The impact of low-carbon pilots policy on health
Abstract
This paper quantifies the health benefits of China’s Low-Carbon Pilot (LCP) policy using individual-level mortality records. Exploiting staggered policy adoption and estimating dynamic treatment effects with the Sun and Abraham (2021) approach, we find that LCP implementation reduces pollution-related mortality among older adults by 12.6%, with the largest declines in cardiovascular, ischemic heart, and cerebrovascular deaths. The mechanism evidence points to improved air quality—achieved mainly through stronger fiscal support and tighter regulatory enforcement—and the effects are amplified in places led by younger, career-motivated officials, underscoring sizeable health benefits from climate-oriented environmental regulation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Air Quality and Health Impacts
Climate Change and Health Impacts
Climate Change Policy and Economics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Comparative Economics
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 578–597
- Publication date
- 6 February 2026
- Language
- EN