The impact of climate on life satisfaction

David Maddison and Katrin Rehdanz

No 1658, Kiel Working Papers from Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel)

Abstract: We analyse the influence of climate on average life satisfaction in 87 countries using data from the World Values Survey. Climate is described in terms of 'degree-months' calculated using an optimally-selected base temperature of 65°F (18.3°C). Our results suggest that countries with climates characterised by a large number of degree-months enjoy significantly lower levels of life satisfaction. This finding is robust to a wide variety of model specifications. Using our results to analyse a particular climate change scenario associated with the IPCC A2 emissions scenario points to major losses for African countries, but modest gains for Northern Europe.

Keywords: climate; climate change; happiness; life satisfaction; survey data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 H41 I31 Q51 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The impact of climate on life satisfaction (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:1658

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