Highlighted Publications




 

Nemati (2026) asks whether water-efficiency building codes actually reduce household water use once homes are occupied. He examines monthly residential water billing records from two large water districts in Riverside County, California, linked to property characteristics and weather data. The study compares homes built just before and just after the California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) took effect. Nemati finds that homes built under CALGreen use about 11–12 p

Hahn, Hendren, Metcalfe, and Sprung-Keyser (2025) ask which climate policies generate the largest social welfare gains per dollar of government spending. They analyze evidence from 96 U.S. climate-related tax and spending policies evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental methods over the past 25 years. Using the marginal value of public funds (MVPF) framework, they estimate each policy’s benefits relative to its fiscal cost. They find subsidies for clean electricity

Gagliarducci, Paserman, and Patacchini (2025) examine whether hurricanes influence legislators’ support for climate-related environmental policy. They analyze data on federal disaster declarations (1989–2020) matched to U.S. House districts, combined with records of sponsorship and cosponsorship of “green” bills. They find that representatives from hurricane-hit districts are more likely to support environmental legislation, especially in the year after a storm. The effect is

Ebinger et al. (2025) investigated how the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires affected local residents’ health. They asked whether emergency department encounters for specific illnesses increased during and after the fires. The study analyzed Cedars-Sinai emergency encounter data from 39 affected or adjacent zip codes, comparing the 90 days post-fire with the same calendar periods in 2018–2024 using interrupted time series models. They found significant excesses in acute pulm

Cowell et al. (2025) ask whether there are specific weeks during pregnancy when exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) has the strongest association with birth weight. They analyze data from 16,868 full-term singleton births in the U.S. Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort, using weekly, address-level PM2.5 exposure estimates derived from machine-learning models. They find that higher prenatal PM2.5 exposure is associated with lower birt

Kahleova et al. (2025) asked whether adopting a low-fat vegan diet reduces greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand. They analyzed 16-week dietary records from overweight adults who were randomly assigned to either a vegan group or a control group. They linked each participant’s food intake to environmental impact databases to estimate emissions and energy use. They found that the vegan group reduced emissions by about 1313 g CO2-eq per person per day, while the

This study asks how extreme heat affects international migration from El Salvador. The authors use detailed agricultural production data from 2013–2018 and household survey data from 2009–2018, combined with high-resolution temperature records. They find that each additional week of extreme temperatures during the main corn-growing season reduces annual corn production by about 3 percent and lowers producers’ demand for hired workers by roughly 3.6 percent. These income losse

The study asks whether countries that are more connected to global financial markets recover more quickly from natural disasters. The authors use quarterly data from 61 advanced and emerging economies between 1970 and 2018, including detailed information on floods, storms, earthquakes, and other sudden disasters. They compare economic outcomes—GDP, consumption, and investment—between countries with high versus low levels of cross-border financial assets and liabilities. They

This study examines how cost-effective China’s nationwide tradable-performance-standard (TPS) carbon market is compared with a traditional cap-and-trade (C&T) system. Using plant-level data and a dynamic general-equilibrium model for 2020–2035, the authors estimate that the TPS cuts about 18 billion tons of CO₂ (an 8.6% reduction) at an average cost of roughly 87 RMB per ton. Early on, TPS costs are similar to C&T because existing taxes narrow the efficiency gap, but TPS beco

The study asks whether increased adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) improves air quality and infant health in the United States. Using county-level data from 2010–2021 on EV registrations, air pollution (especially nitrogen dioxide), birth outcomes, and child hospital visits, the authors analyze both fixed-effects and instrumental-variable models. They find that a one standard deviation increase in EV adoption—about 12 per 1,000 vehicles—reduces nitrogen dioxide levels by up

This study examined whether proximity to golf courses raises the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using Rochester Epidemiology Project...

This study asks whether plastic bag bans and fees reduce shoreline plastic litter. The authors combine data from 611 U.S. state, county,...

The report asks how misinformation and disinformation about climate science shape public understanding and policy responses. To answer...

This study examined whether urban greenspace modifies the relationship between ambient temperature and violent crime in Chicago,...

This study explores how climate extremes drive food price spikes and the wider societal risks they pose. Drawing on climatological data,...

This study examines whether linking electric vehicle (EV) purchase subsidies with scrappage requirements for old gasoline vehicles...

This study investigates whether recycling habits and skills degrade after a temporary pause in recycling services. The authors analyze...

This study investigates whether household carbon emissions are primarily driven by household characteristics or by the places people...

This study investigates how pollution-induced migration affects productivity in China, focusing on whether skilled workers...

This study explores what factors influence global support for climate policies by analyzing survey data from 40,000 respondents across 20...