The Impact of Air Quality on Effective Labor Supply: Based on the Survey Data of Zhejiang Province in China

Labor is one of the most important factors of production and the basis for the development of social productivity. China’s aging population problem is serious, and the study of the labor supply is of great importance in order to achieve its second centenary goal regarding social development. In this study, four stage mixed sampling was used to conduct a questionnaire survey in the Zhejiang province of China, and 590 valid questionnaires were obtained. An ordered logit model and sample selection model were used to analyze the impact of air quality on the effective labor supply. The results show that the effective labor supply was significantly correlated with air quality. That is, the worse the air quality was, the lower the effective labor supply was, although this relationship was more explicit for people who worked indoors. When air quality impedes residents’ daily lives and even affects their health, it indirectly affects the effective supply of local labor. This paper indicates the causal relationship between economic development and the ecological environment and has enlightening significance for the realization of sustainable development.

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The impact of green credit on economic growth—The mediating effect of environment on labor supply

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257612 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257612

Author(s):

Cai Chen ◽

Yingli Zhang ◽

Yun Bai ◽

Wenrui Li

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Air Quality ◽

Labor Supply ◽

Industrial Structure ◽

National Level ◽

Western Region ◽

Environmental Improvement ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Western Region ◽

The Impact

Background The progress of green credit in China is accelerating, but its development is uneven and insufficient in different regions. And whether the issuance of green credit can effectively promote the improvement of the environment and economy is not well understood. Objective Previous research has found that green credit promotes economic growth through improvement of the industrial structure and green technological innovation. However, these studies have not considered the positive externality of environmental improvement even though environmental improvement and economic growth are requirements of the sustainable development concept. Methods We use the chain-mediated model to estimate the impact of green credit issuance on the economic growth of different provinces since the large-scale implementation of green credit in China with data from 2008 to 2016. Results and conclusion This paper shows that the issuance of green credit can improve labor supply rather than labor productivity through the improvement of air quality to achieve regional economic growth. Such a chain-mediated path is different from the economic growth caused by industrial structural adjustment and green technology innovation. At the national level, every 1% increase in green credit issuance relative to industrial loans will increase the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) by approximately 4.6 yuan, or 0.012%, through air quality and labor supply, accounting for 2.875% of the total effect. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that due to regional industrial structure differences and diminishing marginal effects, the impact of green credit is stronger in the western region than in the eastern and central regions. For every 1% increase in the proportion of green credit issuance relative to industrial loans, the per capita GDP growth achieved through the chain-mediated path is approximately 30.17 yuan in the western region, approximately 6.6 times greater than that at the national level. Within a 95% confidence interval of 5000 bootstrap samples, this path is found to be true, and the chain-mediated effect accounts for approximately 12.96% of the total indirect effect. Limitations The limitation of this paper is the measurement of green credit. Although green credit has a large volume, it remains underdeveloped, and there is a lack of perfect indicators. Most existing studies have adopted only alternative or reverse indicators to measure the issuance of green credit. For example, this paper takes the interest expenditure of six high-energy-consuming enterprises as the reverse indicator, which may to a certain extent lead to the overestimation of the issuance of green credit and its impact on the environment and economy. Future research can accurately explore the performance of green credit on the basis of its mature development.

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How Can Industrial Upgrading Improve China's Air Quality —Empirical Analysis Based on Multilevel Growth Model

10.21203/rs.3.rs-804645/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zining Li ◽

Congxin Li

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Growth Model ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Ecological Environment ◽

Industrial Upgrading ◽

Economic Profit ◽

Structure Adjustment ◽

Urbanization In China ◽

Multilevel Growth Model ◽

The Impact

Abstract With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization in China, the ecological environment has been damaged, especially the air quality, which has brought troubles to the production and life of residents. China has taken various measures to improve air quality, and industrial upgrading is one of the measures. How can industrial upgrading improve air quality? This article uses the urban and provincial data from 2015 to 2018, adopts a multilevel growth model, and draws the following conclusions through empirical analysis.Companies aiming at economic profit and survival will eventually lead to overall industrial upgrades that have little effect on air improvement.Industrial structure adjustment under the effect of industrial upgrading can reduce air pollution and have a significant impact on the improvement of air quality.Industrial upgrading under the effect of time will inevitably reduce the impact on environmental pollution, which is conducive to the improvement of air quality.According to the empirical results, this paper puts forward some suggestions to improve the air quality.

