The economics of adaptation to climate change: the case of Germany

Astrid Dannenberg, Tim Mennel, Daniel Osberghaus and Bodo Sturm

No 09-057, ZEW Discussion Papers from ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research

Abstract: Given the ubiquitous scarcity of resources an economic approach is necessary in order to determine an optimal strategy of adaptation to climate change. In this paper we develop an economic framework for the study of adaptation which allows us to distinguish between decentralized adaptation by private agents on the one hand and centralized adaptation measures by public authorities on the other. The approach is based on the paradigm of market failure and is complemented by two further grounds of government action, equity concerns and security of supply. We identify open research questions in the nascent field of adaptation to climate change requiring further empirical investigation. The economic framework is applied to adaptation in Germany by analyzing impacts and adaptation options for climate-sensitive fields such as agriculture, energy, water, and public health.

Keywords: Climate change; adaptation; market failure; insurance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q54 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:zewdip:09057

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