The Sun is for Everyone, the Heat for Some: Heatwaves and Mortality within Cities

Peçanha, Vinícius, Rudi Rocha () and Dimitri Szerman
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Peçanha, Vinícius: LEME
Rudi Rocha: FGV São Paulo School of Business Administration
Dimitri Szerman: Amazon

No 18601, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: If much of the variation in climate exposure occurs across short distances, then so too might the health consequences of heatwaves and the potential for place-based adaptation. We test this by combining high-resolution satellite data and administrative death records from Rio de Janeiro to estimate neighborhood-level heat effects. Nearly 60% of excess elderly mortality is driven by localized exposure differences. Yet as temperatures rise, spatial variation declines and city-wide shocks become more dominant. Preventive care and proximity to emergency services attenuate mortality, but only emergency access remains protective under localized exposure. Intervention points may thus lie hidden within city-level averages.

Keywords: heat waves; mortality; mitigation policies; healthcare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 I15 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18601

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