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The economics of adaptation under climate stress: microeconomic evidence from labor markets and dynamic resource models
Date
2025
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Climate variability threatens livelihoods and natural resources, particularly in communities dependent on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and fisheries. This dissertation examines how economic agents adapt to climate shocks, focusing on the constraints and incentives that shape labor allocation and resource use in two distinct fishery systems. Using econometric and structural modeling methods, I analyze behavioral and biological responses to climate variability in small-scale fishing municipalities in Mexico and the blue crab fishery of Delaware Bay in the United States. ☐ The first chapter studies the impact of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on labor allocation, income, and fishery production in Mexico from 2006 to 2022. Rather than diversifying income sources, fishers specialize within the fishery, reducing catch diversity and increasing revenue, driven by low species-switching costs and high barriers to exiting the fishery sector. In this setting, specialization increases fishery production and stabilizes household income. ☐ The second chapter develops a temperature-dependent bioeconomic model of blue crab dynamics, combining ecological responses to short-term warming with optimal harvesting behavior. Simulations show that the timing and duration of warming events are critical: summer warming slows recovery, while short-term closures following heat events can accelerate stock rebuilding. The results highlight how adaptive policy design can reduce climate-induced biological and economic losses. ☐ Together, these studies show how switching costs, biophysical thresholds, and institutional design shape adaptive responses to climate shocks, contributing to the economics of climate adaptation in resource-dependent systems.
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Keywords
Adaptation, Bioeconomic modelling, Climate variability, Diversification, Fisheries, Labor allocation