Air Pollution, Public Health Service and Regional Economic Development: Evidence from New York

Economics Department, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, 310000, China

^* Corresponding author: qingruichen@zufe.edu.cn

Abstract

The rapid development of world industrialization has brought more and more serious environmental problems, especially air pollution. Its impact on human health has become a shared preoccupation of governments and the public worldwide. Numerous studies have shown that air pollution is associated with the appearance of respiratory diseases. Taking New York as an example, this paper selected PM2.5, a common air pollutant, and asthma, a respiratory disease, as the research objects. By using GeoDa software, Moran scatter map, Significance map, and Cluster map were drawn. Air pollution and economic development in areas with high incidences of respiratory diseases were analyzed. The study revealed that regions where respiratory disease rates were higher had higher levels of air pollution, and developed areas had lower rates of respiratory diseases. Based on these findings, countermeasures and suggestions are put forward. To prevent the government from squeezing private capital, all localities should appropriately increase the procurement of basic public services, and appropriately increase the procurement of basic public services. The government should promote the innovation of the basic public services, improve infrastructure construction, and stimulate fair competition among basic public utilities.