Laura Villalobos, Salisbury University

"Comparing the Effects of Heat and Air Pollution on Academic Test Scores: A Systematic Review"

Abstract

Recent research documents the effects of air pollution and heat on cognitive performance, typically in separate strands of the literature. This paper offers a unified meta-analysis comparing their impacts on test scores. Using evidence from 37 studies in 16 countries, I find similar per-unit and per-standard deviation (SD) effects across hazards. Test scores fall by 0.01 SD for each additional µg/m3 of PM2.5 or for each additional °C. Expressed per-SD, this effect is -0.04 SD–a statistically and economically meaningful effect. A meta-regression points to exposure period and country income level--rather than hazard type–as key moderators of estimate heterogeneity, showing larger effects for learning-period relative to test-day exposure and for middle-income compared to high-income countries. Overall, the results underscore the educational returns to mitigation and school adaptations and provide a framework for comparing effects across hazards.

Contact person: Rasmus Kehlet Skjødt Berg