Population growth and environmental deterioration: An intertemporal perspective

Arbeitspapier

Population growth is often viewed as a most oppressive global problem with respect to environmental deterioration. In this paper, we investigate the optimal development of a coupled system comprising population, economy, and the natural environment as subsystems. In our formal dynamic model these are interrelated by the society’s economic decisions on consumption, birthrate, and emissions. Considering Hicks neutral technical progress, we find a steady state with growing population and declining per capita emissions, all other variables remaining constant over time. We investigate the comparative static properties of the steady state, and the dynamic behavior of the system. In numerical simulations we show that simple variations in the dynamics of the subsystems lead to complex and sometimes qualitatively different behavior of the coupled system. This is a challenge for policy advice based on such inter-temporal optimization models.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: Discussion Paper Series ; No. 400

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Demographic Economics: Other ; Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products ; Renewable Resources and Conservation: Water
• Thema: Sustainability ; Economic Development ; Endogenous Fertility ; Bevölkerungsökonomik ; Umweltökonomik ; Familienökonomik ; Haushaltsökonomik ; Intertemporale Entscheidung ; Neoklassisches Wachstumsmodell ; Nachhaltige Entwicklung ; Theorie

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Jöst, Frank ; Quaas, Martin ; Schiller, Johannes
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics
• (wo): Heidelberg
• (wann): 2004

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/127217
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:45 MEZ