Three Essays In Water And Climate Economics
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Three Essays In Water And Climate Economics
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Author : Nicholas Anthony Potter
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2021
Three Essays In Water And Climate Economics written by Nicholas Anthony Potter and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2021 with Environmental economics categories.
This dissertation includes three chapters on the economics of climate, water resources, agricultural production, and conflict. Chapter one is an introduction. In chapter two I provide an analysis of the impact of exposure to temperature on returns to irrigated and nonirrigated cropland. Chapter three is a theoretical approach to understand the economic implications of the forfeiture of water rights for nonuse. Chapter four looks at the relationship between drought, conflict, and governance using a disaggregated spatial analysis.Chapter two is on temperature effects on snowpack-dependent surfacewater irrigated production systems in the western US. Irrigated production in that region is characterized by a diverse mix of high value crops, so producers may have more of an ability to adapt to hotter temperatures. I focus on county rental prices for irrigated and nonirrigated cropland and find that economic returns to cropland begin to decrease starting at about 25℗ʻC for irrigated acres and 20℗ʻC for nonirrigated acres.Chapter three covers the economic history that led to the creation of forfeiture policies for the nonuse of surface water rights in the western US. I develop a theory of water rights under prior appropriations with forfeiture and use it to examine why forfeiture policies were adopted in all western states that allocate water via prior appropriation. Forfeiture reduced risk to junior water rights holders and limited speculative water claims, but did so at the cost of increased transaction costs when trading water rights. While these were small when remaining water resources were available to be claimed, they are significantly more costly when all water in a basin has been allocated.In chapter four I combine a spatiotemporal grid of drought and geolocated conflict with several measures of governance characteristics to examine how governance mediates the relationship between drought and conflict. I find little evidence of a relationship between drought and conflict in Africa and Latin and South America. In countries that are more democratic or in which doing business is easier, an increase in drought reduces the likelihood of riot incidence. Other governance measures have no discernible effect.
Climate Water And Carbon
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Author : Francis Muamba Mulangu
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2011
Climate Water And Carbon written by Francis Muamba Mulangu and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011 with categories.
Abstract: This dissertation is composed of three essays. The first essay seeks to estimate the impact of climate change on household's welfare on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Unlike previous studies, the approach used in this essay limits the bias from unobservables by applying the analysis in a relatively small geographical area composed of homogeneous farmers with similar cultures, agricultural systems, and market influence. However, these farmers inhabit places that have relatively large differences in rainfall. The data for the analysis were gathered from a random sample of over 200 households in 15 villages and observation posts to measure the precipitation from rainfall were placed in each of the surveyed villages. The results indicate that Mt. Kilimanjaro's agriculture is vulnerable to precipitation variation, especially November precipitations. Farm vulnerability is heterogeneous across space, crops, and monthly precipitation. The study finds some evidence about the ability of irrigation usage to reduce crop vulnerability to precipitation change. With regards to household's welfare, we simulated crop revenue response to a median of seven Global Climate Models (GCMs), and found evidence that climate change will negatively affect household's welfare on Mt. Kilimanjaro. The second essay analyzes the potential benefits of introducing improved irrigation schemes on Mt. Kilimanjaro to help rain-dependent farmers cope with the risks of climate change. The study uses the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to elicit farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for eliminating the risks of crop loss by accessing improved irrigation schemes. The study makes important contributions to both policies in Africa and the applied welfare literature. The policy contribution consists of valuation of improved irrigation in the presence of climate change risks. The applied welfare contribution consists of empirical evidence about the impact of farmers' risk beliefs, and self-protective actions on welfare valuation. The study finds that farmers' expected increase in revenues associated with the improved irrigation scheme will equal the cost of building it within 8 to 10 years. The purpose of the third essay is twofold. First, the essay seeks to determine the potential for soil carbon sequestration on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Second, the essay aims at estimating the marginal cost of sequestering soil carbon on Mt. Kilimanjaro. To answer these questions, the essay develops a Markov decision model that maximizes the net present value (NPV) of farm profit by allowing the farmer to choose optimal farm management subject to crop yield, soil carbon stock, and exogenous carbon price. The essay concludes that there is potential for economically viable carbon sequestration contracts on Mt. Kilimanjaro. At $20 per metric ton of carbon or $8.62 per hectare, 0.085 million metric tons of carbon could be sequestered per year because farmers would find it optimal to practice no-tillage cultivation of grains and retain some crop residues.
