Felipe; Koessler, Ann-Kathrin; Engel, Stefanie |
| Abstract: | Natural resource management often involves social dilemmas. Institutional and behavioural economics have shown that other-regarding preferences and pro-social behaviour can help overcome such dilemmas. Interventions that induce resource users to consider a perspective broader than their own may then be useful to promote and strengthen pro-social behaviour. Such interventions are often applied in participatory resource management approaches. To the best of our knowledge, nonetheless, no previous study has systematically assessed the effect of induced perspective-taking on resource users’ prosocial behaviour in a controlled manner. In this study, we do so in the context of watershed management. We conducted a lab-in-the-field experiment with downstream farmers in a Peruvian watershed. In the experiment, farmers were induced to imagine the perspective of upstream farmers before deciding on a donation that can help these upstream farmers improve their wellbeing without compromising the water supply downstream. We find that induced perspective-taking increases prosocial behaviour. This effect cannot be explained by the additional information on the social and ecological characteristics of the watershed received during the perspective-taking experience, nor by an ‘experimenter demand effect’. Rather the effect of the perspective-taking intervention is likely to work via an activation or strengthening of other-regarding preferences. Our results contribute to the study of pro-social behaviour and the ways it could be induced by interventions targeting other-regarding preferences. |
| Keywords: | perspective-taking,prosocial behaviour,other-regarding preferences,social dilemmas,natural resource management,environmental policy,framed field experiment |
| JEL: | D01 D64 D91 C93 Q25 Q57 |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:228966&r=all |
| By: | Tu, Gengyang; Faure, Corinne; Schleich, Joachim; Guetlein, Marie-Charlotte |
| Abstract: | Smart thermostats may provide up to 10% savings in residential thermal energy use without loss of comfort, yet their diffusion has typically been slow. To better understand adoption of these devices, we conducted an online survey with approximately 5,500 respondents from eight European countries that included both a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and stated past adoption of smart thermostats. The results we obtained by estimating mixed logit models suggest that households value heating cost savings, remote temperature control, the display of changes in energy consumption, and recommendations by experts, albeit with substantial heterogeneity across countries; in comparison, subsidies are positively valued in all countries except for Germany and Spain, and recommendations by energy providers in all countries except Poland where they are negatively valued. Further, the findings provide evidence that consumer innovativeness reinforces the acceptance of technical attributes (heating cost savings, feedback functionalities, and remote temperature control), that privacy concerns reduce the acceptance of remote functionalities, and that stronger environmental identity reinforces the acceptance of environmentally related attributes (heating cost savings and feedback functionalities). The results we obtained from estimating binary response models of stated past adoption of smart thermostats are generally consistent with those of the DCE. |
| Keywords: | smart thermostats,smart home devices,choice experiment,mixed logit,innovativeness,privacy |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:fisisi:s202020&r=all |
| By: | Otsuka, Keijiro, ed.; Fan, Shenggen, ed. |
| Abstract: | Agricultural Development: New Perspectives in a Changing World is the first comprehensive exploration of key emerging issues facing developing-country agriculture today, from rapid urbanization to rural transformation to climate change. In this four-part volume, top experts offer the latest research in the field of agricultural development. Using new lenses to examine today’s biggest challenges, contributors address topics such as nutrition and health, gender and household decision-making, agrifood value chains, natural resource management, and political economy. The book also covers most developing regions, providing a critical global perspective at a time when many pressing challenges extend beyond national borders. Tying all this together, Agricultural Development explores policy options and strategies for developing sustainable agriculture and reducing food insecurity and malnutrition. The changing global landscape combined with new and better data, technologies, and understanding means that agriculture can and must contribute to a wider range of development outcomes than ever before, including reducing poverty, ensuring adequate nutrition, creating strong food value chains, improving environmental sustainability, and promoting gender equity and equality. Agricultural Development: New Perspectives in a Changing World, with its unprecedented breadth and scope, will be an indispensable resource for the next generation of policymakers, researchers, and students dedicated to improving agriculture for global wellbeing. |
| Keywords: | ASIA; EAST ASIA; SOUTH ASIA; AFRICA; AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA; CENTRAL AFRICA; EAST AFRICA; NORTH AFRICA; SOUTHERN AFRICA; WEST AFRICA; LATIN AMERICA; CARIBBEAN; CENTRAL ASIA; EUROPE; WORLD; agricultural development; agriculture; policies; agricultural policies; nutrition; food security; developing countries; water; natural resources; agricultural insurance; trade; gender; credit; households; rural areas; value chains; poverty; urban areas; urbanization; food systems; agricultural transformation; agricultural growth |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:synops:9780896293854&r=all |
