Scientific Presentations

LabTalks­@DCD

Department of Digital and Computational Demography
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), Rostock, Germany, July 22, 2026

11:00 AM: Talk with Angelo dos Santos - Air Pollution Burden Around the World: Distributions, Inequalities, and the Economic Benefits of Clean Air

room 400

Abstract

We construct a globally harmonized, high-resolution dataset combining satellite-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) and population data to document global inequalities in air pollution exposure. By weighting pollution by population shares, we provide one of the first comprehensive assessments of how exposure to air pollution by aerosols varies across and within countries and regions. We find large disparities: populations in Asia face average exposure levels more than three times higher than those in Oceania, and within-country inequalities reach up to 359%. We add Subnational GDP information to our datasets to investigate the overlap between air pollution and income inequality. Our global analysis reveals compounding inequalities—regions with higher pollution are also poorer, but this pattern differs across continents. Finally, we provide the first Global Compensating Equivalent Variation (CEV) estimate for clean air, finding that welfare gains from cleaner air varies substantially within countries, underscoring the significant variability on economic and social returns from targeted pollution abatement policies.

About

Angelo is an applied microeconomist specializing in development and environmental issues. His research focuses on critical challenges such as deforestation and air pollution, aiming to inform effective policy solutions to mitigate the occurrence and consequences of these issues. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and Scientific Production Coordinator for the DZC project. Outside of academia, he is a nature enthusiast and avid soccer fan.