Water Scarcity Climate Change And Water Quality
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Author : Yongxia Cai
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2010
Water Scarcity Climate Change And Water Quality written by Yongxia Cai and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010 with categories.
This dissertation is composed of three essays investigating three aspects of future water issues. The first essay focuses on an examination of water scarcity issues caused by rapid population growth and economic development in Texas. The second essay examines water scarcity under climate change scenarios in Texas. The third essay discusses arsenic-related water quality issues in the drinking water. An integrated economic, hydrological, and environmental model is developed for the first two essays by implicitly incorporating uncertainty about future climate, water demand from all types of water use, a spatial river flow relationship, interaction between ground and surface water, institutional regulations, and the possibilities of inter-basin water transfers (IBTs). In studying water scarcity under economic growth and population growth, we find that while some cities and counties have sufficient water, there are some other cities and counties (especially Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin) facing different degrees of water scarcity problems. In studying the climate change impact, four Global Circulation Models (GCMs) with three Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRESs) yield consistent results. Water scarcity becomes even more severe for cities. Texas realizes slight gains in earlier periods and a net loss beginning in 2060. This study finds that twelve IBTs, if there is no climate change, and fourteen IBTs, under the climate change scenario, will be economically feasible in 2060. These IBTs can not only greatly reduce water scarcity, but also create new growth opportunity for Houston. Water is transferred from in-stream flow in source basins. There is no significant impact on other sectors except in-stream flow and water flow out to bay. In the third essay, a two-stage structural model is developed to model household risk-averting behavior with respect to arsenic-related mortality risk in the drinking water. The empirical results suggest that risk perceptions for the parents and children are important in the decision of how much to spend on water treatment, but not in whether or not to treat water. Parents in our sample displayed mixed altruism. The information generated by this dissertation can help state agencies to manage water resources and to improve water-related human health, especially health for children, more effectively and more efficiently.
Three Essays On The Economics Of Innovation As Adaptation To Climate Change
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Author : Hongxiu Li
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2017
Three Essays On The Economics Of Innovation As Adaptation To Climate Change written by Hongxiu Li and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017 with Climatic changes categories.
This thesis consists of three chapters on technological innovation as adaptation to climate change. The first chapter adopts a non-cooperative game theory model to investigate the relationship between adaptation technology and the formation of emission-reducing International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) on climate change. The main contribution to the literature consists of considering countries that are heterogeneous with respect to the benefits and costs of both mitigation of emissions and adaptation. While differences in climate vulnerability are a deterrent for cooperation, this chapter shows that increasing the effectiveness of adaptation in highly vulnerable countries can foster an IEA. Both free-riding on climate change mitigation efforts, and free-riding on adaptation technology among members of an IEA can be reduced by the transfer of adaptation technology within the IEA. A numerical example with parameters estimated from climate change data is employed to simulate stable coalitions and demonstrate how the transfer of adaptation technology reduces free-riding on an IEA. The second chapter examines the determinants of adaptive innovation aimed at reducing the impact of natural disasters, which are expected to intensify with climate change. Starting from a conceptual model combining perceived risk theory with innovators' profit motive, this study investigates the salience of innovation induced by natural disasters, using a unique dataset that includes related U.S. patent data, and flood, drought, and earthquake damage data for the years 1977 to 2005. To address the potential endogeneity of disaster damage, the control function approach is employed with instrumental variables constructed from disaster intensity measurements. The results show that impact-reducing innovations at the state level respond to national disaster damages in the U.S. In general, the impact of natural disasters is not localized to a state--that is, disaster damage in a state also stimulates innovations in more-distant states. This is in contrast with comparable existing cross-country evidence. The findings in this paper highlight a policy role for the federal government in more effectively spurring impact-reducing innovations nationwide. With the pressure of economic growth and the impact of climate change, water issues such as water shortage and pollution have substantial impacts on welfare and sustainability. Taking a view of innovation as adaptation to intensified water threats, the third chapter explores the impact of federal and state level regulatory changes with respect to drinking water quality, water pollution and water quantity in the U.S. on the level of relevant technological innovation. Based on a detailed review of relevant legislative acts, a unique dataset covering major amendments and additions to regulated contaminants lists is constructed to capture the changes of water governance in the U.S. in the past 30 years. In addition, technological patents pertaining to water quality and quantity are identified through a comprehensive search process. The empirical results show the impact of water regulations on innovation to be both statistically and economically significant.
