This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Climate Change and Forest Sinks: Factors Affecting the Costs of Carbon Sequestration

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Stavins, Robert
Newell, Richard () (Resources for the Future)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

The possibility of encouraging the growth of forests as a means of sequestering carbon dioxide has received considerable attention because of concerns about the threat of global climate change due to the greenhouse effect. In fact, this approach is an explicit element of both U.S. and international climate policies, partly because of evidence that growing trees to sequester carbon can be a relatively inexpensive means of combating climate change. But how sensitive are such estimates to specific conditions? We examine the sensitivity of carbon sequestration costs to changes in critical factors, including the nature of the management and deforestation regimes, silvicultural species, agricultural prices, and discount rates. We find, somewhat counter-intuitively, that the costs of carbon sequestration can be greater if trees are periodically harvested, rather than permanently established. In addition, higher discount rates imply higher marginal costs, and they imply non-monotonic changes in the amount of carbon sequestered. Importantly, retarded deforestation can sequester carbon at substantially lower costs than increased forestation. These results depend in part on the time profile of sequestration and the amount of carbon released upon harvest, both of which may vary by species, geographic location, and management regime, and are subject to scientific uncertainty.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-99-31-REV.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Resources For the Future in its series Discussion Papers with number dp-99-31-rev.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: 01 Jun 1999
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:rff:dpaper:dp-99-31-rev

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.rff.org
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Webmaster).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. William D. Nordhaus, 1991. "The Cost of Slowing Climate Change: a Survey," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 12(Number 1), pages 37-66.
  2. Peter J. Parks & Ian W. Hardie, 1995. "Least-Cost Forest Carbon Reserves: Cost-Effective Subsidies to Convert Marginal Agricultural Land to Forests," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 71(1), pages 122-136. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Ralph Alig & Darius Adams & Bruce McCarl & J. Callaway & Steven Winnett, 1997. "Assessing effects of mitigation strategies for global climate change with an intertemporal model of the U.S. forest and agriculture sectors," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 9(3), pages 259-274, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. RICHARD M. Adams & DARIUS M. Adams & JOHN M. Callaway & CHING-CHENG Chang & BRUCE A. Mccarl, 1993. "Sequestering Carbon On Agricultural Land: Social Cost And Impacts On Timber Markets," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 11(1), pages 76-87, 01. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. J. Callaway & Bruce McCarl, 1996. "The economic consequences of substituting carbon payments for crop subsidies in U.S. agriculture," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 7(1), pages 15-43, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Stavins, Robert N., 1990. "Alternative renewable resource strategies: A simulation of optimal use," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 143-159, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Robert N. Stavins, 2007. "Environmental Economics," NBER Working Papers 13574, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. G. Cornelis van Kooten & Louise M. Arthur & W. R. Wilson, 1992. "Potential to Sequester Carbon in Canadian Forests: Some Economic Considerations," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 18(2), pages 127-138, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Robert N. Stavins, 1999. "The Costs of Carbon Sequestration: A Revealed-Preference Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(4), pages 994-1009, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Stavins, Robert N & Jaffe, Adam B, 1990. "Unintended Impacts of Public Investments on Private Decisions: The Depletion of Forested Wetlands," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 337-52, June.
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. de Cara, Stephane & Rozakis, Stelios, 2004. "Carbon sequestration through the planting of multi-annual energy crops: A dynamic and spatial assessment," Agricultural Economics Review, Greek Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 5(1), January. [Downloadable!]
  2. Hongli Feng, 2002. "Dynamics of Carbon Sequestration and Measures of Cost-Effectiveness, The," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 02-wp320, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University. [Downloadable!]
  3. Schneider, Uwe A. & McCarl, Bruce A. & Woodward, Richard, 2001. "Harvesting the Greenhouse through Altered Land Management: Economic Potential and Market Design Challenges," Staff General Research Papers 2025, Iowa State University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Ruben N. Lubowski & Andrew J. Plantinga & Robert N. Stavins, 2007. "What Drives Land-Use Change in the United States? A National Analysis of Landowner Decisions," NBER Working Papers 13572, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Robert N. Stavins, 1998. "A Methodological Investigation of Cost of Carbon Sequestration," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 0, pages 231-277, November. [Downloadable!]
  6. Daiju Narita, 2009. "Economic Optimality of CCS Use: A Resource-Economic Model," Kiel Working Papers 1508, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. [Downloadable!]
  7. de Cara, Stephane & Jayet, Pierre-Alain, 2001. "Agriculture And Climate Change In The Eu: Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Abatement Costs," 2001 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Chicago, IL 20577, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association). [Downloadable!]
  8. Suzi Kerr & Emma Brunton & Ralph Chapman, 2005. "Policy to Encourage Carbon Sequestration in Plantation Forests," Others 0509009, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Uwe A. Schneider & Bruce A. McCarl, 2005. "Appraising Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potentials: Effects of Alternative Assumptions," Working Papers FNU-81, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised Jul 2005. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Stavins, Robert & Plantinga, Andrew & Lubowski, Ruben, 2005. "Land-Use Change and Carbon Sinks," Discussion Papers dp-05-04, Resources For the Future. [Downloadable!]
  11. Stavins, Robert, 2000. "A Two-Way Street Between Environmental Economics and Public Policy," Working Paper Series rwp00-005, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. [Downloadable!]
  12. Toman, Michael & Shogren, Jason, 2000. "Climate Change Policy," Discussion Papers dp-00-22, Resources For the Future. [Downloadable!]
  13. Jung, Martina, 2003. "The Role of Forestry Sinks in the CDM - Analysing the Effects of Policy Decisions on the Carbon Market," Discussion Paper Series 26293, Hamburg Institute of International Economics. [Downloadable!]
  14. G. Cornelis van Kooten & Susanna Laaksonen-Craig & Yichuan Wang, 2007. "Costs of Creating Carbon Offset Credits via Forestry Activities: A Meta-Regression Analysis," Working Papers 2007-03, University of Victoria, Department of Economics, Resource Economics and Policy Analysis Research Group. [Downloadable!]
  15. Robert N. Stavins, 1999. "The Costs of Carbon Sequestration: A Revealed-Preference Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(4), pages 994-1009, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? A few items listed on IDEAS are over 2000 years old!

This page was last updated on 2009-11-26.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.