Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics最新文献

Climate change has significantly influenced the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events impacting the globe, including Australia. This has implications for various sectors, including the housing market. Utilising postcode-level climate risk data—including for cyclones, floods, heatwaves, water stress, and wildfires—and data from the 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021 censuses, we examine the susceptibility of Australia's stock to such hazards. Our investigation focuses on three main questions. First, we try to understand how the exposure of the housing sector to different climate hazards is dispersed geographically and how the vulnerability to extreme weather events evolved over time. Second, we investigate the extent to which the location of new homes throughout this period has raised or lowered the vulnerability of the housing stock. Third, we outline the historical trajectory of the housing sector's climate susceptibility and use our data to estimate how this is likely to evolve out to 2100. Our analysis reveals that the Australian housing stock displays pronounced susceptibility to water stress, moderate vulnerability to wildfires, and slight susceptibility to floods, cyclones and heatwaves. Furthermore, our findings indicate that growth in the Australian housing stock shows a negative correlation with the risk posed by heatwaves and the anticipated shifts in wildfire risk, whereas it exhibits no discernible association with other hazards.

We apply index decomposition methods to decompose nitrogen and phosphorus leakage trends from Swedish arable land. The results show considerable heterogeneity; changes in nutrient pollution coefficients (kg leakage/SEK of crop value produced) and crop rotations caused leakage to increase in some areas and decrease in others. Crucially, we find only modest pollution-decreasing technique effects, mainly driven by increased yields rather than reductions in per-hectare nutrient leakage. We argue that lax regulation of agricultural pollutants is one determining factor behind these results. Despite an increased focus on environmental considerations in agricultural policy, the cost of emitting has remained low.

The extensive development of the onshore gas industry in Southern Queensland over the past two decades has been an unprecedented event in Australia, positioning the country as a global leader in natural gas exports. This boom has also profoundly reshaped the economic landscapes of extraction regions, particularly across the Surat and Bowen Basins. Contributing to the limited literature on its socioeconomic impacts, this paper examines the industry's long-term effects by analysing economic data from 2011 to 2021 and comparing it with trends from the preceding decade. While the initial gas boom (2001–2011) drove income growth and employment, our findings indicate that economic benefits in the following decade have been lower. Mining employment declined as operations became less labour-intensive, while income growth in extraction regions has not been particularly better than in other regions in the state. Additionally, we find no significant spillover effects on other sectors, underscoring constraints on broader economic diversification. Agriculture, particularly in the Surat Basin, has remained persistently less significant to local economies than pre-boom levels, with a lower capacity to generate employment. Understanding these trade-offs is essential, as regional prosperity hinges on the ability of non-extractive industries and communities to adapt post-boom. Long-term evaluations such as this are critical to tracking regional economic transitions and assessing the lasting impacts of industry development, informing policy strategies that balance economic benefits with environmental and social costs.

Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS) are an important component of India's effort towards sustainable energy transition and are promoted with financial support under the PM-KUSUM program. In spite of the promise and the policy push, adoption of SPIS has been low. In this paper, we use a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) to evaluate the policy attributes in the promotion of SPIS. We selected five attributes of SPIS: cost of the pump; terms of the loan; grid connection; service provision (repair services); and multiple uses of energy (generated from solar panels) with different levels for each attribute. D-efficient, non-zero prior design was used to design the choice combinations used in the study. The data was collected from 500 farmers randomly chosen from 31 villages across Mysore district, Karnataka, India, and analysed using the random parameter logit model. For a nuanced interpretation and contextualisation of the results, we conducted follow-up qualitative interviews. The results highlight that farmer preferences, indicated by the highest part worth, are for a loan with a longer repayment period (WTP of US$ 1905), followed by guaranteed service provision for 10 years (WTP of US$ 1498). Given that SPIS is a new technology with high initial investment, easing liquidity constraints and assuring farmers of guaranteed repair services are strong incentives to adopt it. These findings can be incorporated into existing policies so that they align well with farmers' preferences.

Urban trees are universally praised for their cooling effects, biodiversity benefits and contributions to human well-being. Yet, despite widespread enthusiasm about greener cities, tree-planting initiatives in Australia often encounter surprising resistance. Residents who advocate for more urban canopy might baulk when a tree is planted outside their own home because of concerns for fallen leaves, root damage, blocked views or losing a parking space. At a policy level, the challenge is even greater: ensuring trees are planted in the right locations, thrive in changing climates and do not create unforeseen economic or environmental trade-offs. In this article, I will discuss the challenges of achieving urban tree canopy targets, including the economic, environmental and social trade-offs that city planners must navigate.

JEL Classification: Q57, Q23, R52