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The Effect of Coronavirus 2019 Disease Control Measures on the Incidence of Respiratory Infectious Disease and Air Pollutant Concentrations in Yangtze River Delta Region, China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-525693/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lan Wang ◽

Kehan Wang ◽

Hui Zhong ◽

Na Zhao ◽

Yunmei Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Zhejiang Province ◽

River Delta ◽

Control Measures ◽

Delta Region ◽

Yangtze River Delta Region ◽

The Impact

Abstract To investigate the changes of the respiratory infectious diseases (RID) and air quality during the COVID-19 outbreak over Yangtze River Delta Region, China. We investigate the impact of COVID-19 control measures on changes of RID and air quality by constructing two proportional test and fitting ARIMA and piecewise regression models. A total of 81,345 and 1,048,511 cases of RID were identified in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province, respectively. The incidence of seven RID and influenza decreased by 37.80% and 49.57% in 2020 in Shanghai and decreased by 20.39% and 43.40% in Zhejiang Province, respectively. The monthly concentrations of overall air pollutants decreased by 12.7% and 12.85% in 2020 Shanghai and Zhejiang compared to the 2017–2019 period; the most rapid decrease was observed in SO2 concentrations (32.39% and 33.37% in Shanghai Province and Zhejiang Province, respectively). A moderate correlation was seen between influenza incidence and monthly SO2 concentrations in Shanghai (r = 0.59). A 10 μg/m3 decrease of SO2 was significantly associated with the reduction of influenza incidence(2907.76 per 100,000). This study provided the additional evidences that the measures taken for COVID-19 were effective in improving the air quality and reducing spread of other common respiratory diseases, but direct causality is not established.

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Implications of higher retirement age for the labor market

Voprosy Ekonomiki ◽

10.32609/0042-8736-2017-3-22-39 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 22-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

M. Ivanova ◽

A. Balaev ◽

E. Gurvich

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Labor Market ◽

Labor Supply ◽

Labor Force ◽

Labor Demand ◽

Retirement Age ◽

Demographic Trends ◽

Men And Women ◽

Demographic Projections ◽

The Impact

The paper considers the impact of the increase in retirement age on labor supply and economic growth. Combining own estimates of labor participation and demographic projections by the Rosstat, the authors predict marked fall in the labor force (by 5.6 million persons over 2016-2030). Labor demand is also going down but to a lesser degree. If vigorous measures are not implemented, the labor force shortage will reach 6% of the labor force by the period end, thus restraining economic growth. Even rapid and ambitious increase in the retirement age (by 1 year each year to 65 years for both men and women) can only partially mitigate the adverse consequences of demographic trends.

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The impact of measures to reduce ambient air PM<sub>10</sub> concentrations originating from road dust, evaluated for a street canyon in Helsinki

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-19-11199-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (17) ◽

pp. 11199-11212 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Stojiljkovic ◽

Mari Kauhaniemi ◽

Jaakko Kukkonen ◽

Kaarle Kupiainen ◽

Ari Karppinen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Street Canyon ◽

Dust Emission ◽

Road Dust ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Air Quality Measurements ◽

Emission Models ◽

The Impact ◽

Quality Measurements

Abstract. We have numerically evaluated how effective selected potential measures would be for reducing the impact of road dust on ambient air particulate matter (PM10). The selected measures included a reduction of the use of studded tyres on light-duty vehicles and a reduction of the use of salt or sand for traction control. We have evaluated these measures for a street canyon located in central Helsinki for four years (2007–2009 and 2014). Air quality measurements were conducted in the street canyon for two years, 2009 and 2014. Two road dust emission models, NORTRIP (NOn-exhaust Road TRaffic Induced Particle emissions) and FORE (Forecasting Of Road dust Emissions), were applied in combination with the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM), a street canyon dispersion model, to compute the street increments of PM10 (i.e. the fraction of PM10 concentration originating from traffic emissions at the street level) within the street canyon. The predicted concentrations were compared with the air quality measurements. Both road dust emission models reproduced the seasonal variability of the PM10 concentrations fairly well but under-predicted the annual mean values. It was found that the largest reductions of concentrations could potentially be achieved by reducing the fraction of vehicles that use studded tyres. For instance, a 30 % decrease in the number of vehicles using studded tyres would result in an average decrease in the non-exhaust street increment of PM10 from 10 % to 22 %, depending on the model used and the year considered. Modelled contributions of traction sand and salt to the annual mean non-exhaust street increment of PM10 ranged from 4 % to 20 % for the traction sand and from 0.1 % to 4 % for the traction salt. The results presented here can be used to support the development of optimal strategies for reducing high springtime particulate matter concentrations originating from road dust.

