Abstract
We reflect on the reciprocal relationship between population growth and deforestation. In human history there must have been long intervals when, in contrast to a Malthusian scenario, land clearing was low-cost and led subsequent population growth. Trade and migration have taken the bite out of local land scarcity. We explore in theory and in simulations. An extended Hartwick-Long-Tian model relates deforestation to per capita income and relative prices for land in agriculture and in forestry. We report on land-use change since 1700 with the recent HYDE database.
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Hartwick, J.M. (2005). Deforestation and Population Increase. In: Kant, S., Berry, R.A. (eds) Institutions, Sustainability, and Natural Resources. Sustainability, Economics, and Natural Resources, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3519-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3519-5_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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