The impact of low-carbon pilots policy on health

Hong Cao, Liyan Han, Lei Li, Libo Yin and Peng Yin

Journal of Comparative Economics, 2026, vol. 54, issue 2, 578-597

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.

Keywords: Low-carbon pilot policy; Health outcomes; Air quality; Government actions; Staggered difference-in-differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 I18 Q51 Q53 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:54:y:2026:i:2:p:578-597

DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2026.02.001

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