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A multi-country, multi-sector computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is used for the first time to evaluate the economic and water resource availability effects of trade liberalization (removal of import tariffs) and facilitation (reducing non-tariff barriers) under climate change in the Nile Basin. The analysis uses the GTAP 9 Database and the GTAP-W model that distinguishes between rainfed and irrigated agriculture and implements water as a factor of production directly substitutable in the production process of irrigated agriculture. A full trade liberalization and improved trade facilitation scenario is considered with and without climate change. The study reveals that trade liberalization and facilitation generates substantial economic benefits and enhances economic growth and welfare in the Nile basin. The effect of instituting a free trade policy on water savings is found to be limited, while climate change improves water supply and hence irrigation water use, enhancing economic growth and welfare in the basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing policy and academic interest in transferring ecosystem service values from existing valuation studies to other ecosystem sites at a large geographic scale. Despite the evident policy demand for this combined transfer and 'scaling up' of values, an approach to value transfer that addresses the challenges inherent in assessing ecosystem changes at a national or regional level is not available. This paper proposes a methodology for scaling up ecosystem service values to estimate the welfare effects of ecosystem change at this larger geographical scale. The methodology is illustrated by applying it to value the impact of climate change on European wetlands for the period 2000-2050. The proposed methodology makes use of meta-analysis to produce a value function. The parameters of the value function include spatial variables on wetland size and abundance, GDP per capita, and population. A geographic information system is used to construct a database of wetland sites in the case study region with information on these spatial variables. Site-specific ecosystem service values are subsequently estimated using the meta-analytic value function. The proposed method is shown to enable the adjustment of transferred values to reflect variation in important spatial variables and to account for changes in the stock of ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses a wide range of alternative proposals for post-2012 international climate policy regimes. We believe that these proposals will serve as a basis for debates about how to configure post-2012 climate policy. The article characterizes and assesses the policy proposals along the lines of five key policy dilemmas. We argue that (1) many proposals have ideas on how to reduce emissions, but fewer have a solution on how to stimulate technical innovation; (2) many proposals formulate climate policy in isolation, while there are fewer proposals that try to mainstream climate policies in other policy areas; (3) many proposals advocate market-based solutions, while fewer realize that there are certain drawbacks to this solution especially at the international level; (4) most proposals have a preference for a UN-based regime, while a more fragmented regime, based on regional and sectoral arrangements may be emerging; and (5) most proposals have ideas about mitigation, but not many have creative ideas on how to integrate mitigation with adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is likely to impact more severely on the poorer people of the world, because they are more exposed to the weather, because they are closer to the biophysical and experience limits of climate, and because their adaptive capacity is lower. Estimates of aggregated impacts necessarily make assumptions on the relative importance of sectors, countries and periods; we propose to make these assumption explicit. We introduce a Gini coefficient for climate change impacts, which shows the distribution of impacts is very skewed in the near future and will deteriorate for more than a century before becoming more egalitarian. Vulnerability to climate change depends on more than per capita income alone, so that the geographical pattern of vulnerability is complex, and the relationship between vulnerability and development non-linear and non-monotonous. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article examines stakeholder perspectives on the ‘optimality’ of the climate policy mix in the agri-food sector in the EU using the criteria of environmental effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. Based on a literature review and selected stakeholder interviews in two Northern (The Netherland and UK) and two Southern EU Member States (Italy and Spain), we conclude that the current policy mix is far from optimal. There are currently no EU-wide policy instruments to address GHG emissions in the agri-food sector, and little Member State level action. A number of initiatives from the private sector (particularly retailers) are present, although they are limited in scope and objectives. Looking forward, three concrete recommendations for improvements may be identified. First, stakeholders identify the need for the development of EU-wide policy instrumentation for GHG abatement from the agri-food sector, to provide a ‘level playing field’ for farmers and other economic agents in the sector. Second, many stakeholders consider it crucial that a holistic, ‘whole supply chain’ in contrast to a ‘piecemeal’ approach is taken. Third, the role of government is considered important, but predominantly in terms of providing a general framework within which more ambitious voluntary approaches could develop. Policy relevance From a policy perspective, this article aims to assist the EU develop more ‘optimal’ climate policies for the agri-food sector by taking into account the views and perspectives of different stakeholders involved in different countries on three main ‘optimality’ criteria, namely, environmental effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to improve the estimates of the economic impacts of climate change by developing a river flood risk model CLIMRISK-RIVER and introducing it into an existing climate-economy integrated assessment model (IAM). It operates on a local scale and can project climate change-related river flood damage for various socioeconomic, climate and flood adaptation scenarios. Whereas other IAMs have relied on temperature as a climate change proxy, we show that precipitation is a key variable in projecting river flood damage. The way adaptation is accounted for in our flood damage functions has a large influence on the results, highlighting the relevance of modelling local level adaptation in IAMs. Results presented at different spatial scales demonstrate the relevance of river flood damage functions for estimating the economic impacts of climate change and allows for exploration of the spatial distribution of impacts through local estimates. • Reduced form river flood damage functions predict the output of more complicated models well. • Precipitation, previously unaccounted for in climate-economy IAMs, is a key variable in projecting river flood damage. • River flood adaptation has a large influence on climate-related flood damage and needs tobe modelled explicitly in IAMs. • Local damage estimates show substantial spatial heterogeneity, making them essential in climate impact assessment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]