Profile
| Keywords: | Environmental Economics, Environmental Valuation |
Vic Adamowicz is the Vice Dean in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, and a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta. He obtained his BSc and MSc from the University of Alberta (1981, 1983) and his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1988.
His research has focused on the economic valuation of environmental amenities and ecosystem services and the incorporation of environmental values into economic analysis – with applications to forestry, water quality, air quality, endangered species and agriculture. His research also involves the analysis of choice behavior with applications to food demand, recreation, and environmental quality.
Adamowicz is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy II – Social Sciences (awarded in 2007). He became a Fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists in 2019 and a Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society in 2011. He was awarded the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s Canadian Forestry Scientific Achievement Award in October, 2004.
His research in the Future Energy Systems area include examination of the economic evaluation of alternative land and water reclamation approaches and the development of policy options for effective land and water reclamation FES Funded ProjectsOutputs
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| Investment Decisions and Policy AnalysisWe presented a poster giving a broad overview of our FES project.T01-P02 University of Alberta, Silvacom | Activity | 2018-10-03 | Luckert, M., Qiu, F., Jay Anthony Anderson, Claire Doll, Grant K Hauer, Curtis John McKnight, Irene Onyango, Wilson, S. | | Potential biorefinery sites based on agricultural residues in Alberta: A GIS-based approach with feedstock variabilityPrevious studies have optimized biorefinery sites using Geographical Information System (GIS)-based and/or math programming methods. However, few studies have considered feedstock variability over time. Agricultural yields in Alberta vary greatly from year-to-year because of weather conditions, thereby influencing residue availability for potential biorefineries. In this study we use a GIS-based method to integrate considerations of agricultural residue variability and spatially optimize biorefinery sites. We model variability using 40 years of spatial crop yield data from Alberta. Our results suggest that agricultural residue yields in northern regions of Alberta are likely too variable to support a biorefinery. However, there appear to be five potential sites in central and southern regions, with only one year out of 40 when two of the sites would have been unable to supply a biorefinery with a minimum agricultural residue capacity of 635,000 tonnes per year. T01-P02 University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-09 | | | Potential biorefinery sites based on agricultural residues in Alberta: A GIS-based approach with feedstock variabilityAlberta produces large quantities of agricultural crops and residues that could be used as feedstock for an emerging bioenergy industry. Key considerations in selecting potential biorefinery sites include: biomass yields and their variability (both spatial and temporal) and economic features (e.g. the plant’s road network accessibility). We build on the previous work and conduct a GIS-based analysis in Alberta at a high spatial resolution (i.e. 9.7km × 9.7km, the township level) with residues from four major crops (barley, canola, oats, and wheat). Previous studies have not investigated and incorporated yield variability over time into analyses beyond simple descriptive statistics.
T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-05-07 | | | Integrating stochastic agricultural residue supplies into biorefinery site selection: An Alberta case studyInvestigations into the viability of commercial biofuel production have considered plant scale, alternative feedstocks, average feedstock yields, and optimal plant location. However, few of these studies address variability and risk of feedstock supply, product prices, and costs on financial viability. This project is developing a modelling framework for considering these sources of risk that will extend models of optimal plant location and scale to include spatially defined feedstock supply risk. In this poster we focus on annual variability in feedstocks derived from agricultural residues, which depend on weather and crop choice. We derive stochastic supply curves which show how marginal delivery costs, quantity of feedstock, and haul zones for agricultural residues vary annually, at the plant gate. Investigating variability of supply has important implications, not only for determining optimal plant location and financial viability, but also for further investigations into how biofuel plants would have to manage and/or mitigate supply variability. T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-05-07 | | | Future Prices for a Second-Generation Biofuel Industry: Market Linkages Between Canadian Wheat and US Energy and Agricultural CommoditiesIn 2016, Canada produced approximately 30 million tonnes of wheat. Residues from wheat production represent a potential feedstock for second-generation (i.e. cellulosic) ethanol. The production of second-generation ethanol from wheat residues, relative to first-generation ethanol, has the potential to reduce competition of land for food production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Prospects for a second-generation biofuel industry in Canada will be dependent on future price patterns of Canadian wheat and related markets, which could be related to historical dependence among these markets. We investigate market linkages between Canadian wheat prices and US corn, ethanol, and gasoline prices, as well as price and volatility dynamics. Understanding price relationships could reduce the risk associated with price uncertainty and investment decision making.