Three Essays In Environmental Economics And Environmental Human Rights
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Author : Christopher R. Jeffords
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2012
Three Essays In Environmental Economics And Environmental Human Rights written by Christopher R. Jeffords and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012 with categories.
Three Essays On The Economics Of Water Pollution Control
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Author : Jiameng Zheng
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2021
Three Essays On The Economics Of Water Pollution Control written by Jiameng Zheng and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2021 with categories.
Water pollution poses important challenges worldwide. In developed countries, most of the challenges from water pollution have to do with recreational and amenity use of water, as well as the negative impact on ecosystems. For instance, in the United States, dead zones caused by nutrient pollution occur annually in many major coastal waters, including Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and coastal North Carolina, causing large welfare effects in these regions. In developed countries like the United States, the aging drinking water infrastructure, such as the presence of lead pipes, is also a threat to human health. In developing countries, water pollution has a pronounced impact on human health given that safe drinking water is limited in many areas. Economic analysis plays a critical role in the making of environmental policy. In designing and assessing a water pollution control policy, it is important to understand the costs and benefits of such policies and be able to empirically evaluate their effectiveness. However, there are still important challenges in understanding the costs and benefits of water pollution control policies. Water quality improvement is a non-market good, so no direct price signal is available for valuing it. To overcome this problem, economists have developed several non-market valuation techniques, such as hedonic property models and recreation demand models. Each valuation method only captures a piece of the price consumers are willing to pay to improve water quality. This dissertation comprises three papers that answer some critical questions on the economic analysis of water pollution policies. In the first paper, I estimate the marginal willingness-to-pay of homeowners for water quality improvement in Florida,using a two-stage model that combines the recreational value and amenity value of both local and regional water quality improvement. This paper, which focuses on nutrient pollution problems related to the dead zones discussed earlier, generates a more comprehensive estimate of the benefits of water pollution reduction than that used in prior work. In the second paper, I estimate an important cost of water pollution by investigating the short-run and long-run educational impacts of lead pollution in drinking water. Using data from Texas, I find that drinking water lead exposure at birth has a significant negative impact on both 3rd-grade standardized test scores and the high school graduation rate. While many prior papers in environmental economics quantify short-run and long-run human capital costs of air pollution, this paper is one of only a few to do so for an important water pollution problem. Switching to the third paper, I examine the existing literature on the policy instruments that can be used to reduce water pollution. With a focus on developing countries, I describe the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of various water pollution control policies, identify the challenges for implementing and assessing such policies, and provide recommendations for future research
Managing Environmental Quality
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Author : Linda Maria Fernandez
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 1996
Managing Environmental Quality written by Linda Maria Fernandez and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 1996 with categories.
Three Essays On Environmental Economics
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Author : Zihan Zhuo
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2020
Three Essays On Environmental Economics written by Zihan Zhuo and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020 with categories.
