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Beyond particulate matter: New evidence on the causal effects of air pollution on mortality.
- Source :
-
Journal of Health Economics . Sep2023, Vol. 91, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- The increasing demand for electricity worldwide has caused a corresponding rise in the consumption of coal, leading to an increase in sulfur dioxide (SO 2) pollution levels. Despite the severity of the issue, there is a lack of conclusive evidence establishing a causal link between SO 2 pollution and health, particularly in developing countries. We leverage a large national environmental regulation policy, implemented in China to reduce SO 2 emissions, to estimate the impacts of SO 2 pollution on mortality. We find that 1- μ g / m 3 reduction in SO 2 concentrations leads to 18 fewer cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 people aged 60 years and above (0.9% decrease) and 2 fewer deaths per 100,000 children under the age of 5 (1.5% decrease) annually. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the total health benefits of the environmental policy outweigh its economic costs. The results are consistent across various robustness checks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01676296
- Volume :
- 91
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Health Economics
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 171901781
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102799