COVID-19 Prevention and Air Pollution in the Absence of a Lockdown
2020/09/01
研討會日期 : 2020-09-01
時間 : 14:30
主講人 : Professor Hung-Hao Chang (張宏浩)
主持人 : Professor Tzu-Ting Yang
地點 : Conference Room B110
演講者簡介 : Professor Chang received his Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2006. He is currently a Professor at National Taiwan University. His research interest focuses on the evaluation of agricultural and public policy, farm household economics, food consumption and economic analysis of competition law with special interests on digital economy.
演講摘要 : Recent studies demonstrate that air quality improved during the coronavirus pandemic due to the imposition of social lockdowns. We investigate the impact of COVID-19 on air pollution in the two largest cities in Taiwan, which were not subject to economic or mobility restrictions. Using a generalized difference-in-differences approach and real-time data on air quality and transportation, we estimate that levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter increased 5 - 12 percent relative to 2017 - 2019. We demonstrate that this counterintuitive finding is likely due to a shift in preferences for mode of transport away from public transportation and towards personal automobiles. Similar COVID-19 prevention behaviors in regions or countries emerging from lockdowns could likewise result in an increase in air pollution.
