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Too hot to handle: The effects of high temperatures during pregnancy on adult welfare outcomes

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  • Hu, Zihan
  • Li, Teng

Abstract

This paper studies the long-term effects of high temperatures during pregnancy on later-life outcomes for Chinese adults. Adults experienced one additional high-temperature day during in utero period, on average, attain 0.02 fewer years of schooling, increase the risk of illiteracy by 0.18%, achieve lower standardized word-test score by 0.48%, and are shorter by 0.02 cm. The impacts are greater in the first and second trimesters. Additionally, we find that income effects represent one important channel to explain the adverse effects of hot weather. Back-of-the-envelope predictions suggest that by the end of the 21st century, a 0.14–0.54 reduction in years of education and a 0.21–0.84 cm reduction in height is likely to result from climate change, ceteris paribus.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Zihan & Li, Teng, 2019. "Too hot to handle: The effects of high temperatures during pregnancy on adult welfare outcomes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 236-253.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:94:y:2019:i:c:p:236-253
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2019.01.006
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    Cited by:

    1. Lyu, Zhuoyang & Yu, Li & Liu, Chen & Ma, Tiemeng, 2024. "When temperatures matter: Extreme heat and labor share," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
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    3. Xiaoying Liu & Jere R. Behrman & Emily Hannum & Fan Wang & Qingguo Zhao, 2022. "Same environment, stratified impacts? Air pollution, extreme temperatures, and birth weight in south China," Papers 2204.00219, arXiv.org.
    4. Xi Chen & Chih Ming Tan & Xiaobo Zhang & Xin Zhang, 2020. "The effects of prenatal exposure to temperature extremes on birth outcomes: the case of China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 1263-1302, October.
    5. Tamás Hajdu & Gábor Hajdu, 2022. "Temperature, climate change, and human conception rates: evidence from Hungary," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 1751-1776, October.
    6. Emily Injete Amondo & Emmanuel Nshakira-Rukundo & Alisher Mirzabaev, 2023. "The effect of extreme weather events on child nutrition and health," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(3), pages 571-596, June.
    7. Youhong Lin & Feng Liu & Peng Xu, 2021. "Effects of drought on infant mortality in China," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 248-269, February.
    8. Beuermann, Diether W. & Pecha, Camilo J., 2020. "The effects of weather shocks on early childhood development: Evidence from 25 years of tropical storms in Jamaica," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    9. Wu, Wenjie & Zhe, Yang & Kim, Jun Hyung & Yue, Ai, 2023. "Effects of Early Childhood Climate on Cognitive Development and Home Environment," IZA Discussion Papers 16017, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Injete Amondo, Emily & Mirzabaev, Alisher & Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel, 2021. "Effect of extreme weather events on child health in rural Uganda," Discussion Papers 311135, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    11. Doyle, Mary-Alice, 2023. "Seasonal patterns in newborns’ health: quantifying the roles of climate, communicable disease, economic and social factors," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 119971, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Blom, Sylvia & Ortiz-Bobea, Ariel & Hoddinott, John, 2022. "Heat exposure and child nutrition: Evidence from West Africa," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    13. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Do, Minh N. N. & Cuong Viet Nguyen, 2024. "The impacts of climate change and air pollution on children's education outcomes: Evidence from Vietnam," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1464, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    14. Sarah Syed & Tracey L. O’Sullivan & Karen P. Phillips, 2022. "Extreme Heat and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Scoping Review of the Epidemiological Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-16, February.
    15. Tamás Hajdu & Gábor Hajdu, 2020. "Temperature, climate change and birth weight: Evidence from Hungary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2032, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    16. Kim, Jiyoon & Lee, Ajin & Rossin-Slater, Maya, 2019. "What to Expect When It Gets Hotter: The Impacts of Prenatal Exposure to Extreme Heat on Maternal and Infant Health," IZA Discussion Papers 12685, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Chen, Xi & Tan, Chih Ming & Zhang, Xiaobo & Zhang, Xin, 2020. "The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Temperature Extremes on Birth Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 12917, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Hajdu, Tamás & Hajdu, Gábor, 2023. "Climate change and the mortality of the unborn," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    19. Doyle, Mary-Alice, 2023. "Seasonal patterns in newborns’ health: Quantifying the roles of climate, communicable disease, economic and social factors," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Global warming; High temperatures; Prenatal period; Educational attainment; Height;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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