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Fine-particulate air pollution and behaviorally inclusive mortality impacts of China’s winter heating policy, 2013–2018

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  • Salvo, Alberto
  • Tang, Qu
  • Yang, Jing
  • Yin, Peng
  • Zhou, Maigeng

Abstract

China’s spatially discontinuous winter heating policy has been used to examine how sustained exposure to air pollution impacts health. This influential literature exploits quasi-experimental cross-sectional variation in atmospheric emissions in a geographically vast and populous nation. Our study introduces an alternative external definition of the winter heating boundary and takes advantage of an unprecedented expansion of pollution and mortality surveillance, covering at least 10 times more sites and finer-grained pollution particle sizes that are more relevant to health standards today. We estimate spatial discontinuities in pollution and mortality that shrink over time, consistent with tighter emissions regulations, higher quality medical care, and increased air quality disclosure to – and defensive behavior by – the public. We find that in 2013–2015 a 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 raised behaviorally inclusive mortality for cardiovascular and respiratory causes by 11% (95% confidence interval = 2–20%) and lung cancer mortality by 20% (95% CI = 4–37%).

Suggested Citation

  • Salvo, Alberto & Tang, Qu & Yang, Jing & Yin, Peng & Zhou, Maigeng, 2024. "Fine-particulate air pollution and behaviorally inclusive mortality impacts of China’s winter heating policy, 2013–2018," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:124:y:2024:i:c:s0095069624000196
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2024.102945
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fine-particulate air pollution; Premature mortality; Energy policy; Pollution information disclosure; Regression discontinuity; Instrumental variables;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • P28 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Natural Resources; Environment

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