Air Pollution in 88 US Metropolitan Areas: Trends and Persistence

Abstract

Data Availability Statement: No new data were created or analyzed in this study.JEL Classification: C22; Q53; Q58.This paper analyses trends and persistence in air pollution levels in 88 US metropolitan areas using fractional integration methods. The results indicate that the differencing parameter d is higher than 0 in 38 of the series, which supports the hypothesis of long-memory behavior and implies that, although the effects of shocks are long-lived, they eventually die out. The highest degrees of persistence are found in the Fresno, Bakersfield, Bradenton and San Diego areas. On the whole, the gathered evidence indicates that regional differences in pollution levels are significant, with factors such as industrialisation history and extreme weather events playing a crucial role in their degree of persistence. This suggests that, in order to tackle pollution more effectively, federal environmental policies, such as the Clean Air Act, should be complemented by more targeted ones taking into account local characteristics.Prof. Luis A. Gil-Alana gratefully acknowledges financial support from the project from ‘Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades`Agencia Estatal de Investigación’ (AEI) Spain and ‘Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional’ (FEDER), Grant D2023-149516NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033, and from an internal Project of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria