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Manchester Grand Hyatt, Balboa C
Hosted By:
Middle East Economic Association
Environmental Issues in MENA
Paper Session
Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (PDT)
- Chair: Mahdi Majbouri, Babson College
How Do Different Disciplines Perceive the Environment? Survey Results from the Mediterranean and MENA
Abstract
The results of the survey conducted in 2018-2019 on perceptions of climate change are tabulated and studied by geographical differences, gender and branch of sciences. Survey results, using a 5-point Likert scale, show differences on risk perceptions, affective images, values and policy preferences on global warming and the environment. Two factor analysis is used to statistically measure differences by variates among scientists.Dust Storms, Migration and Housing Markets
Abstract
This paper provides new empirical evidence on the economic impact of climate change. We investigate the e↵ect of the recent increase in the number of dust storms and exposure to dust on the housing market and migration in Iran. Utilizing the individual level data of almost two million housing transactions in the Iranian housing market, census data on migration since 2000 and on-the-ground weather station data on exposure to dust and dust storms within last decades in the country, we present how individuals and families respond to the level of pollution caused by dust. We estimate the average marginal willingness to pay of individuals for better air quality and also demonstrate how the increase in the level of dust storms explains migration decisions. Our results show that an increase in the number of dust storm incidence is associated with a decrease in the city-level average of housing prices. Also, an increase in the level of dusty days is associated with a higher level of migration in a↵ected rural areas. This research is among the first economic papers that investigates the issue of the environmental degradation on housing market and demographic change in the MENA region.Natural Hazards and Internal Migration: The Role of Transient Versus Permanent Shocks
Abstract
We analyze internal migration triggered by natural disasters in Bangladesh. We conducted a survey in nine coastal districts and two major cities in Bangladesh to investigate whether floods and cyclones, which can be considered as transient shocks, affect interregional migration differently compared to riverbank erosion that causes loss of lands and thus generates shocks that are permanent in nature. Our findings suggest that transient shocks induce households to move to nearby cities while permanent shocks push people to big cities with more opportunities. Comparing the income and expenditure of migrants and non-migrant households, we find that the former group is better-off relative to their counterpart, indicating that welfare can be improved by facilitating migration. Rising exposure to climate change induced natural disasters around the world imply that our findings will be increasingly relevant for designing policies to address the vulnerability, particularly for disaster-prone countries with weak social safety nets.JEL Classifications
- Q5 - Environmental Economics