Working Paper: NBER ID: w28467
Authors: Michael Greenstone; Guojun He; Shanjun Li; Eric Zou
Abstract: The decade from 2010 to 2019 marked a significant turning point in China’s history of environmental regulation and pollution. This article describes the recent trends in air and water quality, with a focus on the five years since China declared a “war on pollution” in 2014. It summarizes the emerging literature that has taken advantage of accompanying improvements in data availability and accuracy to document sharp improvements in environmental quality, especially local air pollution, and understand their social, economic, and health consequences.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: Q50; Q53; Q56
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| 10% decrease in PM10 concentrations (Q52) | monthly standardized all-cause mortality (I12) |
| sustained exposure to air pollution (Q53) | life expectancy (J17) |
| compliance with WHO standards (F53) | national healthcare spending (H51) |
| pollution levels (Q53) | premature deaths (I12) |
| pollution levels (Q53) | life expectancy (J17) |
| reductions in PM2.5 levels (Q52) | life expectancy (J17) |