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Water Science and Policy Center

Seminar Presentation

Dr. Robert Mendelsohn

"Climate Change and Water: What Have We Learned?"

Abstract: Climate science and hydrology suggest that the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to changes in both the timing and levels of water supplies. Flows will likely increase in the early spring and fall in the summer. Economic analyses of these changes in supply suggest they could lead to large damages if society does not adapt. The talk will discuss how society could adapt. By reallocating water from low to high valued uses, the damages can be reduced substantially. Further, society can invest in hard structures such as dams to hold back early spring melt until it is needed in the summer. The net impact of climate change on the water sector is therefore likely to be modest. Examples from California, the Colorado, and the Rio Bravo will all be discussed.

About the Presenter: Dr. Mendelsohn is an economist at Yale University who specializes in valuing the environment. He has developed methods to value the damage of air pollution emissions, hazardous waste pollution, wildlife populations, recreation, oil spills, timber, and non-timber forest products from tropical forests. For the last 15 years, Dr. Mendelsohn has measured the impacts of climate change with colleagues around the world. He has valued damages to agriculture, forests, energy, coastal resources, and water. A theme of this research is including adaptation. Dr. Mendelsohn has been involved in studies around the world revealing how people adapt to climate.