Economic implications of climate change for U.S. agriculture: assessing recent evidence

摘要

Recent studies estimate potential economic impacts of climate change on US agriculture. While results are not directly comparable, several 'big picture' lessons can be observed. These broader findings are developed and put into a policy context. While the estimated impacts on US agriculture, and the US economy, do not yet justify costly adaptation or mitigation strategies, some regional and environmental impacts could be quite severe. Current policy efforts should focus on reducing climate change uncertainties and increasing farm sector flexibility. From a national perspective, future agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions could be partially met through adjustments of farm practices.