Friday 21 February 2020

From fog to smog: The value of pollution information

a column by Panle Jia Barwick, Shanjun Li, Liguo Lin and Eric Zou for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

During 2013–2014, China launched a nationwide, real-time air quality monitoring and disclosure programme which substantially expanded public access to pollution information.

This column analyses the impact of the programme and finds that it triggered a cascade of changes in household behaviour, prompting people to find out more online about pollution-related topics, adjust their day-to-day consumption to avoid exposure to pollution, and exhibit a higher willingness to pay for housing in less-polluted areas.

The programme’s estimated annual health benefits far outweigh the combined costs of the programme and associated pollution-avoidance behaviours.

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If, like me, you like visual information there is plenty here!

Labels:
China, pollution, cities, green_amenities, air_pollution, air_quality, information, public_media, environment, particulates, health, life-expectancy, PM2.5, developing_country, urban, Beijing,


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