| By: | International Monetary Fund |
| Abstract: | This paper discusses Republic of Mozambique’s Request for Disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF). Reflecting the large budgetary and external financing gaps arising from emergency assistance and reconstruction needs, the authorities are seeking financial assistance under the RCF exogenous shock window. The financial assistance is intended to address large budgetary and external financing gaps arising from reconstruction needs after Cyclone Idai, which caused significant loss of life and infrastructure damage. The authorities remain committed to macroeconomic stability, which will also be underpinned by the IMF’s financing. The authorities are reallocating lower priority spending to emergency assistance, however, their room for manoeuvre is limited and the bulk of emergency assistance and reconstruction needs will have to be covered by the international community mostly in the form of grants to ensure debt sustainability. The authorities shared staff’s main policy recommendations, namely increasing the economy’s resilience and preparedness to adverse weather events that are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. |
| Keywords: | Public debt;External debt;Natural disasters;Debt service;Loans;ISCR,CR,financing,assistance,government |
| Date: | 2019–05–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfscr:2019/136&r=all |
| By: | Conor Goold; Simone Pfuderer; William H. M. James; Nik Lomax; Fiona Smith; Lisa M. Collins |
| Abstract: | The global food system faces various endogeneous and exogeneous, biotic and abiotic risk factors, including a rising human population, higher population densities, price volatility and climate change. Quantitative models play an important role in understanding food systems' expected responses to shocks and stresses. Here, we present a stylised mathematical model of a national-level food system that incorporates domestic supply of a food commodity, international trade, consumer demand, and food commodity price. We derive a critical compound parameter signalling when domestic supply will become unsustainable and the food system entirely dependent on imports, which results in higher commodity prices, lower consumer demand and lower inventory levels. Using Bayesian estimation, we apply the dynamic food systems model to infer the sustainability of the UK pork industry. We find that the UK pork industry is currently sustainable but because the industry is dependent on imports to meet demand, a decrease in self-sufficiency below 50% (current levels are 60-65%) would lead it close to the critical boundary signalling its collapse. Our model provides a theoretical foundation for future work to determine more complex causal drivers of food system vulnerability. |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2012.08355&r=all |
| By: | Amare, Mulubrhan; Shiferaw, Bekele; Takeshima, Hiroyuki; Mavrotas, George |
| Abstract: | This paper uses multiple rounds of household survey panel data to assess the distributional implications of variability in agricultural productivity in Nigeria and Uganda. It uses both a conventional decomposition and a regression-based inequality decomposition to estimate the impact of climate-induced variability in agricultural productivity. To mitigate the endogeneity associated with unobserved time-invariant and time-variant household fixed effects, we use rainfall shocks as a proxy for estimating the exogenous variability in agricultural productivity that affects consumption. Results suggest that a 10 percent increase in the variability of agricultural productivity tends to decrease household consumption by 38 and 52 percent on average for Nigeria and Uganda, respectively. Controlling for other factors, variability in agricultural productivity contributed to between 25 and 43 percent of consumption inequality between 2010 and 2015 for Nigeria; and 16 and 31 percent of consumption inequality between 2009 and 2011 for Uganda. We also show that variability in agricultural productivity increases changes in consumption inequality over time. |
| Keywords: | NIGERIA; WEST AFRICA; AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA; AFRICA; UGANDA; EAST AFRICA; agricultural productivity; household consumption; rural areas; climate; shock; consumption; equality; inequality |
| Date: | 2020 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:nsspwp:67&r=all |
| By: | Rebecka Ericsdotter Engstrom; David Collste; Sarah E. Cornell; Francis X Johnson; Henrik Carlsen; Fernando Jaramillo; Goran Finnveden; Georgia Destouni; Mark Howells; Nina Weitz; Viveka Palm; Francesco Fuso-Nerini |
| Abstract: | Local SDG action is imperative to reach the 2030 Agenda, but different strategies for progressing on one SDG locally may cause different 'spillovers' on the same and other SDGs beyond local and national borders. We call for research efforts to empower local authorities to 'account globally' when acting locally. |
| Date: | 2020–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2012.14153&r=all |
| By: | Atanasov, Atanas |
| Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to justify the need of introduction an uniform practices in the disclosure of non-financial information by enterprises in the wood-based industries in order to achieve sustainable growth and development. Based on a critical analysis of existing research in this area and an analysis of the financial statements for 2018 of three of the largest Bulgarian companies in the industry, we found out that despite the importance of environmental and social issues, companies in this industry are not required to prepare a non-financial statement within the meaning of the European and Bulgarian legislation. The information disclosed in management reports and corporate websites is mainly descriptive and does not meet the requirements of the European Directive. As a result, it is argued that the enterprises in the wood-based industries that use non-financial reporting would gain competitive advantage by revealing specific features of the business model change and reporting “structured” and “tied” non-financial information to the entity's financial performance. |
| Keywords: | non-financial reporting; wood-based industry; sustainability; benefits; European Directive |
| JEL: | M00 M41 Q5 |
| Date: | 2020–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:104558&r=all |
| By: | Shahrzad Safaeimanesh (Department of Economics, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus); Glenn P. Jenkins (Department of Economics, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada and Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus) |
| Abstract: | The facilitation of trade is a principal objective in the context of increasing regional trade integration for the achievement of sustainable development goals. The purpose of this study is to estimate the potential annual economic gain to be had from trade facilitation by the coastal countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These measures would decrease border and documentary compliance time and costs of the administration of international trade. A partial equilibrium welfare economics framework is used that employs sets of export supply and import demand elasticities for each country that are derived using a general equilibrium estimation method. The annual economic welfare gains resulting from the reduction of excessive trade compliance costs for the region are estimated to between US$1.6 billion to US$2.7 billion (2019 prices). This is between 0.24% and 0.42% of the combined GDPs of these countries. The welfare gain is between 6% and 10% of the combined governments’ budgets assigned for education, and is between 33% and 58% of their budgets allocated for health. In the absence of reform, these inefficient practices waste an amount equal to between 15% and 26% of the annual net official development assistance these countries receive. |
| Keywords: | Trade facilitation, West Africa, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Regional integration, Trade Compliance Costs, Trade reform, Economic welfare gains, Sustainable Development, SDGs 2030 |
| JEL: | F13 F14 F15 D60 O12 O24 |
| Date: | 2021–01–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qed:dpaper:4569&r=all |
| By: | Minh Ha-Duong (VIET - Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Ngo To Nhien (VIET - Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition) |
| Abstract: | This policy note examines the rationale for enacting a Renewable Energy Law in Vietnam, and to use an Auction mechanism to replace the Feed In Tariff as the main instrument to develop renewable energy sources electricity production. |
| Date: | 2019–06–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:ciredw:hal-03088132&r=all |
| By: | Lota Tamini |
| Abstract: | La compétitivité hors-prix est une composante importante de la compétitivité des chaînes de valeur. L’innovation tout comme les moyens de faire reconnaître les attributs des produits de la chaîne de valeur de manière crédible auprès des consommateurs (certification, étiquetage, labels) constitueront alors des éléments importants. Pour le marché local une organisation institutionnelle permettant le développement de petites productions de proximité est importante pour compétitivité hors-prix des chaînes de valeur alors que, pour les marchés internationaux, la mise en marché collective en favorisant de bonnes relations entre acteurs lui est propice. Dans tous les cas, les enjeux importants de différentiation des produits et de leur montée en gamme doivent être au cœur des actions des différents acteurs (publics et privés) des filières bioalimentaires. |
| Keywords: | , Chaînes de valeur,Compétitivité hors-prix,Innovation,Labels et certification,Montée en gamme,Collaboration entre acteurs |
| Date: | 2020–12–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cir:cirpro:2020rp-31&r=all |
| By: | Leonhardt, Heidi; Braito, Michael; Penker, Marianne |
| Abstract: | Rental shares of agricultural land are increasing in many countries, as are soil degradation and erosion. Theory suggests that these trends may be correlated, yet empirical findings are ambiguous. This research investigates the relationship between land tenure and farmers' soil management and aims to disentangle the mechanisms involved. We survey Austrian crop farmers and find no differences in farmers' soil management practices between rented and owned land. We consider several explanatory factors such as contract details, landlord-tenant relationships, and plot characteristics and find that these are important factors mediating the conventionally assumed negative effect of cropland leasing on soil conservation. |
| Keywords: | Property rights,Land ownership,Land rental,Soil conservation,Farmer behaviour,Landlord-tenant relationship |
| JEL: | Q15 Q24 |
| Date: | 2019 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:forlwp:142019&r=all |
| By: | Humberto Laudares; Pedro Henrique Gagliardi |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, deforestation, health inequality, racial inequality, indigenous peoples, Brazil |
| Date: | 2020–10–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:amc:wpaper:08&r=all |