Effects of the COVID-19 on Air Quality: Human Mobility, Spillover Effects, and City Connections

Shasha Liu (), Gaowen Kong () and Dongmin Kong ()
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Shasha Liu: Jinan University
Gaowen Kong: Guangzhou University
Dongmin Kong: Zhongnan University of Economics and Law

Environmental & Resource Economics, 2020, vol. 76, issue 4, No 7, 635-653

Abstract: Abstract We quantify the causal effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on air quality in the context of China. Using the lockdowns in different cities as exogenous shocks, our difference-in-differences estimations show that lockdown policies significantly reduced air pollution by 12% on average. Based on the first lockdown city, Wuhan, we present three underlying mechanisms driving our findings: anticipatory effects, spillover effects, and a city’s level of connection with Wuhan. Our findings are more pronounced in cities whose population was more willing to self-isolate or more susceptible to anxiety, or whose government faces less pressure to stimulate economic growth. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by evaluating the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak for air quality, and provides timely policy implications for policymakers.

Keywords: COVID-19; Air quality; Human mobility; Spillover; Connections (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F64 O13 Q53 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00492-3

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