T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-05-07 | | | Prices for a second‐generation biofuel industry in Canada: Market linkages between Canadian wheat and US energy and agricultural commoditiesThe production of biofuels is limited in Canada, but the availability of wheat straw as a second‐generation (i.e., cellulosic) feedstock is an exciting prospect for the future development of a biofuel industry. The future success of such a biofuel industry will depend on future ethanol prices and prices related to wheat straw. These prices are likely to be influenced by markets related to the existing first‐generation ethanol industry in the United States. Therefore, the motivation of this paper is to investigate relationships between Canadian wheat prices and US corn, ethanol, and gasoline prices. We employ a DCC‐MGARCH enhanced VEC model to investigate time‐varying relationships among these markets. Results indicate that there are positive relationships between wheat and corn, ethanol and corn, and wheat and ethanol markets. Our results add to a better understanding of the level of integration between select Canadian agricultural markets and US energy markets. More specifically, the price relationships identified highlight several sources of price risk that may affect the financial success of commercially producing second‐generation ethanol from wheat straw in Canada. This information will be of particular interest to prospective industry investors and policymakers.T01-P02 University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-06-20 | | | A Wheat Straw Feedstock Supply Response Model for Ethanol Production in CanadaTo satisfy provincial and federal renewable fuels mandates, Canadian fuel blenders will need to import 1.4 billion litres of ethanol in 2019. Food security concerns regarding the use of cereal grains for fuel have triggered an increased interest in second-generation (i.e. cellulosic) ethanol that can be made from wheat straw. Ethanol processing facilities would require a consistent and reliable supply of biomass feedstock. Western Canada produces approximately 25 million tonnes of wheat straw per year, enough to make approximately 5.4 billion litres of ethanol. However, the availability of wheat straw is uncertain in several respects. Volumes within the economic transportation range of the refinery will vary with straw harvest levels over time. Moreover, depending on the prices that refineries are willing to offer, farmers may, or may not, agree to sell their straw, which contributes to soil quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to characterize and estimate farmer’s wheat straw supply in response to changes in wheat and wheat straw prices. We develop a dynamic programming model where a farmer decides how much wheat straw to sell each year to maximize profits over time. Our model considers the trade-off between the immediate payoffs a farmer may receive from selling wheat straw, and the long-term adverse affects that removing wheat straw from the soil surface may have on grain yields. Results from a theoretical deterministic model indicate that the steady-state values of extracted wheat straw and soil organic matter depend on relative wheat grain and wheat straw prices. Higher wheat grain prices will incentivise farmers to retain more wheat straw, to improve soil quality and future wheat grain yields. Conversely, higher wheat straw prices provide incentives to extract and sell more wheat straw. We extend the model into a stochastic framework where straw yields and prices vary over time. Straw yields, straw prices, and wheat prices are simulated using annual yield and price data for Alberta since 1978. Empirical results, from models under construction, will estimate how much wheat straw we can expect farmers to supply under specific wheat and what straw price conditions.T01-P02 | Publication | 2019-11-01 | Curtis John McKnight, Grant K Hauer | | Future Energy Systems (FES) Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems WorkshopFuture Energy Systems (FES) Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems Workshop, University of Alberta, January 07, 2020. 7-395 Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (ICE). 