The dissertation studies three seemly independent topics on environmental economics, but they share the same theme: the reactions of local governments and firms on promotional incentives and environmental regulations in China.The first chapter examines whether China's Two Control Zone policy has successfully shifted the relative share of SO2 emissions from control zones to non-control zone areas. With a difference-in-differences framework, I find that although the policy failed to achieve its total emission control targets, it caused a partial shifting of SO2 emissions and industrial output from control zones to non-control zone areas and promoted economic growth in relatively less industrialized, less populated, and less developed counties at a cost of higher environmental health damage within those areas. Estimations from this paper suggest that the policy caused the firms in control zone areas to produce 23% less SO2 emission than those in non-control zone areas. My findings highlight the importance of the spillover effect from regional total emission control programs.The second chapter studies a campaign-style innovative environmental enforcement strategy, the Central Environmental Protection Inspection (CEPI), which has assumed an important role in China's environmental enforcement since 2016. With the help of daily water pollution records from 2015 to 2018, this chapter documents the policy's short-term and long-term impacts. Utilizing a difference-in-differences style strategy and comparing water pollution readings from stations belonging to different batches of the policy, evidence is found indicating that local polluters tend to decrease emissions as a precaution prior to inspection periods. Meanwhile, the campaign achieves consistent pollution progress in terms of increasing dissolved oxygen and reducing ammonia nitrogen and total organic carbon emissions. The rebound effects are not strong enough to override water quality improvements. The results indicate that campaign-style enforcement, though possible to be manipulated by local polluters and governments in the short-run, remains a potentially efficient tool for policymakers to pursue long-term environmental enforcement goals.In the third chapter, I examines the existence and scale of interjurisdictional spillovers in China. I apply the difference-in-differences strategy to a unique dataset of more than 100 thousand firms' SO2 and COD emission records from 1998 through 2005. With the help of historical weather information, I identify the windward and leeward status for counties near provincial borders and find that firms located in windward counties relatively increase their SO2 emissions when local windspeed is higher. Heterogeneous analysis further finds that transboundary pollution is especially pronounced for private firms and across borders with yearly average wind speed around median level. The results suggest that a certain level of recentralization in environmental governance can be efficient for reducing transboundary pollution from windward counties in China.
Entropy Water And Resources
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Author : Horst Niemes
language : en
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Release Date : 2010-05-30
Entropy Water And Resources written by Horst Niemes and has been published by Springer Science & Business Media this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2010-05-30 with Business & Economics categories.
This book lies at the intersection of natural sciences, economics, and water en- neering and is in line with the long tradition of environmental economics at the University of Heidelberg. In the 1970s, the Neo-Austrian Capital Theory was developed using the fundamental laws of thermodynamics as a common language between the natural and social sciences. Niemes (1981) integrated the dynamic and irreversibility characteristics of the natural environment into the Neo-Austrian c- ital theory. Faber et al. (1983, 1987, 1995) then extended this interdisciplinary approach further to create a comprehensive, dynamic, environmental resource model. Over the last 3 decades, the theoretical foundations of environmental economics have been modi ed and there have been an impressive variety of applications. This book aims to reduce the gaps between economic theory, natural sciences, and engineering practice. One of the reasons these gaps exist is because economic assumptions are used to construct dynamic environmental and resource models, which are not consistent with the fundamental laws of the natural sciences. Another reason for the gap might be the distance between academic theory and real world situations. Based on an extended thermodynamic approach, the authors explain which economic assumptions are acceptable for constructing a dynamic model that is consistent with the natural sciences. In particular, the special role of water in the production and reproduction activities will be considered as an integral component.
Three Essays On The Economics Of Water Quality In The United States
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Author : David Andrew Keiser
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2014
Three Essays On The Economics Of Water Quality In The United States written by David Andrew Keiser and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014 with categories.