Multi-City Equity Assessment of Air Quality Intervention Policies
MOHAMMED AHMED, Daniel Gingerich, Andrew A. May, The Ohio State University
Abstract Number: 459
Working Group: Reducing Aerosol Exposure with Control Technologies and Interventions
Abstract
Over the past decade, numerous U.S. cities have introduced climate or air quality measures intended to reduce urban pollution, yet their equity implications remain underexamined. This study evaluates the impact of policy implementation on PM2.5 concentrations in major U.S cities (over 500,000 residents) from 2015 to 2025 using monthly PM2.5 satellite data products aggregated to the census tract level. We apply difference-in-differences and triple difference methods to compare air quality trends in cities that adopted climate policies (e.g., emissions reduction plans, sustainability plans, and electrification mandates) with those that did not, while distinguishing between environmental justice (EJ) and non-EJ communities. We expect the findings to show statistically significant reductions in PM₂.₅ in policy-implementing cities compared to cities that did not implement interventions, but the benefits are not expected to be uniformly distributed. In some cities, EJ communities may experience greater gains in some places, while other places may show minimal change or even a decrease compared to non-EJ areas. These expected results suggest that implementation strategies, not just a policy’s existence, determine equity outcomes. The presentation will highlight how different cities performed in terms of air quality improvement and equity, and it will discuss what these differences mean for how we should monitor pollution and design better, more equitable climate policies in the future.