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Experts have been calculating pollution costs in China for years, weighing the productivity drag on medical costs, factory closures and traffic restrictions.
Now economists say they know exactly how much consumers are willing to pay to clean their own air.
Chinese consumers are willing to pay $5.
46 remove each microgram of pollutants per cubic meter of air on average, according to a new paper by University of Chicago environmental economist Ichiro Ito and University of Colorado Boulder Zhang Shuang.
According to their seven-year study of tracking air purifier buying habits in 81 Chinese cities, this means spending about $213 over five years.
Pollution in Beijing and other big cities often triggers health warnings that occasionally soar to "dangerous" levels when particles are less than 2.
5 microns in diameter--PM2. 5 --
It reaches a concentration of more than 250 micrograms per cubic meter.
The study reflects a growing focus on breathing clean air, with wealthy and increasingly middle-class people buying more air purifiers, many of which are importedConsumers.
Ito, assistant professor at Harris School of Public Policy, said: "Having a barometer of people's willingness to pay for clean air can help leaders determine which policies are most effective in improving welfare ,", said in the research summary.
"It reveals the extent to which citizens prioritize economic growth over environmental regulations --
In emerging economies, this is a topic of constant debate and importance. "Average top-of-the-
The researchers said the line model could cost hundreds of dollars each, and wealthy Chinese in more polluted areas are more willing to pay more for clean air. (
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Determining how much consumers are willing to pay to breathe clean air has an important policy impact on emerging economies, in which, striking a balance between economic development and environmental protection has proved to be a crucial task, Ito and Zhang wrote in a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.