Research
Working papers
Wildfire Smoke and Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Canada (Job Market Paper)
(Presented at CREEA 2021; CEA 2023. Best Paper Prize: CLEF 2023)
Abstract
Wildfire smoke is known to be an increasing source of air pollution. While general air pollution is known to have a detrimental effect on health and worker productivity, the impact of wildfire smoke has been less studied. In this paper, I combine satellite data capturing daily smoke exposure with monthly individual-level work and earnings data across Canada to evaluate the causal impact of wildfire smoke on labour market outcomes. I find that work hours are reduced by almost one hour each week or approximately 2.5 percent for a typical worker in Canada due to wildfire smoke exposure. These negative impacts are lasting and persist up to two years into the future. My results highlight the importance of considering the long-term labour market impacts when assessing future air regulations or wildfire prevention investments.Heterogeneous Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Road Safety in British Columbia
Abstract
This paper analyzes the effect of wildfire smoke and the resulting poor air quality on road safety in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Using satellite observations of smoke plumes over municipalities in BC, I find that smoke exposure has a non-linear impact on the number of dangerous vehicle accidents. The most common lower-intensity smoke leads to 1.4 percent rise in collisions. This increase is mostly concentrated within urban areas and during the day time. Rare heavy smoke episodes are associated with avoidance behaviour among drivers and slightly decrease threatening car crashes. Overall, my findings emphasize the importance of broader effects of climate change and air pollution.Wildfire Smoke and Fatal Crashes: Evidence from the American West
Abstract
This article focuses on the causal impact of forest fire smoke on motor vehicle collisions in the contiguous Western United States. To evaluate this effect, I merged daily wildfire smoke exposure data with the number of car crashes for all counties in the American West. My detailed findings demonstrate the negative impact of smoke on road accidents. I document that a smoke day increases the number of deadly collisions by a 7.1 percent compared to a day without smoke plumes. The adverse effect is mostly observable in the metropolitan areas and adds $3.7 billion or roughly 0.9 percent in estimated losses from car fatalities annually within the entire United States.Publications
Econometric Evaluation of Large Weather Events due to Climate Change: floods in Atlantic Canada
(Presented at GRC 2018)
Abstract
Climate change increases frequency of large weather events such as floods, storm surges, cyclones, hurricanes, high-speed winds, thunderstorms, snowstorms, blizzards, extreme temperatures, and others. All these events lead to a significant economic damage to property, infrastructure, and human health. Historically Atlantic Canada has been vulnerable to flooding. Therefore, the goal of this study is to establish a relationship between socio-economic, climatological as well as direct flood factors and economic loss from floods in Atlantic Canada. First, this study evaluates probability of floods in Atlantic Canada due to hydrological as well as climatological factors. Second, it tests the hypothesis of an increasing frequency of floods in the future due to climate change. Coupled with economic losses from floods defined earlier, it will give us a possibility to evaluate the expected damage from floods in Atlantic Canada due to climate change to justify investment into mitigation measures.Yevdokimov, Y., Hetalo, S., & Burina, Y. (2021). Econometric evaluation of large weather events due to climate change: Floods in Atlantic Canada. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 43(2-3), 275-283.