Agenda

19 Giu 2024 12:00

Heat and well-being in the "Old" Continent - Catarina Midões (EPOC Pre-defenses)

Meeting Room 1, San Giobbe Economics Campus + online

Catarina Midões
Heat and well-being in the "Old" Continent

Abstract: Climate change is bringing abnormally high temperatures to Europe. With them comes a substantial physical and mental health burden, especially for older populations. We expand the individual longitudinal Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) on the 50+ population in Europe, with temperature exposure information from gridded datasets and derived household location. We estimate that heat negatively affects well-being: ten extra days in a year at 31º (an increase predicted for many European regions under current climate forecasting exercises), without AC, increases by 2 - 5 p.p. the probability of reporting fatigue, by 2 - 6 p.p. of reporting reduced appetite, by 2 - 4 of reporting irritability and by 1 - 3 of reporting issues sleeping. Taking into account several possible biases in estimating the mitigating effect of AC ownership, we find that it constitutes an effective adaptation strategy against reduced appetite and particularly against fatigue. We do not find evidence of such protection against irritability nor sleeping difficulties. We estimate the effects of heat and the protection provided by AC accrue through time. To put results in context, future research shall estimate the protective effect of other, less energy-intensive and more equitable, adaptation strategies. Such climate adaptation research questions can be further explored through the developed dataset.

Lingua

L'evento si terrà in inglese

Organizzatore

Department of Economics (InSeminars)

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