Publication Type

Working Paper

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

5-2020

Abstract

This paper examines firms’ adaptation to long-term changes in climatic conditions. Using detailed information of establishments owned by U.S. public firms from 1990 to 2012, we show that higher abnormal temperatures over the previous five years in a county lead to a significant reduction in local employment and the number of establishments. Further tests suggest that the decline in employment and establishments is largely due to a decline in local consumer demand rather than lower labor productivity. We also find that firms more likely take adaptive actions when their managers are more likely to believe in, or are concerned about, climate change. Overall, we provide large-sample evidence on firm adaptation to climate change.

Keywords

Climate change, employment, economic establishments, adaptation, abnormal temperatures

Discipline

Corporate Finance | Finance and Financial Management

Research Areas

Finance

First Page

1

Last Page

42

Publisher

SSRN

External URL

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3573260

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