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The Impact of a Reentry and Aftercare Program on Recidivism

The Review of Black Political Economy ◽

10.1177/0034644620973931 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 003464462097393

Author(s):

Colin Cannonier ◽

Monica Galloway Burke ◽

Ed Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Sample Selection ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Social Program ◽

Recidivism Rates ◽

Criminal Justice Reform ◽

Heterogeneous Effects ◽

Need To Evaluate ◽

Reducing Recidivism ◽

Aftercare Service ◽

The Impact

In this article, we explore the impact of a reentry and aftercare service program on the likelihood of returning to prison by ex-offenders. Using administrative data within a difference-in-differences design, we find that this social program is associated with a reduction in recidivism rates. Benchmark estimates show that the program was associated with estimated reductions in the probability of recidivating of 6.0 to 8.7 percentage points. The estimate appears to be economically significant as it implies an estimated treated effect in the 15.8% to 19.2% range. We consider the heterogeneous effects of the program on reducing recidivism according to race, age group, and program type. The program helped to reduce recidivism among Whites but not Blacks; older participants were the main beneficiaries while the effectiveness of the program was observed among older participants. Back-of-the-envelope cost-savings analysis is incorporated to estimate the potential savings to the state arising from the reduction in recidivism rates likely attributable to the program. The findings are robust to sample selection bias, alternative specifications, and estimation techniques. Our results offer some implications for the role of faith-based social programs within the context of criminal justice reform to combat reentry of former inmates. They also provide a cautionary tale about the need to evaluate programs not just based on their overall effect.

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Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Following COVID-19 Public Health Measures on People Living With Dementia and Carers

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology ◽

10.1177/0891988721996816 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089198872199681

Author(s):

Kerry Hanna ◽

Clarissa Giebel ◽

Hilary Tetlow ◽

Kym Ward ◽

Justine Shenton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Support Services ◽

Mental Wellbeing ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Health Measures ◽

Social Support Services ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Background: To date, there appears to be no evidence on the longer-term impacts caused by COVID-19 and its related public health restrictions on some of the most vulnerable in our societies. The aim of this research was to explore the change in impact of COVID-19 public health measures on the mental wellbeing of people living with dementia (PLWD) and unpaid carers. Method: Semi-structured, follow-up telephone interviews were conducted with PLWD and unpaid carers between June and July 2020. Participants were asked about their experiences of accessing social support services during the pandemic, and the impact of restrictions on their daily lives. Results: 20 interviews were conducted and thematically analyzed, which produced 3 primary themes concerning emotional responses and impact to mental health and wellbeing during the course of the pandemic: 1) Impact on mental health during lockdown, 2) Changes to mental health following easing of public health, and 3) The long-term effect of public health measures. Conclusions: The findings from this research shed light on the longer-term psychological impacts of the UK Government’s public health measures on PLWD and their carers. The loss of social support services was key in impacting this cohort mentally and emotionally, displaying a need for better psychological support, for both carers and PLWD.

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Ground-Based MAX-DOAS Observations of Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO During COVID-19 Lockdown and Spring Festival Over Shanghai, China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13030488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 488

Author(s):

Aimon Tanvir ◽

Zeeshan Javed ◽

Zhu Jian ◽

Sanbao Zhang ◽

Muhammad Bilal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Anthropogenic Activity ◽

Hysplit Model ◽

Vertical Column ◽

Weekly Cycle ◽

Spring Festival ◽

Level 1 ◽

Reduced Mobility ◽

The Impact

Reduced mobility and less anthropogenic activity under special case circumstances over various parts of the world have pronounced effects on air quality. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of reduced anthropogenic activity on air quality in the mega city of Shanghai, China. Observations from the highly sophisticated multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscope (MAX-DOAS) instrument were used for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) column densities. In situ measurements for NO2, ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5) and the air quality index (AQI) were also used. The concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere reduces significantly during annual Spring Festival holidays, whereby mobility is reduced and anthropogenic activities come to a halt. The COVID-19 lockdown during 2020 resulted in a considerable drop in vertical column densities (VCDs) of HCHO and NO2 during lockdown Level-1, which refers to strict lockdown, i.e., strict measures taken to reduce mobility (43% for NO2; 24% for HCHO), and lockdown Level-2, which refers to relaxed lockdown, i.e., when the mobility restrictions were relaxed somehow (20% for NO2; 22% for HCHO), compared with pre-lockdown days, as measured by the MAX-DOAS instrument. However, for 2019, a reduction in VCDs was found only during Level-1 (24% for NO2; 6.62% for HCHO), when the Spring Festival happened. The weekly cycle for NO2 and HCHO depicts no significant effect of weekends on the lockdown. After the start of the Spring Festival, the VCDs of NO2 and HCHO showed a decline for 2019 as well as 2020. Backward trajectories calculated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model indicated more air masses coming from the sea after the Spring Festival for 2019 and 2020, implying that a low pollutant load was carried by them. No impact of anthropogenic activity was found on O3 concentration. The results indicate that the ratio of HCHO to NO2 (RFN) fell in the volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime.