22 research presentations; 35 participants.T10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H, T10-P04I University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-01-07 | Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Jennings, D., Chang, S., Boluk, Y., Siddique, T., Adamowicz, V., Ullah, A., Serpe, M., Wilkinson, S., Chelme-Ayala, P., Grant K Hauer, Lingling Yang, Christopher Nzediegwu, Soliu Ganiyu, Shailesh Sable, Zuo Tong How, Muhammad Arslan, "Vartuhi Tonoyan ", Yihan Zhao, Irum Zahara, Stephanie Chute-Ibsen, Maggie Cascadden, Kylie Heales, Qiuyun Lu, Lingjun Meng, Monsuru Suara, Deborah Crominski da Silva Medeiros, Akeem Bello, Zhexuan An, Yue Ju, Zhanji Zhang, Huile Gu, Tam, K., Catherine Tays | | Economic Incentives For Land Reclamation In The Oil Sands Industry In AlbertaT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-02-24 | | | Economic Incentives For Land Reclamation In The Oil Sands Industry In AlbertaT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-07-10 | | | MODELING VARIABILITY IN BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK SUPPLIES WITH LIMITED DATA: AN APPLICATION OF TIME SERIES CLUSTERINGSuppose you have the technology for bioenergy production using agricultural (i.e. crop) or forest residues. Policy makers and investors want to have consistent and reliable sources of feedstock supply. Variability of feedstock supply is important because it can impact factors, such as:
- Feasibility and/or optimality of biorefinery location
- Optimal distance between biorefineries
- Travel distance and travel cost required to obtain enough feedstock
- The variability of the radius of the supply z one from year to year
- Degree of correlation between crop yields of different areas (e.g. counties) within the supply radius – higher correlation would imply higher supply variability
Therefore, it is important to estimate the sample correlation accurately, which is the focus of this poster presentation. T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-02-20 | | | Wheat Straw Supply for Ethanol Production in CanadaGovernment regulation requires renewable fuel content to be blended with gasoline. Canada currently imports ethanol to meet demand. Cellulosic ethanol can be made locally from wheat straw. Ethanol producers require a reliable feedstock source. However, the availability of wheat straw as an ethanol feedstock is uncertain. An important source of uncertainty is whether, and at what price, farmers would be willing to sell their wheat straw.
Our study provides important information for:
- Investors looking to finance biorefinery projects.
- Policy makers wanting to understand conditions that a potentially emerging industry will face.
- Farmers who make decisions regarding whether to retain or sell straw.T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-02-20 | Curtis John McKnight, Grant K Hauer, Luckert, M., Jay Anthony Anderson | | Bioenergy Feedstock Supply from Wheat Straw: A Farm Level Model with Multiple Markets, Disease Risks and Soil Trade-offsDuring the week of November 23-27, 2020, Future Energy Systems hosted a Digital Research Showcase. During this event, we showcased our poster on Twitter and interacted with virtual guests from around the world, representing a variety of sectors of academia, industry, and government.T01-P02 | Activity | 2020-11-23 | Curtis John McKnight, Grant K Hauer | | Modeling Variability in Biomass Feedstock Supplies with Limited Data: An Application of Data ClusteringDuring the week of November 23-27, 2020, Future Energy Systems hosted a Digital Research Showcase. During this event, we showcased our poster on Twitter and interacted with virtual guests from around the world, representing a variety of sectors of academia, industry, and government.T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-11-23 | | | Investment Decisions and Policy Analysis of Biomass EnergyWe were contacted by ExxonMobil and asked to give an hour presentation highlighting our research program to 105 ExxonMobil scientists and engineers. T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2021-02-01 | Qiu, F., Grant K Hauer, Jay Anthony Anderson | | Modeling Variability in Biomass Feedstock Supplies with Limited Data: An Application of Data ClusteringFor this competition, we prepared our poster for a multidisciplinary audience. We focused on the policy rationale and implications of our research. We then recorded a 2-minute video in which we present our poster (as if to a live audience). The video along with the poster is available on the conference website (https://caes-scae.ca/blog/11th-annual-agri-food-policy-poster-competition/).
T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2021-01-18 | | | Bioenergy Feedstock Supply from Wheat Straw: A Farm Level Model with Multiple Markets, Disease Risks and Soil Trade-offsFor this competition, we prepared our poster for a multidisciplinary audience. We focused on the policy rationale and implications of our research. We then recorded a 2-minute video in which we present our poster (as if to a live audience). The video along with the poster is available on the conference website (https://caes-scae.ca/blog/11th-annual-agri-food-policy-poster-competition/).
