Emissions abatement alone cannot address the consequences of global warming for weather disasters. We model how society adapts to manage disaster risks to capital stock. Optimal adaptation—a mix of firm‐level efforts and public spending—varies as society learns about the adverse consequences of global warming for disaster arrivals. Taxes on capital are needed alongside those on carbon to achieve the first best. We apply our model to country‐level control of flooding from tropical cyclones. Learning rationalizes empirical findings, including the responses of Tobin's q, equity risk premium, and risk‐free rate to disaster arrivals. Adaptation is more valuable under learning than a counterfactual no‐learning environment. Learning alters social‐cost‐of‐carbon projections due to the interaction of uncertainty resolution and endogenous adaptive response.
MLA
Hong, Harrison, et al. “Mitigating Disaster Risks in the Age of Climate Change.” Econometrica, vol. 91, .no 5, Econometric Society, 2023, pp. 1763-1802, https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20442
Chicago
Hong, Harrison, Neng Wang, and Jinqiang Yang. “Mitigating Disaster Risks in the Age of Climate Change.” Econometrica, 91, .no 5, (Econometric Society: 2023), 1763-1802. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20442
APA
Hong, H., Wang, N., & Yang, J. (2023). Mitigating Disaster Risks in the Age of Climate Change. Econometrica, 91(5), 1763-1802. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA20442
Serena Ng stepped down as Coeditor of the Monograph Series on June 30, 2026. On July 1st, Peter Arcidiacono became the new Coeditor responsible for theoretical and applied econometrics.
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