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Effects of Climatic Conditions, Season and Environmental Factors on CO2 Concentrations in Naturally Ventilated Primary Schools in Chile

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084139 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4139

Author(s):

Muriel Diaz ◽

Mario Cools ◽

Maureen Trebilcock ◽

Beatriz Piderit-Moreno ◽

Shady Attia

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air Quality ◽

Indoor Air ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Co2 Concentration ◽

Building Design ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Co2 Concentrations ◽

The Impact

Between the ages of 6 and 18, children spend between 30 and 42 h a week at school, mostly indoors, where indoor environmental quality is usually deficient and does not favor learning. The difficulty of delivering indoor air quality (IAQ) in learning facilities is related to high occupancy rates and low interaction levels with windows. In non-industrialized countries, as in the cases presented, most classrooms have no mechanical ventilation, due to energy poverty and lack of normative requirements. This fact heavily impacts the indoor air quality and students’ learning outcomes. The aim of the paper is to identify the factors that determine acceptable CO2 concentrations. Therefore, it studies air quality in free-running and naturally ventilated primary schools in Chile, aiming to identify the impact of contextual, occupant, and building design factors, using CO2 concentration as a proxy for IAQ. The monitoring of CO2, temperature, and humidity revealed that indoor air CO2 concentration is above 1400 ppm most of the time, with peaks of 5000 ppm during the day, especially in winter. The statistical analysis indicates that CO2 is dependent on climate, seasonality, and indoor temperature, while it is independent of outside temperature in heated classrooms. The odds of having acceptable concentrations of CO2 are bigger when indoor temperatures are high, and there is a need to ventilate for cooling.

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Association of temporary Environmental Protection Agency regulation suspension with industrial economic viability and local air quality in California, United States

Environmental Sciences Europe ◽

10.1186/s12302-021-00489-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emily Chang ◽

Kenneth Zhang ◽

Margaret Paczkowski ◽

Sara Kohler ◽

Marco Ribeiro

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Air Quality ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Economic Viability ◽

Treatment Control ◽

Oil Refineries ◽

Pollution Levels ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background This study seeks to answer two questions about the impacts of the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement regulation rollbacks: is this suspension bolstering the economic viability of industries as oil and manufacturing executives claim they will and are these regulations upholding the agency’s mission of protecting the environment? Results To answer the former question, we utilized 6 months of state employment level data from California, United States, as a method of gauging the economic health of agency-regulated industries. We implemented a machine learning model to predict weekly employment data and a t-test to indicate any significant changes in employment. We found that, following California's state-issued stay-at-home order and the agency’s regulation suspension, oil and certain manufacturing industries had statistically significant lower employment values. To answer the latter question, we used 10 years of PM2.5 levels in California, United States, as a metric for local air quality and treatment–control county pairs to isolate the impact of regulation rollbacks from the impacts of the state lockdown. Using the agency’s data, we performed a t-test to determine whether treatment–control county pairs experienced a significant change in PM2.5 levels. Even with the statewide lockdown—a measure we hypothesized would correlate with decreased mobility and pollution levels—in place, counties with oil refineries experienced the same air pollution levels when compared to historical data averaged from the years 2009 to 2019. Conclusions In contrast to the expectation that the suspension would improve the financial health of the oil and manufacturing industry, we can conclude that these industries are not witnessing economic growth with the suspension and state shutdown in place. Additionally, counties with oil refineries could be taking advantage of these rollbacks to continue emitting the same amount of PM2.5, in spite of state lockdowns. For these reasons, we ask international policymakers to reconsider the suspension of enforcement regulations as these actions do not fulfill their initial expectations. We recommend the creation and maintenance of pollution control and prevention programs that develop emission baselines, mandate the construction of pollution databases, and update records of pollution emissions.

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