Freakonomics Radio

Podbit · Freakonomics Radio

This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update)

Explore episode Jun 10, 2026
Education
The Huai River Experiment: 3 Years of Life and a Year of School Lost to Coal

This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update) · Jun 10, 2026 Education

China's Huai River heating policy drew an arbitrary line across the country: free coal for the north, nothing for the south. Because migration was tightly controlled, this created a perfect natural experiment. People born north of the river lived 3 years less and their children completed nearly a full year less of schooling.

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