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Too hot to hold: the effects of high temperatures during pregnancy on endowment and adult welfare outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Hu, Zihan
  • Li, Teng
Abstract
We examine the relationships between high temperatures during pregnancy and birth weight and later outcomes using random temperature fluctuations across 131 counties in China. One standard deviation increase of high-temperature days during pregnancy triggers about 0.07 kg lower birth weight, and, in adulthood, a 0.80 cm decrease in height, 0.27 fewer years of schooling, 13.30% less annual earnings, and 8.77%, 10.96%, and 7.31% of one standard deviation lower for evaluated health, word-, and math-test score, respectively. The impacts seem to be concentrated in the second trimester. Such effects should be included in calculations of the costs of global warming. Back-of-the-envelope predictions suggest that at the end of the 21st century, newborns on average will weigh 0.02-0.09 kg less; losses in height and education years will be 0.27-1.05 cm and 0.09-0.35 years, respectively. We also conclude that adverse effects of high temperatures are more likely to be consistent with physiological effects than income effects, because: (i) places with the high proportion of heat-tolerant crop area do not mitigate any estimated temperature sensitivity during pregnancy and (ii) total precipitation and high temperatures in the last year growing season before birth have no significant effects on all outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Zihan & Li, Teng, 2016. "Too hot to hold: the effects of high temperatures during pregnancy on endowment and adult welfare outcomes," MPRA Paper 69644, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:69644
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Mulmi, Prajula & Block, Steven A. & Shively, Gerald E. & Masters, William A., 2016. "Climatic conditions and child height: Sex-specific vulnerability and the protective effects of sanitation and food markets in Nepal," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 63-75.
    3. Garg, Teevrat & Jagnani, Maulik & Taraz, Vis P., 2017. "Human Capital Costs of Climate Change: Evidence from Test Scores in India," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258018, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Manuel Barron & Sam Heft-Neal & Tania Perez, 2018. "Long-term effects of weather during gestation on education and labor outcomes: Evidence from Peru," Working Papers 134, Peruvian Economic Association.
    5. Manuel Barron, 2018. "In-utero weather shocks and learning outcomes," Working Papers 137, Peruvian Economic Association.
    6. Beuermann, Diether & Pecha, Camilo & Schmid, Juan Pedro, 2017. "The Effects of Weather Shocks on Early Childhood Development," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 8543, Inter-American Development Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    High temperatures during pregnancy; birth weight; adult welfare outcomes; global warming;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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