2021/09/27 by Evan Herrnstadt, Anthony Heyes, Erich Muehlegger +1 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses #Air Quality and Health Impacts #Climate Change and Health Impacts
paper · doi:10.1257/app.20190091
openalex publication_date 2021/09/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
A growing literature documents that air pollution adversely impacts health, productivity, and cognition. This paper provides the first evidence of a causal link between air pollution and aggressive behavior, as documented by violent crime. Using the geolocation of crimes in Chicago from 2001–2012, we compare crime upwind and downwind of major highways on days when wind blows orthogonally to the road. Consistent with research linking pollution to aggression, we find that air pollution increases violent crime on the downwind sides of interstates. Our results suggest that pollution may reduce welfare and affect behavior through a wider set of channels than previously considered. (JEL K42, Q53)