Washington: Human adaptation to climate change may include changes in fertility as people decide how much time and money they wish to devote in having children and invest in their future, claim researchers. As per a study published in the Journal of Environmental Research Letter, climate change could affect fertility, including sectoral reallocation, the gender wage gap, longevity, and child mortality. Researchers used a quantitative model that combined standard economic-demographic theory with an existing estimate of the economic consequences of climate change.
The model examined two example economies, Colombia and Switzerland. It focused on how the demographic impacts of climate change might differ across locations and between richer and poorer countries. The team’s model follows individuals through two stages of life, childhood and adulthood. In the model, parents must decide how to divide limited resources between supporting current family consumption, having children, and paying for each child’s education. Children’s future income depends on parental decisions. Dr Gregory Casey, the study’s lead author said: “Increases in global temperature affect agricultural and non-agricultural sectors differently. Near the equator, where there are many poorer countries, climate change has a larger negative effect on agriculture. —ANI
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