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The effect of proactive adaptation on green investment


Bahn, Olivier; Chesney, Marc; Gheyssens, Jonathan (2012). The effect of proactive adaptation on green investment. Environmental Science & Policy, 18:9-24.

Abstract

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our planet in the foreseeable future anddespite the urgency of the situation global GHG emissions are still increasing. In this context,and since future climate changes appear now unavoidable to some extent, adaptation measureshave recently gained a new political momentum as an important component of climate policies.Contrary to mitigation options, adaptation measures do not reduce emission levels but reducetheir impacts. To assess the relationship and effects on the global economy of both mitigationand adaptation, we use in this paper an integrated assessment model (IAM) that includes bothproactive adaptation strategies and access to “green” investments (clean technologies) for mitigation.We find that the relationship between adaptation and mitigation is complex and largelydependent on their respective attributes, with weakly effective adaptation acting as a late complementto mitigation efforts. As its effectiveness increases, adaptation becomes more and morea substitute for mitigation. Sensitivity analysis on the potential magnitude of damages also indicatesthat scientific efforts to better describe GHG impacts will have immediate and importantconsequences on the sequence of mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Abstract

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our planet in the foreseeable future anddespite the urgency of the situation global GHG emissions are still increasing. In this context,and since future climate changes appear now unavoidable to some extent, adaptation measureshave recently gained a new political momentum as an important component of climate policies.Contrary to mitigation options, adaptation measures do not reduce emission levels but reducetheir impacts. To assess the relationship and effects on the global economy of both mitigationand adaptation, we use in this paper an integrated assessment model (IAM) that includes bothproactive adaptation strategies and access to “green” investments (clean technologies) for mitigation.We find that the relationship between adaptation and mitigation is complex and largelydependent on their respective attributes, with weakly effective adaptation acting as a late complementto mitigation efforts. As its effectiveness increases, adaptation becomes more and morea substitute for mitigation. Sensitivity analysis on the potential magnitude of damages also indicatesthat scientific efforts to better describe GHG impacts will have immediate and importantconsequences on the sequence of mitigation and adaptation strategies.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:03 Faculty of Economics > Department of Banking and Finance
Dewey Decimal Classification:330 Economics
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Geography, Planning and Development
Physical Sciences > Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Language:English
Date:2012
Deposited On:03 Jan 2012 17:23
Last Modified:07 Nov 2023 02:39
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:1462-9011
OA Status:Green
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2011.10.010
Related URLs:http://www.nccr-finrisk.uzh.ch/media/pdf/wp/WP708_C1.pdf
Other Identification Number:merlin-id:6011