Air pollution is a major problem in many developing countries. Mr. Barwick and his colleagues recently published a paper, which highlights the importance of informing people about the air quality status. From 2013, the Chinese government started to install air quality monitors in pollutant areas of the major cities. According to different evidence, these monitors enhanced the public awareness of the air pollution and triggered strong defensive mechanisms. According to the paper results, the positive health benefits overweighs the cost of installation and the maintenance of the billboards by a large margin.
After installation of the monitors, aggregate annual sales of air purifiers and facial masks increased in China by around 237 percent, controlling for broad economic growth. This increase in definitive measures was precisely due to enhanced public information and awareness.
China’s example provides a crucial insight for other developing nations grappling with significant environmental hurdles. Across many low-income countries, the infrastructure for monitoring environmental standards and disseminating related information is frequently insufficient or absent altogether. As incomes elevate, the desire for environmental well-being grows, empowering households to better navigate adverse environmental circumstances. Offering instantaneous pollution data, alongside robust dissemination channels like smartphones and the Internet—both progressively accessible in developing regions—holds immense potential as a cost-effective strategy to aid households in mitigating health risks associated with environmental pollution.
Source: FROM FOG TO SMOG: THE VALUE OF POLLUTION INFORMATION, NBER WORKING m PAPER
