Rural Households in a Changing Climate

25 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Javier Eduardo Baez

Javier Eduardo Baez

World Bank; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Dorothy Kronick

University of Pennsylvania

Andrew Mason

World Bank

Date Written: January 1, 2013

Abstract

This paper argues that climate change poses two distinct, if related, sets of challenges for poor rural households: challenges related to the increasing frequency and severity of weather shocks and challenges related to long-term shifts in temperature, rainfall patterns, water availability, and other environmental factors. Within this framework, the paper examines evidence from existing empirical literature to compose an initial picture of household-level strategies for adapting to climate change in rural settings. The authors find that although households possess numerous strategies for managing climate shocks and shifts, their adaptive capacity is insufficient for the task of maintaining -- let alone improving -- household welfare. They describe the role of public policy in fortifying the ability of rural households to adapt to a changing climate.

Keywords: Rural Poverty Reduction, Climate Change Economics, Regional Economic Development, Science of Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation and Green House Gases

Suggested Citation

Baez, Javier Eduardo and Kronick, Dorothy and Mason, Andrew, Rural Households in a Changing Climate (January 1, 2013). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6326, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2202688

Javier Eduardo Baez

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Dorothy Kronick

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Andrew Mason

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

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