Essays on the Economics of Environmental Change

About this book

As climate change impacts a growing number of aspects of economic activity, it is becoming ever more vital to understand how these effects will manifest. This work advances the study of the impacts of environmental change. First, I provide a panel analysis at the country level that identifies the effects of dust storms on economic activity in West Africa. I also find some evidence in the agricultural sector to support the finding of damaging effects. Second, I examine the extent to which dust storms and climate shocks affect migration in the same region. While temperatures and precipitation are found to play important roles, dust storms do not appear to have a significant influence. Third, I consider the role of adaptation to climate change in the United States. I build a model that predicts the locations most likely to be used in agriculture in the future, allowing for better forecasting of shifts in the areas used for agricultural production.