T01-P02 | Activity | 2021-01-18 | Curtis John McKnight, Grant K Hauer | | Modeling Variability in Biomass Feedstock Supplies with Limited Data: An Application of Data ClusteringFor this competition, we prepared our poster for a multidisciplinary audience. We focused on the policy rationale and implications of our research. T01-P02 University of Alberta | Activity | 2021-03-29 | | | Bioenergy Feedstock Supply from Wheat Straw: A Farm Level Model with Crop Choices, Disease Risks and Soil Trade-offsSecond-generation (i.e. cellulosic) ethanol can be made from crop residues, but the availability of residues for ethanol production is uncertain. Farmers have the option to grow different crops (with and without residues could be used for biofuel production), and residues could be sold to alternative markets, such as livestock bedding, feed, and biorefineries, or left in the field to improve soils. Taking Canadian wheat straw supply as an example, we develop a dynamic programming model to investigate a farmer’s wheat straw supply decision in response to different wheat straw and grain prices. Our model considers crop choices between wheat and canola in the context of disease risk, and the trade-off between the immediate payoffs a farmer may receive from bailing and selling wheat straw, and the long-term adverse affects that removing wheat straw from the soil surface may have on wheat and canola yields. The results from this study illuminate conditions that could result in the supply of wheat straw to biorefineries, which impact the productivity of farmland.T01-P02 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-11-01 | | | Economic Analysis Of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) Treatment In AlbertaVirtual oral presentation at the Future Energy Systems (FES) Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems Workshop, University of Alberta, December 08, 2020.T10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-12-08 | | | A Framework To Estimate The Treatment Cost Of The Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW) In AlbertaT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-11-23 | | | Economic Incentives For Land Reclamation: Evidence From The Oil Sands Industry In AlbertaT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-06-05 | | | Travis W. Manning Book Prize In Agricultural And Resource Economics 2018T10-P04, T10-P04G | Award | 2018-09-01 | Zhanji Zhang | | Brett G. Cortus Memorial Graduate Scholarship 2018T10-P04, T10-P04G | Award | 2018-08-01 | Zhanji Zhang | | Resilient Reclaimed Land And Water Systems WorkshopAnnual theme workshop held to share research results to date and discuss theme's future directions. This year we had a number of guests from Alberta Environment and Parks attend. T10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2018-12-11 | Naeth, M., Jennings, D., Gamal El-Din, M., Chelme-Ayala, P., Wilkinson, S., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Chang, S., Ullah, A., Zhanji Zhang, Mingyu Li, Irum Zahara, Stephanie Chute-Ibsen, Laura Bony, Yihan Zhao, Amalesh Dhar, Selamawit Messele, Rongfu Huang, Abdallatif Abdalrhman, Lei Zhang, Siyuan Wang, Maggie Cascadden, Kylie Heales, Rui Qin, Lingjun Meng, "Zhijun Luo ", Chelsea Benally, Rosheen Tetzlaff, Lingling Yang, "Gary Byrtus ", "Chi Chen ", "Kyle Jones ", "Premee Mohamed ", "Natasha Page ", "Shane Patterson ", Tam, K. | | Economic Incentives For Land Reclamation In The Oil Sands Industry Of AlbertaPresentationT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2018-12-11 | | | Economic Incentives For Land Reclamation: Evidence From The Oil-sands Industry In AlbertaCompleted. T10-P04, T10-P04G | Publication | 2019-09-30 | Zhanji Zhang | | Could A Damaged Land Tax-Refund Scheme Help Endangered Species Recovery?3 minute pitch presentationT10-P04, T10-P04G | Activity | 2019-05-07 | Zhanji Zhang | | 3 Minute Pitch Winner FES Research SymposiumFor 3 minute pitch at the Future Energy Systems Student and Post Doctoral Fellow Research SymposiumT10-P04, T10-P04G | Award | 2019-05-07 | Zhanji Zhang | | Best Master of Science Thesis Award Subsequently thesis was submitted to the Western Agricultural Economics Association and