The impact of extreme weather events on green innovation: Which ones bring to the most harm?

This research investigates the effect of extreme weather events on green innovation by using unbalanced panel data covering 117 countries from 1971 to 2018 and documents strong evidence that extreme weather has a significantly negative impact on green innovation. We also find among the four extreme weather events such as droughts, extreme temperature, floods, and storms that floods have the most prominent adverse impact on green innovation. Furthermore, the significantly negative effect of extreme weather is manifested in countries with a high level of corruption and low level of trade openness, but not in the countries with a low level of corruption and a high level of trade openness. Lastly, we show that extreme weather events have an adverse impact on green innovation by decreasing economic growth level, hindering financial development, widening income inequality, damaging the accumulation of human capital, and increasing the political risk. • This research investigates the effect of extreme weather events on green innovation. • By using unbalanced panel data covering 117 countries from 1971 to 2018. • Documents strong evidence that extreme weather has a significantly negative impact on green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]