Search

The frequency of hot days in much of the world is increasing. What is the impact of high temperatures on productivity? Can technology-based adaptation mitigate such effects of climate change? We provide some answers to these questions by examining how high outdoor temperatures affect a high-technology, precision manufacturing setting. Exploiting individual-level data on the quantity and quality of work done across 35,190 worker-shifts in a leading NYSE-listed silicon wafer maker in China, we evidence a negative effect of outdoor heat on productivity. The effects are large: in our preferred linear specification, an increase in wet bulb temperature of 10 ∘ C causes a reduction in output of 8.3%. Temperature effects exist even though the manufacturer's work-spaces are indoors and protected by high-quality climate control systems. Results are not driven by extreme weather events and are robust to alternative modelling approaches. They illustrate the potential future adverse economic effects of climate change in most of the industrialised world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the effects of ambient temperatures on mental health using a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Chinese individuals. We find that temperatures over 30 ∘ C significantly increase the likelihood of depression. High temperatures have larger detrimental effects on the mental health of the middle-aged and elderly, females, the less-educated, and agricultural workers. We discuss two likely mechanisms for the mental health impact of high temperatures: raising the incidence of physical illness and reducing sleeping time. We find suggestive evidence of air conditioners moderating the adverse impacts of high temperatures and of adaptation to high temperatures in the long term. We reveal that without any government interventions or private adaptation, mental health will deteriorate by 3.1% in the medium term and 5.3% in the long term based on the Hadley GEM2-ES climate-change projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a child god from Chinese legends, the figure of Nezha has a strong appeal to children, and his story has been adapted to various media. This article examines Nezha's image in three animated films, exploring how this figure has been altered to represent Chinese children and youth and symbolize their subjectivity. From a revolutionary hero to a socialized child and a rebellious adolescent, Nezha's transformations demonstrate how an iconic figure has been reimagined to reflect shifting socio-political contexts in the Chinese socialist and post-socialist eras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]