| Popis: |
In the Global South, comprehensive empirical evidence on environmental inequity, i.e., disproportionate pollution levels in poorer or more marginalized communities, is scarce, despite numerous anecdotes. A couple of prior studies in Mexico investigate this question for either border cities with the U.S. or utilizing self-reported plant level toxic pollution data. Neither deal with exposure to ambient air pollution despite its huge disease burden and related income shocks on the individuals affected. Using 15 years of remote sensing data on fine particulate matter (smaller than 2.5 microns), we show that more marginalized communities in Mexico experience up to 1% annual increase in pollution levels in the long-term. Given the wealth of air pollution data, we show that spatial boundaries with higher past marginalization experienced an average increase in pollution by almost 2.6% annually. Unlike the Global North, where disparities are strongly linked to race, we do not find strong evidence of indigenous population-based differential pollution burden. |