the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society thesis award competitions.T10-P04, T10-P04G | Award | 2019-10-01 | Zhanji Zhang | | Does Taxing Oil And Gas Operators Save Caribou?T10-P04, T10-P04G | Activity | 2020-04-20 | Zhanji Zhang | | Outstanding Master's Thesis AwardAwarded the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society’s Outstanding Master's Thesis Award for 2019 T10-P04, T10-P04G | Award | 2020-04-01 | Zhanji Zhang | | Policy Design To Create Incentives For Land And Water Reclamation From Oil Sands Projects In AlbertaT10-P04, T10-P04G | Activity | 2020-08-17 | Jerico Fiestas Flores | | Resilient Reclaimed Land And Water Systems WorkshopOrganized and participated in a FES Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems Theme Workshop to develop the theme's research goals and direction for the entire FES program. T10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2017-09-25 | Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Jennings, D., Chelme-Ayala, P., Wilkinson, S., Chang, S., Siddique, T., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Lefsrud, L., Ullah, A. | | Resilient Reclaimed Land And Water Systems WorkshopOrganized and participated in FES Resilient Reclaimed Land and Water Systems Theme Workshop to share research results achieved to date, to obtain input from others on research projects, to discuss within and between theme collaborations and to plan for future research.T10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H, T10-P04A University of Alberta | Activity | 2018-01-22 | Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Jennings, D., Chelme-Ayala, P., Wilkinson, S., Adamowicz, V., Chang, S., Lefsrud, L., Siddique, T., Ullah, A., Rongfu Huang, Muhammad Arshad, Mingyu Li, Youngbin Joo, Selamawit Messele, Jin-Hyeob Kwak, Md Shahinoor Islam, Siyuan Wang, Abdallatif Abdalrhman, Stephanie Chute-Ibsen, Abimbola Ojekanmi, Rui Qin, Lei Zhang, Irum Zahara | | Reclaimed Resilient Land And Water Systems – WaterPoster presented at the Future Energy Systems (FES) Research Open House and Poster Session, October 12, 2017, University of Alberta.T10-P04 University of Alberta | Activity | 2017-10-12 | Gamal El-Din, M., Naeth, M., Jennings, D., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Chang, S., Lefsrud, L., Siddique, T., Ullah, A. | | Reclaimed Resilient Land And Water Systems – LandPoster presented at the Future Energy Systems (FES) Research Open House and Poster Session, October 12, 2017, University of Alberta. T10-P04 University of Alberta | Activity | 2017-10-12 | Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Jennings, D., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Chang, S., Lefsrud, L., Siddique, T., Ullah, A. | | Reclaimed Resilient Land And Water Systems – Success IndicatorsPoster presented at the Future Energy Systems (FES) Research Open House and Poster Session, October 12, 2017, University of Alberta.
T10-P04, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2017-10-12 | Jennings, D., Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Chang, S., Lefsrud, L., Siddique, T., Ullah, A. | | Resilient Reclaimed Land And Water SystemsT10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2018-10-03 | Naeth, M., Jennings, D., Gamal El-Din, M., Adamowicz, V., Boluk, Y., Chang, S., Siddique, T., Ullah, A. | | Reclamation Success Indicators, Criteria And Policy For Energy SystemsT10-P04, T10-P04B, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2018-10-03 | | | Models And Instruments For Financing Land-Based ConservationT10-P04, T10-P04G University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-04-04 | | | An Integrated Treatment System For Sustainable Clean WaterDevelopment of interdisciplinary research on integrated treatment approaches for energy systems process water. Submitted NOI to New Frontiers Research Fund Transformation program. T10-P04, T10-P04E, T10-P04F, T10-P04H University of Alberta | Activity | 2019-12-16 | Naeth, M., Gamal El-Din, M., Adamowicz, V., Chang, S., Bipro Dhar, "James Stafford ", "Patrick Hanington ", "Maricor Arlos ", "Xiaoli Fan ", "Mark Servos ", "Dion Dionysiou ", "Sandra Contreras " |
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