Does early-life famine experience affect household carbon emissions? Evidence from China

This study uses the Great Famine of 1959–1961 as a natural experiment to examine how a householder's early-life famine experience affects household carbon emissions, drawing on microdata from the China Family Panel Studies. The results show that famine exposure significantly reduces household carbon emissions, particularly for those affected in childhood or adolescence. Mechanism analyses indicate that famine experience attenuates risk preference and lowers time preference, thereby dampening household consumption and, in turn, suppressing carbon emissions. Heterogeneity results suggest that this effect varies across regions and household groups, and further evidence shows that household income significantly moderates the relationship. Moreover, famine experience reduces consumption and carbon emissions across all demand categories, with stronger effects on developmental and hedonic demands, while no intergenerational transmission to children is detected. These findings support promoting green consumption, integrating behavioral and psychological mechanisms into carbon-reduction policies, and enhancing social security and risk management systems.