Air pollution generates vast health burdens and economic costs around the world. Pollution exposure varies greatly, both between countries and within them. But the degree of air quality inequality and its' trajectory have not been quantified at a global level. I use economic inequality indices...

This paper tests if air pollution serves as a carrier for SARS-CoV-2 by measuring the effect of daily exposure to air pollution on its spread by panel data models that incorporates a possible commonality between municipalities. We show that the contemporary exposure to particle matter is not the...

The COVID-19 virus, also known as the coronavirus, is currently spreading around the world. While a growing literature suggests that exposure to pollution can cause respiratory illness and increase deaths among the elderly, little is known about whether increases in pollution could cause...

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis advances an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution. Scholars have estimated turning point incomes for various pollutants within and across countries. However, the majority of these studies were conducted...

An inverted-U relationship between GDP per capita and three urban transport-related emissions is tested (using data from 84 cities). Per capita urban transport-related emissions of CO, VHC, and NOx increase and then decline at observed income levels — a result driven by a similar inverted-U...

By moving goods and people over large distances, air transport facilitates international trade and tourism and thus contributes to economic growth and job creation. At the same time, it also comes with environmental challenges, largely related to air emissions and their impact on global warming....

In order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Asian countries are trying to realize the potential of energy innovation. However, several structural issues might deter the expected impact of energy innovation on GHG emissions. Given the...

The rapid rise in greenhouse gas emissions have become a global concern catching the attention of policy makers and researchers all over the world. Fossil fuel combustion has been named as the major source of greenhouse gas emissions, meanwhile, studies focusing on fossil fuel impact on CO2...

Though the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) was originally developed to model the ambient concentrations of pollutants, most subsequent applications focused on pollution emissions. Yet, previous research suggests that it is more likely that economic growth could eventually reduce the...

We evaluate the approach currently used by the World Bank to measure exposure to outdoor air pollution and associated economic costs, as reported in the World Development Indicators database. We recommend that current exposure estimates, based on an econometric model, be replaced by estimates...