Tuesday, May 3, 2022

3.8 percent of deaths in Mexico are caused by suboptimal temperature (26,000 every year): 92pct of weather-related deaths are induced by cold (below 12 C) or mildly cold (12–20 C) days & only 2 percent by outstandingly hot days (above 32 C)

Cohen, François, and Antoine Dechezleprêtre. 2022. "Mortality, Temperature, and Public Health Provision: Evidence from Mexico." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 14 (2): 161-92. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20180594

Abstract: We examine the impact of temperature on mortality in Mexico using daily data over the period 1998–2017 and find that 3.8 percent of deaths in Mexico are caused by suboptimal temperature (26,000 every year). However, 92 percent of weather-related deaths are induced by cold (less than 12 degrees C) or mildly cold (12–20 degrees C) days and only 2 percent by outstandingly hot days (more than 32 degrees C). Furthermore, temperatures are twice as likely to kill people in the bottom half of the income distribution. Finally, we show causal evidence that the Seguro Popular, a universal health care policy, has saved at least 1,600 lives per year from cold weather since 2004.


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