Researcher Wangyang Lai's collaborative paper was published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

Release date：2025/03/06　　Source： CCAP

Recently, Researcher Wangyang Lai's collaborative paper 'Investing in a transition fuel: The remarkable decline in mortality from China’s rollout of natural gas infrastructure' (co-authors: Lin Liguo from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shen Xiaochi from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Zhou Maigeng from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention) was published in the top environmental economics journal Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

To address climate change, the world is undergoing a massive energy transition. This paper, using China as a case study, estimates the impact of energy infrastructure development on public health. The results show that the installation of natural gas pipelines led to a 53% increase in household natural gas usage and a 12% decrease in mortality rates. The reduction in mortality is primarily attributed to a decrease in cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer, with a more significant effect observed in the female population. Mechanism analysis indicates that the improvement in health is mainly due to the expansion of energy infrastructure, which promoted a cleaner energy structure, thereby reducing air pollution, particularly indoor air pollution. The study emphasizes the significant potential of investing in energy infrastructure to improve public health. It also highlights the need for further research on energy transitions, climate change, and gender inequality issues in developing countries.

The citation of the paper: Wangyang Lai, Liguo Lin, Xiaochi Shen, Maigeng Zhou, 2025. Investing in a transition fuel: The remarkable decline in mortality from China's rollout of natural gas infrastructure. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

The link of the paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2025.103131