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COVID-19, City Lockdowns, And Air Pollution: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Guojun He

    (Division of Social Science, Division of Environment and Sustainability, and Department of Economics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HK, China)

  • Yuhang Pan

    (Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong)

  • Takanao Tanaka

    (Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong.)

Abstract

The rapid spread of COVID-19 is a global public health challenge. To prevent the escalation of its transmission, China locked down one-third of its cities and strictly restricted personal mobility and economic activities. Using timely and comprehensive air quality data in China, we show that these counter-COVID-19 measures led to a remarkable improvement in air quality. Within weeks, the Air Quality Index and PM2.5 concentrations were brought down by 25%. The effects are larger in colder, richer, and more industrialized cities. We estimate that such improvement would avert 24,000 to 36,000 premature deaths from air pollution on a monthly basis.

Suggested Citation

  • Guojun He & Yuhang Pan & Takanao Tanaka, 2020. "COVID-19, City Lockdowns, And Air Pollution: Evidence from China," HKUST IEMS Working Paper Series 2020-72, HKUST Institute for Emerging Market Studies, revised Mar 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:hku:wpaper:202072
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fan, Maoyong & He, Guojun & Zhou, Maigeng, 2020. "The winter choke: Coal-Fired heating, air pollution, and mortality in China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. He, Guojun & Liu, Tong & Zhou, Maigeng, 2020. "Straw burning, PM2.5, and death: Evidence from China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Xin Jing & Jin Seo Cho, 2023. "Forecasting the Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Using Modal Regression," Working papers 2023rwp-217, Yonsei University, Yonsei Economics Research Institute.
    2. Abel Brodeur & David Gray & Anik Islam & Suraiya Bhuiyan, 2021. "A literature review of the economics of COVID‐19," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 1007-1044, September.
    3. Hung-Hao Chang & Chad Meyerhoefer & Feng-An Yang, 2020. "COVID-19 Prevention and Air Pollution in the Absence of a Lockdown," NBER Working Papers 27604, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Joy Chen & Zijun Cheng & Robin Kaiji Gong & Jinlin Li, 2020. "Riding Out the COVID-19 Storm: How Government Policies Affect SMEs in China," HKUST CEP Working Papers Series 202006, HKUST Center for Economic Policy.
    5. Brodeur, Abel & Cook, Nikolai & Wright, Taylor, 2021. "On the effects of COVID-19 safer-at-home policies on social distancing, car crashes and pollution," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    6. Mokhamad Nur Cahyadi & Hepi Hapsari Handayani & IDAA Warmadewanthi & Catur Aries Rokhmana & Soni Sunarso Sulistiawan & Christrijogo Sumartono Waloedjo & Agus Budi Raharjo & Endroyono & Mohamad Atok & , 2022. "Spatiotemporal Analysis for COVID-19 Delta Variant Using GIS-Based Air Parameter and Spatial Modeling," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-20, January.
    7. Ai, Hongshan & Zhong, Tenglong & Zhou, Zhengqing, 2022. "The real economic costs of COVID-19: Insights from electricity consumption data in Hunan Province, China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    8. Ahmad Taha Khalaf & Yuanyuan Wei & Jun Wan & Samiah Yasmin Abdul Kadir & Jamaludin Zainol & Hua Jiang & Ahmed N. Abdalla, 2023. "How Did the Pandemic Affect Our Perception of Sustainability? Enlightening the Major Positive Impact on Health and the Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Ammar Rashid, 2020. "A Case for Social Distancing in Developing Countries," PIDE-Working Papers 2020:8, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.
    10. Shardul Agrawala & Markus Amann & Graciela Binimelis de Raga & Nathan Borgford-Parnell & Michael Brauer & Harry Clark & Lisa Emberson & Andy Haines & Jiang Kejun & Nino Künzli & Johan Kuylenstierna & , 2020. "Call for comments: climate and clean air responses to covid-19," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(5), pages 525-528, June.
    11. Surender Kumar & Shunsuke Managi, 2020. "Does Stringency of Lockdown Affect Air Quality? Evidence from Indian Cities," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 481-502, October.
    12. Patrick Connerton & João Vicente de Assunção & Regina Maura de Miranda & Anne Dorothée Slovic & Pedro José Pérez-Martínez & Helena Ribeiro, 2020. "Air Quality during COVID-19 in Four Megacities: Lessons and Challenges for Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-24, July.
    13. Shasha Liu & Gaowen Kong & Dongmin Kong, 2020. "Effects of the COVID-19 on Air Quality: Human Mobility, Spillover Effects, and City Connections," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 635-653, August.
    14. Shardul Agrawala & Markus Amann & Graciela Binimelis de Raga & Nathan Borgford-Parnell & Michael Brauer & Harry Clark & Lisa Emberson & Andy Haines & Jiang Kejun & Nino Künzli & Johan Kuylenstierna & , 0. "Call for comments: climate and clean air responses to covid-19," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 0, pages 1-4.
    15. Mohan Sarkar & Anupam Das & Sutapa Mukhopadhyay, 2021. "Assessing the immediate impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality of Kolkata and Howrah, West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 8613-8642, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; coronavirus; PM2.5; lockdown; health;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development

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