Rob Aalbers
| Date of Ph.D. defense: | May 11, 1999 |
| Title of thesis: | On the Implications of Thresholds for Economic Science and Environmental Policy |
| ISBN: | 90 5668 050 1 |
| Promotor: | Prof.dr. Aart de Zeeuw |
Abstract:
This dissertation analyses the implications for economic analyses of
the occurrence of thresholds in environmental damage functions. This
research question is analysed for the case of global warming from
three different perspectives. The first perspective is that of
certainty of information. Using an optimal control model the question
is analysed under what conditions a society might cross a
catastrophic threshold. The second perspective is that of uncertainty
of information. Using a one-period model of cho e the question is in
what way changes in uncertainty affect the decision of a utility
maximising society. The third perspective is that of equity. Given
that global warming may increase human mortality, the question arises
in what way society can balance the demand for increased consumption
against the increase in human mortality.
Global / English