November 23, 2012

The impact of climate change on European Agriculture

A recent paper on the impact of climate change on EU agriculture just came out as FEEM WP.

We use for the first time the Ricardian method at a continental EU scale. Things get bad for Mediterranean countries


Steven Van Passel, Emanuele Massetti, Robert Mendelsohn. 2012. "A Ricardian Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on European Agriculture." FEEM Note di Lavoro 2012.083, November 2012.

Abstract:

This research estimates the impact of climate on European agriculture using a continental scale Ricardian analysis. Data on climate, soil, geography and regional socio-economic characteristics were matched for 37 612 individual farms across the EU-15. Farmland values across Europe are sensitive to climate. Even with the adaptation captured by the Ricardian technique, farms in Southern Europe are predicted to suffer sizeable losses (8% -13% per degree Celsius) from warming. In contrast, agriculture in the rest of Europe is likely to see only mixed impacts. Increases (decreases) in rain will increase (decrease) average farm values by 3% per centiliter of precipitation. Aggregate impacts by 2100 vary depending on the climate model scenario from a loss of 8% in a mild scenario to a loss of 44% in a harsh scenario.

Green Perspectives: a special issue of Energy Economics

Open access available to the new paper on investments under climate policy: here.

The whole special issue on "green perspectives", edited by Brian Flannery and Richard Tol is open access.

Here is the table of content with links:

Foreward
Page S1
Brian Flannery

From “Green Growth” to sound policies: An overview Original Research Article
Pages S2-S6
Richard Schmalensee

Energy and technology lessons since Rio
Pages S7-S14
James Edmonds, Katherine Calvin, Leon Clarke, Page Kyle, Marshall Wise

Investments and public finance in a green, low carbon, economy
Pages S15-S28
Carlo Carraro, Alice Favero, Emanuele Massetti

Financing for climate change
Pages S29-S33
Richard N. Cooper

Clean energy: Revisiting the challenges of industrial policy
Pages S34-S42
Adele C. Morris, Pietro S. Nivola, Charles L. Schultze

The elusive and expensive green job
Pages S43-S52
Diana Furchtgott-Roth

The potential role of carbon labeling in a green economy
Pages S53-S63
Mark A. Cohen, Michael P. Vandenbergh

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through operations and supply chain managementArticle
Pages S64-S74
Erica L. Plambeck

Greening Africa? Technologies, endowments and the latecomer effect
Pages S75-S84
Paul Collier, Anthony J. Venables

Green growth and the efficient use of natural resources
Pages S85-S93
John M. Reilly