American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Uncharted Waters: Effects of Maritime Emission Regulation
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 17,
no. 1, February 2025
(pp. 37–69)
Abstract
Maritime shipping emits as much fine particulate matter as half of global road traffic. We are the first to measure the consequences of US maritime emissions standards on air quality, human health, racial exposure disparities, and behavior. The introduction of US maritime emissions control areas significantly decreased fine particulate matter, low birth weight, and infant mortality. Yet, only about half of the forecasted fine particulate matter abatement was achieved by the policy. We show evidence consistent with behavioral responses among ship operators, other polluters, and individuals that muted the policy's impact, but were not incorporated in ex ante models.Citation
Hansen-Lewis, Jamie, and Michelle Marcus. 2025. "Uncharted Waters: Effects of Maritime Emission Regulation." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 17 (1): 37–69. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20220626Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I12 Health Behavior
- L92 Railroads and Other Surface Transportation
- Q51 Valuation of Environmental Effects
- Q52 Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects
- Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
- Q58 Environmental Economics: Government Policy