POLLUTION
Clean air is essential to health and economic opportunity. However, the burden of air pollution is not distributed evenly across society. Historically marginalized communities are disproportionately exposed to air pollution and, while air quality has improved significantly in recent decades, disparities in exposure to air pollution have persisted.
These disparities have important implications for public health, but also for economic inequality and opportunity in the United States. The consequences of air pollution are far reaching, shaping various dimensions of health, learning, educational attainment and decision-making, which in turn affects productivity, earnings, and the ability to participate in society.
Our research exploits rich administrative data on almost every legal resident of the United States combined with frontier measures of pollution to provide a more systematic understanding of who is exposed to pollution, as well as a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of pollution disparities.
Disparities in PM2.5 Air Pollution in the USA
Jonathan Colmer, Ian Hardman, Jay Shimshack, and John Voorheis
Published in Science, this paper shows that while there have been substantial reductions in PM2.5 over the last few decades, meaningful disparities persist. The most polluted areas in 1981 are still the most polluted. The disadvantaged communities that were exposed to more pollution in 1981 are still more exposed to more pollution today.
Air Pollution and Economic Opportunity in the United States
Jonathan Colmer, John Voorheis, and Brennan Williams
This Working Paper presents new evidence showing that disparities in environmental quality during early childhood may play a meaningful role in explaining observed patterns of income inequality and economic opportunity in the United States.
Why are Pollution Damages Lower in Developed Countries? Insights from High-Income, High-Particulate Matter Hong Kong
Jonathan Colmer, Siying Liu, Dajun Lin, and Jay Shimshack
Published in the Journal of Health Economics, this paper provides evidence that health damages from pollution are high in less-developed countries because they are less developed, not because they are more polluted. A link to an ungated working paper can be found here.
Longitudinal Environmental Inequality and Environmental Gentrification: Who Gains From Cleaner Air?
John Voorheis
This Working Paper shows the importance of examining within-individual changes in pollution exposure for understanding the evolution of environmental inequality. While improvements in air quality since 2000 have accrued to individuals initially exposed to higher pollution levels, improvements in air quality also disproportionately accrued to higher income individuals after 2008.
The Grandkids Aren't Alright: The Intergenerational Effects of Pollution Exposure
Jonathan Colmer and John Voorheis
This Working Paper provides evidence that early life exposure to air pollution has intergenerational consequences. A non-technical summary can be found here.
What Caused Racial Disparities in Particulate Exposure to Fall? New Evidence from the Clean Air Act and Satellite-Based Measures of Air Quality.
Janet Currie, John Voorheis, and Reed Walker
Published in the American Economic Review, this paper documents that racial gaps in PM2.5 exposure have declined substantially over the last 20 years. This convergence was largely driven by the Clean Air Act, accounting for over 60 percent of the reduction since 2000.
Air Quality, Human Capital Formation and the Long Term Effects of Pollution Exposure at Birth
John Voorheis
This Working Paper presents evidence that reductions in particulate matter due to the 1990 Clean Air Act increased educational attainment, pointing to a cognitive channel for the long-term economic effects of pollution.
The Changing Nature of Pollution, Income, and Environmental Inequality in the United States
Forthcoming in AEA Papers & Proceedings, this paper documents that the gap in air pollution exposure between Black and White Americans has narrowed substantially in the last 40 years. We show that this pattern is largely due to broad improvements in air quality rather that disproportionately benefited Black households, rather than changes in the relative position of households within the pollution or income distribution.