This paper examines the effect of energy production on newborn health using a recent strike that affected oil refineries in France as a natural experiment. First, we show that the temporary reduction in refining lead to a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. Second, this shock significantly increased birth weight and gestational age of newborns, particularly for those exposed to the strike during the third trimester of pregnancy. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a 1 unit decline in SO2 leads to a 196 million euro increase in lifetime earnings per birth cohort. This externality from oil refineries should be an important part of policy discussions surrounding the production of energy.

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for useful comments or discussions. Nicolas Treich acknowledges financial support from the ANR under grant ANR-17-EURE-0010 (the Investissements d'Avenir program), INRAE and the FDIR chair.

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This paper examines the effect of energy production on newborn health using a recent strike that affected oil refineries in France as a natural experiment. First, we show that the temporary reduction in refining lead to a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. Second, this shock significantly increased birth weight and gestational age of newborns, particularly for those exposed to the strike during the third trimester of pregnancy. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a 1 unit decline in SO2 leads to a 196 million euro increase in lifetime earnings per birth cohort. This externality from oil refineries should be an important part of policy discussions surrounding the production of energy.

Cet article examine l’impact du dioxyde de soufre (SO 2 ) dans le département du Nord de la France sur les pathologies respiratoires à l’échelle de la commune pour la période de 2007 à 2011. L’arrêt des activités de la raffinerie des Flandres dans le nord de la France, en septembre 2009, est utilisé comme expérience naturelle. Cette étude montre, tout d’abord, que l’arrêt de l’activité de raffinage, suivi en 2010 par la fermeture définitive de la raffinerie, diminue la concentration en SO 2 . Ce choc exogène sert ensuite à étudier l’impact sanitaire d’une importante concentration en SO 2  qui résulte de la production d’énergie. Les estimations suggèrent que la diminution de la concentration en SO 2  a réduit significativement la sévérité des pathologies respiratoires. L’arrêt des activités de la raffinerie entraîne par ailleurs des effets significatifs sur le revenu des communes.

Groundwater resources are a crucial driver of development. Since the 1970s, the expansion of irrigated land on the margins of the existing ‘traditional’ oases has been encouraged by the Tunisian authorities to enhance local development. As a result, oases in Southern Tunisia are currently facing sustainability concerns. This situation requires alternative water management approaches, in which local actors collaborate and contribute to the design of new rules. To understand Tunisian oasis farmers’ perceptions of water rules and public organisations, in 2021, we conducted an online survey in Jemna, an oasis in the Kebili region in Southern Tunisia. The picture that emerged from the online survey is that farmers in extension areas have distinctive characteristics but also similarities with farmers in the traditional oasis. Both types of farmers mainly cultivate date palm (monoculture), and, like farmers in the extensions, many farmers in the traditional oasis have a private borehole. All farmers in the Jemna oasis clearly perceive the limited availability and poor quality of the groundwater resource. However, they do not believe these problems cause conflict among farmers. They consider that, to solve possible conflicts and to ensure better water management in the oasis, collaboration among farmers is more effective than changes to rules issued by existing organisations. These preliminary results, if confirmed, can have important policy implications, as the farmers’ perceptions of water rules and organisations, as well as farmers’ willingness to collaborate, are crucial for a possible new approach to water management in the oasis.