Agricultural Economics of Environmental Change: Some Lessons from Air Pollution

摘要

The agricultural consequences of global climate change are the latest in a series of major environmental concerns facing policy makers. As agencies begin to consider investments in global climate change research, it is instructive to examine existing conceptual and empirical analyses of similar problems. In the paper, the authors explore the understanding that economists have acquired about the consequences of air pollution-included crop damages. These studies address research questions likely to arise in global climate change research and thus reduce the initial information required to understand the agricultural implications of climate change. A set of nine common themes is drawn from the extant literature. In addition, unique research challenges likely to emerge in climate change assessments are discussed.