Green infrastructure and air pollution: Evidence from highways connecting two megacities in China

Wang-Sheng Lee, Trang Tran and Lamont Bo Yu

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2023, vol. 122, issue C

Abstract: Following market liberalization, the vehicle population in China has increased dramatically over the past few decades. This paper examines the causal impact of the opening of a heavily used high speed rail line connecting two megacities in China in 2015, Chengdu and Chongqing, on air pollution. We use high-frequency and high spatial resolution data to track pollution along major highways linking the two cities. Our approach involves the use of a novel augmented regression discontinuity in time approach that incorporates machine learning to inform our specification choice in the first stage. Our estimates show that CO is reduced by 6.4% and PM2.5 by 7.1% along the main affected highway. These findings are supported using a difference-in-differences approach.

Keywords: Air pollution; China; Green infrastructure; High-speed railway; Regression discontinuity; Machine learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L92 O18 Q53 Q54 R41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Green Infrastructure and Air Pollution: Evidence from Highways Connecting Two Megacities in China (2021)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:122:y:2023:i:c:s009506962300102x

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102884

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